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sohu.com, April 28 2012
Zhu Wei: How Rock and Roll Influences Reality
Journalist: Gao Jing
The 2012 Midi Modern Music Festival is around the corner. The scene will contain 4 stages featuring the dynasties of Tang, Song, Yuan and Qing, and nearly 100 bands as well as musicians will take part in the show. After the cooperation in 2006, the organizer of the festival invited Zhu Wei, the famous artist, to share his works again. The official post taking Zhu’s woodcuts as the prototype has been released, and the theme “PM2.5” is created by the joint efforts of Zhu Wei and Zhang Fan, the founder as well as the headmaster of Midi School of Music, in Zhu Wei ‘s Studio. At the same time, the MVs, music documentaries and other works directed by Zhu will also be shown during the festival. We interviewed Zhu Wei on the interpretation of the theme, the spirit of rock and roll music and other topics.
Sohu Art: Why the Midi Festival, which is called as “China’s Woodstock Rock Festival”, has received so much attention?
Zhu Wei: Dating from 2000, Midi Music Festival sees its 12th birthday this year. It was formerly the campus music festival of Midi School of Music established in 1993 and located by the Fragrant Hill at the edge of the Fifth Ring District of Beijing. With passion for rock and roll music, a great number of young people from all over the country gathered in the school. At first they knew little about music, including rock and roll, while they owned their own professional bands after two years of specialized training, many of which have been well developed and gained numerous fans. Most of bands participating in various rock and roll festivals are from this school.
Sohu Art: What is the current spirit that is held and advocated by Midi Music Festival?
Zhu Wei: The spirit of rock and roll is to surpass and influence the reality, which is not limited by the time. Such spirit is just what the rock and roll music festival should convey and express.
Sohu Art: Midi Festival of this year appeals for people’s attention on PM2.5 because the increasingly serious problem is directly harming our living environment and health. As the designer of the post, how do you understand the theme and describe your train of thought when creating the post?
Zhu Wei: PM2.5, the theme of this year’s music festival, is co-created by Zhang Fan, the founder as well as the headmaster of Midi School of Music, and me in my studio. Paying attention to and appealing people to be aware of the worrying air quality that has affected our health is within our power and the only thing that we, the artists facing the worsening living environment, can do.
Sohu Art: The design of the post is derived from your “Woodcut No. 10” which has been exhibited during New York’s Asian Art Week. As early as 10 years ago you began to interpret the status quo of the society with contemporary ink-and-wash paintings, sculptures and woodcuts, declaring your objection to what are harming us. However, we can also feel some indifference in your declaration. What kind of damages your generation having been suffered is the target of such attitude?
Zhu Wei: The woodcut was created in 2003 when SARS broke out. It aims to put an emphasis on our living environment, especially more and more serious diseases propagating through the air. We common people cannot afford any more pressures and troubles beyond those exerted by the society and economic life, even the tiniest ones. Since the Reform and Opening-up started about 30 years ago, several generations have sacrificed a lot, including their personal interests. Although they did not gain much or hold the social wealth, most of them have devoted all they have for the reform and opening-up of our country: this is just the status quo of the country and the current living status of our people.
Sohu Art: As one of the contemporary Chinese artists who have first won the recognition of international art world in the 1990s, you often express subjects of politics and the society in your contemporary ink and wash paintings with subject matters derived from traditional Chinese paintings as well as contemporary figures. What kind of artistic view are the borrowed classical elements implicating?
Zhu Wei: In the world a lot of things are repeating. All that we see today have appeared in the past with different appearance but the same nature. Sometimes we are dazzled by them, but none of them are completely new. Narrating the present with the past things helps with reminding and reflection. What is important is not the form or the style of the painting: it is only a means of describing people’s understanding of life. However, in all eras and societies, a good piece of work must reflect the times accurately. Through a work, the audience should be able to see the ideological trend and status quo of the society, know the impact of the period in the history and feel the artist’s pulses as well as heartbeats during the creation.
Sohu Art: Seeing the replacement of tradition by foreign new culture as well as the cultural vacuum resulting from social transformation, some artists have realized the local values of constructing the “Chineseness”. They are attempting to return to their own context, the cultural link and the tradition to reflect the art and the history. Regarding to the ideological trend of the so-called “traditional reborn art”, what are the common problems the art circle is facing? What is the artistic essence that should really be pursued?
