Exploring repetition in Chinese video art: through pleasure and laughter

Abstract

This paper critically analyses the perceptive and emotional side of repetition in contemporary Chinese video art. Nowadays, that post-editing technology has become affordable for most of the artists in China, they are still engaging with repetition as a creative strategy. Nevertheless, as researchers are mostly focusing on the repetitive and almost empirical nature of the content of the 90s, this renewed tendency seems to have gone rather unnoticed. Through the analysis of 4 video artworks. This essay aims to be an attempt to serve as a starting point for further study in the field. For this purpose, the paper investigates how Kan Xuan’s and Cui Xiuwen’s aesthetic strategies can be linked to pleasure, exploring ideas related to both Zen and voyeurism. Moreover, it also evaluates Zhang Peili’s and Jiang Zhi’srepetitive procedures underlying a change of the original meaning that may result on a humorous reaction.