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A Cesspool Covered with Flowers ----Replies to My Friends in the Coming Spring
January and February Combined Issue of HI Art, 2009 Q: Were there anything impressive to you last year? How much the economic crisis has influenced you? A: I have mentioned in my latest two columns that in 2008 there were three things that impressed me: the big earthquake happened in Sichuan Province, the Olympic Games, and the Richter’s exhibition in China. We have suffered a tremendous loss in Sichuan Earthquake. By far, the total death toll has reached 69146, the announced magnitude has been revised from 7.8 to 8, and the entire economic loss has exceeded 20 billion dollars. It is really an arduous task to reconstruct the affected area. The 2008 Olympic was held in Beijing, lasting 16 days. According to Beijing Olympic Committee, they have donated 8 million yuan to stricken areas in Sichuan, and the account was balanced, with a small surplus. However, as far as I know, China has invested 48 billion dollars on 2008 Olympic Games, and only the opening and closing ceremonies have cost 500 million dollars: the income fell short of the expenditure. I do not know whom to believe. As to the economic crisis, it is not necessary to panic. Now some media keep reporting how horrible the unprecedented economic crisis is, which has shocked the public. In my opinion, we are in no condition to ridicule this economic crisis rising from capitalist countries. Since China implemented the Reform and Opening Policy in 1978, we have held the slogan “Crossing the river by feeling for the stones”. However, over these 30 years, we have not “feeling for the stones” at all, and rather we have copied the economic operation mode of the capitalist markets. Nevertheless we are afraid of and object the saying that China is a quasi-market economy country. People who have witnessed the Cultural Revolution all remember that during the ten years of the revolution, the national economy had collapsed rather than on the edge of collapsing, with an extreme shortage of goods and materials. At that time, any goods that you could imagine had to be bought with various coupons, such as food coupon, cloth coupon, oil coupon, sesame oil coupon, meat coupon, egg coupon, bean product coupon, cigarette coupon, sugar coupon, bicycle coupon and sewing machine coupon, and the quantity was limited. Now it is less than 20 years since the coupons and allotment system have been canceled. I still remember that an expectant mother then could only buy a kilo of carrots with special coupons because of the lack of brown sugar. Even on Spring Festival, the cigarettes of famous brand such as “phoenix”, “peony” and “Large Front Door” would not be used to entertain guests. If a family had such cigarettes, they would treasure up them for half a year. Chinese people have survived such difficult lives, so it is unnecessary to be afraid of any kind of economic crisis and ridicule others’ panic. The economic crisis has exerted some influence on me, but not too much. I, as well as my ink-and-wash paintings, have not been in the danger of foam economy and are going well, with obvious effect on art circles. Contemporary art in China has not solid basis and originality, but artists are keen on creating and spreading news. Now the art circle in China has been full filled with authentic and false news of success, which are rather undistinguishable: in my eyes it is just like a cesspool covered with flowers. Q: How much importance do you attach to experimental spirit in artistic creation? A: I think it comes first and is the most important. To speak bluntly, experimental spirit is nothing but originality. Facing numerous various artistic works, even professionals will be confused, not to say inexperienced people. In my opinion, a classical work must be, first of all, original; otherwise it is valueless no matter how much praise it has received. Then how to judge whether a work is original or not? Bluntly, an original one is something that you have never seen or heard of; theoretically, during artistic creation, the artists must focus on creativity, technique and material, and any breakthrough in these three aspects can be seen as an innovation. In terms of creativity, original works should reflect ideas that have never been adopted, obviously bear the sign of the times, and show strong critical consciousness. As to technique, original works are created with the methods that have not been used before, such as those painted by Richter, Shi