Shen Liang ,Study Hard ,2007

By blending images symbolic of China's bitter, post-1949 political history with the American/European visual discourse spanning roughly the same period, many Chinese artists born in the 1950's and 60's have left an indelible impression on viewers worldwide. However, China's younger generation of artists have largely replaced this debate over the political past with an awareness of individual history, investigating the complex relationship between the artists’ personal histories, present realities and visions of the future.

A group exhibition“Becoming” which exhibited at DF2 Gallery is a survey of the personal journeys of Qiu Xiaofei, Shen Liang Li Jikai and Chen Ke. All four artists were born in the 1970s and thay are inspired by memories and images that continue to resonate with them from childhood objects and experiences, exploring the transition and transformation of the nostalgic within the context of the present - each presenting a different understanding of China, the world, and the artists' place within both.

Curator Danielle Shang interviewed two of the artists Qiu Xiaofei and Shen Liang.Here is the interview:

(Qiu: Qiu Xiaofei; Shen: Shen Liang)

Danielle Shang：How are the artists born in 1970’s different from other generations of artists?

Qiu：Older artists’ art is the product of the collective experience of their generation. Mine is mainly about my personal experience and the process of finding a place in society for myself. China is a rapidly developing country. Things have changed so much since the economic reform in 1980's. When the escalation is too fast, it inevitably generates abnormal phenomena. We were born in the 70's. The 80's and the 90's had a huge impact on our lives: it was when we evolved from our childhood to our adulthood. This period of time played a big role in our art.

The older artists' art is almost all about China, but I have difficulty comprehending their work. It's not because their techniques or languages are different; it's because our life experiences are so different.

Shen：The older artists, who were born in the 50's and 60's, shoulder the burden of history. The subject matter in their work is big and blunt. You can see that in the titles of their works: "Big Family", "Great Castigation", etc. Artists born in the 70's don't assume such a heavy responsibility. We are less conscious about being “Chinese artists”, more about our own feelings and ideas. Our work reflects our individuality and the society that we live in. The younger artists born in the 80's or 90’s don’t bother themselves with social responsibilities at all.

There's definitely a sense of nostalgia shared among us. But different artists use nostalgia to express different views reflecting their lives. I see nostalgia as a big cake: different slices have different flavors: political, memorial... My work is about the common interest of my generation and the shared experiences in the past. The comic books and pencil boxes that I painted didn't belong to me, they once belonged to other people from my generation.

Qiu Xiaofei

Danielle Shang：How did you come about making those paintings, objects and installations?

Qiu：When I graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2002, I really didn't know that making art could be a profession: I had no idea whether I should become an artist or whether I should look for a regular job. Other kids, who graduated from other schools, had regular jobs and started to make money and bought cars. I didn't have a job and had little money; I lived in a cheap rented apartment. To make a living, I taught art from time to time. I was anxious and worried. In 2002 and 2003, Beijing was expanding even faster. I had to constantly move from place to place, because old buildings were dismantled to make room for new high-rises. I have no more evidence of my past existence in Beijing: my elementary school was closed; my middle school was demolished; I moved too many times. When one is in such a state: not knowing the past and not knowing the future, you can imagine the anxiety that arises. I went to my parents' house (where I grew up) one day and found a pile of old photo albums, notebooks, magazines, etc. These old items brought some peace to my mind, because I recognized all the familiar places and objects in the pictures and photographs, which reminded me of my childhood when life was carefree and simple. I took the old items back to my place and I went through them often. I had a few small canvases stretched for me at the time. I began to copy the items. When I was investigating and painting those pictures, I revisited the joyful times in the past, and I felt content and serene at the end of the day. It was like a tranquilizer. Then I thought if I could copy a picture, could I add a third dimension to an object? Could I sculpt a book and a table and arrange them together? What I'm doing now is all coming from there.

On the surface, it seems that my work is driven by my childhood memories. But actually, it isn't about my childhood. It was about me finding a place for myself in society and trying

to slow down in a fast-paced world. It was like a time machine: the clock went backward. Each piece of my work responds to a specific issue presented in my life. My art is my reaction to my own state of being and Beijing's reality.

I don't want to have a particular style. I want to always reinvent myself, and let the subject matter decide the media.

Shen: It's a long story.

I didn't begin to think about contemporary art until I left school in 2003. In school, all our effort was placed on technique: how to perfect the pictures. We didn't pay much attention to the world outside the academy, let alone creating art that would reflect our own thinking.

Once I got my MFA from the academy, I started to go to some galleries; then I realized that I didn't know anything about contemporary art. All I did in school were simply exercises. I was very insecure and confused at the time. To ease my mind, I deliberately chose a subject unfamiliar to me to meditate with, which was actually Gerard Richter's practice. I painted the flat opera figures in grids. I considered the process of rendering the same subject every single day my art. Little by little for two or three years, I finally found my inner peace and confidence. In the third year, I was determined to change my subject matter. One day, when I was doodling an opera figure in a sketchbook, I thought to myself, “I didn't have to only sketch in a sketchbook; I could say something more, if I sketched them on, say, a comic book cover or a pencil box.” I gradually transformed opera figures into a motif. If you look at my earlier comic book cover paintings, they all have graffiti of little opera figures on them. I have since then discovered a way to express myself through “vandalizing” my own paintings with all sorts of doodlings. I no longer saw painting as a serious task. Before I was taught how paintings should be complete, neat and divine. Once you finished a painting, you dared not mess with it. It was such a heavy feeling. Now I find that vandalizing my own paintings relaxes me.

