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.

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.

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.

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.