Great Love – Victory!

Sophie Chang

Oil on canvas
115 x 182.5 cm
2020

 

(Taiwan)

 

The texture of deep-dark subjugates O’er the suffering red raises Victory emerges and triumphs Great Love is the deacon in waves.

Sophie Chang, born in Taiwan. She works and lives in Taipei.

Sophie Chang’s profound, artistic style has evolved from many years of meditation. This meditative process has focused her mind on nature and manifested in her unique ‘inner landscapes’. 

Interview of Sophie Chang

By making the Great Love series, what kind of message were you trying to convey, regarding borders such as class, race, gender and religion?

I can only speak according to my personal view, as I do not think I am capable of representing the whole world. Even though from a religious angle, we should be equal, in practice there are not as ideal. Nevertheless, if we believe in equality, we should respect everyone regardless of their race and class. We are all humans.

 

Has the pandemic influenced your art-making?

During the pandemic, I was in self-isolation. Now I think of it, different regions have reacted differently. Many countries in the West were not used to wearing masks, while in Taiwan we wear masks and minimised the spread. Even so, we show respect to the different regions. During self-isolation, my life became simpler, and we reduced direct contact related charity activities because we also need to protect the volunteers. The pandemic will change and is changing the world and people. It let people more worry about self and surroundings. It was also war, as it is a punishment from the almighty.

 

As a well-known philanthropist, what is your aim and how do you express the charitable spirit through your visual work?

I never thought myself as a philanthropist, because when I was outside communicating with people, I was not helping, instead, it was the other’s experience helped us to learn that different people in a different environment, are having different feelings. We are blessed and feel grateful for what we have. I have always felt happy and positive in making art because I know the collector will have them, and therefore I put a lot of blessing and love in my art, hoping when they view the work, they will be delighted. Consciously and subconsciously, I still hope my little love can bring happiness to people, even though it is not as big as the religious love.

As a Chinese, do you think the ecology of contemporary art is related to your cultural identity?

I do not contact the art world that much but did view a great many artworks by the other people all over the world. Despite that, I was deeply educated by traditional Chinese culture, especially Confucianism and Buddhism. Therefore my ideas will get into my work through my hands, and Chinese culture is evidently seen. Nevertheless, I feel being an artist is a pure experience, my Chinese identity is one aspect, and the most essential thing is being a pure artist.

 

How has the pandemic influenced you, and what is your vision for the future?

It is hard to describe how exactly pandemic influenced me. But what I can say is that we will be more cautious. The world will treat the invisible virus as an enemy, while we will be careful treating each other. I will be more peaceful in making art, whilst in the past, I was more irritable. The one whose heart is full of love, should be confident and treat people equally.

Interview of Sophie Chang

請問在創作「大愛「系列的時候,你對世界上各種邊界,比如階級、種族、性別、信仰、民族等有沒有什麼個人的看法?

我覺得個人沒有那麼高的地位來談全世界,我只能從個人的角度來表述,雖然從宗教的角度我們應該都平等,然而實際世俗事務中並不是很平等。儘管如此,如內心裡面平等對待每個人的時候,種族和階級,有錢和沒錢,並不應該因此而產生歧視,我們都是人。

 

受新冠疫情影響,世界格局在發生變化,是否可以談一下在創作時你的思考?

在疫情期間,你被隔離,現在回想起來,世界各地表現不一樣,西方國家都不戴口罩,但台灣大家都戴口罩,情況較好,但我們也對世界各地的不同做法表示尊重。我在隔離期間,生活比較簡單,公益活動也避免減少人與人直接的接觸,因為我們也要保護公益人員。疫情會改變世界和人心,讓人們更擔心自己和周圍的環境,這也是一種戰爭,這是上天對我們的警示。

 

作為世界著名的慈善家,你的創作與慈善義舉的宗旨是什麼,而你的創作又如何從視覺的角度來體現大愛的慈善精神?

我從來不覺得自己是一個慈善家,因為出門開外,你並不在幫助別人,而是他們的經歷能夠幫助我們學習到人在不同環境中有不同的心情。而我們這些有福報的人,更感恩自己所擁有的。我在作畫的時候永遠抱著喜悅和祝福的心,因為我知道畫作會在藏家們手上,於是我在作畫的時候在畫中傾注了很多祝福和愛心,希望他們看到我的畫的時候,會有快樂的心情。在有心和無心之間,雖然不是宗教的大愛,我仍希望自己的小愛能夠為人們帶來福報。

作為華人,你認為當代藝術生態和你的身份認同之間是否有某些聯繫?