The subject of nostalgia satisfies my interest in murky hues of colors. I also have developed a taste for collecting old and used objects. After searching and discovering, I give old things new meanings through my work. It gives me a sense of archeology. I went through hundreds and thousands of them to select the ones that I could feel for visually and emotionally. They often have some type of relation to the present reality and my own life. Most of my time is spent in the process of searching, discovering and selecting.

I find the pleasure in the craftsmanship of my paintings and deliberately emphasize the details.

Shen Liang's Artwork

Danielle Shang:It sounds like that society and the globalized world have a tremendous impact on your art.

Qiu: Yes. I'm very sensitive about society, which significantly influences my work.

Shen: Very little. My art doesn't directly reflect our society. I'm interested in art itself: something more timeless. I try to incorporate contemporary life into my paintings with a few specific motifs instead of directly depicting big or small events on the canvas. In general, the up-and-downs in society don't really affect my art.

Danielle Shang: Do you particularly admire any artists?

Qiu: Frankly, I don't really look at other artists' work. I rarely go to museums or galleries, because I'm not an art historian. I'm more interested in the events that happen to me or happen in the society that I live in. I respond accordingly and express my reaction through my work.

I did go to a few museums and galleries when I was in London. I was very curious to spectate the perspective of other artists' work that created in a different society from my own. The contexts of their work seemed very foreign to me. I thought it was quite normal, because they had completely different life experiences and faced different issues.

Shen: I have never really admired anybody for a very long time. But there are 3 who are definitely on the top of my list. Lucian Freud is the first; he was the idol for everybody from Studio 3 at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Later, of course, Andy Warhol. After I graduated in 2003, I discovered Gerard Richter. I had never heard of him before. I like him because of what he has stood for: reinvention. Many artists before Richter devoted their entire lives to invent their own technique or language. When they were old, they became the masters of certain techniques. Richter changed all of that. He didn't pay much attention to inventing his own technique, but instead, he put his energy into finding new concepts and new subject matters.

Danielle Shang: Which stage are you in, in terms of your own artistic career?

Qiu: I have formed my own opinions and my own way of thinking. I have some ideas about things such as how I should live my life. However, I have not reached the point that I'm utterly convinced by them. My art is still the reaction to the world that I live in.

Shen: I'm definitely still in the process of defining myself as an artist. But it's been a happy and content process. I like the progress that I have made so far. I want to be able to employ various languages and techniques to explore various subject matters. I let the natural course of painting lead me to my next destination.

Danielle Shang: How do your creativity and your personal life coexist?

Qiu: My biggest problem in my life is the result of being the only child in the family. My parents are getting old. But I'm so busy. Between my girlfriend and I, we have 4 elderly parents to care for. It often adds pressure to me. It's somehow out of my control.

But art and family life are two different fields for me: like politics and economy. The challenge in my family doesn't affect my work very much.

Shen: Perfectly.

The most important thing for me is harmony. I need harmony for my art and for my personal life. In our lives, we don't want to force anything upon ourselves; especially now when fame and fortune seem so available. I don't like the roller-coaster life style. I grew up in a loving family. Everybody in the family still gets along and cares for one another. I enjoy such an ordinary but peaceful life style. If one day something terrible happens to my family, my art will be a mess as well. I can't even paint, if I have an argument with my wife. If my family is doing well, I can pretty much handle anything. Art is about life; life is the resource of my art.

Danielle Shang: How do you see the future for Traditional Chinese Painting?

Qiu: The Song Dynasty was the climax for Traditional Chinese Painting. Zhao Ji and Liang Kai had two different styles, but they were both accepted with high regard by their society. Not only was the society back then open-minded, but also Chinese philosophies were articulated through art in the most eloquent way. In the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the colonialism brought westernized mentality and customs to China. Under such circumstances, some artists started to search for a new approach to rejuvenate Chinese Painting, among them: Huang Binhong and Qi Baishi. However, I think they were more of "Western artists" than Chinese ones. The old masters, such as Fan Kuan, painted to express emotional and philosophical concepts; but Huang was looking for different techniques, and methods of painting. The spine of Chinese Painting is Chinese philosophies. When philosophies were eliminated, Chinese Painting was nothing but an empty shell. The fundamental difference between Chinese art and Western art lies not in the look of the paintings but in the purpose of creation. We must inherit the spirit in Traditional Chinese Painting.

Shen: I think if we don't treat Chinese Traditional Painting as a medium: ink on rice paper, then there's little hope. There's no future in pursuing the perfection of the techniques or the formality. Because for thousands of years, Traditional Chinese Painting was a game played by intellectuals, noblemen and government officials in Chinese history, who enjoyed a luxurious life. They could afford spending years just to develop a perfect stroke. This was what Traditional Chinese Painting about: the techniques and the specific styles. It reached its climax in the Song Dynasty. There's little room within this left for us to explore.

Danielle Shang: You were among the first generation of Chinese artists, who received the complete academic training. What kind of adjustment do you wish to see within the Art Education System in China?

Qiu: Our art education emphasizes techniques and formalities. However, art is not only about techniques and formalities; more importantly, art is about expressing one’s view of the world, which is unfortunately not discussed at all in the academy. Our Studio 3 was lucky, because our professors encouraged us to talk about all things outside the world of “painting”, such as how to digest different social events and how to understand our existence. Many art students from the academy are excellent in techniques, but they are not in touch with themselves, they have no idea what to say in their art.

“BECOMING” exhibition runs May 3 through June 21, 2008 at DF2 Gallery, Los Angeles.