China’s Van Goghs (2016)

Alongside the exhibition Made in China about the rich and diverse maker’s culture of China, we will host another film event at Wereldmuseum Rotterdam. This time we dive into the art of copying with the film screening China’s Van Goghs and a talk about the Art of Copying. 

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About the film: China’s Van Goghs
A young Chinese painter feels a profound connection to Vincent van Gogh. From his studio in the village of Dafen, he runs a thriving business selling Van Gogh replicas to clients around the world. When he finally travels to Amsterdam to see an authentic Van Gogh painting in person, the experience transforms him, inspiring him to pursue his own unique artistic vision.

In Dafen local farmers turned into oil painters replicating mostly world-famous Western paintings. In the many studios, and even in the alleyways, Dafen’s painters turn out thousands of replicas. Nobody thinks anything of an order for 200 Van Goghs. To meet their deadlines, painters sleep on the floor between clotheslines strung with masterpieces.

In 2015, the turnover in painting sales was over $65 million. Directors Haibo and Kiki Tianqi Yu followed one of the painters, Xiaoyong Zhao. He and his family have painted around 100,000 Van Goghs. After all these years, Zhao feels a deep connection with Van Gogh. He traveled to Europe to see the original works at the Van Gogh Museum, and to visit one of his best clients, an Amsterdam art dealer. This debut film is a fascinating, at times picturesque portrait of a village where artists pursue their dreams, but also have them shattered.

Talk: The Art of Copying
Made in China  explores the concepts of imitation and copying through the Chinese lens that traditionally does not distinguish between original and copy nor attaches a value judgment to either. An ancient tradition of antiquarianism exists where objects are replicated – not as forgeries, but as tributes to the master makers of the past and their culture.

About the speakers
Jing He is a designer, researching copying in Chinese design. Her work is featured in the Made in China exhibition. She also wrote a thesis about the subject. Her interest in culture, politics and the history behind various daily objects, leads to imaginative visual representations involving various materials and mediums.

Willemijn van Noord is a sinologist and curator of the Wereldmuseum. Her main research interests are Chinese art and material culture within global history, the role of material culture in representations and perceptions of China, and histories of collecting and display.

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