我非常有幸在这么年轻的时候跟田老师在一个工作室，那时候我比较年轻没有开始真正的创作，跟他在一起受到他很多影响，在他身上影响最大的是艺术家的那种超然、那种批判社会坚持自己独立的想法，蔑视权利的幽默，我觉得他是一个真正的艺术家，我非常幸运在我年轻的时候有田老师这样一个艺术家朋友或者说是亦师亦友。我是把他当做老师，从年龄上来讲，他一直强调我们是朋友，应该说这是我个人的一个幸运。

　　田老师创作印象最深的是，他从贵州回来带着泥土和大山的味道，少数民族风格的雕塑，其实他做过一些历史人物，比如像谭嗣同都做的很棒。但是我觉得他在贵州主要是受到了原始文化的影响，比较接地气，比较粗矿有力度，发自内心的一种能量，这个东西在城市里看艺术看久了尤其当年那个八九十年代官方艺术比较多。如果对比之下就会觉得他的艺术非常抢眼，非常有力度，有北京不同的一种文化，恰恰是这个东西田老师的作品在北京的艺术圈独树一帜

　　我觉得田老师说话方式非常幽默非常有特点。他永远都是用形象语的语言来比喻形容一些事情，而且语言本身也非常超现实，比如说，他形容一个人削尖脑袋往上钻，他会说这个人脑袋瓜亮的苍蝇落在上面都会打滑，类似这种表达方式非常形象。跟他作品的幽默感是非常统一的。

　　雕塑家自古以来带有工匠的特点，动手能力极强，无论是打石头打木雕还是做泥塑各方面，每天都忙忙叨叨的从早上干到晚。在中国雕塑家里面我接触的都是一些美院的老师，比较有效的忙忙叨叨一直做雕塑的只有田世信田老师最突出，我记得我们一起在研究所的时候一起开玩笑一起玩，田老师手里永远都是刻着木头，一边刻木头一起和我们聊天，我们那时候年轻特不知道做什么就是纯粹的聊天，我很早就注意到田老师一直在动手，我们有时候想学都学不来田老师的勤快，他真的是个真正的艺术家，用自己的双手塑造艺术的艺术家，当然，后来观念艺术把思考引入雕塑，这个是九十年代的事了，这是另外一个方法，但不管这个艺术发展成什么样，我对田老师亲自动手来雕刻这件事上还是非常敬佩的，我觉得他是把自己所有的感受直接传达到他的每一刀、每一面、每一个褶皱、每一个细节上。这是非常宝贵的，留下来很多非常耐看的雕塑，田老师是一个真正的艺人性的艺术家

　　刚毕业的时候气势很迷茫很苦闷，觉得能够聊天的人很少，因为我留在美院研究所，也没有特别跑到社会上去结交朋友，那么这个时候田世信就调到我们单位来了，然后我一看这个艺术家这么好玩，我觉得对我来说是一个非常大的惊喜，而且田老师的个人魅力因为非常强大，所以我就觉得自己一下子遇到了知己，我记得那时候田老师住在一个平房里，家属都还没过来，所以我们下班就去田老师那里喝酒。田老师喜欢喝各种东西泡的药酒，当然主要是聊天，当时还有张德锋和谭宁我们几个年轻人，都特别喜欢和田老师一块玩，就变成研究所的小圈子，但其实我们主要是因为大家臭味相投，聊得来。喜欢开玩笑喜欢幽默喜欢评论一切，从艺术到社会政治、生活各方面，我觉得对想学艺术的年轻人人格成长是有一定的影响的。同时也向他学习一个做雕塑家的实干精神，总之，受他的影响非常大。我曾经也做过几件作品有点受他影响的小作品在我那留着，现在想起来都是非常非常珍贵的回忆。

　　田老师是如何塑造人的肉的，就是为什么我说的是肉而不是肌肉，田老师雕塑的最大特点就是他不是学院派的那种模式，就是先学的解剖然后再去塑造人体，他不是那个概念，他是直接把人看成一种肉类动物然后通过肉来表现，表现什么呢，就是人的物质性一面，他是嘲讽、幽默的这种态度来待人的肉身问题，就是人在现实生活中很可笑的一面，我觉得他这种表达方法其实是反而让我们把人的精神单独提出来或者说我们想人真正高贵的精神是什么，而并不在于这些肉身上，所以，他对肉身的这个表达就非常有特色，他是一个嘲讽的对象，挖苦的对象，或者说甚至有点调侃，但他又很迷恋，把这个肉身做的有特别美，特别有意思，特别有味道，至于说田老师为什么这么迷恋一些肉的褶或者形状，我觉得只有他自己才清楚，但从观众我们表面上看来的话，我觉得田老师的雕塑里面肉的幽默是他一个很特点。

　　作为一个艺术家终身都要保持敏感、警惕、愤怒和幽默，我觉的田老师是当之无愧的这样一种。

　　I am very fortunate to have been in Professor Tian's studio at a young age. At the time, I was rather young and hadn't really started making art, but I was able to be with him and be influenced by him. The most important things he taught me were that an artist should be independent, criticize society, hold on to his own views, and spurn power with humor. I think that he is a true artist, and I was very fortunate to have Professor Tian as an artist friend, or both a mentor and friend, when I was young. I saw him as my teacher, and in terms of age, he always emphasized that we were friends, which I must say made me feel very lucky.