Tao and Zhu Da. When it comes to materials, if a painter, such as Duchamp and Rauschenberg, can adopt something that others do not dare to use, then we can say his work is original. Of course, all innovation should be reasonable and bear squeezing. Those ridiculous ones, such as drawing lotus leaves with one’s bottom, eating shit, acting Sorcerer’s dance and making exaggerated expressions, should not be included. Q: Then in terms of the innovation of ink-and-wash paintings, what kind of innovation do you think is more important, the one in skill or that in concept? A: I think innovation in concept is the most important, and that in skill follows. It may be rather difficult to achieve both of them. The history of ink-and-wash painting is above 2000 years longer than that of oil painting with a history for 700 years. Anyway, the skills that are formed during so long a period are much richer, more detailed and more mature than oil painting skills. For me, the existing skills are enough. What we lack is the enrichment and updating of concepts, but I do not mean to negate them totally. Chinese people have lived a miserable life over recent hundreds of years, and sometimes they cannot even find the sense of safety. Therefore, they begin to suspect everything around them, including culture. This phenomenon is rather common and prevalent in China. Our current concept is like that and we should update it at first. Q: I feel that since the beginning of your painting career, you have kept contending with western oil-painting concept with our local painting. Where does your motivation come from? A: I have not any concept. What I have is the will that I will never give up till my complete failure. I think one should focus on his own task, and the half-made work should not be displayed. Nobody knows what you are thinking, and others will never make correct comment on your thoughts. Therefore it is unnecessary for you to listen to others, and thus you may not be influenced. Some people love announcing exaggerating news, with their purpose of confusing those who are weak-minded or conforming their own will. Hence we must not be tempted by them. For anything, we should find its root by asking some questions: Why he said like this and not like that? Does he keep saying so or will change his way tomorrow? Who has paid him? Who ordered him? You have spent dozens of years in studying something, without any clear result, and how can those unprofessional people guide you? Moreover, the world is full of truth and lies, and only by engaging in something can you understand its nature. However, after engaging in it, you will usually do something involuntarily, and then the only thing you can do is to face everything with smile. After you have understood that, you may not need any motivation. Just like there is a cesspit covered by flowers ahead, and you will choose to skirt around it without any painstaking judgment and hard ideological struggle. Zhu Wei February 5th, 2009
飘满鲜花的粪坑 ——新春答友人问
《HI艺术》2009年1、2月合刊 问：在过去的一年里有哪些事情给你留下了印象？经济危机对你的影响有多大？ 答：我在上两篇专栏里都曾经写过，二OO八年给我留下印象的有三件事。一个是四川地震，一个是奥运会，一个是里希特来中国的展览。四川地震我们受到的损失很大，到今天为止死亡总人数69146人，震级由7.8级修正为8级，总的经济损失超过200亿美元，震后的恢复工作相当艰巨。北京奥运会历时16天，据北京奥组委官方统计，除了向四川灾区捐款800万人民币以外，目前收支平衡，略有盈余。据我所知，北京奥运会总投入480亿美元，开闭幕式花销接近5亿美元，入不敷出。不知道该相信哪个。 至于经济危机，我们别跟着瞎吵吵。现在有媒体不停的在报道这次百年不遇的经济危机有多么多么可怕，说的人心惶惶，大有谈虎色变的感觉。我觉着我们恐怕没什么资格来嘲笑这次起源于资本主义国家的经济危机。七八年改革开放，我们的口号是“摸着石头过河”，其实这三十年来我们一天石头也没摸过，而是把西方资本主义市场经济运作的模式完全照搬了过来，就这样，我们还一直担心、抗议别人说我们是准市场经济国家。从文革过来的人应该都有印象，文革十年我们的国民经济不是濒于崩溃，而是崩溃，物资极度匮乏，只要是人们需要的想象出的任何一件物品，一定必须同时出示各种票证才能买得到，而且限额限量，粮票、布票、油票、香油票、肉票、鸡蛋票、豆制品票、烟票、酒票、糖票、自行车票、缝纫机票、等等等等，刚刚消失不久。完全取消配给制至今满打满算不到二十年，我记得当时因为没有红糖，妇女怀孕只能凭票买二斤胡萝卜。过春节家家户户桌子上放的“凤凰”“牡丹”“大前门”这类的高档香烟一般不给来人抽，有的人家这几盒烟能放到半年以后。中国人民有这种生活水平打底儿，再有什么样的经济危机都不会怕，更不应该嘲笑别人的慌张。 经济危机对我的影响有，但是不大。我和我的水墨画没有起泡沫，一直很平稳。对艺术界的影响大家有目共睹。中国当代艺术缺乏基础，没有原创，却平地起风雷，整的热热闹闹要死要活，捷报频传真假难辨的劲头在我眼里就像是一飘满鲜花的粪坑。 问：你觉得实验精神在艺术创作中占有怎样的一种地位？ 答：是第一位的，也是最重要的。 实验精神说白了就是原创精神，面对铺天盖地眼花缭乱的艺术作品，别说是外行，就是干这行的有时也犯晕。我觉得一个谈得上是经典的艺术作品首先必须是原创，不然说破天也没用，最后还得扔。 问：那么针对水墨画的创新来说，你觉得技法还是观念的变革更为重要？ 答：观念第一，技法第二。同时更好，恐怕难点儿。 水墨画的历史比有七百年历史的油画多出两千多年，这两千多年形成的技法怎么也要比油画丰富得多、详细得多、成熟得多。对我来说，现在的技法够用。 我们所差的是在观念上的丰富和更新，但决不是否定。中国人最近几百年来真的没过过几年好日子，甚至有时连安全感都找不到，所以人们开始怀疑身边的一切，包括文化。这种现象非常普遍而且争先恐后，这就是当下我们的观念，这种观念首先要更新。 问：从开始创作到现在，我觉得你不怎么受外界因素的影响，一直坚持用本土绘画抗衡西方油画的理念，这种坚持的动力来自哪里？ 答：我没啥理念，就是不见棺材不落泪。你埋头做你的事，别老拿弄到一半的东西出来现眼，谁知道你在想啥。别人不知道你在琢磨什么，如果说你肯定说不准，根本不用听。不听就不会受啥影响，至于有人说得呜嚷呜嚷的，那是在忽悠意志薄弱的人，或者他同时也在坚定自己的信念，千万别上当。 这事弄明白了，就不需要动力了，就像前面有一飘满鲜花的粪坑，你不需要判断，更不用作激烈的思想斗争，肯定会选择绕着走。
朱伟 2009年2月5日 |
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