British Chinese artists are influenced by issues of culture, language and arts practice from
both Chinese and British cultures. The defining of spiritual and natural world issues in
relation to their art practice is therefore complex.
The Chinese population in Britain makes up only 0.42% of the national population according
to the 2001 census. Within this minority ethnic population of Chinese there is a community of
Artists who operate within the wider context of British Contemporary Arts.
In 1986 the ‘Chinese Arts Centre’ was set up in Manchester to promote the work of British
Chinese Artists who were often not represented in the Black and Asian arts movement in
Britain at the time. Since 1999 when Hong Kong returned to be governed by China the world
began to open its eyes to China and Chinese culture recognising it as a distinct and unique
culture.
Examples of traditional Chinese Art dating back into the dynasties can be seen in exhibitions
in London’s ‘British Museum’ (‘Gilded Dragons’ 1999-2000) with familiar visuals of
mountain scapes and ancient artefacts bearing dragons and the realms of mystical worlds
depicted. Much of this imagery relates to what can be called ‘spiritual’ influences such as
Taoism.
This paper aims to identify the influences on the British Chinese contemporary art scene with
reference to the impact of Global art and the Chinese Artists Diaspora. The influence of
family relationships, of ‘home country’ traditional art, and of local Chinese cultural
institutions is part of this research. The British Chinese Artists focused upon in this research
are: Fanny Christie, Eric Fong, Panni Poh Yoke Loh, Lesley Sanderson and Pamela So. The
Chinese Arts Centre in Manchester also informs this research.