China Power

China Power: Art Now After Mao examines the emergence of China’s contemporary art movement in the years following the Cultural Revolution, tracing how artists began to reclaim personal expression after decades of political restriction. The documentary charts the rise of pioneering groups such as the No-Name and Star Groups, whose work signalled a break from state-driven propaganda and opened the door to new artistic voices. Set against the country’s transition under Deng Xiaoping, it shows how economic reforms allowed experimental media, underground exhibitions and radical ideas to flourish, even as many artists continued to confront censorship and surveillance.

The film also explores the tension between international acclaim and domestic constraint, highlighting figures such as Ai Weiwei and Cao Fei, whose global recognition contrasts sharply with the risk of suppression at home. Through interviews, archival footage and cultural analysis, the documentary reflects on how China’s artists continue to grapple with the legacy of Mao, sometimes challenging it directly and at other times reshaping it for a modern context. In doing so, it presents a nuanced portrait of a nation negotiating the complex relationship between creative freedom, political control and its evolving identity on the world stage.