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99 art website www.99ys.com June 25 2013
We are Two Decades behind the West in Accepting Contemporary Ink Wash Painting
www.99ys.com: Wang Yin
Guest: Zhu Wei
Editor’s comment: Zhu Wei is the first artist who introduced Gong-bi into contemporary Chinese art. He started to explore the possibilities of expressing political life of China with traditional Gong-bi paintings when many aggressive artists created oil paintings with “political pop” and “ironic realism” features. In Zhu’s representative works, you can see huge difference between traditional Gong-bi paintings, but the basic features in coloring, outlining and dying are maintained. The contrast between traditional language and contemporary political life in his works demonstrates an irresistible attraction.
People who are familiar with Zhu Wei know that he, though being an expert painter, also loves writing to express his ideas, straightforwardly pointing out problems of our times. As a forerunner of contemporary ink wash painting, Zhu has been vigilantly observing the development of contemporary art also as a bystander. Contemporary ink wash painting is gaining more and more attention these years, and meanwhile increasing problems need to be addressed. So we had our inclusive review with Zhu Wei at www.99ys.com.
www.99ys.com: Ink wash paintings are extremely popular in recent years. Why do you think the “blowout” occurred at this time?
Zhu Wei: There is no “blowout”. Blowout is a disaster. Drillers are terrified by it. Their wives and children may be scared to death by just hearing this word. As for why contemporary ink wash paintings are drawing more and more attention, I believe it’s due to the aesthetic fatigue for oil paintings. People need something else to appreciate. Like the born of contemporary art, we are two decades behind the West in accepting contemporary Chinese ink wash painting. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, we held many exhibitions that caused a sensation with Gu Wenda, Yang Jiecang, Wei Dong, Xu Bing and Li Jin who frequently held exhibitions overseas after 2000. Gu Wenda, in particular, deconstructed ink wash paintings in concepts, explored the possibilities of contemporary ink wash paintings from a cultural perspective and facilitated the westerners’ understanding, charting a course for Chinese ink and wash to go global.
www.99ys.com: Many people are still confused about what are contemporary ink and wash paintings today. How do you define it?
Zhu Wei: Contemporary ink wash painting doesn’t refer to painting drawn by any alive artist, only those fully reflect current society and with strong time spirits and experimental nature can live up to the name. For example, after hundreds of years, what kind of work, do you think, could give later generations traces of our times? Paintings of mountains, clouds, grass and flower? Paintings avoiding risks and reality and not explorative? Paintings for leisure appreciation? For those paintings, men of letters in ancient times outperformed us. Even the unprofessional Emperors drew much better paintings on flower and bird as well as still life. Not to mention that their calligraphy was way better, take Sung hui tsung (Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty) for instance. Thousands of years have passed, we are lucky to live in this era. It’s a complicated time period undergoing tremendous changes. A slight change can draw attention of the whole world. As artists, we must cherish our time and reflect it as accurately as possible.
www.99ys.com: How should we demonstrate “contemporary features” of ink wash paintings through their largely national art form?
Zhu Wei: In creation, we can explore, research and breakthrough in the following three aspects, which can also be used to judge and measure in viewing. First, it is subject–whether it is about current people and events. After thousands of years’ development, there are many limitations have formed in the creation of ink wash paintings. People may find it hard to add familiar subjects or get them well blended. Second, skill and technique valued in tradition—point, line and facet. Line, in particular is emphasized in ink wash paintings. That’s also where oil painting differs from ink wash paintings. Third, material possessed by ink wash paintings. Oil painting pigments on Xuan paper or ink wash pigments on canvas both do not count.
www.99ys.com: Are strokes still important in contemporary ink wash creations?
