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Art Guide 《艺术指南》杂志

April 2013 二零一三年四月



Art Guide April 2013 Cover Story

Zhu Wei: Behind Of Your Time

By Cao Dingding

It’s an enjoyable experience talking to Zhu Wei. His articles are sarcastic and talks humorous. If you discuss academics or arts with him, however, he will be quite serious—listing facts and examples. Maybe good artists are all like him, have strong ability but always keep a low profile. Zhu Wei prefers smaller and cozy studio, and don’t allow people to stand by when painting. Back then, some director came to his studio to shot him a documentary, Zhu Wei was so nervous that he only finished a corner in a month.

Luckily, Zhu Wei doesn’t have to be shot for documentary every day, more of the time he is quite leisure and can stand loneliness. Out of his seriousness to art, he devoted himself to technique and design over the past 20 years. Creation is not an easy job for too many times you have to go against your will. Zhu Wei has been seeking changes in his exploration, successfully combining art and the contemporary era as a significant reflection of our times. These works can be divided into two parts: works in the first ten years was like “Zhanghui Story (a type of traditional Chinese novel with each chapter headed by a couplet giving the gist of its content)” in his own words, for example, “The Story of Beijing”, “Sweet Life” and New Flower Array series in 1993, “China Diary”, “in the 1990s”, “Supreme Treatise on Moral Retribution” and “Sleepwalking Notes” in 1996. In the latter ten years, starting from 2002 or 2003, Zhu Wei turned to stress metaphor, paying more attention to the artistic conception with simpler pictures. For example, “Flood”, “Spring” series in 2003, “Utopia” series in 2005 and “Two Red Flags” series in 2008.These pictures still emphasized the difficulties people encountered in real life and comprise more questioning of the reality and human nature though with some changes in contents.

Zhu Wei cooperated with Plum Blossoms Gallery for 13 years, turning into a middle-aged youth from a boy. He also has written columns for magazines for four years, which he regards as a kind of hard work but he also enjoys doing it. In my perspective, he just has so many things to tell and wants to change something though he always says artists can’t change anything. As a generation grown under the red flag, they have their unique idealism and sense of responsibility. Though he was one of the first recognized contemporary ink painting painter by the market, Zhu Wei didn’t get obsessed with money, he also loves painting itself, rock music, movie shooting and other weird but normal things. Besides painting, he also makes prints, sculptures in the factories, writes columns for magazines and shoots movies for rock music bands. These things seem to be unrelated but at the same time have implications for his paintings. In his MV Blossom for Miserable Faith Band, people just standing there, singing “Blooming, blooming, like a snow lotus”, the same as his figures in ink painting. In his columns, he talks about everything from Girls Selling Flowers to Olympics and also something about contemporary art.

“Artists must be the conscience of the society, besides satisfying people’s aesthetic needs, they also must question and criticize the unfair facets of the society, and that’s the least they could do.” (Why I Paint)

Zhu Wei, sarcastic about the current affairs and himself, put his column articles into a book Following Time. “Following” means “slow to react”, as if thinking of selling tea flavored boiled eggs after others had made a ten billion profit. This is surely sarcasm, while there are few in the art community who can stand it from both self and others.

“As a matter of fact, I wasn’t nervous about trousers but the title of artist. People all know that I am an ink painting painter. In recent three decades, the contemporary Chinese art has basically imitated all kinds of contemporary western art, so contemporary artists have their theories to be one, and there’ll be no mistake, since westerners have already made a thorough study and has written what they found into contemporary art history. In China, contemporary art went its rush way with some Chinese characteristics as a later comer, however, there in no ink painting in the West, so there is no reference, the contemporary theoretical base of the western standard, and I’m just one of the few who are willing to take the risk and explore on the traditional base. I’m really excited when someone sees me as a contemporary artist.” (Being an Artist for Two Weeks)

Zhu Wei is holding his sole exhibition after the one at National Art Museum, Singapore in January, Indonesian National Museum in April and Today Art Museum, Beijing in October, exhibiting 12 works created between 2005 and 2012. These exhibitions are not retro respect exhibitions, and his books published were not meant to memorize him. He will surely argue with you if you ever doubt he is in his prime years. “My motive of painting comes from observing the conditions and changes people are involved and that’s where my passion lies. Like rock music players, you can only shout out when you have some emotions to let out such as anger.” Doubtlessly, Zhu Wei is the one who will shout out completely when time calls.

ART GUIDE: What makes truly great artists and art?

Zhu Wei: Artists are closely related with his living environment and his country, there is no great artist born in a mediocre country ever.

ART GUIDE: What will make you great and regretless?

Zhu Wei: To successfully reflect this era with the common sense and techniques accumulated my lifetime.

ART GUIDE: Where do you draw the line between art and life?

Zhu Wei: I haven’t found it yet.

ART GUIDE: Are artists public intellectuals? What role can they play in promoting the development of the current society?