Zhu Wei: It is good to value the tradition, no matter when you begin the cause - even though you are forced to pick it up in desperation. As I have mentioned, all that are happening can be found in the past. Sometimes you may discover that the past things are more interesting, vivid, passionate and even scientific than what we see today.
As to the ideological trends such as “traditional reborn art”, “returning to the tradition” and, more specifically, the concepts of “clear and isolated” and different temperaments, I think these terms are for critics and theorists who consider things on the theoretical basis or from a strategic respect. However, by no means should artists linger on the concepts above unless the job you are doing just accords with those theories. Artists should not follow the trend blindly but persist in their own job. Thinking independently, exploring untiringly and reflecting the change of the times accurately: these are the artistic essences that an artist should pursue.
Sohu Art: During these 30 years, numerous writers, poets and artists have been showing the depression, anxiety, anger and helplessness of this era in their works. What is behind such expression is the further pursue towards the free spirit. As an artistic creator, what do you think is the real prosperity and freedom of sprit?
Zhu Wei: Indeed, people’s depression, anxiety, anger and helplessness during these 30 years can be divided into several stages, and they reflect the feelings that different developing stages of the society in this period gives to the civilian people. The artists’ expression may not be accurate, because all are underway. Who can constantly make conclusions for things underway? Besides, 30 years is meaningless for the long process of history. When I just joined the army, I experienced a field-training for the new soldiers. All of us, with arms, packages and leggings, walked in the mountain at night in the rain. The superior ordered us to arrive and meet at the destination before dawn, so we strained every muscle and nerve to make our way. During the march, the squad leader, the platoon leader and the political instructor kept encouraging and praising us: no one fell behind in Squad One, somebody in Squad Two sticked with training in spite of disease, and Squad Three had applied all skills learned through routine training, for which they could receive an oral reward by the platoon after returning. Every squad raced each other and we were dead tired. However, we heard a sudden whistle at dawn, and then the platoon leader told us we were going the opposite way. The real artistic creation should be done individually, independently and privately, unlike hunting that needs people to gather in crowds for taking care of and boosting courage for each other. Tacit understanding is the tiptop of artistic creation.