因為我和藝術界接觸較少,不過我也看了很多別人的畫作,但我的創作仍有深深的中國烙印,受到了儒家和佛學的影響。我的這些華人的思緒也會通過我的手傾注在作品中。儘管如此,我覺得藝術家本質是純粹的,雖然我是華人,但在創作的時候,我只是藝術家。

 

新冠時代對你的影響主要有哪些,你認為藝術創作和展覽在未來理想的狀態應該是什麼樣的?

新冠病毒對藝術的創作有什麼具體的影響,我不好說,但我們會更加小心。現在整個世界也會把無形的病毒當做敵人,而人與人之間會更謹慎。我在創作的時候會變得更加平靜,不會像以前那麼暴躁。心中充滿愛的人,應該有自信,平等地對待大家。

Destiny

Shoran Jiang

Ink on silk
90 x 110 cm
2019

 

(London)

 

There are so many uncertainties about our lives as human beings – we are vulnerable, just like the unpredictable form of smoke.

Shoran Jiang is an artist specialized in Chinese painting and Chinese Calligraphy. She began to learn Chinese painting and Chinese Calligraphy when very young. After studied Chinese painting for six years in Nankai University, then she came to the UK to study fine art in Chelsea College of Design and Art. Now she also devotes her time to art education and art publication.

Interview of Shoran Jiang

When you created Destiny, what do you personally make of borders in our civilisations such as class, race, gender, belief, nation?

Borders appear in many places, and because of them, there are nations and people, especially various individuals. Every individual is different, and due to the variety and dynamism of the individual, this world has become so interesting.

However, as human beings, apart from those borders, we share the same nature or property, for example, no one can escape “Destiny”.

 

Do you think there are new possibilities in abstract art and ink painting, and what is the particular area that you try to breakthrough?

Ink is only a medium of creativity, and abstract art is a way of expression. To be honest, many forerunners had explored so many possibilities, so that if there is any particular area to work on, I think it is to relate art with the “present”, expressing the “current” feelings.

 

Under the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic, the world is reshaping, in this case, can you talk about how is the artwork made before the pandemic related to the Post-COVID Era?

Before the pandemic, the world was shaped mainly through connection, however, due to the rapid spread of COVID, we are forced to obey social distancing rules. I was surprised to witness that in my life, within a deeply globalised milieu, the disconnection of borders of countries is happening. Isn’t this what Laozi said: “And even though the next country is so close that people can hear its roosters crowing and its dogs barking, they are content to die of old age without ever having gone to see it”?

After the spread of the pandemic, a lot of places have decreed lockdown and many galleries and museums have been forced to suspend operating. Thereafter, people are not able to appreciate and enjoy art at an intimate distance. Exhibitions are converted to the online format. How to present art and express ideas and emotions has turned out to be urgent and practical matter in making art.

Regardless of the Pre or Post COVID era, art-making has always been expressed from the inside to the outside for artists. The pandemic has made me feel more deeply that when humans confronting destiny, how fragile and uncertain life is.

As a UK based Chinese, do you thin your identity is somehow related to the ecology of art?

The materials that I use are very Chinese, for instance, ink, brush and silk, and I feel they are part of my identity. I was born and raised in China and formed my way of thinking by Chinese education, it is also part of my identity. The longer that I live in the UK, the more I love Chinese culture, which defines who I am.

Contemporary art is about expression, about how to express, through what and with what content to express. The materials that I use is my identity, nevertheless, no matter what materials I use, as long as the artwork contains good ideas, and can convey the message with which the audience can more or less feel and understand, that is good enough.

 

How has the pandemic influenced you, and what do you make of the ideal future art-making and exhibitions?

The most inconvenient part is the physical relocation–we cannot return to China, and practically cannot go to any other place. I have profoundly realised the hopelessness and fragility of human beings.

Of course, it also enables me to think about alternative ways to present my art.

I think in the future, the online and offline exhibitions will occur simultaneously, and they will supplement each other, perhaps, the online exhibition will become an independent way of exhibiting. Due to the changes in exhibition methods, art-making will adapt accordingly. There will be artists who would like to explore how to suitably express and present art exclusively online.

专访姜啸然

请问在创作“命运“系列的时候,你对世界上各种边界,比如阶级、种族、性别、信仰、民族等有没有什么个人的看法?

边界存在于所有地方,因为边界才有国家,也因为人的边界,才有不同的个体。每个个体都是不同的,正是因为不同,世界才有趣。

但是作为“人”,在这种边界之外,大家又是相同的,比如所有人都逃离不了“命运”。

 

你认为抽象艺术和水墨画发展到了当代还有哪些新的可能性,你的创作突破口在哪里?

水墨只是一种创作的媒介,抽象是一种表达方法,说实话,前人的探索已经很多了。所以,如果说,在当下有什么可以突破的,那就是结合“当下”的事,表达“当下”的感受。

 

受新冠疫情影响,世界格局在发生变化,是否可以谈一下你觉得这一在新冠疫情之前就开始的创作和后新冠时代是否有相互借鉴的地方?

