www.arton.net, July 20, 2015

Zhu Wei: When passion faded, only anxiety is left over

By Liu Qian

After 27 years of his painting career, artist Zhu Wei began to question the contemporary art he engages in. Having put painting aside and played for a while, he found he cannot get his passion back to paint, or try as hard as before. "I don't want to send the army out without a righteous cause. The painting I'm working on is not what I really want, because of fatigue, or being lack of new theme." Thus, Zhu Wei "gave priority to playing" presently. It is not the first time he ignored his proper occupation, while before he painted his Ink and Wash Research Lectures series, Zhu Wei stalled painting for 5 to 6 years from 2007 to 2012. "Some people said I was taking a break, actually only anxiety was left over."

In the seemingly happy but anxious days, when Zhu Wei was looking for his new forms of painting, he still could not get rid of his artist nature of caring for the fate of his nation and people, which drove him to ponder about the future of contemporary Chinese art: "So far for the contemporary art, all the artists in the world are standing on the same starting line. Everyone is facing the same situation of without rice to cook. However, when there is no new painting appearing in western contemporary art, why Chinese artists also immediately lapse into silence? When China's economy is rising, why there is no similar sign in art?"

Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of '85 New Wave Movement, all kinds of retrospective events are held in this year one after another. Zhu Wei said directly: "A movement which is a imitation of the West, is its 30th anniversary worth retrospecting? Or we can wait, until 60th anniversary, or 100th anniversary, to see if there is anything worth retrospecting." Apparently, Zhu Wei was disappointed about contemporary art, even his disappointment might be an idle fear to other artists. Zhu Wei talked about his doubt with many people, but nobody has resonance. Indeed, after so many years' being on the spot, who would like to deny their own history?

Always criticizing the existing evils in contemporary art, Zhu Wei's tone is the typical "Old Beijing" style. Zhu Wei said he was more and more conservative about new stuffs. He doesn't use Weibo or Wechat, while his mobile phone is an old Nokia that only supports phone calls and messages. Of course, he still has his bald head, sunglasses, dressing style and favor for Rock and Roll, which are good enough for his identity of the fashionable "contemporary artist".

Born in 60's, Zhu Wei is a representative of post '89 artists. He was studying in the somewhat closed PLA Art Academy during the 85 New Wave Movement, while many art groups started a general discussion about art. Although he didn't take part in the passionate wave directly, he watched all the important contemporary art exhibitions in 1980s. His later paintings were influenced by the environment of 85 New Wave, but without the heaviness or seriousness of the "old 85"s. Their generation wouldn't use certain symbols perfectly like the "old 85"s, which is just like their attitude toward contemporary art. From the right beginning the post '89 art is bantering and ironical. Even he complains a lot about contemporary art, he always stresses the importance of Chinese ink and wash: "The ink and wash painting has a longer history than other art forms, basing on which, the theory of contemporary Chinese art should go further."

Self is the best art

Artron: In 1985 you was enrolled in the PLA Art Academy, how was the environment then? Has you been influenced by the 85 New Wave?

Zhu Wei: The army is a very closed place, but the big environment is there. I didn't take part in 85 New Wave directly. If I have to talk about the connection between the 85 movement and me, the first thing is that I had watched all the exhibitions at that time, such as Modern Art Exhibition, the Human Body Exhibition in the National Art Museum of China. The second thing is that I had read all the magazines and books about contemporary, many of which are still kept in my home today. Back then I paid more attention to the ink and wash development in Zhejiang province, including artists like Gu Wenda and Shen Qin, whom I thought were bold in painting.

Artron: In such context, how you start to create your art?

Zhu Wei: The first painting I created is Landscape Derivative from Bada's Brush Style in 1987. It is a pure landscape, without any figure, which might be influenced by the 85 New Wave. I could paint it perfectly but I intended not to, where I structurized Bada's landscapes, making it into a quite decorative-painting style with structure, mountains, rivers, and calligraphy. As we were required to paint only sketches in classes, such painting that I really wanted to paint certainly could not be shown in our academy. I also painted a little splashed ink, but many of them failed, with only one left at last.

And later I began to paint figures. I lived at Wanquan Zhuang behind the People's University, near the Old Summer Palace and Peking University, so I often rode a bicycle to watch what everyone else was painting, and then came back to use ink and wash to paint them. However, I didn't want to live in Old Summer Palace, because artists lived there were all oil painters, as an ink painter, we didn't have much common topics. At that time I created the Story of Beijing series.

Arton:Being completely different from the painting during 85 New Wave period, the painting status of your generation actually is close to our life.

