Blooming in the shadows

Introduces the work of three Chinese artists' groups whose members worked without official recognition: the Wuming (No Names), the Xingxing (Stars), and the Caocao (Grass Society). They came together following the end of the Cultural Revolution and helped launch the avant-garde movement in China. These groups of young artists pursued creatively diverse paths to personal artistic freedom in the bleak political environment of that time. This exhibition catalogue discusses the circumstances of their rise and examines the contexts of their artwork in the critical decade leading up to the Communist Party's 1985 decision to allow modern artistic practices.