Zhu Wei: Intellectuals should have access to numerous objective and true knowledge and information as well as audacious courage. Now, our society has plenty of intellectuals who can only talk big and they are useless in moving our society forward.

ART GUIDE: What happened to today’s ink painting?

Zhu Wei: Ink painting has gone through 3,000 years of development, but now it’s getting marginalized as a result of recent 100 years of extreme un-confidence. Contemporary art creations are doomed for the over business propaganda over these years. Ink painting stress skills: contemporary spirits and traditional techniques. It requires longer time of practice, because you can’t condense the 3,000 years of history all at once to the contemporary era. It takes at least 30 years, even 20 years is not enough.

ART GUIDE: How do you look at ink painting collection?

Zhu Wei: Too many times contemporary Chinese art, oil painting, ink painting and performance art are not determined by art levels but markets and even auction markets instead, thus produced many satellites of art. These years the contemporary Chinese ink painting market are relatively sound, because since the spring auction in 2005, oil paintings have been over speculated with little rising space, while ink paintings are relatively cheap with the best ones top 700,000 or 800,000 RMB. As China’s local art, ink painting may face obstacles in collection if the prices are too high. The price was low until recently: Qi Baishi’s painting was marked 15 RMB a piece by Liulichang when People’s Republic of China was first founded, and it was no more than 200 RMB in the 1980s.

ART GUIDE: What’s the status quo of the ink painting market?

Zhu Wei: There are a lot of problems because the general public in China hasn’t realized the importance of local culture. It requires at least another five decades to restore our confidence in Chinese culture like Japan and South Korea after three decades of reform and opening up. Then, ink painting market will truly be a healthy one. People used to have paintings at their homes; however, they now have calendars. That is not a good sign. Westerners must hang painted pictures at homes, they may can’t afford Van Gogh’s paintings, but they will hang pictures painted by some real people. Ink painting market will be promising when Chinese people also have that kind of art appreciation and collection, now it’s just about price manipulation.

ART GUIDE: Do you have some plans besides this year’s solo exhibition?

Zhu Wei: I’m exhausted since this exhibition takes me seven years and I’m going to have some rest for a while.

 

 

 

 

《艺术指南》杂志二零一三年四月刊封面文章

朱伟 走在时间的后面

作者:曹玎玎

和朱伟聊天特轻松愉快,看他的文章也过瘾,嘴上嬉笑溜涮,笔上夹枪带剑,大风一过霹雳哗啦,带劲。可你如果跟他聊学术,聊当代艺术,他又能一本正经,给你摆事实、举例子、讲道理。好的艺术家,大概都是像朱伟这样,怀里明明有金刚钻,人又谦逊低调,不爱端着瓷器活往人前显摆。他不爱用太大的工作室,因为小点儿舒服;画画时边上不能站人,因为不自在。以前有个导演来拍他的纪录片,在画室呆了一个月,他一画就一身汗,一个月下来就只画了一个角。

好在不是每天都有导演要给朱伟拍纪录片,更多的时候朱伟乐得自在。朱伟稳得住,也耐得住寂寞,这二十年来画是一张一张地画出来,依旧垂心于笔墨技巧和造型的锤炼,这是出于对待艺术最基本的严谨和认真。创作当然不只是一件逍遥自在的事,太多时候得拧着干,朱伟也一直都在作品中寻求变化。在对水墨持续的探索中,朱伟成功地将艺术和当代结合在了一起,成为时代的一个重要映像。这二十年的作品可以分为两部分,前十年是在通俗地讲故事,用他自己的话说就是“像是章回绣像小说”,比如1993年的“北京故事”、“甜蜜的生活”系列、“新编花营锦阵”系列、1996年的“中国日记”系列、“九十年代”系列、“太上感应”、“梦游手记”系列等。后十年,就是从2002、2003年开始,就开始强调隐喻,在水墨画里更讲究意境。画面更加凝练,比如2003年的“大水”系列、“开春图”系列、2005年的“乌托邦”系列、2008年的“两面红旗”系列。画面内容虽然有了些变化,但还是在强调个体在现实中遇到的困境,也包含对现实、人性更多的追问。

朱伟当年和万玉堂签约,一签13年,合同结束时小伙子变成老青年。给杂志写专栏,一写4年,据说现在没事时还在写。朱伟说写文章是个苦差事,但又苦中作乐,乐此不疲。我对这一事件的理解是:这家伙还是有太多的话要说,虽然口口声声说艺术家改变不了什么,但还是想改变点什么。作为生长在红旗下的一代,朱伟还是有着那个时代的人特有的一种理想主义和责任感。即便是最先被市场承认的当代水墨画家,朱伟也没有一脑袋闷进钱堆里,心思还放在画画、摇滚乐、拍电影以及诸多不靠谱又很靠谱的事情上。朱伟画画之外刻木版画,到工厂去做雕塑,给艺术杂志写专栏,给摇滚乐队拍电影,这些东西看着跟水墨画不搭边,但放一起又有关系。他给痛仰乐队拍的《盛开》MV,人物个个立着不动,单唱着“盛开盛开,像一朵雪莲盛开”,跟他的水墨画中的那些人物感觉如出一辙。在专栏里针砭实事利弊,从《卖花姑娘》到奥运会,什么都侃,实在按捺不住,也写些当代艺术如何如何之类的:

“艺术家应该是这个社会的良知,除了满足大家的审美需求之外,更应对现有社会不合理的方方面面进行批判和质疑。这也是艺术家、知识分子最起码应该做的事儿。”(《为什么画画》)

朱伟喜欢揶揄时事,也喜欢自嘲。他把在杂志上的专栏集结成一本书,名为《走在时间的后头》。所谓后头,就是说“自己反应慢”,好似人家挣了一百个亿,自己才想起来卖茶叶蛋。这当然是自嘲。可当代艺术里面浑水摸鱼的、大浪淘金的、扛着大旗瞎白话的,成大堆数不清,能屹立不倒,自己嘲自己又能扛得住被别人嘲的,翻来覆去也没几个了。

“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上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,已经被写进当代艺术史,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,生吞火咽,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,没有参照物,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。”(《艺术家俩礼拜了》)

朱伟现在进行时的是个展,1月份在新加坡当代美术馆刚结束,4月移师印尼国家博物馆,10月再到今日美术馆。这批画一共12张,创作时间从2005到2012年。朱伟的展不是回顾展,出的书也不是打算给自己树碑立传——人家可是正当年呢。你要是说他不再年轻了,他保准跟你急。“关注人在现实不同境遇中的处境和变化是我画画的动机和根本,也是我的激情所在,就像是摇滚乐手,只有在你有愤怒、有情绪要宣泄时,你才能吼得出来。”毫不怀疑,在现实任何需要吼一把的时候,朱伟绝对会吼出来,并且会痛痛快快,彻彻底底。

ART GUIDE:什么样的艺术家和艺术才是真牛逼?

朱 伟:艺术家和生存环境和他所在的国家有着直接的关系,古今中外没有一个方方面面都一般的国家楞出了个牛逼的艺术家。

ART GUIDE:觉得自己做到什么样就算牛逼,此生无憾了?

朱 伟:用自己一生所学到的和积累的常识、技法成功地反映了所在的这个时代。

ART GUIDE:在艺术和过日子上,您自己的标准和界限都在哪里?

朱 伟:到现在我还找不到这个界限。

ART GUIDE:艺术家是公共知识分子吗?在当下推动社会发展上能起到什么作用?

朱 伟:知识分子必须每时每刻都能得到大量客观正确透明的知识和信息,再加上过人的胆量。我们现在一知半解的知道分子、公共万金油、白话蛋倒是不少,这种货对推动社会发展能起到什么作用?

ART GUIDE:今天的水墨创作怎么了?

朱 伟:水墨画三千年了,到今天一直都存在着。但这一百多年来由于极度的不自信,水墨画被折腾来折腾去,也逐步被边缘化了。当代艺术经过近些年的火爆和过度炒作,也到了创作枯竭的时候。水墨画讲究的是功力,精神上要当代,技法上要传统。我觉得对水墨画的练习时间需要再长一点,画家想把三千年的历史拖到当代,二十年都不行,至少得三十年。

ART GUIDE:怎么看水墨艺术收藏?

朱 伟:中国当代艺术,油画、水墨、行为艺术等,很多时候不是由艺术水平决定的,是由市场决定的,甚至是由拍卖市场决定的,这就产生了很多艺术上的卫星。中国当代水墨这两年市场比较好,因为从2005春拍开始,油画作品被过度炒作,上升空间很少,相对来说水墨画价格比较低,最好的水墨画就是五六十万,七八十万到顶,超过一百万的里面都有水分。这个价位相对于油画更便宜,更便于操作。水墨是中国本土文化艺术,当代水墨价格如果过高,可能对以后水墨收藏不利。刚解放时,齐白石的画琉璃厂明码标价15元一张,八十年代也不超过200元,现在才高起来。

ART GUIDE:当代水墨市场的情况是怎样的?

朱 伟:现在的水墨市场还有很多问题,而且现在中国老百姓还没有完全意识到本土文化的重要性。改革开放才30年,像日本韩国那样,对本土文化恢复信心,最少也得50年以后,那时候中国水墨画才会真正有自己良性的市场。以前老百姓家里家家户户都有画,不知道什么时候都开始变成挂历了,这不对。西方家家户户里,挂的画一定是真人画的,挂不起梵高的,也会挂一张刘二狗的,一定是真人画的。我们什么时候对艺术的欣赏和收藏达到那样的水平,水墨市场才真的有希望。现在只是价格上的操作。

ART GUIDE:除了今年的个展,这两年还有什么工作上或好玩的计划?

朱 伟:今年的个展用了我七年时间,已经很累了,未来没接任何工作。