以前的世界是以联系connection为主的,但是现在,因为新冠这个突发事件,大家被迫切断联系。我很惊讶在我的有生之年,在全球化这个大背景下,还能发生这种各国被迫切断联系的事件。这不就是老子说的“邻国相望,鸡犬之声相闻,老死不相往来”的样子吗?

新冠之后,很多地方都“封城”或者下达了“禁足令”,许多画廊、美术馆也被迫停业。这样之前可以近距离欣赏艺术的人们无法在现场观看到艺术品,许多展览也被迫改成线上展。如何在虚拟的空间和世界里,传达作品里需要表达的感受和想法就成为了创作时需要思考的实际问题了。

不过,不论是新冠疫情之前还是后新冠时代,艺术创作都是艺术家由外而内的感受。新冠疫情让我更加体会到,人类在面对自己命运的时候,生命是何等脆弱,人生又是多么无常。

作为在英国的华人,你认为当代艺术生态和你的身份认同之间是否有某些联系?

我用的材质是很中国的,比如墨、毛笔、绢,我觉得这就是我的identity;从小在中国受到的教育、形成思维方式,这也是我的identity。在英国生活的时间越久,就越喜爱中国的文化,which定义了我是谁。

当代艺术在于表达,用什么方式表达、表达了什么内容,我用的材质是我的identity,但是不论我用什么样材质,只要作品的想法可以表达好、传递出去,观众在看的时候能或多或少有些理解,甚至能有感悟,这就很好了。

 

新冠时代对你的影响主要有哪些,你认为艺术创作和展览在未来理想的状态应该是什么样的?

最大的影响应该是物理位移的难度——想回国回不去,想去别的地方也不现实。这也我深刻体会到人的脆弱与无助。

当然,在艺术上新冠时代让我思考自己作品的呈现方式。

我觉得未来应该是线上展和线下展会同时发生,二者互为补充,甚至线上展会独立出来,成为一种新的展览形式。因为这种展览方式的变化,会让一些艺术创作有所变化,有些艺术家会去探索适合线上展的表达方式与呈现方式。

Traces of Ebony

Julisiah Toney

Mixed Media Archival Pigment Print
Approximately 4 1/4″ × 3 1/2″
2016

(Chicago)

This series is a tribute to black women and the beauty and virtue in our hair. The imagery is inspired by a 19th century tradition, that excluded women of color; Carte de visites in which women would adhere pieces of their hair to the card for a loved one or others to receive.

By creating these images, I hope to honor those women whose beauty was not acknowledged, as well as express the magnificence that is black women.

Julisiah Toney obtained a BFA at Savannah College of Art and Design, major in Photography, and minor in Business and Entrepreneurship. A Chicago native, she feels most at home in the city and is currently located in Atlanta. She loves to create using her hands (i.e. collage, mixed media, and alternative photography), but also is skilled in computers arts as well, incorporating Photoshop and other programs to enhance her craft. Most her of her work is introspective, but she uses this theme to create connections to women of color. She works freelance, plans on becoming an educator and ultimately own a gallery that supports and focuses on the works of people of color.

Interview of Julisiah Toney

From Chris Rock’s documentary Good Hair (2009) to Solange’s song Don’t Touch My Hair (2016), we understand that hair for the Black community is more than just appearance. It is a multi-million-dollar industry, a struggle in disrupting euro-centric beauty standards, as well as a declaration of self-loving pride. Your work, Traces of Ebony (2017), tells a similar story, can you tell us how this project come about? What were the materials that you used in these works, was it a complicated process?

The origins of my work have always been self-rooted. I was and continue to question why and how I move through the world the way I do, and being a Black woman is the foundation. I didn’t grow up around seeing many women or peers with the same kinky curly hair as mine, that comfortably and confidently wore their hair naturally. I did not begin to dissect why I didn’t feel comfortable wearing my hair in its natural state until I moved Atlanta. Here all of my friends wore their natural hair, and I began to notice and admire their confidence. As I tried to come up with the roots of why I felt I couldn’t be as confident as my friends were in their natural state, I thought of my experiences growing up and wanted to blame it on my ignorance. However, I was influenced to dig deeper, because that mindset I had come to adopt, had to come from somewhere as well.

Looking at media, ads, and other dominant portrayals of beauty, it is easy to see that black women aren’t shown as the most desirable. Being a young Black woman trying to figure out this influence of lack of self-love for my hair, I soon realized it was due to comparison to White/Euro beauty ideals, not on a conscience level, but one that was subconsciously rooted over my lifetime then.

