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EASTERN
EXPRESS HONG KONG,
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1994
Illustration
above the title:
Portraits:
The Sweet Life No.1 is one of
Zhu Wei’s many images of life in Mao’s China
Illustration
under Zhu’s picture:
Serious
art: Zhu Wei with his 1994 piece, The
Sweet Life No.4, finds Westerners "comparatively innocent and
not as sophisticated as the Chinese". Photograph by Frederic Brown
"I
try to treat things as if it is the first time I have seen them."
Rebel
with a cause that is all his own
By
Angelica Cheung
Artist
Zhu Wei tells Angelica Cheung he is a born worrier who sees the world
through the eyes of a child.
Zhu
Wei’s personality is a mirror image of his rebellious paintings. Like
his art, Zhu appears straight-forward but is full of individualistic
traits. He has a whiff of stubbornness about him, the kind of determined
streak that makes him stand out from the rest.
The
soldier-turned-painter is a loner, in his work and in his private life,
but none the less has a strong sense of community spirit.
As
the Beijing native stands next to paintings appearing in this solo
exhibition in Hong Kong, there is only one conclusion that can be
reached: he is the only person who could have created these iconoclastic
studies of modern China.
To
many Zhu and his paintings are bold, brash and unacceptable. But
traditionalists might, if pressed, grudgingly admit he does have some
artistic flair. A flair that has survived the stifling cultural diktats
of the Communist Party.
Zhu
says: "I just want to paint something different."
His
show at Plum Blossoms Gallery, Exchange Square, is on until November 26.
"I hate to follow what others do and I don’t give a shit what
other people think of me. I paint only what I see and understand."
In
his paintings, the city of Beijing is peopled by characters of
exaggerated proportions and watchful eyes. Historical China and modern
China inhabit the same city.
The
China he portrays is urban, proletarian, decadent, funereal,
exploitative, corrupt, old before its time. In a word, a civilization
about to be destroyed and reborn.
People’s
Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers and female cadres walk the streets with
Tang dynasty horses, grooms and an array of figures straight from the
pages of China’s 5,000 years of history.
Texts
inscribed on many of the paintings are drawn from such diverse sources
as 18th-century Chinese erotic novels, lyrics by Beijing
rocker and friend Cui Jian, and pithy statements from the novelist Milan
Kundera.
Zhu
uses basic colours. Tiananmen Square, often painted as a graveyard,
features prominently in his backgrounds, as do images and writings of
Mao.
Zhu,
28, who sports short hair, a scruffy T-shirt and trousers, says:
"Many people think I am too young to paint these sophisticated
works. In my short life, I have experienced the most critical period in
Chinese history."
Born
in 1966, the year the Cultural Revolution started, Zhu grew up amid mass
slogan shoutings and stick obedience to Mao’s Little Red Book.
During
his school days in such an extraordinary social environment, Zhu had no
interest in his studies and his grades were poor. But he enjoyed drawing
from a young age.
At
16, when the Gang of Four had been overthrown and economic reforms were
underway, he joined the PLA. The strict military training he received
helped toughen his character.
In
the army, his artistic talent was discovered and he was enrolled by the
Art College of the PLA in 1985. But his parents did not approve.
"At
that time, the economic reforms made people care more for money,"
Zhu recalls.
"My
parents thought art was useless because [they didn’t think it could]
bring in money.
"They
wanted me to follow them and become a doctor because it was a profitable
job " many patients send doctors gifts or even money to have
themselves cured.
"But
I insisted on becoming an artist. So, they stopped supporting me when I
went to college and I had to find ways to make money and support myself.
"It
was easy. I drew advertisements for factories and picture books for
publishing houses. The money I made was more than enough for the simple
life of a student."
After
graduation in 1989, he spent three years studying picture design at
Beijing Film College, although he has no intention of entering the film
industry.
Zhu
left the army after graduation in 1992 and established his own studio in
Beijing, painting what he liked and selling the pictures to make a
living.
During
his seven years in college he saw the rise of the new artistic movement
in China, when many new artistic ideas and values emerged.
But
the June 4 movement, another cultural turning point, caused many of the
new artists to become disillusioned.
