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Art
Speak
Cynical
Realism (Pipan Xianshi Zhuyi)
Developed in
1989, this style of art is characterised by repeated figures of
bald-headed men, often smiling or laughing maniacally, perhaps in an
ironic statement about the forced conformity Zhu Wei, Yue Minjun and Fang
Liiun pioneered this style.
Sculpture
(diaosu)
Cynical
Realism like Zhu Wei and Yue Minjun have dabbled in sculpture, bringing
their paintings into three dimensions. Ai Weiwei’s conceptual pieces are
often Dada-esque. Sui Jianguo is another prominent sculptor - his most
recent signature piece was a giant toy dinosaur with the words ‘Made in
china’ appearing prominently on its chest.
The Road
Home
llusion
of the pictures:
P176:
'Cynical Realist' Zhu Wei
P177:
‘Festival’ by Zhu Wei
P178:
‘China Diary’ by Zhu Wei
Zhu Wei
searches for an audience amongst his compatriots
Who:
Zhu Wei
Occupation:
Painter, sculptor, woodcutter
Year
of Birth: 1966
Zhu Wei is
the embodiment of contemporary China. Born in Beijing during the 'cultural
revolution,' he joined the PLA at the age of 16 where he learned to paint
propaganda posters in the military art school (he left the military in
1989). He is a rock and roll enthusiast and a personal friend of Cui Jian.
Though he has been living in the same four-story condo in Shunyi for three
years now, he still longs for the days when he painted on the floor of his
tiny room in Wudaokou. His habits haven’t changed. He still lives like a
starving artist - his condo is minimally furnished and his carpets are
stained with ink. He sleeps on a mattress thrown on the floor of his
studio, while his girlfriend sleeps upstairs.
IBM recently
bought some of his sculptures, and they are currently on display below an
Andy Warhol print in the lobby of the IBM building in Manhattan. In late
2004, Sotheby's will be auctioning his famous painting of Deng Xiaoping,
"China, China," during an auction of international contemporary
art. The only other Chinese artist to be auctioned will be Xu Bing.
Despite his fame abroad, Zhu is virtually unknown at home.
that's:
There are several other artists such as Fang Lijun, who are considered
Cynical Realists, using imagery that's similar to yours. Did you draw from
them to develop your style?
Zhu:
No, they learned from me. They showed up in the media before I did, but
I've been doing this since '92. But it's not important who did what first.
It's who does it the best. If you're talking about ink paintings, I'm the
best. I won't say anything about oil paintings.
that's:
So why do you use the images that you use, such as people in communist
uniforms and SARS masks?
Zhu: I
work mostly in traditional gongbi (meticulous brush painting), a
specifically Chinese medium. My goal is to keep it vibrant and relevant. I
use certain images to tie my paintings to modem times. I use a traditional
medium to deal with contemporary themes.
that's:
Since you have only been exhibited abroad, have you found yourself
catering more to foreign audiences?
Zhu: No.
I don't really think that much about whether my audience is foreign or
domestic when I paint. In fact, I mainly think about the time in my life
when I hung out with all the punks in Wudaokou. I prefer to hang out with
musicians. I actually don’t know that many artists personally, I was
listening to a lot of punk and heavy metal at that time. I use a
traditional medium, but when you're listening to that kind of music,
there's no way you can paint traditional subjects [laughs].
that's:
So is it important for you to succeed at home now that you've been so
successful abroad?
Zhu: Absolutely.
It's not about the money. If I don't get recognition in my home country,
it will be as if I never succeeded at all. I hope to begin exhibiting more
at home in 2004. Maybe I'll start with one or two pieces in a group show,
and we'll see from there.
that's:
Is Beijing a work of art?
Zhu:
No. It's a place that produce art. I don’t think I would be able to
produce art anywhere else. The Tyler Foundation has invited me to do a 3
month residency in Singapore. I know they want me to produce work that has
something to do with Singapore. But I don't think it really matters if I
do or not [laughs].
-
- Gerald Mak
知情者的北京指南2004-05
汕头大学出版社
艺术说话
批判现实主义
这个艺术潮流从1989年开始形成，其特点是对光头形象的重复刻画，通常面带微笑或刻板呆滞的大笑，或许这是对集体强制性的一种讽刺。朱伟、岳敏君、方力钧是这个潮流的代表人物。
雕塑
像朱伟和岳敏君这样的批判现实主义者也对雕塑有所涉猎，他们把自己的绘画延伸至三维领域。而艾未未的观念作品则总是达达式的。隋建国是另一个突出的雕塑家——他最近的署名作品是一尊硕大的玩具恐龙，胸部刻着“中国制造”的字样。
返乡之路
图片说明：
176页：“批判现实主义者”朱伟
177页：朱伟作品“节日”
178页：朱伟作品“中国日记”
朱伟在同胞中寻找观众
谁：朱伟
职业：画家、雕塑家、版画家
出生年份：1966
朱伟是当代中国的化身。“文化大革命”期间出生在北京，16岁时加入了中国人民解放军，在解放军艺术学院学会画宣传海报（1989年离开军队）。他是个摇滚乐迷，也是崔健的私人朋友。尽管他已经在顺义的四层公寓住了3年，他还怀念着自己在五道口的一个狭小的房间里作画的日子。他的习惯从没改变，仍旧生活得像一个饥饿的艺术家——他的公寓里只有必需品，地毯上沾满了墨渍。他的床是工作室地上的席梦思，而他女朋友却睡在楼上的卧室里。
IBM最近买了他的一些雕塑，并在曼哈顿的IBM大厦大堂的安迪.沃霍尔的版画旁展示。2004年底，苏富比拍卖行将在国际当代艺术拍卖会上拍卖他的一幅关于邓小平的作品《中国.中国》。唯一另一个中国艺术家是徐冰。朱伟名扬海外，在家中却几乎默默无闻。
that's：还有一些被认为是批判现实主义的艺术家，如方力钧等，用的形象和你的类似。你是否从他们的绘画中汲取灵感来发展自己的风格？
朱：恰恰相反，是他们从我的画中得到灵感。他们在媒体上出现得比我早，而我从1992年就开始做这个了。但是，重要的不是谁先做的，而是谁做得最好。假如说到水墨画的话，我是最好的，我不谈油画。
that's：那么为什么你用这样的一些形象呢，比如说穿中山装的人戴着SARS的口罩？
朱：我几乎全部用传统的工笔作画，这是一种特殊的媒介。我的目标是突破并有所传承，用一些形象把作品同现代的时间联系起来，我用传统的媒介处理当代的题材。
that's：既然你已经在海外展出了，你是否有迎合更多的外国观众呢？
朱：不，在绘画的时候，我没有想过我的观众到底是外国人还是中国人。实际上，那段时间我主要想的是和五道口那些朋克去哪玩。我喜欢和搞音乐的人一起玩。私底下我不认识多少艺术家。那时我听很多的朋克音乐和重金属。我用的是传统的媒介，但当你听那样的音乐时，你不可能画出传统的题材。（笑）
that's：你已经在国外成功了，所以对你来说现在在国内成功比较重要对吗？
朱：没错。这跟钱无关。如果我在自己的国家没有得到认可的话，就等于没有成功。我希望从2004年开始多在国内做一些展览。也许我会参加一两个群展，然后再看看。
that's：北京是一件艺术品吗？
朱：不是。这个地方是创作艺术品的地方。我不认为我能在任何其他的地方创作。泰勒基金会邀请我到新加坡去住3个月。我知道他们希望我去做一些跟新加坡有关系的东西，但我觉得做不做都没关系。（大笑）
-
- Gerald Mak
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