As I was exploring how to portray my new-found dignity, I began adhering hair to portraits of Black women. While further exploring this process. My attention was brought to a “custom” or trend as we may call it today, from the Victorian era called carte de visites. These were small calling cards that people would share and became in circulation in Europe and the United States. As you can image people in these photographs portrayed the ideal beauty standards at the time. Taking the trend a step further, women started to adhere hair to their calling cards. Carte de visites in this fashion with black women’s hair was not seen. After discovering this historical trend and realizing that this was one of the roots to the lack of black beauty portrayals, I decided to remake this trend to include black women to celebrate our beauty and especially our hair. The style, tone, hand colored portions as well as the hair adhered to the portraits of my friends, are to evoke the memory of black women from that time. To remember that their presence and beauty existed, and that it still exists today.

In contemporary art photography, we are seeing a rise in the portrays of bodies of colors; how do you understand this phenomenon? Why is it important for people of color to be shown through the lens of art photography?

Touching back on the point of the start of the carte de vistes, photography has had a hand in shaping our lives in society. When photography began to be redistributed and became representative of portrayals of idealism, you can see that Black bodies and bodies of color have been misrepresented as well as under-represented. Although the concept of equality should be easy to grasp as a human right, that right has been withheld from people of color over the course of history. I think photography as well as other media is a tool to relay messages to people. Therefor the rise in the portrayal of bodies of color is to show their existence, show their experiences, show their ideals of beauty, and anything else that is true to them; To no longer be seen through a White/Euro gaze then regurgitated as truth.

 

During this pandemic, have you able to produce any new work? What have you learned, as an artist, to face a global epidemic like this? 

Interestingly enough, this pandemic has caused me to be able to begin creating work again. As the pandemic progressed, and things became more out of my control, I found time as well as a will to create, without having a clear goal or message prior. I’m still not sure what to make of, or what the project I created during this time is saying, but I’m ok with that right now. For me as an artist, this time has shown me that you might not know how or why you are creating something at the time, but this is ok. Life has a way of taking you out of your comfort zone either way, so just do what you can in the moment.

 

In the wake of Gorge Floyd’s death, most non-Black Americans have finally joined the Black Lives Matter movement to demand justices and defeat systematic racism. As an artist of color, how does this rise of BLM movement nationally, even globally, affect your art practice?

Honestly it doesn’t really change much for me and the work that I do or will do. I hope that people continue to fight and seek justice for the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the heart-breaking number of Black women and men who have lost their lives as a result of systemic racism, and not let the cycle continue and begin to undo it.

I hope my work can aid in the true and positive representation of Black women, and ultimately spark a change in mindset to those who don’t know of the Black experience, and/or have been given a false and warped depiction of what it is to be Black.

F像

Peng Si

Oil on canvas
50 x 40cm
2020

 

(Beijing)

 

I paint figures not for the sake of portraiture, rather it is about my pursuit for the ineffable, therefore it is developing and uncertain, like an adventure. The awe-inspiring views are the correspondence between the picturesque and the spiritual.

Peng Siwas born in Hunan, China, and studied at the Central Academy of Art. He is a figurative painter who sought to combine ancient Chinese images with classical temperament. He continues to explore the possibilities of portraiture.

Interview of Peng Si

Q1: To what extent are your recent works different from your previous ones?

A1: Recently I focussed on facial features, which is a closeup view of my past portrait. Regarding forms, the element of uncertainty became apparent, however, my idea is still evolving in the process, which corresponds with the status of my recent work. 

 

Q2: Can you talk about how the pandemic affected your art-making and life?

A2: Because of the pandemic I profoundly re-examined the problems in my life and art-making: significantly losing focus. Also because of the pandemic, I underwent self-isolation in Beijing, adjusting the balance between life and work, and the result turns out to be great. It has improved the realisation of my current paintings.

Q3: American scholar Richard Vinograd in discussing ancient Chinese portraiture used the term “the boundary of the self”, do you think your portraits entered some sort of boundaries? 

A3: Yes, I somehow can feel a complicated and careful selective process. For example, sometimes within a glance, I would know what to depict. What is my first sight impulse? Even Though I do not have a clear demand, but some of the figures (for instance, the elders) are ruled out by me subjectively. I wonder if this can be called “the boundary of the self”. Meanwhile, I am not definitely certain that I can recognise my boundary in art-making immediately, but looking forward to its self-growth. 

 

Q4: Could you talk about the advantage and disadvantage of presenting your works online?

A4L I personally think there more disadvantages, because the original painting can convey more sensitive elements, while if it is online, the authenticity would appear blurry.

专访彭斯

你近期的创作和以往的作品的最显著的不同点是什么?

近期专注于人物面孔这个题材的创作,目前已生成并呈现了一些以前无法预设的面貌,但还在进行中。

 

能不能谈一下疫情对你创作和生活的影响? 

