It is without question that China is today synonymous with change. The past forty years in China – whether in terms of its geopolitical influence and economic position, or the complexion of life within the country – can be seen as a watershed time in modern history. This comes as the world gears up to face new challenges, which will be felt across societies globally, leading some to dub the twenty-first century the ‘Chinese century’.

Recognising that art and design have a unique and sometimes contested role in shaping Chinese society, The Centre: On Art and Urbanism in China is a collection of newly commissioned texts that examine modes of creative production, exhibition, curating, collecting and urban transformation, against a backdrop of critical perspectives on the historical moment and speculative futures.

This volume features a range of key Chinese practitioners working today across art, design and architecture, and acts as an entry point to ongoing engagement with contemporary China.

Edited by Annika Aitken, Simon Maidment, Ewan McEoin and Megan Patty
Publisher: National Gallery of Victoria
Paperback with dust-jacket
165 x 240 mm (portrait), 246 pages
Printed on high-quality uncoated environmentally friendly Munken paper from Arctic Papers
Designed by Stuart Geddes, Kim Mumm Hansen and Žiga Testen at Public Office
ISBN: 9781925432688
Published: July 2019

Available via the NGV Design Store.