Zhu Wei: They are essential. Since the subjects are departing from ancient times, strokes are more important if we are to retain ink wash paintings’ artistic conception and real sense. Without strokes, it’s like cooking without oil or having instant noodles without water—they have all ingredients, but not edible. Good cook are those good at monitoring oil temperatures. Strokes are a subject cannot be avoided by any ink wash painter. Who raises a question like this must have failed in this aspect or flawed at least.
www.99ys.com: In recent years, contemporary ink wash paintings are favored by auction market. Do you think it is accidental or cultural return and identification?
Zhu Wei: Cultural return takes a longer time. I believe the current phenomenon is more due to price factors. Cultural return means on the basis of adequate food and drinking, after taking a look at art of the West, people finally start to think their works are not that great and we have absorbed some of their essence (I mean authentic art works, not imitated rubbish that doesn’t count and incomparable) and finally pay attention to stuff around. I have not seen foreign art works collected by national museums and art galleries. Chinese people are good at campaigns. In the 1960s and 1970s, we took national cultural campaigns; from the 1980s till now, we are busy at national economics campaigns. Once the order gets issued, Chinese people will enthusiastically follow it, jumping at one goal all together. Though no one may get the benefit in the end, at least they feel they did not make mistakes and took the opportunities. Creation is almost the same with collection. They both emphasize originality. What’s got collected is creativity—the thing we are in desperate need of or have not realized.
www.99ys.com: Since contemporary ink wash paintings are popular no matter in exhibition or auction, do you think the mentality of contemporary ink wash painters will change accordingly?
Zhu Wei: I don’t believe the effects are immediate. You can see it by looking at the works. Good artists, like scientists, are exploring all their lives. They do not limit themselves on one subject or style. It’s painful to repeat oneself. Only people with limited talent or curbed by some kind of interest would do that.
www.99ys.com: Though there are more and more exhibitions on contemporary ink wash paintings, it’s still hard to see those paintings at art expos and they hardly show up in Hong Kong and Basel. How do you view this phenomenon?
Zhu Wei: This year may not display ink wash paintings, but I participated some art expos in the past. But due to various reasons, ink wash paintings will not be a main part. It’s already difficult to have the chance of getting exhibited once or twice. Expos dominated by contemporary art, especially in the west, showcase works with strong explorative, explosive and rebellious senses. Many of those works, in our eyes, are hardly able to be sold. Our expos are more like pre-exhibitions of auctions. They are filled with commodities. That’s the difference. The time it takes to eliminate that difference is the time it takes to close the gap between us and the world in terms of contemporary art.
www.99ys.com: Are there more Asian collectors or Western collectors in terms of contemporary ink wash paintings?
Zhu Wei: I do not know others. For me, I heard from art galleries cooperated with me that 90 percent of my works were collected by western collectors and overseas Chinese. I never sell paintings by myself, so I do not know any of the buyers and we have never met each other. Western collectors and overseas Chinese tend to collect works with contemporary explorative features, not so called Chinese elements. They are not idiots. Their art appreciation quality is much higher than Chinese artists since they started to get art education as a child. Simply showing off Chinese elements cannot support all these contemporary Chinese artists.
www.99ys.com: What do you think the international context of contemporary ink wash paintings is? Is it accessible in international community?
Zhu Wei: You asked two questions. Context is created by artists, while circulation is the business of art managers. Context includes creation and painting language issues that we have talked about as well as value issues and discourse power based on that. Globalization divides contemporary art from traditional art. Now the judgment is universal. Artists from all over the world could join together and see who is more creative. Ink wash paintings are distinctively Chinese. It’s up to us to determine its level. Li Keran, Fu Baoshi, Gu Wenda and Xu Bing’s works are all rich in international context. Last year, Metropolitan Museum of Art held an exhibition for Fu Baoshi in which all works are on modern subjects, including fishermen going to sea and military trainings. I never thought ink wash paintings could be so contemporary, so uniquely expressive and with so powerful international context. That exhibition was held during Asia Week New York, so it attracted a lot of people. I was more excited than at my solo exhibition.