"Disappointed
and helpless, we have become cynical towards society, and the heroism
and idealism that used to prevail in Chinese arts have disappeared from
our works," Zhu says.
"Now
in China, things are being revalued and there is no clear difference
between good and bad.
"Nothing
is black and white like before when everybody believed in class
struggle. I don’t want to criticize anything. I just want to show the
reality.
"I
paint society from an observer’s point of view and use a careless
style to show the people and happenings around us.
"We
give this style a new term " ‘cynical realism’," Zhu
explains with a smile.
His
10 years of iron discipline in the army have left him with unforgettable
memories and images of soldiers occupy an important position in his
works. Five-point-stars, red flags, slogans and badges can be found in
most of his paintings.
His
personal experiences stand him out from his contemporaries. "I try
to use a child’s eye to see the world, because the world in a
child’s eyes is natural and pure as crystal, reflecting real life.
"I
try to treat things as if it is the first time I have seen them,"
he says.
"Some
people complain about having no topics to paint about. Actually, it’s
because they use adults eyes to see the world. They take the people and
things around them for granted and naturally, they all become boring.
"I
know I’m still young and not mature enough. I need to be more
experienced in terms of choosing topics and skills."
The
comments sound unlikely from the mouth of a proud and confident Zhu
whose achievements have already made him known in Beijing and,
gradually, in Hong Kong.
Earlier
this year, his unusual paintings caught the attention of Hong Kong’s
art circle when Plum Blossoms Gallery exhibited a small collection at
the art fair, New Tends Art Hong Kong.
His
paintings sell overseas through galleries and he says his current price
is several thousand United States dollars per painting.
In
December last year, he bought a 240-square-foot apartment in Beijing for
more than HK$250,000. But he is not proud of his financial success so
far.
"Actually,
I’m the poorest among my classmates. I’m not as good in selling
myself as they are. Many of them have bought large pieces of land in
Beijing and built houses.
"However,
I stick to my own principle. Many of them paint whatever they are asked,
but I only paint when I have the inspiration.
"My
ambition is to become an internationally-known painter, but not the
richest one. It sounds very naïve, but I [hope it comes
true]," Zhu says.
His
only frustration may be his confrontation with his parents. He has not
seen them for almost five years and they have no idea what he is doing.
His
younger sister acts as their messenger, but she is loyal to her brother
and never tells their parents where he lives.
"I
don’t think it’s a big deal. I think it’s quite common in the West
for children not to see their parents for several years.
"Before,
whenever we met we quarreled. So, there is no point in meeting each
other. I think it is the generation gap.
"I
don’t tell them where I live, otherwise they will come [to see me]. I
don’t let them know what I’m doing, otherwise they will worry for
me. I just ask my sister to tell them that I’m healthy and happy.
That’s enough," the rebel says of the family.
Zhu
enjoys his independent life and socializing. He often goes with friends
to a popular Western-style bar opposite the Belgian Embassy in Beijing
where he met China’s first rocker Cui Jian.
The
friends meet every Saturday night at the bar and stay there until the
early hours.
Zhu’s
next scheme could be setting Mao Zedong’s poems to rock music.
"I
like Mao’s poems very much. It’s very interesting to find that Mao
was conservative, but his poems are not. I think they are still worth
reading now.
"It
would be great fun to turn them into rock music. I am going to discuss
this further with Cui Jian when I go back," Zhu.
It
was in the same bar earlier this year that Zhu met his British
girlfriend who is studying Chinese at the People’s University in
Beijing.
Zhu
lives near the university and had met her several times as he cycled
past. He had not thought of speaking to her until they finally met in
the bar.
With
a shrug, he says: "None of my friends feel it strange to have a
Western girlfriend or boyfriend. Nobody in the streets stares at us as
we walk hand-in-hand. Beijing has really changed a lot.
"I
like to make friends with Westerns. They are comparatively innocent and
not as sophisticated as Chinese. If they like you, then they like you.
They don’t take into consideration some other things as Chinese do.
"She
is quite good-looking and nice to me. For most of the time, she speaks
to me in Chinese. Sometimes I speak some English words. My English is
really poor. Several times I started to learn, but never carried on.
It’s a shame.
"We
haven’t thought of our future yet. It’s too early. Just follow our
instinct.
