This exhibition explores the process of global economic, social and cultural transformations that the boom of emerging market economies has introduced. It examines various ways in which art has participated in or reacted to some of the transitions involved, and to their effects on culture, society and the individual.

The French expression bric-à-brac is broadly employed to mean jumble, or an uneven group of things, with a certain undertone of confusion. The first word of this idiom coincides by chance with the acronym BRIC — Brazil (7^th world economy), Russia (13^th), India (6^th) and China (2^nd) —, launched in 2001 by economist Jim O'Neill to discuss the major global economic role that these four countries are playing. The BRICs are the largest emerging economies in the world, and account for more than 25% of the world's land area and more than 40% of its population. The acronym has come into widespread use to epitomize a historic process: the dramatic increase of the developing world’s global economic power, which has come to play a leading international role in the post-Cold War era.

This shift is a decisive outcome of globalization that is reshaping the world and therefore having a planetary impact not only in economy, but also in politics, society, the environment, culture and life. It is changing the way in which modernity and colonialism had structured the world. Traditional divisions between First and Third Worlds have exploded, giving way to a mixed, more decentralized distribution of roles. The new situation not only involves the BRIC countries, but other emerging economies in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Although some of these economies are suffering the general constraints in today’s world economy, they are changing the global status quo — and its chart of power —, diversifying the former exclusivism of hegemonic economies in North America, Western Europe and Japan. The Chinese title of this exhibition, “Another Choice”, stresses the heterodox character of this mutation and, in a way, its “democratization” of world’s macro-economy.

The new powerful market economies are rising from critical situations of underdevelopment. They are experiencing high-speed economic growth, industrialization, and major internal market expansion, accompanied by fast, uneven modernizations, in many cases in the midst of traditional societies. Sharp contrasts prevail in society as a result of these radical transformations. A bric-à-brac of disparate situations and processes distinguishes vibrant societies going through speedy – sometimes messy –, heterodox adjustments.

This show explores these economic, social and cultural contrasts and contradictions. It looks into the “BRIC” as epitome of huge quantitative transformations that are changing the world, focusing on the “à-brac” of the qualitative complexities that economic growth has unchained in society.

Many artists around the world react to, express, or discuss these issues using the power of art, creating profound insights to these contemporary problems. The exhibition includes well-known artists together with up-and-coming ones, since the criteria for choosing them was mainly based on how their works respond to the theme in a critical and provocative way, as well as their excellence and contemporary character.

We see here artists who tackle social problems as well as others who are more oriented toward subjectivities, or who connote the exhibition’s general theme in an indirect way. All of them illuminate the complexities tackled by this show with artworks of great artistic and aesthetic impact.

Co-curators   

 Huang Du , Gerardo Mosquera