Different from oil paintings, ink and wash paintings are classified into three categories in content, namely figure, mountain and water and flower, bird and side horse; in painting method and technique, there are two kinds: free hand and Gong-bi. Freehand is more abstract and stresses more about the mastering of ink; Gong-bi is meticulous but more likely to fall into imitated paintings. Whether contemporary ink wash paintings can go global depends on painters.
99 art website www.99ys.com November 6, 2013 Super Interview
Zhu Wei: Contemporary Ink Should Be In Accord With Chinese Reality
www.99ys.com: Today many contemporary ink artists are dismantling the material of "ink", as well as re-understanding the concept of "ink", however, the expression of your creation seems to be following the traditional techniques to express personal ideas. Why haven't you tried to do a lot of experiments on the media of "ink"?
Zhu Wei: There are two ways to change or improve one thing: one is changing the subject but not changing its carrier; the other is a completely denial of the old world, such as experimental ink. I do not exclude experimental ink. I hold a positive attitude to it because I think the experimental ink is the only new species and new way of painting in the thousands years of Chinese ink painting history.
In the past the ink painting include landscapes, figures, and flowers and birds, while only experimental ink which emerged in the 1980s is never seen before. Experimental ink is mixing of western concept, western contemporary art theory, western installation art and Chinese ink painting, Chinese traditional culture. It probably will be a way that Chinese ink painting can interact with western culture in the future. For me, drawing is more enjoyable. Maybe my ability is so, being good at expressing through drawing, while not so good at tossing the medium of ink. Anyway, I totally agree in experimental ink. This is a very good way.
www.99ys.com: In fact, many people are questioning about the word "contemporary ink", thinking that its concept is not very clear. What do you think about this?
Zhu Wei: We must always go into the whys and wherefores of anything. Here is the why: why the ink was called contemporary when nothing goes wrong with it? If a girl instantly stresses that she is eighteen, why she keeps on stressing her age? There must be an attempt behind it. Sometimes being contemporary is because a lot of people cannot use brush, ink, paper and inkstone to reflect contemporary subjects, therefore they can only add a "contemporary" before "ink" in the name. Even what they paint is very traditional and not interesting. Moreover, the so-called "contemporary" is not necessarily a good thing. Contemporary is a present continuous tense with certain experimental meaning, while an experiment is not necessarily successful. Many people may not have understood the other side of contemporary. "Contemporary" means that it can be or cannot be successful. It's just a process and the result remains to be determined. So, why people are fond of contemporary? Because it tells a contemporary story, which we have a sense of it. Taking the painting "Han Xizai Evening Banquet" as an example, we have never seen what the ancient life is like with our own eyes, so it's not very connected with us. Even the painting, a political pop meticulous ink painting we can say, was extremely contemporary in its days, the audiences today still cannot experience the life of the time. Therefore, emphasizing on contemporary needs courage. First of all you have to prepare for admitting that your works are likely to be a failure.
www.99ys.com: People who know you must know that you love Rock and Roll, and you are good buddy with a lot of rock stars. Then, does rock and roll have any influence on your creation?
Zhu Wei: When I was young I like rock and roll, because of the critical and rebellious things in it, and later I suddenly realized that rock and roll is not only an emotional catharsis of young people. The rock music and ink painting seem to be two incompatible things. Even to the western classical music the rock and roll is a great scourge, then to the thousands-years-old Chinese traditional art, how could it be penetrated? I have been doing this, and it's successful. I made some friends who do rock music. They also think this combination is very appropriate. This is a challenge for me, because when ink painting and rock music can be combined, it proves the possibility to make ink painting contemporary. In many of my ink paintings there is not much literati's sentiment, but strength and the rebellious and critical spirit behind the strength. Talking about influence of rock and roll, it is subtle, for something in common there.
www.99ys.com: As an artistic creator who loves rock and roll, writing book, and expressing contemporary concept through traditional way, you are a contradiction who tie tradition and contemporary so closely in a harmonious way. In fact, there should be a very personal way of understanding the tradition and contemporary. Could you please tell us how you understand the traditional culture? And as a contemporary ink painter, how do you integrate with the world without losing our own traditions?