　　What left the deepest impression about Professor Tian's work is that he brought the smell of the earth and the mountains and the ethnic minority style of sculpture from Guizhou. He also did works featuring historical figures, such as Tan Sitong, which are great. However, I think that he was primarily influenced by primitive culture in Guizhou. His work was grounded, rough, and strong, evolving from a power inside him. It was impactful in the cities if you looked at art for a long time, especially official art in the 1980s and 1990s. Comparatively speaking, Tian's art was eye-catching and strong. It reflected a culture different from Beijing, and it was precisely because of this that Professor Tian's work stood out in the Beijing art world.

　　I think that Professor Tian's way of speaking is very funny and characteristic. He always uses vivid imagery as a metaphor or description for something, and the language itself is very surreal. For example, when he described a person putting on a front to curry favor and climb the ladder, he would say that the person had a head so shiny that a fly landing on it would simply slide off. His expressions were very imaginative, and they fit very well with the humor in his work.

　　Since ancient times, sculptors have been akin to artisans, and they are immensely motivated to work with their hands, whether in stone, wood, or clay. They work every day, from morning to night. The Chinese sculptors I knew were all teachers at the academy, and Professor Tian Shixin was the best of those sculptors running around and always working. I think that, when we were together at the institute, we joked and had fun, but Professor Tian always had a carving in his hand. He would be talking to us as he carved, and we were so young that we didn't know what simply talking was. I noticed very early on that Professor Tian's hands were always moving. Sometimes we wanted to learn from Professor Tian's diligence but couldn't. He really is a true artist, an artist who works with his own two hands. Of course, later conceptual art introduced new ideas into sculpture. This was a different mode that appeared in the 1990s, but I very much admire Professor Tian using his hands to carve his sculptures regardless of developments in art. I think that he poured his emotion directly into every cut, every plane, every fold, and every detail. This is valuable, and he has left a lot of sculptures that require a careful look. Professor Tian is a true artisan and artist.

　　When I had just graduated, the atmosphere was confusing and depressing. I felt that I could talk with very few people. Because I stayed at the academy's research institute, I didn't go out into society and make friends. Around this time, Tian Shixin was transferred to our work unit. When I saw how much fun he was, this was a very pleasant surprise for me. Professor Tian has significant personal charm, and I immediately felt that I had met a close friend. I remember that Professor Tian lived in a small house. His family hadn't arrived yet, so we would go to his house after work to have a drink. Professor Tian liked to drink medicinal liquor infused with all kinds of things. Of course, we primarily chatted. There were several of us young people, including Zhang Defeng and Tan Ning, who really liked hanging out with Professor Tian, and we became a little group within the institute. It was primarily because we were birds of a feather who liked chatting. Professor Tian liked making fun of everything, he liked to joke about everything, and he liked to comment on everything, from art to society, politics, and life. I think that this had an impact on the character of a group of young people wanting to learn about art. He also taught me the workhorse spirit needed to become a sculptor. In short, I was very much influenced by him. I made a few small pieces that were somewhat influenced by him, which I have kept. Now they are very precious memories.

　　The way in which Professor Tian shaped human flesh is why I use the word "flesh" and not "muscle." The most important trait of Professor Tian's sculpture is that he doesn't use the academic model, in which you first learn to dissect the human body before you can model it. He didn't do it this way; he saw people directly as fleshy animals, then depicted people through flesh; he expressed the material side of a person. He mocked and made fun of the physical body, as this is a really funny part about our real lives. I think that his way of expressing himself actually made us independently examine the human spirit, or think about what is truly noble in the human spirit. None of this could be found in these bodies, so his depictions of the body were very distinctive. The body was a subject of mockery, and a target of sarcasm or even ridicule, but he was also fascinated by the body. He presented the physical body as particularly beautiful, interesting, and tasteful. As for why Professor Tian is so enamored of the folds or forms of flesh… I think that only he knows that, but from our superficial observations as viewers, I think that the fleshy humor of Professor Tian's sculptures is one of his trademarks.

　　As an artist, one must always remain sensitive, alert, angry, and funny; I think that Professor Tian is all of these things.