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This screening programme explores a collection of Sinophone films whose genres sit in between an ethnographic film, documentary, essay film, and fiction. Through this screening journey, we will engage with various languages, narratives, perspectives, styles and textures of films that come across and reflect on the ever-changing realities of contemporary Chinese society – rich with nuances, obscurities, complexities, and uncertainties. The series will cover four themes, including COVID-19, Gender, Art and Society, and Rural-Urban, and will run from Feb to May 2026.
Session 4 (Boundaries of Art):
China’s Van Goghs 中国梵高
Directors: Yu Haibo, Yu Tianqi Kiki
Region: Mainland China
Run Time: 82 min
Screening Talk and Q&A: with Dr Yu Tianqi Kiki (in-person)
Synopsis: An intimate portrait of a peasant-turned oil painter transitioning from making copies of iconic Western paintings to creating his own authentic works of art.
China’s Van Goghs tells the story of the world’s largest oil painting reproduction village – Dafen Oil Painting Village (大芬油画村) in Shenzhen – and how its peasant painters, after years of copying Western masterpieces, confront reality, face themselves, and navigate the complex choices between morality, livelihood, and artistic pursuit. The film documents the difficulties, struggles, despair, and hope that these painters experience on their journey of transformation, as well as the clash and compromise between personal ideals and everyday reality. At the same time, the transformation of the Dafen painters mirrors the complexities and contradictions in China’s broader shift in the 21st century from Made in China to Created in China. It also critiques the exclusivity of the mainstream contemporary art world and the absurdity of how society assigns value to art.