Zhu Wei: Cui Jian once told me very seriously: "Zhu Wei, there is music in your painting". This music is certainly not classical music. He actually referred to rock spirit and rock music. I appreciate this sentence and feel very good about it. It indicates that my attempt to contemporize ink painting is successful. The traditional culture is worthy of respect, because if there is no past, there is no future. We should respect and learn it, but to improve it is nonsense. How can we improve something while we merely scratch the surface? For the tradition what we should do more is to learn and study. But here is a problem of ink painting. The contemporary themes must be taken into it, or otherwise just as Li Xiaoshan said, it will really be a dead end. Of course, this is related to the ability and preference. Some people do not want to do so, since different people have different aspirations. My opinion is if an artwork does not have a contemporary theme, it should not be called contemporary. Taking about integrating with the world, in this exhibition over 80% of the document literature shown are western mainstream media. They explain Chinese contemporary art through these paintings, as well as understand the social change in China through Chinese contemporary art. There is no much difference between contemporary ink and contemporary oil painting. For a much wider audiences, they don't know what you paint is ink painting. If only what you paint is in accord with Chinese reality, they will accept it.
99艺术网 www.99ys.com 二零一三年六月二十五日
我们比西方人接受当代水墨晚了二十年
99艺术网：王胤 嘉宾：朱伟
