The last ten years have seen a genuine transformation in China’s arts world, as a large sector that used to be dependent almost exclusively on government funding has been downsized into the maelstrom of the market, leaving survivors to navigate not only China’s rapidly changing market forces but also the vagaries of state preferences and political vacillations.
This week on Sinica, Kaiser and Jeremy take a closer look at what these changes have done to both larger and smaller arts studios, in conversation with Alison Friedman. As the founder of Ping Pong Productions, an organization at the crossroads of the Western and Chinese art worlds, Alison has spent the last several years helping Chinese performers find work outside China while also setting up tours and collaborations for performers visiting the country from abroad. She has an insider’s view on the arts scene here that has made her one of the only foreigners regularly consulted by the Chinese Ministry of Culture for her expertise in China’s contemporary performing arts. We are delighted to have her in our studio.