因为疫情,我真切的观察到了自己在生活和艺术创作中存在的问题一一一专注力的严重降低。也因为疫情,我在回京自我隔离期间,调整作息和创作时间,收到了很好的效果,并在绘画创作上有很具体的呈现。

美国学者文以诚在讨论中国古代肖像画的时候使用了“自我的界限”这样的术语,你觉得在你的肖像画中,是否体现了某种界限?

是的,我隐约感觉到自己在选择人物形象时会反复地仔细甄选,比如有时面对一个形象一见便觉的正是自己需要去描绘的,我的那个"一见倾心"的是什么呢?目前我在选择人物形象虽然并无明确的要求,但有些形象(比如老年人)就会被我主动排斥掉。我想这能否称之为"自我的界限"。而我又并不期待很快的认知到自己在创作中的"界限",但我期待它的自我生成。

 

请谈一下关于在线展览对于展现你的作品的优势和劣势。

我想劣势多于优势,因为绘画艺术作品的原作有非常清晰的可感可知之物,在线作品呈现的只是约莫的效果。

Space Baby
Space Baby
space baby II HQ

Space Baby

Juan Pablo Bohorquez

Acrylic on masonite
18’X24″
2018

 

(New York)

 

Space-Baby is a very important piece in my work because it has opened up a new gateway to explore in relation to our subconscious mind and the new world we are living today. While there is change and destruction all round us, a seed, a new way of being is also coming to be full of potential in a deeper consciousness.

Juan Pablo Bohórquez is a New York born and based artist whose surrealist paintings sink into the unconscious of the viewer. His life experience growing up in a Latino immigrant family in the USA is his greatest influence. Drawing from his past, Bohórquez exposes what he considers inherited senses of fear and displacement, while unravelling his relationship to identity all within his work. He explores this “inherited” psychology using symbolism and a visual language that entices the viewer to find meaning beyond what is just literally depicted and superficially obvious. 

Interview of Juan Pablo Bohorquez

Your work Space-baby is not only masterful executed in terms of its technicality, but also suggests playful wisdom. In a time of global crisis, it seems more important than ever for us to find that inner child, can you talk a little bit about this work?

I first want to thank you for having me participate in this show. It’s so important during these difficult times. Space-Baby has become a very important symbol in my work representing a new awareness of ourselves and how we see the world. As a Latin American artist, I work with inherited cultural imagery to explore issues that are important to our time. Today we live in a globalized world that has us face issues of identity and representation that must be challenged and redefined. A son of immigrant parents like so many around the world I’ve had to reimagine what culture, ethnicity and nationalism means to me. Space Baby symbolizes that newfound awareness of ourselves in a globalized context discovering the strength and value of our individual stories. Everyone has a story to be told.

 

Is it fair to say that your work suggests a lot about your Columbian heritage? If so, can you talk a little bit about why is your cultural heritage vital to your artmaking?

Yes, my Colombian heritage is very much a part of everything that I do because it is one of the lenses with which I see the world. My sense of self was formed in an environment of cultural preservation where memory and language were of utmost importance. Not only knowing but expressing oneself correctly and effectively in another language really shapes how one sees and relates to the world. Growing up in NYC among so many other cultures cemented my feeling of otherness propelling me to dive deeper into the story of my culture and ethnicity. There are few things more intimate and fulfilling than the connection, understanding and acceptance of our past. Good art comes from the act of self-discovery and my work reflects this.

 

As a transcultural artist, what is your take on globalization? 

“Globalization” is a term that can be used to express many things whether political, cultural or economic in a negative or positive fashion. I feel that globalization is the natural progression of civilization on this planet and it’s been going on the moment humans left Africa. We are all a product of globalization and myself as an artist is no exception. In accepting this reality however I do believe there is a struggle to be had. History is written by the powerful with culture and influence being no different. For better or worse the story at large has been told through a European and North American narrative. As a Latino artist my view of the world comes from a different story with a different sensibility that needs to be told. The struggle to include stories of all kinds and from all corners of the world needs to be had and Artists are an integral part of this.

Your work also possesses the traits of Surrealism, can you talk a little bit about your understanding of this important artistic movement and its place in today’s art world?