编者按：朱伟是第一位将工笔画手法引进中国当代艺术领域的艺术家。当大量的中国新锐艺术家用油画来做“政治波普”和“讽刺现实主义”作品时，他便开始探索传统的工笔画来表现当代中国的政治生活的可能性，完成了有代表性的系列作品。他的作品已经与传统的工笔水墨画产生了巨大的差距，但在设色、勾勒、晕染等技术层面保持了基本的特征。他作品的传统语言与当代政治生活图景之间的反差使作品获得了难以抗拒的吸引力。
熟悉朱伟的人都知道他除了在绘画领域造诣斐然之外，平时他也爱用文字表达自己最直接的看法，针砭时
弊，鞭辟入里。他作为当代水墨的先行者，在自我践行的道路上却始终扮演着一个旁观者的角色，时刻保
持警惕地观察着当代艺术的发展现状。这两年当代水墨“越来越火”，更多人对当代水墨开始关注，随之也
暴露出越来越多的问题值得我们思考，于是99艺术网邀约朱伟进行了独家专访。
99艺术网：当代水墨近年来的热火是有目共睹的，您觉得为什么在这个时间节点“井喷”？
井喷谈不上，那是灾难。钻井工人就怕出这事儿，家里老婆孩子一听这词儿魂都没了。当代水墨逐渐引起大家的注意，我觉得是前一阵子当代油画看到的听到的太多了，出现审美疲劳，需要调剂一下，水墨在这个时候进入了大家的视野。和当代艺术出现的规律一样，我们比西方人接受中国当代水墨又晚了二十年。上世纪八十年代末九十年代初谷文达，杨诘苍，朱伟，魏东以及徐冰的一些水墨作品，还有二〇〇〇年之后开始在海外频繁做展的李津，我们做了大量的展览，引起了轰动。特别是谷文达，他的作品从观念上结构了水墨，从文化的角度试探了水墨画当代性的可能，剔除了多少年来西方人对中国水墨画非工亦匠的误解，为中国水墨画走进国际文化视野埋下了伏笔。
99艺术网：很多业界人士其实对当代水墨的定义都存在一定的非议和不解，您觉得该如何定义当代水墨？
当代水墨不是当下还活着的艺术家画出来的水墨画就是当代水墨，而是充分反映当下社会现状，具有很强的时代特征或者带有很强的实验性的作品，才配称为当代水墨画。打个比方啊，几百年之后你觉得后人看到什么样的作品才能了解你我现在活着的这个时代，是那些云山雾罩花花草草的东西吗？是那些当时不愿冒任何风险，回避现实又无丝毫探索意识的东西吗？是那些匠气十足闲情逸致的东西吗？这些古代的文人雅士画的更好，甚至连半脱产的皇帝花鸟静物都比现在的人画得好的多，顺便还捎带手写一手现代人都无法超越的好字，比如宋徽宗。上下几千年的历史上，你我有幸活在当今这个社会巨变，泥沙俱下，错综复杂，英雄辈出的年代，今天我们的丝毫变化都能引起全世界关注的年代，作为艺术家更应加以珍惜，准确记录，不可推卸的反映好这个时代。
99艺术网：我们如何通过这种具有强烈民族性的艺术形式来体现当代水墨中的“当代性”？
从创作上讲，可以从三个方面来探索，研究和突破。从观看上讲也可以从这三个方面来判断和衡量。一，题材。是否是当今社会的人和事。水墨画几千年的历史有很多程式化的东西在里面，限制约束也很多，造成很多当下大家很熟悉也有特点的素材放不进去，或者勉强放进去了整个画面又变得不像水墨画。就像人们常说的打不进去，或者好不容易打进去了又打不出来。二，传统讲究的的功力和技法。点线面，特别是线，水墨画讲究的就是线，功力主要体现在线上。油画可以找人代画水墨则不能，就卡在这儿。三，水墨画所特有的材质。用油画颜料画在宣纸上或者水墨颜料画在布上都不算。
99艺术网：笔墨在当代水墨的创作中还重要么？
非常重要。因为当代水墨的题材离古人越来越远，笔墨反而要更加强调，才能保持住水墨画所特有的意境和本色。没有笔墨就相当于炒菜不放油，泡方便面不放水，该有的都有，就是没法吃。好的厨师就是因为火候掌握得好，火候是指油的温度，没听说过谁拍黄瓜火候掌握得好，就是这么个理儿。笔墨是所有水墨艺术家都不能回避的一个关键的课题，甚至可以说是致命的问题，这个问题谁拿出来讨论那么他一定是在这方面不过关，或者说是有缺陷的。
99艺术网：近来当代水墨成为拍卖市场新宠，您觉得是偶然现象，还是一种文化回归与认同？
