|
January 14, 2017, Art Radar, artradarjournal.com
“Using the past to serve the present”: China’s Zhu Wei – artist profile
By Lisa Pollman
Artist’s fusion of traditional ink wash technique with modern narrative takes unapologetic look at contemporary Chinese society.
Zhu Wei participates in an exhibition at London’s Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery with nuanced pieces using an ancient painting method.
Zhu Wei utilises a 2000-year-old method known as Gongbi, which the artist says effectively allows him to “use the past to serve the present”. Gongbi (in Chinese, 工笔) is a technique of painting layers of ink wash upon paper or silk with different contouring and colouring brushes. This method produces highly detailed results, as art historian and museum educator Kealey Boyd penned for an article on Hyperallergic:
The gongbi brush line is more like a pen line than calligraphic. It is uniformly thick, even wiry, defining boundaries around figures and objects.
The technique dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618–906 CE) and is considered the oldest form of painting in China. Zhu adds a decidedly modern twist on the technique by painting upon common, everyday newsprint and producing work in sharp contrast to traditional literati paintings.
Born in Beijing in 1966, Zhu Wei is known for being one of the first contemporary Chinese artists to have been recognised on an international scale. As an artist who has consistently produced work for nearly three decades, he entered the military as a teenager and then produced propaganda art before studying at the Beijing Academy of Film and China Institute of Art. His work has been exhibited worldwide, with over 20 solo shows.
The artist’s work is currently being exhibited in “Everything Exists Now” at the Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery until 18 February 2017. In 2016, his work was included in the 9th International Ink Art Biennale of Shenzhen (China) and was shown at the Asia Art Center (Taiwan) and Tobin Ohashi Gallery (Japan).
As gallerist Kristin Hjellegjerde told Art Radar, Zhu’s work in the show strikes a chord for both its distinctive Chinese narrative, as well as one that is much more universal:
I am terribly excited about showing the exceptional Chinese artist Zhu Wei in January, an artist deeply rooted in the history of the country but who brings the story further into the future. With his deep use of red colours that he masters as draperies in the background off the “Lecture” series that will be exhibited, we immediately place ourself in a Chinese context. When we further delve into the work seeing the way his figures or animals are marked out, we dig into a narrative that echo the times we are living in where the media is controlling the politics.
With his mastery of the ink and wash classical technique, we get to see an artist who does not need to depart into newer forms but brings much forth from what is inherited. The work is therefore bringing us into a state of a slower more quiet contemplation, a rebel artist with a flair of ultimate sophistication.
Zhu’s rich palette of crimson drapery “implies an inevitable and collective consciousness that exists in the great Chinese reality”, while the lush, colour-dense portraits capture the conditions endemic in modern day life, harkening back to China’s revolutionary times complete with the ubiquitous Zhongshan, tunics also known as ‘Mao jackets’. The artist’s characters remain for the most part, anonymous, identity-less. The everyman in Zhu’s Ink and Wash Research Lecture Series, as noted in IART, depicts individuals helpless in the face of China’s rapid move towards an ever-connected society:
The dress of the characters shows a special era and identity, while the tired and helpless expression on their faces delivers a new meaning which is totally different from his previous series. It is a true and general psychological reflection of today’s Chinese as well. “Nowadays people are coerced by the ongoing large-scale economic movement, by the commercial Great Leap Forward, and by the inflated exaggerations in commerce, while every family has mortgage loans and inexpensive car, pop music and jazz, computer, cell phone and internet, however, the foundation of the society has never been slightly changed but has been strengthened. This is the present condition of Chinese society which makes people feel helpless.”
As an artist who has seen many changes in Chinese society since his beginnings in the late 1980s, Zhu told Art Radar in a recent studio visit about the transition that many Chinese artists have made from a more local, organic version of contemporary art to something that is primed and envisioned for sale in a highly competitive, globalised contemporary art market:
Contemporary art emerged in China in the 1980s. Around 1985, Chinese contemporary art was mainly a local version of Western contemporary art, which was simple, immature, and inferior – but full of passion. After 2005, Chinese contemporary art entered both Asian and Western auction markets. In the last decade, Chinese art has become commercialized at a high speed. Even if the artists themselves do not really understand what contemporary art is, they know what sells and have been effectively kidnapped by the market and its demands.
Initially, works from contemporary Chinese artists were primarily purchased by Western collectors, who were interested in adding one or two pieces to their collections from a country that had been previously closed off to the outside world. With the emergence of a burgeoning Chinese Middle Class, this shifted, as the artist told Art Radar, to a homegrown audience with a history of collecting that dates all the way back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279):
After 1978, China’s Middle Class appeared and some of these families started to purchase art. Throughout Chinese history, wealthy families had the habit of collecting paintings. This particular habit was quite popular during the Song Dynasty. As reported in some historical documents, these early art collections were established to satisfy their personal interests, as well as to improve their family’s status. Compared to the historical dynasties which lasted mostly for hundreds of years, the history after 1949 is a mere 60 years – not to mention the 30 years of complete destruction of the economy.
