Intro to the visual arts non-western (Research Paper Sample)

ART RELEVANCE IN REPRESENTING THE IMPACTS OF CHINESE TRADE WITH AFRICA Student’s Name Course Number: Course Title Due Date Art Relevance in Representing the Impacts Of Chinese Trade With Africa In today’s world, most countries associate with other nations in the same or different regions through trade agreements. Such trade agreements between developed and developing countries shape regional and global economic growth by exporting and importing goods and services. Most African countries benefit from economic links with developed countries from the West and Asia. Counties such as South Africa have benefitted from exports, imports, and capital circulation steering desirable economic development patterns. Although most African countries engage in bilateral trade with different countries, the relationship with China continues to intensify. South Africa, for instance, increased its trading activities with China by 32% between 2012 and 2014. Regardless of such an increase, which justifies a symbiotic relationship, most of the activities are in favor of China. Due to this, African artists use art to symbolize the unhealthy and corrupt relationship between China and African countries through bilateral trade agreements.[Simbarashe Mhaka and Leward Jeke, "An evaluation of the trade relationships between South Africa and China: An empirical review 1995–2014," South African Journal of Economic Management Sciences 21, no. 1 (2018): 1, doi:10.4102/sajems.v21i1.2106.] [Mhaka and Jeke, " An evaluation of the trade relationships," 1.Abdi L. Dahir, "A Kenyan Painter Casts a Critical Eye on China’s Role in Africa," The New York Times, last modified May 18, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/21/world/africa/michael-soi-kenya-china.html.] Multiple satirical paintings depict the unhealthy relationship between China and African countries. China Loves Africa, a controversial yet informative collection with a satirical painting by Michael Soi, illustrates how trading activities shape the field of art in Africa, a developing continent. Item 98 in the collection depicts Xi Jinping as a larger central figure dressed in white amid other naked individuals with yellow and white undergarments. The seated individuals seem to be begging Xi Jinping to deliver some goodies, money from Beijing’s coffers. The dress code and the physical appearance of African leaders in the painting raise concerns about their ability to transform their countries economically. Some have unkept hair and beards questioning their ability. Xi Jinping’s appearance as an attention seeker for his goodies is also questionable. Accordingly, Xi Jinping aims to manipulate African leaders without considering Africa’s economic development. Through the illustration, China, under the leadership of Xi Jinping, is a current imperialist power targeting African natural resources.[] Although the Chinese government continues to refute claims over interests in Africa’s natural resources, research reports justify the allegations. China’s quest for establishing bilateral trade agreements with African countries is ill-motivated. On the one hand, China is striving to procure natural resources and establish a ready market for its finished products. In another creation (58) in the collection, China Loves Africa, Michael Soi illustrates how African leaders are allowing the exploitation of natural resources by China through the signing of trade and financial treaties. According to the painting, under Xi Jinping’s authority, China is siphoning natural resources from African countries, including gold, oil, copper, and titanium. Surprisingly, African leaders monitor Xi Jinping’s health as he enjoys a beer bottle. One of the leaders, dressed like a medic, monitors Xi Jinping’s heart rate using a stethoscope while a female feeds him breast milk to replenish nutrient supplies. The behavior of African leaders, as depicted in painting 58, shows how they are mortgaging their continent to Beijing under the patronage of Xi Jinping, China’s president.[David Haroz, "China in Africa: Symbiosis of exploitation," Fletcher F. World Aff 35, no. 2 (Summer 2011): 65, https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/forwa35§ion=23.] African leaders fail to safeguard their continent by trading natural resources with China for loans. It is through art that progressive and prospective artists are questioning China-Africa relations. One of Soi’s canvas paintings shows how Xi Jinping will be the chairperson of the African Union by 2030. In the painting, Jinping is boldly dressed, taking charge of the AU’s leadership as the chair while African leaders are sleeping. Jinping assuming the chair’s position in the African Union shows the recklessness of materialistic leaders without caring about their continent’s natural wealth. With the current approach, China will continue manipulating Africa’s politics gaining control over a significant percentage of natural resource reserves. In Soi’s 94th painting in the collection China Loves Africa, there is an illustration of a man milking a funny animal. The painting symbolizes how Jinping will continue milking Africa.[Abdi L. Dahir, "A Kenyan Painter Casts a Critical Eye on China’s Role in Africa," The New York Times, last modified May 18, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/21/world/africa/michael-soi-kenya-china.html.] Through art, African artists represent how western countries are evading helping African countries from Jinping’s exploitation. However, China’s engagement in Africa continues to create unrest in the west. In item 63 of Soi’s collection, there is an illustration of how western countries are witnessing China’s evils of exploiting African nations. Although the countries aim to prevent unnecessary conflicts over trade ties between China and African countries, there is a need to caution African leaders on protecting their natural resources from exhaustion through continued exploitation. Although China guarantees infrastructural development in exchange for natural resources, there are other channels of repaying for the services instead of such agreements. Angola, which prides rich oil reserves, is among the countries whose resources are on the verge of depletio...