14 pAINTINGS 历历如画

2023 | 24 min | Mandarin with English Subtitles | DCP

LOGLINE

A field study of 14 paintings from China’s Dafen village, as the government rebrands the copy-painting district as a hub for original art.

Festivals

IDFA, Sundance Film Festival, MoMA Doc Fortnight, FIRST International Film Festival Xining

Nominated for the Best Documentary Innovation Award at China Academy Awards of Documentary Film

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

In today’s Dafen, “copy painting” has become a veritable taboo, a notorious past that the community is eager to distance itself from. “Original painting” is the new hot word, in sync with the latest policy to move towards high-end.

Since China’s reform and opening up, Dafen has been closely following the market trend. Its paintings primarily fulfill the changing needs of the consumers from different social backgrounds. In recent years, with the sharp decline of international orders, Dafen has to enter a new phase.

Who are the consumers for the original paintings now? Where will they be displayed? Can the painters find themselves a place in the art hierarchy? Is “original art” a lofty ambition, or a way to survive? I want to carefully gaze at these paintings that are frequently encountered yet often overlooked, and to create an exhibition for these works that cannot enter the art museums.