"I’m
never optimistic. I was born to worry a lot, about everything. I even
worry that the sky will fall and hit me. You think it’s funny? I mean
it!"
香港《东方快报》第二叠1994年11月14日
标题上部照片说明文字：
肖像“甜蜜的生活之一”，是朱伟创作的一系列反映毛时代中国生活的画像之一。
朱伟照片说明文字：
严肃美术：朱伟和他1994年的创作，“甜蜜的生活之四”，他发现西方人“相对而言比较单纯，不像中国人那么世故”。
反叛，全为自己的原因
作者：昂基里卡-张
画家朱伟告诉作者他是一个用孩子的眼睛看世界的天生的斗士
朱伟的个性正如其叛逆的画作。朱看上去非常直率但同时又充满了个性。他有一股固执的味道，一种使他与众不同的决绝的性格。
这个曾为士兵的画家是一个孤独者，在他的工作和生活中都是，但尽管如此，他又有着强烈的社会意识。
当这个北京人在香港个人画展上站在他的作品面前时，你只能得出一个结论：他是唯一一个能创作出这些尖锐批判现代社会现象的作品的人。
对很多人来说朱伟的人和作品都是大胆的，盛气凌人和难以接受的。但传统主义者，在被逼无奈下，也不得不勉强承认朱伟有艺术的天赋。
朱伟说：“我只是想画点不一样的东西。”
他在兑换广场万玉堂画廊的展览将持续到4月26号。“我不喜欢跟在别人屁股后头，也不在乎别人怎么看我。我只画我看见的和明白的东西。”
在他的画里，北京城里住的都是比例被放大了的眼神警惕的人。历史的中国和现代的中国栖息在同一座城里。
而他笔下的中国则是城市的，无产阶级的，颓废的，悲哀肃穆的，剥削的，腐败的，一言以蔽之，一个将要被摧毁和重生的文明。
士兵和干部走在街上，旁边是唐朝的马和马倌，还有一大群中国五千年历史画卷上的人物。
而很多画上题词的来源则如此广泛，从18世纪中国色情小说，到他的朋友摇滚乐手崔健的歌词，再到米兰-昆德拉言简意赅的警句。
朱伟使用最基本的颜色。天安门经常作为他画作的重要背景，就像毛的形象和语录一样。
朱伟，28岁，剪得夸张的短发，穿着邋遢的老头衫和裤子，说：“很多人觉得我太年轻，画不出这么复杂老练的画。在我短短的生命中，却经历了中国历史上最关键的时期。”
朱生于1966年，也就是文化大革命开始的那年，他是在群众运动的口号声中和对红宝书的绝对服从中长大的。
在这样不同寻常的历史环境里，朱在学校的日子里对学习全无兴趣，学习成绩也很差，但他小小年纪就喜欢上了画画。
16岁时，正是四人帮倒台和经济改革刚开始，他参了军。严格的军事训练帮助造就了他日后强硬的性格。
在军队里，他的美术才能被发现，1985年，他进入解放军艺术学院学习。但他的家长反对。
“那时候，经济改革使人们更关心钱，”朱回忆道。
“我的家长觉得美术是没用的东西，因为他们觉得美术赚不着钱。
“他们希望我像他们那样当个医生，因为那是一个赚钱的工作-
很多病人给医生送礼甚至钱好让他们给治病。
“但我坚持要当画家。所以我上大学之后他们就不供养我了。我得想办法自己挣钱养活自己。
“很容易，我给工厂画广告，给出版社画画册。我挣的钱远远超过一个学生的简单生活所需要的。”
1989年毕业后，他又在北京电影学院学了三年影像设计，尽管他从没想过要进电影圈。
朱伟在1992年从电影学院毕业后离开了军队，在北京建立了自己的工作室，画他喜欢画的并靠卖画为生。
在他七年的大学生涯中他目睹了中国新美术运动的崛起，涌现了很多新的美术主张和价值。
“绝望和无助，我们都变得对社会愤世嫉俗，过去中国美术中盛行的英雄主义和理想主义从我们的作品中消失，”朱伟说。
“现在中国什么东西都被重新评价了，好坏之间不再有明显的界限。
