“余震:英国当代艺术展1990-2006”是英国文化协会(在北京作为英国驻华使馆文化教育处开展工作)在广州和北京两地举办的一个专门面向中国观众展示英国当代艺术的展览。“余震”向中国观众展现20世纪90年代早中期英国当代艺术的重要阶段——“艺术爆炸”时期成长起来的12位如今声名显赫的艺术家的主要作品。这批艺术家凭借他们严谨的头脑、富有开创性的精神以及在现代化大城市生存的幽默,震撼了整个艺术界,并帮助伦敦重新恢复了其作为世界艺术之都的地位。标题“余震”揭示了英国当代艺术发展的重要时期的艺术创作状态及其后续效应,同时也反映了一个事实,即被选出的这12位艺术家的 Aftershock: British Contemporary Art Exhibition 1990-2006 is an exhibition dedicated to showcasing contemporary British art to Chinese audiences in Guangzhou and Beijing by the British Council (working in Beijing as Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy in China). “Aftershocks” show Chinese audiences an important stage of British contemporary art in the early to mid-1990s: the main work of 12 today’s prominent artists who grew up during the “Art Explosion.” With their rigorous mind, pioneering spirit and humor in the modern metropolis, these artists have shattered the entire art world and helped London regain its status as the world art capital. The title aftershock reveals the state of art creation and its follow-up effects in the important period of British contemporary art development. It also reflects the fact that the 12 artists selected