文化回归没这么快，我觉得更多的是价格上的因素多些。什么叫文化回归，首先是在吃饱喝足的基础上，西方文化看了一圈了，没觉着好到哪去，收也收得差不多了，（当然我指的是西方真迹，模仿的那是垃圾，不算数，不是一级别）最后返回头来开始注意身边的东西了。至今国人对世界文化的整体收藏，包括国家级的博物馆，美术馆对国外作品的收藏，我几乎没有看到。六七十年代的全民文化革命运动，八十年代至今的全民经济运动，以前是口号现在是数字，中国人练就了一身搞运动的过硬本领，一个指令下来几乎不加思考，马上放下自己手中的事儿不计后果，全体一窝蜂扑向同一个目标，即使最后谁都没得到好，但大家都觉得至少没犯错误，没错过机会。创作和收藏几乎是一个原理：独特性和原创性，收藏的是创造力。但这恰恰是我们眼下最缺乏的，或者说是还没意识到的。
99艺术网：无论是展览还是拍卖，当代水墨似乎一直在受着热捧，那么当代水墨艺术家的心态会否因此也产生了一些变化？
我想不会是现在，该影响的早就影响了，一看作品就知道了。好的艺术家和好的科学家一样一生都在探索，奉献自己的才华，不会停留在一个固定题材或风格上，重复自己是相当痛苦的事儿，除非才气有限或者被某种利益给绊住。
99艺术网：尽管当代水墨的展览近来非常多，但在最近的艺博会上却很少见到当代水墨的踪影，甚至像香港巴塞尔都几乎没有，您怎么看待这一现象？
今年可能没有，以前有不少，我就参加过好几会回。不过水墨画由于方方面面的原因都不会成为博览会主要的部分，现在能有机会挤进去一两回已属相当不易。以当代艺术为主的博览会，特别是在西方，作品须要有极强的探索意识和爆发力，颠覆力要极强，很多博览会的作品在咱们眼里几乎就不能卖，或者买了都不知该往哪放。回头看看我们的博览会更像是拍卖行的预展，里面全是商品，这就是差别，消灭这个差别所需要的时间就是我们和世界当代艺术所差的时间和距离。
99艺术网：目前收藏当代水墨的藏家是亚洲的还是西方的多一些？
别人我不知道，收藏我的作品百分之九十都是西方藏家还有海外华人。这也是我后来从合作过的画廊听来的，我自己从不卖画，收藏我作品的藏家我一个都不认识，也从没见过面。西方藏家和多年在海外受教育的华人，他们的收藏侧重于作品的当代性探索性，而不是我们误以为的所谓中国元素，西方的藏家不是傻子，他们的艺术教育是从娃娃抓起，他们的艺术素养比我们的艺术家还要高得多，光靠抖落中国元素是养不活这么多中国当代艺术家的。
99艺术网：您认为当代水墨的国际语境是怎样的？是否能够真正进入国际流通领域？
这是两个问题。语境是由艺术家创造出来的；流通是艺术品经营者的事。语境包含我们上面聊的创作问题和绘画语言问题，另外还有价值观问题和在此基础上出现的话语权问题。当代艺术与传统艺术不同的是全球化，评判标准是统一的，全世界的艺术家都可以来玩，就看谁玩得有新意。水墨画是我们的特色，看家的绝活儿，没人拦着就看你使的咋样了。远得不说，李可染，傅抱石，谷文达，徐冰的水墨作品就很有国际语境。去年美国大都会博物馆为傅抱石举办了特展，全部现代题材作品，包括工人炼钢，渔民出海，民兵训练等等，我从没觉得水墨画有这么的当代，有这么独特的表现力，有这么强大的国际语境。展览恰逢每年一度的纽约亚洲艺术周，来参观的人很多。我也从没那么激动过，超过我自己办的个展。
水墨画和油画不同，从内容上讲分人物，山水，花鸟鞍马三科，从绘画方式和技法上讲分写意和工笔两种。写意抽象一些，更讲究笔墨功力，工笔精致细腻但容易有行画之嫌，当代水墨能否具有国际语境就看你怎么画了。
99艺术网 www.99ys.com 二零一三年十一月六日超级访谈
朱伟 当代水墨要与中国现实对位
99艺术网： 目前很多当代水墨艺术家都将“水墨”这个物质进行拆解，也对“水墨”的概念进行重新认识，但是您的创作似乎还是遵循着传统的技法进行个人观念的表达，为什么您没有对“水墨”这个媒材进行过多的尝试和实验？