My attraction to Surrealism is a very effortless one starting early in my work. There is an intrinsic familiarity and understanding of surrealism and metaphysics in Latin culture. Whether through Mediterranean, indigenous and African cultures the concept of the “spirit of things” is extremely important. In Surrealist and Metaphysical art there is a belief of things being much more than what they appear. Whether it’s an object or a dream serving as a catalyst to a truth to be discovered or unveiled. This philosophy of “the spirit of things” is one that I hold dear in my work digging deeper to explore the unconscious. Artist like Di Chirico, Magritte, Frida Kahlo, Dali and others reminds us what this search can look like but I feel that this method of discovery and understanding should be more present than ever. Art has had an integral function ever since humans started to have the cognitive ability to make it. Art has always served as a portal to a world where part of us all reside. Artists like priests or shamans have been the Gatekeepers of the unconscious helping to decipher and understand our history and present experiences. However, in modern times through a European and North American lens I mentioned earlier art has come to be at service to itself. We became fascinated with a more scientific approach to art breaking it down to its more basic building blocks. Color, texture, line, sound and any other aspect of art have been studied and explored but consequently disconnecting us from meaning just beyond its own physical attributes. To be clear I’m not rejecting any school of art because it’s all necessary and valid but I do feel that this “purification” of art has sacrificed its role in society. My hope is that in this new world where many stories are told we rediscover the surreal and metaphysical aspects of art connecting us back to the “spirit of things” where truth and meaning lies just beyond our conscious reach.

KM Series

John Zhang Long

Multi-media on paper
50 x 80 cm
2020

 

(Las Vegas)

 

The ineffable moment in creating enables me to free from physical restrictions. The picturesque sublimates the imaginative to soar beyond the space, and the soul can find the myth from afar.

John Zhang Long is a Los Angeles-based artist. He has been a leading avant-garde art practitioner since the 1980s. His abstract series KuangMo has been well received internationally and now is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Interview of John Zhang Long

Your KM series consists of abstract lines; are these lines at some level symbolises the vivacity of borders? What do you make of borders, such as class, race, gender, religion and so forth?

Borders do exist objectively in real societies, the recent conflict in the US is one of the evidence. The hatred between white and black peoples has never been eased out. Since Obama was elected as the president, the situation had changed, meanwhile, white people feel being depressed. The borders between races and religions are hard to go through, perhaps this is a conundrum left by god to humans. The borders between classes are even more evident, even though earning money and education can improve the issue, the confinement of race and religion is inevitable. Race and class form most social borders, and people live in their own world when transgressing, it will cause conflicts.

Art brings Hope to us, nevertheless.    

Elon Musk recently gave a thumbs-up to an image which I like. The image shows: The “EARTH” without “ART” is just “EH”. Without art, the earth becomes meaningless. The nature of art is to create, and liberty is the foundation. Artists should transgress all kinds of confinement between borders, being free from specific forms and contents. Crossing the borders of knowledge and experience, between history and the future, the present shines. KM series is trans-cultural, which is not only based on my personal experience living in both eastern and western coasts but also my absorption between two cultures. Subjectively I do not distinguish borders, it is part of my good trait, very natural. If you like both cheese and stinky tofu, for you they are compatible. A lot of people who are against the other culture lack the patience and time to understand the other culture. You cannot learn only through books, you need to feel. A lot of scholars they only wander around like Flâneurs, who alienate themselves from reality, only treating views as spectacles.

 

Due to the pandemic, the world is changing, can you talk about how is it related to your thinking?

Pandemics are not permanent, the current one is the same. All will end.

The changing of the world is according to the progress of human society, and one becomes stronger, it is natural to gain a larger space for survival, which influences from trade to ideology.

During the pandemic, people are more relying on the internet, and through the internet, museums and low images can all present to you. Artist will post their latest work instantly on the social media. The way of promoting art has changed, including art-making itself. I have recently reduced my work, adding more paper-based paintings. Compared with the last year big paintings, I am more obsessed with drawing on paper, which is an extension of my 1988 artworks. My art has always focused on three themes: Wasteland, KM and POP-R. POP-R was formulated last year, it means a pop revolution. Each time has its own popular sign, especially the symbols and images in daily life.

 

For you what is the possibility in abstract art in contemporary time, and what is the particular area you want to tackle?

Abstract art liberated artists from traditional representationalist approach, and it is a natural cause. It is not difficult to see the outlook of the locations of abstract artists and collectors. Abstract art is active in developed countries and regions, especially in the US, UK, France and Germany. Abstract art dominates the art world in those places. If one is familiar with Western art history, the historical progress is very clear. Social media such as, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest are the major players promoting abstract art, however, it is a shame that still many people cannot see. Contemporary art is inseparable from the globalised social network.

As Chinese American, do you think your identity is more relevant to the ecology of contemporary art?

Artists of the older generation tried to localise abstract art in China, however, the result is not ideal. When Takashi Murakami studied in New York, he realised that Japan did not have contemporary art, the manga is good enough. Therefore he changed himself, not promoting Western contemporary art in Japan. He has become a successful manga artist. The dissynced information between the West and the East made it difficult to discuss art in the same realm.