“也没什么东西是非黑即白的了，象以前人们都相信阶级斗争时那样。我不是要批评什么，我只是表现一种现实。
“我以一个旁观者的视角来画这个社会，并用一种淡漠的风格来表现我们身边的人和发生着的事。
“我们给了这种新风格起了一个名字-
‘新现实主义’。”
10年铁的纪律下的军旅生活，有关士兵的形象和回忆给了他不可磨灭的印象，在他的作品中占有重要位置。五角星、红旗、标语、徽章在他很多作品中都能看到。
他个人的经历使他鹤立于同时代的美术家们。“我试图用一个孩童的眼睛去看世界，因为在孩童眼中的世界就像水晶一般自然和纯粹，是真实生活的映像。
“我尝试对待事物都仿佛是我第一次看见它们，”他说。
“很多人抱怨没题材可画，实际上是因为他们老用成年人的眼睛去看世界。他们对身边的人和事熟视无睹，所以很自然，他们也变得乏善可陈。
“我知道我还年轻，不够成熟。我在选择题材和技巧上还需要历练。”
这话听起来不象是从这个骄傲而自信的人嘴里说出来的，朱伟的成绩已经使他在北京，并逐渐在香港，声誉日隆。
就在今年早些时候，当万玉堂画廊在“香港国际新潮流艺术博览会”上展出了他一小部分作品后，他那不同凡响的作品就引起了香港美术圈的注意。
朱伟的画作也通过画廊在海外出售，他说现在他的画卖价在几千美金一幅。
去年12月他在北京购买了一间240?的公寓，价值24万港币。不过目前他还没为他经济上的成功感到自豪。
“其实在我的同学中我是最穷的。我不象他们那么会推销自己。他们好多都已经在北京自己买地盖了大房子。
“然而，我坚持我自己的原则。他们是别人让他们画什么他们画什么，我只在有灵感的时候才画。
“我的抱负是成为一个世界知名的画家，而不是最富有的画家。听上去可能幼稚，但我[希望美梦成真]。”朱伟说。
唯一令他沮丧的可能就是他和父母的关系了。他有五年没有跟他们见过面，他们对他在做什么也一无所知。
他妹妹是他们的通信员，但是她忠于哥哥，从不向父母透露哥哥住在哪里。
“我不觉得这是什么大事儿。我觉得在西方子女几年不和父母见面是件很平常的事。
“以前我们一见面就吵架，所以没必要见面。我想是代沟的问题。
“我不告诉他们我住哪儿，不然他们会[来看我]。我不让他们知道我在干什么，不然他们又该为我操心了。我只让我妹告诉他们我身体健康，生活愉快。这就够了，”叛逆者发表对家庭的看法。
朱伟既享受他的独立生活也参加社交活动。他经常跟他的朋友去一间在北京很受欢迎的西式酒吧，就在比利时大使馆的对面，他就是在那儿认识摇滚乐手崔健的。
朋友们每个礼拜六晚上在酒吧聚会，直至凌晨。
朱伟的下一个计划可能是把毛泽东的诗谱成摇滚乐。
“我非常喜欢毛的诗。我发现毛人很保守，但他的诗却不是，这很有趣。我觉得他的诗到今天都值得一读。
“如果把他的诗谱成摇滚乐一定很有意思。我回去就跟崔健聊这事。”
就是在同一间酒吧，今年初朱伟认识了在人大学习中文的英国女朋友。
朱就住在人大附近，骑车经过时看见过她好几次。但直到他们在酒吧相遇，他都没有想过要跟她说话。
朱伟耸了耸肩，说：“我的朋友都不觉得有个西方女朋友或男朋友有什么奇怪的。我们手拉手走在大街上也没人盯着我们看。北京的变化很大。
“我喜欢和西方人做朋友。他们相对而言比较单纯，不像中国人那么世故。他们要喜欢你就是喜欢你。他们不像中国人似的想好多别的。
“她很漂亮，对我也很好。大多数时候她跟我说汉语。有时候我说几个英文单词。好几次我都开始学英文了，可都没坚持下去，惭愧。
“我们还没想过我们的将来，现在还太早，跟着直觉走吧。
“我从来都不乐观。我生来就是操心的命，什么都担心。我甚至担心有一天天会塌下来砸着我。你觉得可笑？我说认真的！”
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