Dong Xiaoxiao V.S. Chen Ke

Dong Xiaoxiao: I remember that when I was in primary school, my classmates loved talking about the story behind their names. What’s the story behind your name?
Chen Ke: There is no special story behind my name. Chen is my father’s family name. Ke is part of a Chinese character from my mother’s name.

Dong Xiaoxiao: It seems that the corrections of the sentence “With you, I will never be lonely” are intentionally left there, which is quite interesting. Why did you do this?
Chen Ke: It was actually a coincidence. I sent the translated document to a friend for review. The designer saw the corrections my friend left and thought that they were very interesting. After consulting with the gallery, we determined to keep the corrections there. The friend who helped me to review the translated document was extremely delighted to see that his corrections were left in the catalog.

Dong Xiaoxiao: What’s your motivation of making the A Doll's House series? Could you share the process of making the series?
Chen Ke: I have once participated in a group show, where everyone else’s works were three-dimensional. I didn’t want my one-dimensional painting to be shown there. Therefore, I got the idea of making a doll, which is something I loved so much. I was not able to make sculptures, so I asked my friends to make the model for me. Then I painted them. My studio was filled with toxic gas because of the painting process. I did go to great lengths to make ten of them.

Dong Xiaoxiao: What kind of clothing material do you like particularly? Does the clothing you wear reflect your mood?
Chen Ke: I like woolen clothing. I wear dirty clothing when painting, so my clothing cannot reflect my mood. I once wanted to be a fashion designer. However, I gave up this dream after choosing to be an artist.

Dong Xiaoxiao: How do you interact with fashion designers if you have the chance to cooperate with them ?
Chen Ke: I have some ideas, but I’d rather keep them a secret for now.

Dong Xiaoxiao: What do you think of my design of this series?
Chen Ke: I love the painting style. The design reminds me of another artist that I like so much. The design is very cool.

Chen Ke V.S. Dong Xiaoxiao

Chen Ke: I think your name is also very interesting. Is there a story behind it?
Dong Xiaoxiao: I love smiling instead of crying, so I’m named Xiaoxiao, which means smile and smile again in Chinese.

Chen Ke: Your design that helped you get your diploma had huge visual impact. Where did you get the idea?
Dong Xiaoxiao: I saw a picture on the Art Magazine, where the outlines of a person’s clothing looked three-dimensional. I had the desire to represent a plane thing in a solid way. I’m looking to materialize this idea in clothing and enhance the visual effect.

Chen Ke: Who is your favorite fashion designer?
Dong Xiaoxiao: I like many of them. I do not have a particular preference.

Chen Ke: Why are you so interested in A Doll's House?
Dong Xiaoxiao: All your works have run through my mind. When I saw A Doll's House for the first time, I was reminded of some unique clothing icons and images. To an extent, the design embodies my clothing complex.
 
Chen Ke: What is your ideal life?
Dong Xiaoxiao: To be alive and to live better.

Zou You V.S. He Sen

Zou You: Have you ever doubted on the meaning of your works’ existence.
He Sen: Yeah, I have even doubted on the meaning of my existence, let alone my works.

Zou You: You know a lot about classical music. What do you think of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations played by Glenn Gould?
He Sen: That’s an excellent question. Goldberg Variations played by Glenn Gould during his twenties was extremely famous. He was particularly renowned as an interpreter of Johann Sebastian Bach’s music. More than twenty years later, he played it again for the last time. His interpretation of the variations was vibrant and free, which took only 38 minutes and 27 seconds to finish. 27 years later, the variations took 51 minutes and 15 seconds to finish. Time changed the man and made his music clear, warm and distant. The two kinds of interpretation are both outstanding and the contrasting styles prove that art and artists are not constant. They can constantly transcend themselves.

Zou You: The volatility of fashion has been widely accepted by the public. When we look back, fashion of the past may appear as the classical of the present. Therefore, it is justifiable to say that fashion is always associated with modernity. What do you think?
He Sen: You have made it very clear. Fashion is the classical era. In a different context, the meaning of the classical of the past can be different.
The designer or artist should not have the desire to lead the trend of fashion. They should just do what they really like.

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