The behavior of the Middle Class, who have just emerged and is still unstable, towards their art collections, is undoubtedly to preserve and appreciate their wealth. When many collectors come to Beijing’s 798 Art Zone to purchase paintings in the art galleries found there, they ask the gallery owners to ensure that their collection will make money.
To date, the focus of where to find the best contemporary artworks has changed with over 200 auction houses vying for a piece of the pie, giving the Chinese consumer even more opportunities to see how far their purchasing power will take them, and what sells is not always in the direction that one would expect. Interestingly, as Zhu told Art Radar, some local artists actually have sold for more money than the stalwart blue chip artists from Europe:
Now there are more than 200 auction houses in China, and they are doing the same business as the gallery does in the primary market. Collectors will come to gallery, auction house and artist’s studio to buy art, generally at a price lower than 100,000 Yuan. Of course, this is the latest price today. A few years ago, an artwork by a twentysomething new young artist might be priced higher than a well-known European master, and comes with a beautifully printed large retrospective catalogue.
Despite Zhu’s work being seen as “Western due to the abstract painterly style” in China and due to its content being seen as Chinese abroad, his work is widely collected and shown throughout the world. He considers his works a joining of past and present, something that can bring together the somewhat fractured parts of tradition and modernity. This provides Zhu’s work with a powerful punch – something that transcends culture or ethnicity. As Tokyo gallerist Robert Tobin commented, his works are to be savoured and are “not easily forgotten”:
Zhu Wei is someone who excels at everything he does whether it be ink painting which he is best known for, prints or sculpture. And an encounter with his works, whether in the gallery or in a public space, is not easily forgotten. It stays with you. He goes his own way. He does not follow trends. He forges ahead creating works that have meaning not only for him but for the many people who see his works.
There is something hidden and mysterious in all of his works – and it’s often in the smile — almost like the smile of the Mona Lisa. What are the people in these works thinking, what is the setting? There is a sense of irony, and the smiles and stares seems to hide a kind of knowing that the viewer can only imagine.
——first published in Art Radar, 14/01/2017
二零一七年一月十四日艺术雷达网首页artradarjournal.com
“古为今用”：中国的朱伟——艺术家档案
丽莎·铂尔曼撰文