朱伟：要改变、改良一个东西有两种方法：一是从题材上，不改变它的载体；还有一种是彻底否定，重新来，比如实验水墨。我对实验水墨不排斥，我抱着积极的态度，因为我认为实验水墨是中国几千年水墨历史上唯一出现的新品种、一种绘画方式，因为以往水墨画主要是山水、人物、花鸟等，只有实验水墨是在20世纪80年代出现的，过去是没有的。实验水墨是西方的观念，西方的当代理论、西方装置艺术的混合在中国水墨画、中国传统文化上得以体现的，它没准是未来中国水墨画能够从文化上跟西方文化互动的一种艺术方式。从结构上对我来说还是画画更过瘾，可能我的能力就是这样，画画说个事还行，折腾水墨这种介质，对我来说稍微困难一点，但是我完全赞同实验水墨的方式，这是非常好的一种方式。
99艺术网： 其实很多人对“当代水墨”这个词有质疑，觉得概念不是特别清晰，您怎么看？
朱伟： 很多事情要问一个为什么，就是为什么好好的，非得说它是当代的？如果有一个小姑娘一直强调自己十八岁，那她为什么总强调年龄呢？因为她背后有一个动机。有时候强调当代水墨是因为很多事情、很多人无法用笔、墨、纸、砚来反映当代题材，最后只是在名称上面命名是“当代水墨”，其实画得东西很传统，没有什么意思。再者，所谓“当代”的东西不一定就是好的东西，本身带有一定实验性，“当代”是现在进行时，实验未必就是成功的。所以很多人可能没有理解当代的另一面，“当代”就是这个事可成可不成，它是一个过程，当代的东西是无法判断的。但大家为什么喜欢当代呢？因为说的是当代的事，大家对它表现的东西有感觉。比如《韩熙载夜宴图》，大家也没见过以前是什么样，尽管说这幅画在过去是极为当代的、属于政治波普类型的工笔画，当时说的是当代的。现在时间过去了，观众也无法体验当时的生活，没过过那个日子。所以很多老是强调当代，也是需要勇气的，首先你要做好准备承认自己有可能就是失败的。
99艺术网： 了解您的人一定知道，您热爱摇滚，也和很多摇滚明星是铁磁、好哥们，那么摇滚于您来讲，在创作中是不是有着一定的影响？
朱伟： 摇滚是这样，一开始因为我年轻的时候喜欢摇滚乐，因为它有批判、叛逆的东西，后来我忽然发现摇滚乐并不仅是年轻人的一种情绪发泄。把摇滚乐跟水墨画结合，这两个看似水火不容的东西，摇滚乐对西方古典音乐来说都属于洪水猛兽，那对于中国这么几千年的传统艺术，摇滚乐怎么能够渗透进去？我一直做这个，后来很成功，我还交了一些做摇滚乐的朋友，他们也认为这种结合是很合适的。这个对我来说是一种挑战，因为水墨画和摇滚乐能够结合起来，说明水墨当代化是完全可以的。我的很多画能看到水墨画的一种力度，少了一些文人的情调，力度背后又透着一股叛逆和批判的精神。影响是潜移默化的，都是一种通的东西。
99艺术网： 从爱摇滚、爱写书、爱用传统表达当代观念进行艺术创作来看，您是一个将传统与当代结合得很紧密的矛盾体，但是又挺和谐，其实这里面应该是对传统和当代的理解有着很个人化的思考方法，希望您能谈谈是如何理解传统文化的？作为当代水墨艺术家，又怎样在不失自己传统的基础上进行国际化接轨的？
朱伟： 崔健有一次很正经地跟我说：“朱伟，你的画里有音乐”。这个音乐肯定不是古典音乐，他其实说的是画里有摇滚精神、摇滚乐，这句话我非常欣赏，也很受用，说明我的水墨画当代化成功了。传统文化是值得尊敬的，因为没有过去就没有未来，应该尊敬、学习，改良是扯淡。水墨画没画几天怎么改良，更多的应该是学习传统。但是水墨画还有一个问题是一定要把当代题材融进去，不然水墨画就像李小山说的，真的要穷途末路。当然这个跟每个人的能力、喜好有关系，有的人就不愿意这么做，人各有志，我觉得你要不干这个事也就不要说自己做的是当代水墨。如果说与国际接轨，这次展览里的文献资料大概有80%的媒体都是西方最主流的，而且是大家耳熟能详的媒体报道。他们通过这些画来解释中国当代艺术，通过中国当代艺术又推进到对中国社会改革开放的变迁了解。当代水墨、油画没有什么区别，许多人并不知道你画的是水墨画，他只是觉得你的画跟中国现实很对位，就接受。 |