搜狐艺术2012年04月28日专稿
迷笛音乐节海报设计者朱伟：摇滚如何影响现实
采访记者：高敬
2012年迷笛音乐节即将到来，北京迷笛音乐节现场将设唐、宋、元、清四个舞台，近百支乐队及音乐人参与演出。继2006年合作后，音乐节主办方再次邀请艺术家朱伟提出使用其作品，以朱伟的版画为原型的音乐节官方海报已经发布，今年音乐节的主题：PM2.5是朱伟与迷笛音乐节的创办人、迷笛校长张帆在朱伟工作室一起想出来的，同时，音乐节期间也会放映朱伟执导的 MV以及音乐记录片等。针对2012年迷笛音乐节的主题阐释与摇滚乐精神等话题，我们对艺术家朱伟进行了如下对话：
搜狐艺术：被称为中国的“伍德斯托克”迷笛音乐节在音乐节中为何如此受关注？
朱伟：迷笛音乐节始于2000年，今年是第十二届。迷笛音乐节的前身是成立于一九九三年、位于北京北五环边上香山附近的迷笛音乐学校校园音乐节。迷笛音乐学校集合了大量来自于全国各地热爱摇滚乐的年轻人，他们从对摇滚乐乃至对音乐都知之不多的情况下经过两年的专业训练，拥有了自己专业的乐队，其中很多已经有了相当不错的水平，和大批的拥趸。在当下众多大大小小的摇滚音乐节中，大部分乐队都来自于这个学校。
搜狐艺术：迷笛音乐节在当下所具有的、提倡的精神是什么？
朱伟：摇滚乐的精神是超越现实，影响现实。没什么当下不当下。摇滚音乐节就是要传达和体现这种精神。
搜狐艺术：今年的迷笛呼吁大家都来关注PM2.5，因为它的不断增长直接危害着我们共同的生存环境和身体健康，作为海报设计师，对此主题的理解以及创作思路是什么样的？
朱伟：今年音乐节的主题：PM2.5是我和迷笛音乐节的创办人、迷笛校长张帆在我工作室一起想出来的。作为一个艺术家，面对我们不断恶劣的种种生活环境，关注和呼吁大家日益感到担心、已经影响到了自身健康空气质量，是我们力所能及，而且也是唯一能做到的事情。
搜狐艺术：PM2.5的海报设计图形来源于您的2003年的作品《木版画十号》，这件作品也曾经在纽约亚洲艺术周展出，早在十年前您就以当代水墨画、雕塑、版画的形式诠释当代中国社会现状，对不断给我们带来危害的事物进行拒绝的表态，但这种表态中又有一种漠然的态度，这种态度是面对你们这一代所遭受到的哪些创伤？
朱伟：这张版画是2003年非典那年做的。也是在关注我们的生存环境，特别是越来越多的通过空气传播的重大疾病。老百姓再也经受不起在社会和经济生活之外再给他们增加哪怕是一丝一毫的压力和困扰了。近三十年改革开放，几代人已经付出了巨大的牺牲和个人利益，他们得到的不是很多，财富并没有集中在他们身上，但是他们却集中地为我们国家改革开放奉献了全部，这就是我们这个国家的现状和当下的生态。
搜狐艺术：您作为上个世纪九十年代最早一批得到国际艺术界认可的中国当代艺术家中的一位。您的当代水墨作品中经常使用源自中国传统绘画的题材以及当代人物来表现政治和社会的主题，一些古典的引用在暗喻您内心中什么样的艺术景观？
朱伟：世界上的很多事情是轮回的，现在有的过去都曾出现过，只不过换了些许样貌，本质是一样的。我们现在有时会觉得眼花缭乱，其实没一件是新鲜的。借古喻今能起到一个提醒和反思的作用。也没什么水墨不水墨当代不当代的，它只是人们对生活感悟的一种表达方式。但是有一点就是，无论什么时代什么社会，一件好的作品必须准确反映时代，透过一件作品能看到当时社会思潮和现状，也能感觉得到那一段时间将会在历史中留下什么样的份量，更能感觉得到艺术家在创作时的脉搏和心跳。
搜狐艺术：对于近些年受到外来新文化与传统的交替、以及社会转型造成的文化真空，已经开始有艺术家意识到了“中国性”建构的本土价值，也在试图努力回到自身的语境中，回到文脉、回到传统重新发现对于艺术和历史的一种思考，而对于这种所谓“传统再生新艺术”的思潮您认为现在艺术界存在普遍的问题是什么？而真正应该追求的艺术本质又是什么？
朱伟：重视传统是件好事，无论是在什么情况下，哪怕是在走投无路的时候想起传统也行。传统的价值，就是我上面说的，现在发生的事都能在过去找到，有的时候你会发现过去发生的事，比现在还丰富，还有血有肉，还有激情，甚至更为科学。
至于现在的“传统再生新艺术”“回归传统”，还有更具体的这个清远那个气质什么的。批评家理论家可以这么提，因为他们是站在理论的高度，或者说是策略上考虑，但艺术家绝对不能这么做，除非你手上的活儿和构思正好和他们合拍。艺术家要连续的作自己的事，听风是雨，见风使舵，跟风创作，不是艺术家该做的事。独立思考，不懈的探索，准确反映时代的演变，这是艺术家该追求的艺术本质。
搜狐艺术：在近30年在文化艺术界的作品中，无数作家、诗人、艺术家的作品表现着这个时代的压抑与焦躁、愤怒与无力等，一切表达背后试图是对自由精神的更高追求，作为艺术创作者您认为真正的富足，真正的精神自由应该是什么？
朱伟：这三十年大家的压抑、烦躁、愤懑、无力其实是分几个阶段的，这也是中国社会三十年来几个不同的发展阶段带给老百姓的感觉和反映。艺术家当下的反映未必准确，因为这是一个进行时，正在进行时，谁会在行进当中不停地给大家做总结，下结论？何况区区的三十年，这在历史的长河当中能算得上什么？我当年刚到部队有一次新兵连野营拉练训练，大家都持枪荷弹，背包行李，绑腿，全副武装，深夜冒雨山路。上级命令要在拂晓前到达会师，大家全神贯注，鼻涕眼泪拼命往前走，一路上班长、排长、指导员不停地激励表扬大家，一班走得好，没掉队的，二班某某某带病坚持训练，不落人后，三班把平时训练所掌握的要领全用上了，回去给予连口头集体嘉奖一次。大家你追我赶，一宿累得要死要活，天蒙蒙亮，忽听一阵急促的哨音，连长宣布路走反了。真正的艺术创作是相对个体的，独立的，私密的，不是上山打狼，大家必须成群结队的，好互相有个照应，仗个胆什么的。不谋而合是最高的境界。
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