The “Design in China” art exhibition was concluded on January 18, 2010, after lasting 29 days at the second hall of Today Art Museum. Eleven star designers presented their works to the exhibition, who were You Yi Shan Ren, Duoxiang Studio, Lu Yongzhong, Xie Dong, Ye Yuxuan, Shi Chuan, Wang Yang, Mao Na, Jia Li, Liu Feng, and Oho-oho. They were either Reddot and IF prize-winners, AGI2009 appraisal committee members, Driade and BMW employed designers, or most promising product design new stars of CAFA2009.

This was actually a debut of the country’s first generation contemporary designers to show their works in an art gallery. It marks the beginning for designs to step into Chinese art history and art collection.

“Design in China” is a description than a definition. It makes a clear-cut separation from the nationalism-based Chinese design. It will not be confined by anything. But it is not radical, as it respects all existing realities and traditions. It is objective and yet imbued with imagination.

Liu Feng’s work: Cetacean Chair under the Are you kidult series

Today’s China is a proving ground. It is experiencing an economic leap, formation of commercial society, transformation of social mechanism, and progress in globalization. Contemporary design expands exactly under such a complex social movement. Therefore, Chinese designs are never self-discipline behaviors. They have been involved in the country’s modernization drive. They keep intangled with vines of politics, economy and society. There is reason to believe that “Chinese designs” are a false hypothesis. We should do really solid work to care about the state of “designing in China”, and explore its potential future.