Rethinking Art in Encounter with 'Fluxus, by Chance'

Credit: Ti Gong

Caption: Event poster

The exhibition "Fluxus, by Chance" has opened at the West Bund Museum.

The phrase "by chance" in the title carries a double meaning – chance not only suggests loss of control but also signals the possibility of regaining agency.

In the art historical narrative of the 1960s and 1970s, Fluxus never held a central position for long.

Compared to the more prominent "isms" of the period, Fluxus was more of an attitude: it rejected the sanctification and professionalization of art, deliberately blurred the boundaries between art and everyday life, and used the smallest units of action to challenge grand and rigid cultural narratives.

"Fluxus, by Chance," the annual special exhibition of the five-year collaboration between the West Bund Museum and France's Centre Pompidou, is the first large-scale exhibition in China to systematically trace Fluxus' development and creative philosophy.

Through over 200 works from museum collections, it shows how this loose yet radical network of artists redefined the relationship between art, creators and audiences through events and happenings.