[Comic] Wukong’s shadow: China’s search for self

Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk wisely observed, “We are neither slaves of our great tradition, nor enemies of it.” This holds true for China, a nation with a rich aesthetic heritage that nonetheless struggles to find a contemporary artistic language. In our globalised world, “re-encoding” tradition often reduces it to superficial symbolism, obscuring its intellectual core and contemporary relevance. This weakens art’s reflective power and limits its cultural openness. Aesthetics should transcend mere emotional comfort in times of crisis; it should provoke reflection, questioning, and deeper understanding. It should foster dialogue with the world and facilitate self-examination for individuals and cultures alike. This is not simply about innovation in form, but also a way of being “human”. “Aphasia” and “fragmentation” haunt Chinese contemporary art. Ideally, contemporary art should move beyond the reshaping or glorification of traditional symbols, and reject the siren song of consumer culture. Instead, it must transcend symbolism and commercialisation, and strive for a more authentic cultural expression. — Bai Yi, comic artist