融合传统水墨技法和现代叙事，直面当下中国。
朱伟用古代绘画方式绘制的细腻之作近日亮相伦敦Kristin Hjellegjerde画廊。
这种已有两千年历史的绘画方法叫做工笔，按艺术家朱伟的说法，工笔使他做到了“古为今用”。工笔是一种在纸或绢上以毛笔层层敷色、达到精谨细腻效果的技法。诚如艺术史学家和教育家基利·博伊德在Hyperallergic（译注：Hyperallergic为知名艺术网站，总部位于美国纽约）的文章中所言：
工笔更像是一种线描艺术，而非书法。其色往往厚重，其线往往如弦，人物物品等绘画对象往往有其边界。
工笔的历史可追溯至唐朝（公元618–906），是中国最古老的绘画形式。朱伟断然将其绘制在现今寻常可见的新闻报纸上，为其注入现代因素，与传统文人画形成了鲜明对比。
朱伟一九六六年出生于北京，是最早为世界所公认的中国当代艺术家之一。少年时代他入伍作宣传艺术，随后先后入学北京电影学院、中国艺术研究院，迄今已持续创作了三十年。其作品在世界各地展出，已举办超过了二十个个展。
近期展览有伦敦Kristin Hjellegjerde画廊的“万物之存在”，展期将到二零一七年二月十八日。其他还包括第九届深圳国际水墨双年展，以及在亚洲艺术中心（台湾）和Tobin Ohashi画廊（日本）的展览等。
画廊主Kristin Hjellegjerde告诉艺术雷达，朱伟的作品之所以扣人心弦，不单因为其独特的中国叙事，还因为作品当中所蕴含的普遍性：
能在今年一月向世人展示杰出的中国艺术家朱伟我十分兴奋。这位艺术家深深扎根于中国历史，并且将故事带到了未来.。这次展览，艺术家深度使用了红色来描绘“课徒”系列背景中的帷幕，使我们立刻置身于一个汉语语境之中。而当我们继续探究作品，会发现他所描绘的人物或动物影像之下还存在一种与时代相呼应的叙事，我们都生存于一个媒体控制政治的时代。
对古典水墨技法的精通让我们看到了这样一个艺术家，他不迷途于新形式，而是从传承之中获益良多。因而，这些作品也引领我们进入到一种静默幽缓的沉思状态。这位叛逆的艺术家拥有着极度成熟的天赋。
红色帷幕中的丰富色彩“暗示着伟大中国现实之中必然的集体意识”，而色泽浓重的肖像则捕捉到了有地方特色的现代日常生活。人物穿着令人回想起中国革命时代，为当时无所不在的中山装，也称“毛夹克”。艺术家创作的人物在此是含蓄的，无名的，亦无身份的。如《艺术汇》杂志中提到的，朱伟《水墨研究课徒系列》之中的普通人描述的正是一个快速与时俱进的中国里个人的无助。
画中人物的衣着依旧显示出一种特殊的时代身份指向，而人物表情所流露的疲惫与无奈却传达出与以往系列全然不同的意味，也正是当下国人真实而普遍的心理写照。“现如今人们被正在进行大规模的经济运动，商业大跃进，各行各业施放出的价格卫星所裹挟，每个家庭多了贷款按揭和简陋的汽车，流行音乐爵士乐，多了电脑手机和网络，而财富如同权利一样永远不会掌握在大多数人手中，但人们却坚信自己能得到更多。我们的教育从幼儿园起，小学中学大学乃至成年人的人性和公德教育指引几乎为零，从高官显贵到普通百姓，去掉利益关系，人和人之间竟然相互仇视。文革十年搞政治运动，经济几乎崩溃；改革开放搞经济运动，人们的文明程度几乎跌破底线，道德败坏程度超过文革十年，这就是中国当代社会现状，让人束手无策。”
朱伟曾亲历过上世纪八十年代开始的一系列中国剧变。在笔者最近拜访艺术家工作室时，朱伟也谈及了中国艺术家的变化，即在全球化高度竞争的当代艺术市场冲击下，许多中国艺术家已从最初本土的、有机的当代艺术生存状态一跃转变为销售而预谋的状态：
中国当代艺术的出现是在上世纪八十年代，也就是说在一九八五年前后，作品主要是西方当代艺术在中国的本土化，简单粗糙质量不高，是充满激情的尝试。从二零零五年，中国当代艺术进入东西方拍卖市场后，最近的十几年中国艺术高速商业化的十年，包括艺术家在内，并未真正了解当代艺术是什么，但是知道好卖，也知道如何有效地被商业绑架。
早期当代中国艺术家的作品主要是由西方收藏家购买，他们对于从一个刚刚开放的国家收藏一两件作品颇感兴趣。随着新兴的中国中产阶级的出现，自宋朝（960-1279）以降的本土艺术收藏方式发生了改变，艺术家告诉艺术雷达：
一九七八年后，中国的中产阶级出现了，这些家庭开始购买艺术品。自古以来中国的富裕家庭都有藏画的习惯，在宋代尤其普及，从历史资料来看，这些收藏是为了喜好和提高家庭的身份。相对于动辄几百年的历朝历代的历史，四九年之后的中国只有六十多年的历史，再加上其中足足有三十多年对经济进行了完整的摧毁。
眼下刚刚出现且还基础不稳固的中产阶级，他们的收藏行为毫无疑问是为了财富的保值和升值。很多在北京798艺术区画廊买画的藏家都要求画廊主保证他们的收藏一定会赚钱。.
时至今日，有超过200家拍卖行争夺同一块馅饼，这改变了曾经以购买好艺术品为重心的模式，中国的消费者也有机会看到他们的购买力能将他们带至何方，虽然什么好卖并不经常如人所愿。有趣的是，朱伟告诉艺术雷达，一些中国本土艺术家的作品竟然卖得比欧洲坚挺的蓝筹艺术家们还昂贵：
中国现在有两百多家拍卖行，它们和画廊一样在做一级市场的生意，藏家会在画廊拍卖行以及艺术家工作室购买作品。价格一般在人民币十万以内。当然这是最近的价格，几年前一个刚出道的二十来岁年轻艺术家的可能会比欧美大师级的艺术家价格还高，且还附送印刷很精美的大型回顾画册。
在中国朱伟的作品常因其抽象风格被视为西方化，由于所画的内容，其本人也常被视为超出了本土，可这并不妨碍其作品广泛地在全球被收藏和展出。他认为他的作品是过去和现在的结合，是搜集了断裂的传统与现代性的结合。这证明了朱伟作品强大的穿透力——乃至能够超越文化或种族。正如东京画廊主Robert Tobin评价的，朱伟的作品是用来品味的，且“不容易忘却”：
朱伟是一个擅长他所做之事的人，包括他最为人所知的水墨，以及版画、雕塑，都是如此。无论在画廊里或是在公共场合，一旦你见过了他的作品，就不容易忘却。它会跟着你。朱伟走的是他自己的路，不追随潮流，锐意进取。他创作的作品不光对他自己，对许许多多看见他作品的人都极有意义。
他所有的作品之中都有一种隐藏而神秘的东西——通常是藏于微笑之中——就像蒙娜丽莎的微笑。作品中的人到底在想什么，它的背景是什么？有一种讽刺的感觉，微笑和凝视似乎隐藏了一种认识，观众只能想象。
——二零一七年一月十四日首次发表于艺术雷达网artradarjournal.com |