My abstract works are mostly in KM series. I prefer using multi-media to paint, especially the ones I have not used before. To break away tradition, changing the media is a primary approach. I am satisfied with my recent abstract works, hoping they will be maturer. I am trained with academic protocols and gradually become an abstract artist, thereafter unconsciously the brushwork contains traditional footmark. If I cannot kick the bottleneck, then I will be following the black mountain school or New York School. I have got full scores for representationalist work at the university and was an outstanding art student. But I think I cannot be an artist, if only following the academic teaching.

 

How does the pandemic affect you and what is your vision for future art and exhibition?

I was not affected by it that much, even though at first I was a bit nervous. It is new to experience such a thing in the US. But now it is fine, facing real works of art, it makes people want to live.

The future is probably relying on online exhibitions, while the crucial thing is to find a good solution about digital representation. Now people are more interested in photoshop, and I saw many ugly photos seem to be very popular. Bad art dealers enlarged photos and print on canvas and sell them as oil paintings, they are the so-called zombie oil paintings. In offline exhibitions, viewers can see the original work, and it will satisfy our desire to respect the original and prevent bad photoshopping. It is hard to photoshop abstract art, as artists use the improvised brush to create, even artists can hardly repeat themselves. This particular aspect is also convenient for collectors, and most highly valued contemporary artworks are abstract.

Interview of John Zhang Long

请问在创作“狂墨“系列的时候,你对世界上各种边界,比如阶级、种族、性别、信仰、民族等有没有什么个人的看法?

现实社会的边界客观存在,最近美国发生的种族冲突就一个证据。黑白种族之间的仇视重来就没有解决过!自从奥巴马当选美国总统之后情况有所改变,但是白人又有生存压抑感。种族和信仰的界限很难跨越,也许是上帝给人类留下的难题。阶级或者阶层的界限更加明确,虽然能够通过工作赚钱和受教育有所提高但也摆脱不了种族和信仰的约束。种族和阶层构成社会的主要边界,人们在各自的世界里生存,一旦跨越就会引来冲突。

艺术给我们带来希望!

Elon Musk 最近点赞一图我很喜欢,图上写着 The “EARTH” without “ART” is just “EH”. 意思是:如果地球没有艺术就什么都不是!艺术的本质是创造,自由是创造的基础。艺术家应该跨越各种边界的约束,不被特定的形式和内容所局限。跨越所有的知识和经验边界,在历史与未来之际只闪耀于现在。狂墨的创作是跨越文化区域的,这除了我生活在东西两岸的特殊境遇之外,还有对这两种文化的同时吸取。我没有主观区别这些边界,这可能是我的优点,水到渠成。如果你对奶酪和臭豆腐都很喜欢时,它们对你来说是没有相互排斥的感觉。很多人把不同文化对立起来是因为对另一种文化缺少足够的时间去理解,看再多书也没有用。很多学者是旅游加访问走马观花地去接触另外一种文化。

 

受新冠疫情影响,世界格局在发生变化,是否可以谈一下在创作时你的思考?

没有永久的疫情,眼前的疫情也不列外。一切都会结束。

当下世界格局变化符合社会发展的规律性,自己强大了自然要争取更大的生存空间,从经济贸易到意识形态都在发生变化。

疫情期间人们更加依赖网络,伴随网络的发展世界各博物馆和民间土画都能够展现在你面前。艺术家的最新作品会在第一时间展示在社交媒体,作品的转播方式已经发生变化,包括艺术创作本身。我最近的作品缩小尺寸,增加了纸本。相对去年的大幅作品而言,我更加迷恋纸本创作,这是对1988年创作的延续。我始终围绕三个系列进行创作:荒原,狂墨和POP-R。其中POP-R是去年开始创作,POP是流行的意思,R 是英文 Revolution (革命)的开头字母。每个时代都有其流行符号,特别是日常生活中最能够影响我们的那些符号和图像。其它荒原和狂墨是大家熟悉的两个系列。

 

你认为抽象艺术发展到了当代还有哪些新的可能性,你的创作突破口在哪里?

抽象艺术是艺术家从传统写实中解放出来奔向自由的必然结果。不难看出从抽象艺术家和收藏家的分布情况,抽象艺术活跃于发达国家和地区,特别是美,英,法,德这几个国家抽象艺术站有主导地位。熟悉欧美艺术历史的人都可以清晰地看到这些演变。instagram, Facebook, Pinterest 等主流社交媒体都是抽象艺术传播者,可惜很多人目前还看不到。当代艺术已经离不开全球化社交网络。

作为美国画家,你认为当代艺术生态和你的身份认同之间是否有某些联系?

