LEAP: You grew up in a large family of artists, with parents who were both renowned sculptors. Today, your husband, sister, and brother-in-law are also artists. At a very young age, you left home to live alone in France. Later, for professional reasons, you spent many years traveling back and forth between China, your native country, and France, your adopted country. Your relationship with your family, which is very close but maintained at a healthy distance, probably represents a balance that many Chinese women envy today. What is your opinion on this?

CAO Dan: The concept of family has always been central to Chinese society. From a very young age, I wanted to discover the world. I found a job early on that allowed me to leave home and then move to France in 1997. This may be due to the influence of my mother, who is a very open and generous person. Our house was always a place where people came together, welcoming civil servants and farmers, students from different backgrounds, and Western friends. This diversity opened a window on the outside world for me and fed my curiosity. Reading also played an important role, especially the books my mother encouraged us to read, particularly French literature, from my teenage years onwards. Yet I never really strayed far from my “family.” My work in art magazines kept me within a large artistic family. I think I am very lucky to have always had the opportunity to choose, to live in China or France, to do a job I love. In fact, I don’t need to put distance between myself and my “family” because that distance has always existed. It’s a distance that allows me to see, listen, reflect, and understand the true meaning of “family.” It’s a distance in space, not a distance in my heart.

LEAP: As an art magazine editor and exhibition curator, frequent travel and moving are almost part of your daily life. However, each of the homes you have lived in, whether in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, or Paris, gives me the impression that you have lived there for a long time. How do you manage to achieve such serenity and adapt so easily to each new place?

CAO Dan: When you choose to lead a “nomadic” life, you have to know how to “go with the flow,” otherwise it becomes difficult to invest yourself in this profession. It’s a mindset adjustment; I’m someone who is quite adaptable. The feeling of “having lived here for a long time” that you mentioned is probably due to the fact that every house I move into is filled with bookshelves.

LEAP: Since 2012, when you took over as head of art magazines at Meta Media Group (formerly Modern Media Group), twelve years have passed, during which the entire field of contemporary art has gone through different phases of development. From a professional point of view, how has the relationship between Chinese contemporary art and the outside world evolved during this period?

CAO Dan: Over the past decade, the relationship between Chinese contemporary art and the outside world has indeed undergone major changes. Especially in the post-pandemic era, the international landscape has evolved, and the global geopolitical environment has become increasingly sensitive and complex. Chinese contemporary art, already integrated into the global system, is inevitably influenced by these dynamics. The Chinese art market between 2013 and 2019 was booming, marked by widespread optimism in the sector. We saw the launch of the Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair ART021 in 2013. Christie’s held its first auction in China the following year, and the Shanghai WestBund Art and Design Fair was born. Many private art museums emerged across the country, including the Long Museum (WestBund) and the YUZ Museum in Shanghai.

However, today, globalization is reaching a new historical turning point. The mode of production of Chinese contemporary art is closely linked to the global system of globalization. Climate change, the new multipolar world order, and the Chinese economy’s entry into an era of low growth have all contributed to the slowdown in the art market, affecting the development of Chinese contemporary art both nationally and internationally. European and American interest in Chinese art has waned, as these regions have their own concerns and agendas. Opportunities for Chinese artists to exhibit abroad have been significantly reduced. Overall, the optimism that once prevailed in the Chinese contemporary art world has been replaced by a sense of anxiety about the uncertain future. At the same time, we are also seeing some young Chinese artists trained abroad choosing to settle there more permanently. They continue their creative activities abroad, integrating this new context with renewed confidence and a more cautious attitude.

LEAP: In recent years, you have designed several cultural and artistic projects between China and France, including publications, exhibitions, and various forums and events. Based on your experience, how can we promote deeper “cultural exchange”? Beyond political support, aren’t human relations on an individual level also a determining factor? In other words, how can we harmonize cooperation between macro-politics and small-scale individual interactions to foster this type of exchange?

CAO Dan: In cultural and artistic exchanges, I place greater trust in the relationships established by individuals. These exchanges are so real, concrete, and alive, and they carry a strong personal dimension. For example, in the field of literary translation and publishing between China and France, Chen Tong has been introducing a collection of books from Éditions de Minuit to China since 1999, while Geneviève Imbot-Bichet founded Les Éditions Bleu de Chine in 1994, publishing hundreds of books of contemporary Chinese literature. Furthermore, I would like to emphasize the essential role of education as a form of cultural exchange. Like this special issue of LEAP in French, which is the result of the joint efforts of a group of Chinese people who studied in France and French people who have lived and studied in China, education enables people from different cultures to transcend stereotypes, deepen their mutual understanding and recognition of cultural diversity, and build a lasting network of communication. Of course, large-scale policy support can facilitate cultural exchanges, but it is by putting in place an effective mechanism to support individual projects that we can truly promote meaningful and sustainable exchanges.