Talented young Chinese artists make their mark on London

An exhibition in London is celebrating Chinese contemporary art with a display of work from some of China's up-and-coming artists.

The Will to Faith exhibition is being hosted by START Art Fair at London's Saatchi Gallery in collaboration with the China Academy of Art, which is marking its 90th anniversary, and the School of Intermedia Art.

The show, which is curated by Wang Yan under the creative direction of Johnson Chang, presents what organizers say are some of the most talented emerging contemporary artists in China.

"This exhibition looks back at the power of video and image within this digital and self-media age," said Wang of the China Academy of Art. "It explores the mobility of images, and image-borne poetry, in works of the young generation, and the social status quo and problems these artists intend to express."

Through each artist's perspective, the exhibition examines a spectrum of things, including faith, utopia, identity, politics, contemporaneity, life, and death.

Chang said: "Will to Faith shows exploratory visions seeking a start in the world that will be theirs in no time at all, and this opportunity to exhibit at the Saatchi Gallery is a warm welcome to share a world that is still in the making, and to take part in a hopeful future that we all approach with fear and trepidation."

Chang has been active in curating Chinese exhibitions since the 1980s, including acting as co-curator of the Guangzhou Triennial in 2008, the Shanghai Biennale in 2012, and East Meets West at Saatchi Gallery in 2014.

Will to Faith artists include Fu Dongting, Song Gewen, Wang Zhipeng, Wang Zhenyu, Shao Ruilu, Sun Xiaoyu, Zhu Xi, Wu Qiong, Wang Yang, and Duan Guanlai.

The exhibition is one of a series of curated projects at START that reflect the art fair's global agenda of presenting, and providing a platform for, new and emerging artists and galleries from around the world.

Launched in 2014, START was founded by David and Serenella Ciclitira, together with Saatchi Gallery.

"We are passionate about supporting the work of emerging artists, and galleries that are less than 10 years old, in order to bring exciting new contemporary art to the attention of collectors in London," David Ciclitira said.

The Will to Faith exhibition runs until Oct 24.