Chinese Artists in Berlin

In recent years, a growing number of Chinese artists and art institutions have established themselves in Berlin, often occupying a marginalized position within the local art scene and receiving limited visibility. This groundbreaking study offers the first comprehensive ethnographic examination of this phenomenon—Chinese artists in Berlin. It highlights their dual identity as “migrant Chinese” and “contemporary artists” while presenting a detailed sociodemographic profile that captures the group’s fluid and non-homogeneous nature. Focusing on social relationships and group-forming dynamics, this study applies social network analysis to illuminate the motives, practices, and intricate counterforces of making a more united social group. The analyses situate their experiences within the broader framework of the art world, demonstrating how their migratory practices and networking patterns differ from other forms of Chinese migration. This book concludes that the transformation of this social group into a cohesive community is unlikely in the near future. Despite sharing a common identity and social circumstances, these artists remain loosely connected, characterized by transnational mobility, multidimensional diversity, resistance to collective identity, internal divisions, and ongoing tensions. The absence of collective organization further fragments the group. By studying the social networks, power dynamics, and the structure of the contemporary art world, this work enriches the anthropology of art, offering valuable insights into the complexities of making artistic communities in a globalized context.