Being A Contemporary Artist For Two Week

Hi Art , June Issue, 2011

Yin Lichuan, a friend of mine shot a city movie “Live with Fashion” days ago and asked me to be a walk-on acting a fashion contemporary artist. Vice director gave me a call and said that a night show walking through red carpet would be shot at the fashion square of 798 art district on that very day. In detail the plot is I come out of a Porsche car with two beautiful models at my sides and then the public is agitated and strobes flash on and on; then I stroke several poses smiling and after that, two beauties accompany me all the way into the venue. On hearing the description I got agitated, because I don’t have even one pair of decent trousers. The director required me to dress up with black suits, black leather shoes, black socks and I should also make up my face, too. About suits, another phone call followed to explain that if I have no proper suit they could prepare for me but I should go to try the suits in the very afternoon, I refused. To wait for the darkness at the site is terrible which would make one feel at loss; then when they come to shot, people would feel collapsed. Policemen often use this policy to trial prisoners who would be jailed in a small dark room where no one talk to him or give him anything to eat and drink, then feeling so helpless in darkness one would confess everything only half a day later. Others’ clothes would look too large on me and in them I would look like a conscripted soldier, which is really unnatural and strange. After a thorough search of my wardrobe, I finally found a pair of sport pants with which I went to the shot site.

Yin Lichuan did film studies in France and has directed a lot of movies after he came back. France as the cradle and father of film is known to all. It’s said that this film is commercial with a good cast among which famous stars like Zhou Yumin from F4 group, Xu Ruoxuan, Tan Yonglin, Chun Xiao are included, with Cui Jian, Chen Daoming and Jiang Wen as alternates.

I have also shot movies by myself. When I shot MV for Miserable Faith Band, photographer Wu Jing told me a story. Once when they were shooting in Sichuan Province, a guest actor was also needed in one scene to act a guy of triad gangs. Everyone recommended director Zhang Yuan to do by himself. Ready, go, suddenly the sound engineer shouted out, who is walking there? They walked all around but found no stranger at all. Listen carefully again, it was the drumming of Zhang Yuan’s heart transmitted by the microphone hidden under his clothes; differences in profession make people feel world apart. Even acting a movie directed by himself would make him feel anxious.

I have been an old hand as guest actor. In that year when Cui Jian shot his “I Love You Chengdu”, he asked me to act a guy in the masses. For my buddy I took an airplane through the night to Erwang Temple at Dujiangyan and haven’t reimbursed my travel expenses until now.

In fact I’m not really anxious for pants, but the title as a contemporary artist. All know I’m an ink and wash painter. During the last three decades, Chinese contemporary art has almost imitated all the patterned in western contemporary art, therefore theoretical basis could always be found to entitle anyone to be a contemporary artist. You won’t be wrong to say anything as contemporary art, because all could be found in Europe or America where artists have been explored painstakingly for many years and all have already been written in the history of contemporary art. Origins could always be found once you make a comparison. Although contemporary art started late in China, however it goes fast and swallow things without chewing, before digestion, a flower has been shit out, and some even takes on a kind of Chinese characteristics. Yet the West has no ink and wash painting. Without a reference, ink and wash painting especially the contemporary one lost its contemporary theoretical basis established on western standard, therefore people feel difficult to talk about and no one would like to take such a risk. Yet we who are exploring forward on the basis of tradition in contemporary ink and wash painting are still fighting for the success. Therefore once people regard me as a contemporary artist, I cannot but feel agitated.

Zhu Wei

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

当代艺术家两礼拜了

《HI艺术》2011年六月刊

前一阵子好友尹丽川拍一都市电影《与时尚同居》，找我去一角儿，扮演一时髦当代艺术家。副导演来电话说当天798时尚广场就有一场走红地毯的夜戏要拍，具体镜头就是我被两美女大模从奔驰车当众架出来，然后人声鼎沸，闪光灯??不停，摆几个朴士，完事面带微笑，被两人架着一路走进会场。我听完一阵激动，激动是因为我没像样的裤子。导演要求正装一身黑西服，黑皮鞋，黑袜子，脸上抹油。服装接着来电话说朱老师如果没衣服她们可以准备，但得下午就去试装，被我坚拒。在现场活活等到天黑是一件可怕的事，让人发毛，无所适从，等到要拍的时候，人往往能崩溃喽。警察审犯人就常用这手，叫蹲蹲性子，关一黑屋子里，没人理你，没吃没喝，叫天天不应，叫地地不灵，一般半天不到知道不知道的就全招了。我穿别人的衣服，除了托不起来以外，遇着大点的，穿着跟抓壮丁似的，别扭极了。在家翻箱倒柜，最后终于找了件运动裤去了。

尹丽川导过不少片子，法国学电影回来的，谁都知道法国是电影的发源地，是电影他爹。听说这回这部电影是奔商业去的，演员卡司也不错，有F4的周渝民、徐若?、谭咏麟、春晓，还有崔健、陈道明、姜文备选，等等等。

电影我也拍过，给痛仰乐队拍MV的时候，摄影师邬竞跟我说过一事。有一次他们在四川拍戏，有一场戏也需要一客串，由于是要拍一个黑社会的，大家一致推举导演张元亲自来一个。准备就绪，开始，录音师猛喊一嗓子，谁在那走动？众人环顾，没发现有生人，再仔细听，原来是埋在张元衣服下面的胸麦传过来的心脏咚咚跳的声音，可见隔行如隔山。导演演自己的戏也有紧张的时候。

客串电影俺是老人了，当年崔健拍《成都我爱你》时让我去客串一大群众，为了哥们，我曾连夜打飞机赶往都江堰二王庙，来回路费现在都没报。

其实我从心里紧张的不是裤子，而是当代艺术家这一头衔。大家都知道我是画水墨的，中国当代艺术这三十年基本把西方当代艺术各个款式模仿了一遍，说谁是当代艺术家都能找到理论依据，说谁搞的是当代艺术都不会出错，因为欧美那边有，人家跟头把式已经摸索了多年，已经被写入当代艺术史，跑不了，一比对就中。中国当代艺术虽然起步晚，但路子走得急，生吞活咽，来不及消化，就已经拉出一朵花来，有的还有了些许中国特色。而水墨画西方没有，没参照物，特别是当代水墨，失去了以西方为标准的当代理论依据，让人很难下嘴，谁愿意冒这个风险。只是我们这些个当代画水墨的在传统的基础上埋头向前摸索，还是在奋斗的状态。所以有人把我看成是当代艺术家，俺真的挺激动的。

朱伟

2011年5月18日星期三