The name of the Skulpturenmuseum Glaskasten Marl describes both the venue itself, namely a museum space surrounded entirely by glass, and the museum’s thematic concept of openness and transparency. The museum is dedicated to the youngest genres of art, video and sound – since 1984, as the organiser of a prize for video art and, since 2002, as the host of the German Sound Art Award, both of which were merged in 2013 to form the Marl Media Art Award. Taking these genres as its starting point, Marl is presenting within the framework of the exhibition CHINA 8 a choice selection of narrative and documentary works. Documentary recording is, however, never neutral.

The themes of the videos are extremely diverse and address various social phenomena. The rapidly changing conditions of life, be these in the workplace or in private, are central to many of the videos presented here. On the one hand, the young generation profits from the economic success of China; on the other hand, they also agonise over the question as to which political, social, and moral values remain valid. Open political opposition is avoided; nevertheless, many works, with their intensive, and in some cases also poetic, preoccupation with life in contemporary China, can also be read as critical commentary. On view in Marl are fourteen positions: candid moments and documents of arrested time.