Zhu Wei: For people born in 1960s, without the massive pain that their prior-generation held, their reaction to things and environment can be naturally reflected in their paintings. When we grew up, the Cultural Revolution has come to an end, and we didn't experience the Down to the Countryside Movement, thus our pursuit of certain things is not that urgent, nor so painful as well. By in the early 1990s, market appeared. Artists started to wonder how to sell their art, for example, what Liu Wei studied was printmaking, but nobody wanted monochromatic prints at that time, so he figured out a good method by buying foreign pigments which were finely classified, and squeezing them directly onto the painting to make it colorful. My ink painting was similar.

Artron: From The Story of Beijing series the military figure has existed in your paintings, and then you painted Comrade Captain and other army related figure paintings. Is it related to your personal experience?

Zhu Wei: Painting military figure was because I was in military at that time. When the consciousness and ideological trend of contemporary art arose, people of our generation realized that we should paint ourselves, instead of painting lives not relevant to us. Self is the best art. Everyone around me painted stories about themselves. The concept was changing. Abrupt or not, to put yourself together with the society, just put it together.

Artron: It seems from your painting Comrade Captain No.3, you have started focusing on one figure? Before that your paintings are mostly a combination of multi-figures and landscapes, from this painting on, you focus on human figure himself.

Zhu Wei: Indeed. From this painting on I began to pay more attention to a certain person, and before that my paintings did not seem related to a person's inner world. Prior to this I often painted Mao Zedong, who could make people smell the sense of times. If I painted a stranger, or my relatives, people didn't know them. This painting (Comrade Captain No.3), on one hand, was in concert with the society, to come into a person's inner world, on the other hand, was a work when my techniques of figure paintings was relatively matured, and I can grasp a human's soul. Before this painting, probably being lack of related ability, I felt ink paintings were weak. I thought if it was not painted into a narrative situation or novel-like picture, an ink painting could be untenable, so I always described a thing or a scene by people and landscapes. It was in this painting I fully grasped how to paint a contemporary person, and it can be connected with the times, so I started to paint the big heads.

Artron: Facing with the impact of Western paintings, will you discuss with others about the problem of ink painting?

Zhu Wei: In the 1990s there was a discussion of the new literati painting, but at that moment we were busy at creation and seldom discussed it. Everyone just finished their paintings, and then sold them. We wouldn't like others to see our works, nor to visit other's studio, or watch each other's paintings.

Passion Time

Artron: Then what was the state of your creation at that time?

Zhu Wei: I was young, passionate, and feeling there were endless paintings to be painted. While paintings continuously came out in front of me, I didn't think too much, and in my mind there was no guiding ideology. But after more than twenty years, I don't want to paint now. I am thinking, including thinking about whether the works I kept painting for so many years are contemporary art.

From 1993 I began to cooperate with galleries. At that time I only kept in touch with the gallery I cooperated with. I was usually alone, riding a bicycle to the Old Summer Palace, not communicating with anyone, just for food there. I was kind of a loner. I even made a rule with the gallery saying that I was not in any group exhibitions, only solos. I thought if putting ink paintings and oil paintings together, because oil color can reflect light, while ink painting was showed behind a layer of glass, so they were not very good looking. Sometimes I painted large works which is more than 3 meters high, and then could not find such big glass to match it. It always felt like I brought a colorful sketch to compete with others. Now I think it was wrong. I met Cheng Xindong just now, and we talked about the group exhibition of contemporary art held at France Gallery in Paris, 1996. The exhibition invited Fang Lijun, Wang Guangyi, Gu Dexin and me, but I refused it because it was a group exhibition. Then the exhibition created a big sensation.

Artron: From 1989 to the middle of 1990s, the style of your image actually changed a little.

Zhu Wei: At beginning I deliberately created an old effect to my paintings. When I painted contemporary themes back then, considering ink paintings should not be too new, I always wanted to pull it back to the tradition. So for the Tiananmen, red flags, soldiers I painted, I made the color old, and made the image connected with tradition. Later people began to accept the contemporary painting. Afterwards, I found even I didn't make the painting look ancient, I could still create a painting which smells traditional.

Artron: The most obvious change of style happened in your Sweet Life series. Are they reflecting some change in your life?

Zhu Wei: The Sweet Life series include more than 30 paintings totally. When I started this series I did feel life was going to be sweet. In 1993 when I was twenty-six or twenty seven, I signed an exclusive contract with the gallery, which was terminated when I was forty-one. This contract equaled to an iron bowl without any worry about food or drink. From about 1995 my mood began to change. I had enough to live comfortably. I bought my first car when there were not many cars on Beijing's roads. I drunk drove every night without any punishment. I went to bars every night, hanging out with rock bands every time. At that time I watched an Italian movie called "Sweet Life", which brought this title to me. I was in good mood and painted a lot, at a speed of thirty to forty paintings per year. I was in a good state of painting as well, refreshing daily. Not like now, I paint one painting for 7 months.

Artron: Besides creating paintings, you spent a lot of time with rock band friends. Does music has any influence on your painting?

