Call for Papers

All articles submitted should be original work and must not be under consideration by other publications.

The journal operates on the basis of thematic CFPs only, please consult the current CFPs above before submission.

The Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art is a scholarly forum for new research into and critical debate on the subject of contemporary Chinese art. The journal welcomes contributions that address contemporary art produced in mainland China, Hong Kong-Macau and Taiwan as well as in relation to diasporic and trans-national Chinese cultural communities world-wide. The journal also welcomes contributions that address the relationship between Chinese cultural thought and practice and contemporary art of non-Chinese origin. The journal is open to non-standard contributions such as photographic essays and conversations for publication alongside its more usual peer-reviewed content.

Areas of research and debate that the journal will explore include, but are by no means limited to:

· Contemporary art with a relationship to Chinese society, culture and history

· Art-historical and critical writing related to the reception of contemporary Chinese art

· Curatorial theory and practice related to the exhibition/display of contemporary Chinese art

· Contemporary Chinese aesthetics (as seen from Chinese and non-Chinese cultural perspectives)

· The contemporary Chinese art market

· Issues of historical importance to the development of contemporary Chinese art (e.g. cultural interaction and exchange between China and the West prior to the emergence of contemporary Chinese art)

Journal contributors will receive a free PDF copy of their final work upon publication. Print copies of the journal may also be purchased by contributors at half price.

Special Issue Call for Papers

Volume 10, Issue 3, Autumn 2023

'China’s Cultural Diplomacy and Nation Branding'

This issue of JCCA focuses on the mobilization of creative expressions for the state’s wider agendas to boost recognition and legitimacy, as well as projecting the country’s global image and status abroad. This approach positions creative outputs at the intersection of aesthetics, statecraft, nation branding and state reputation management.

Our starting point is China’s own self-representation: how the country wishes to appear and become legible on the global stage and how it portrays itself as an international power. As part of such image-making drives in recent decades, the realm of culture has been instrumentalized for national identity construction projects while serving, simultaneously, as one of the engines of the country’s growing cultural and creative industries. Often examined as a form of soft power, these cultural expressions disseminate so-called Chinese values, ideals and ideologies that jointly orchestrate the country’s international image and credibility.

We welcome papers that address all fields of contemporary arts – including art, design, performance art, film and others. How have they been embroiled in this process of perception governance and image control? How have they acted as cultural capital to enhance diplomatic relations, recalibrate China’s nation brand, shape statecraft, or enable people-to-people exchanges? How have these roles been redefined in view of China’s relationship with the world during and after the pandemic?

Possible perspectives for proposals include, but are not limited to:

• The growth of contemporary art biennials and Chinese museums along the routes of the country’s Belt and Road Initiative

• How the arts impact the diplomatic process of the country’s economic developments in Africa

• China-themed exhibits and national pavilions (at the Venice Biennale and the Venice Architecture Biennale, for example)

• The role of the arts in Chinese nation branding and soft power

• The mobilization of Chinese contemporary arts, state art collections and performances at embassies, global summits, diplomatic gatherings, and official visits

• Curatorial and museum practices, including loan programmes, to bolster bilateral relations and media image

• Analyses of the government’s cultural policy overseeing arts exhibits in the international realm

• (Non-)state-sponsored artists exchange programmes, travel schemes and residencies

• China’s international art and cultural exchanges during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

Publication timeline

1 December 2022: Abstracts due (300 words)

1 April 2023: Full manuscripts due (7000–8000 words)

Autumn 2023: Publication

Please submit one document, either Word or PDF, containing 1) an abstract of up to 300 words; 2) a 100-word biography, contact information and any institutional affiliation by 1 December 2022 to Dr Jenifer Chao jenifer.chao2@dmu.ac.uk and ccva@bcu.ac.uk with a subject titled ‘JCCA 10.3’. Successful proposals will be notified no later than 19 December 2022. Please visit Intellect’s website www.intellectbooks.com/journaleditors-and-contributors for referencing guidelines. Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art is an associate journal of the Centre for Chinese Visual Arts at Birmingham City University.

This special issue is one of the outputs for our research and networking project ‘Art Diplomacy and Nation Branding: The Visual Politics of Reinventing China’, funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). For more information about the project, please visit our website: china-art-nationbranding.org/