老一代艺术家们也尝试过抽像艺术在中国落地生根,效果并不理想。日本当代画家村上隆到纽约留学多年之后意识到:日本根本就没有“当代艺术”,漫画就够了。于是他改变了自己,不在日本推广西方当代艺术。他目前很成功地成为了一个卡通美图家。中外艺术领域信息不平衡,很难在同一个个艺术领域进行讨论。

我的抽象作品集中在狂墨系列,我喜欢使用综合材料作画,特别是以前没有使用过材料,从材料上首先摆脱传统。最近的抽象作品我比较满意,希望出现一些成熟的作品。我是从学院派慢慢变更过来的抽象画家,所以在用笔等专业行为之中都不知不觉地带有传统艺术的痕迹。如果没有在这一点上有所突破,就只能够再重复黑山学院或者纽约画派的老路。我在大学的写实作品都拿满分,专业成绩优秀。如果我只会画大学课堂作业是成不了艺术家的。

 

新冠时代对你的影响主要有哪些,你认为艺术创作和展览在未来理想的状态应该是什么样的?

这次疫情对我影响不大,开始有些紧张。第一次在美国本土经历一场灾难也是一次经验。现在就没事了,面对现实多画些作品。

艺术使人愿意活着。

未来的展览应该会在网络上吧,最需要解决的问题是电子图和原作复原问题。现在人们对P照片更有兴趣,我看到很多丑陋不堪的照片似乎还很受欢迎,不良画商把放大的照片印在油画布上当油画出售,所谓的僵尸油画。而现场展览可以看到原作品,满足我们对原作品的敬畏之情,也可以有效地抵制P图。抽象画很难P图,艺术家在创作是有很多随机用笔,艺术家自己也很难重复同一张作品。这一特点也为收藏家提供了便利,当代作品的高价位作品多数是抽象作品。

Contact

David Paul Kay

Mix media on canvas
48″x72″
2020

 

(New York)

Contact is a part of the “Underdog” series. It talks about intimacy issues as well as the struggle of finding the right measure of physical and emotional interaction. In order to exist we need to coexist. The piece represents the phenomenon of coexistence.

David Paul Kay is a New York City-based American contemporary artist & muralist.

Originally from Eastern Europe (former Soviet Republic of Georgia) David migrated to the United States in 2008. As a self-taught artist, Kay has always experimented with various different techniques; though his career evolved soon after moving to New York City early 2009 and developing his signature black & white style. Throughout the past decade Kay’s work has been exhibited and included in private collections all over the United States, Europe and the Middle East, including artist residencies in Los Angeles, London and South of Spain, solo and group exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris and Dubai. David has created numerous large-scale interior and exterior murals in major cities of the US, Europe and Africa, including the recent “Mona Lisa V” in Wynwood Art District for Art Basel Miami 2019.

Interview of David Paul Kay

Contact (2020) is under the series titled Underdog, can you talk a little bit about the significance of this project?

This was one of my first series that started in the early stages of my career. Looking back at my upbringing I saw injustice and insecurity almost everywhere. I believe regardless of your status there are times we find ourselves in a position where we think of ourselves as lesser. Some of us are there all the time. This work speaks about us overcoming our insecurities and focusing on overcoming the fear of being incomplete, inflicted on us by the society we live in. We are all underdogs; it all depends on the perspective.

 

Contact (2020) is finished during this global pandemic, if I understand it correctly, can you tell us what was going through your mind during this creative process? Did the quarantine assist you in any way to complete this work?

The piece was completed right before the pandemic, the timing was very peculiar. We need each other to protect each other from each other. This piece speaks about the distance we keep, or we don’t keep from the ones around us. In order to exist, we need to coexist. Though the fear of getting too close and letting your guard down is encrypted in our DNA. It’s ironic yet very significant that I painted the piece and the world’s number one priority became the issue of how we distance from others while trying to stay as close together as possible. 

Because of this global outbreak, our world has fundamentally changed. Different industries are finding ways to adapt to this new reality, do you think the art world is in need of some innovation as well? What will be your innovation as an artist?

Nothing stops existing, it’s all energy, it changes shapes and forms, it is something and it becomes something else. From this point of view, I want to believe that this could bring good to mankind. It’s an awakening of sorts. Innovation is essential to our existence, and every civilization known to us thrives because of those innovations, and most importantly art is the pillar of innovations. Artists not only depict what we have and what we are, but they imagine and show what we can have and what we could be. Darkness pushes us towards appreciating the light.

 

Do you see this paradigm-shifting as a challenge or an opportunity?

Both, it’s a challenge to handle and keep the peace required to imagine the unimaginable but it’s an opportunity to observe, learn, analyze, and then create. I try not to get overly dramatic and see things as they are. There is nothing new about what’s happening, it has happened before, it will happen again. How we approach is what can and may change. More of us are realizing the fact that there is no “WE” or “US”. It’s all part of the universe, the universe that has its own beautiful way of finding the balance. This will help us find that balance within us and therefore project it and create the balance around us.