Detail: As the new economic model of China surges forward, the individual is finding a new place in The People’s Republic. Collective responsibility has given way to individual gain, and for some enjoying the material benefits of the past 2 decades following The Four “Modernisations” has become central to the notion of the ‘self’ in contemporary Chinese society, one where the ideals of personal expression and individuality are taking precedent. The change in the state’s methods of governing implies that there are now new freedoms to choose your world and how you participate in it. A world where consumer choice appears to be a radical departure from the previous collective responsibility of the people and the dominance of the Chinese Communist Parties ideology "Serve the people”.
The rise of the individual is no better exemplified than in the way contemporary Chinese artists live and work and as the gaze of both the public and private worlds focuses in on the Chinese success story, we are increasingly looking to artists to gain an insight into the significance of the changes taking place, and the value to which they themselves place upon such change beyond the clichés and hype currently surrounding their countries growing industrial, political and cultural prominence. All of the artist works selected for There Is No I In Team capture an alternative vision of modern day China, whilst also reflecting on how their lives as well as artistic practise has developed and been informed by their new cultural surroundings.
Taking its title from an American motivational statement, used to encourage people to abandon their own ego and self so as to be an effective part of the team, the project has been curated by a ‘team’ of European and Chinese curators, each bringing a unique cultural viewpoint to its theme, whilst also sharing firsthand their knowledge of contemporary China and its rapidly expanding arts scene, in all its cross-disciplinary nature and differing methods of representation.

- Keri Elmsly and Keith Whittle.