Zhu Wei: Yes. Rock music is abstract. You want to express it but you cannot find its image, so when you create images you have your own practice. It is meaningful to me. With artist friends, it's easy to steal from each other.

When Ink Meets Market

Artron: Your painting series always constantly transformed. Only in 1990s you have created more than 10 series.

Zhu Wei: I have painted 19 series till now, while each series changed greatly from their early to late stage. I don't like the cognition of symbol which was caught by commerce and market. A lot of people talked to me, saying don't change too much to be recognized, but I think I'm painting forward step by step like this, and happily. Part of the reason was due to the various types of exhibitions. I would like to change, but every time I could only change a little before the next exhibition was coming, and sometimes it's a bit to cope with the exhibition. The real change came in 2012 when I started the concept painting series Ink and Wash Research Lectures series.

Artron: You mentioned you don't want to paint a particular symbol which was commercially recognized, but the work China China was a typical of this.

Zhu Wei: Yes. It's a painting of Deng Xiaoping, which is specially pursued and admired by the market. People think it has a strong sense of times, galleries sought its prints, and many collectors in Taiwan came to buy it. So far there are hundreds of its prints, and they are sold quickly and expensively. This is a contradiction to me. I have created many figure paintings, and it's only one of them.

Probably many artists have faced similar contradiction. You want to change the way others view you, but the audiences only recognize that thing. Like actress Zhao Wei, once played the role of Xiaoyanzi, afterwards no matter whom she was playing, people always thought it's not so appropriate. It's easily for market to bring such pain to artists as well. Painful not being famous, and painful being famous but you cannot change. It is also a very dangerous phase. The audiences and galleries may not accept you after you transform, and then you may disappear from the contemporary art world. If you want to stick to it, it will be very painful. For me, because I painted many series in these years, and my works are complex, things will be better.

Artron: What series is your favorite among so many paintings series?

Zhu Wei: The Utopia series can be said is something new in creating. For me it's successful, because the picture is simple, acclimatizing elements of the ancient Chinese painting as well. I'm satisfied with it. In years of practicing I keep thinking that ink painting has to give consideration to China's more than two thousand years of tradition. Just walking forward all the time is not ink. For the image itself it's so, and for the real world outside the image it's so too. The Utopia reflects the current situation of our society, which is actually a huge meeting site, with everyone there taking notes, writing down nonsense. This is a phenomenon in China.

Exploration after Stagnation

Artron: From 2007 to 2012 before your Ink and Wash Research Lectures series, you had stagnated for a long while. Why?

Zhu Wei: I stopped intermittently for five or six years before Ink and Wash Research Lecture series in 2012, during which I occasionally painted two porcelain pots. In the past there were butterflies painted on porcelain plates, while I replace butterflies with human figures floating in the painting, leaving much blank, but people didn't understand what I painted was porcelain. And then I terminated the contract with the gallery. Nobody pushing you is quite good. Now no matter how much money you pay me, I don't want to paint. My passion for painting has passed.

Artron: It was said that you were taking a rest at that time. Do you feel anxious, with nothing to paint?

Zhu Wei: Basically only anxiety was left over. Although at that time the media said I was having a rest, taking some films, and so on, in fact I still wanted to paint. But it's difficult to start. In 2012 I found Ink and Wash Research Lectures series. However, I think it not the exact contemporary ink painting I want.

When starting up Ink and Wash Research Lectures series, Chinese people's living conditions has been changed a lot in the past twenty to thirty years, with a little bit Jazz, bars, loans, mortgages around everyone, but in fact, people did not free themselves from their ambitions. They just became tired, less-passionate, losing the power they once had, and it seems everyone is tolerating such state. So what I painted is a state of being tolerant.

Artron: The series is called Ink and Wash Research Lectures series. Does it mean you are looking at some problem of ink painting itself?

Zhu Wei: Correct. This series is called Ink and Wash Research Lectures series, I named it "Research", which means it's not a final resolution. I think it's not finished, not the ultimate ink painting I want. With a history of thousands of years, the characteristics of ink and wash paintings should be maintained, and should not be flushed away by Western impact. I always think that ink and wash painting is a topic, and for me the topic is like this: since one has painted ink and wash paintings, he should make some breakthrough. Nevertheless, having painted for a long time, I always think I didn't make much exciting contributions, and it's not only me, thus I often questioned contemporary art. Chinese contemporary art should give priority to exploration, and keep away from market to maintain the vitality. I think the artists nowadays should ponder about this issue.

雅昌艺术网二零一五年七月二十日专稿

朱伟：激情退却后 就只剩焦虑了

文 / 刘倩

执笔绘画二十七年，艺术家朱伟开始质疑自己从事的当代艺术，抛开绘画玩了一阵子，却发现再也找不到画画的精神头儿，也不想继续像以前一样卯着劲儿画画。“现在画的画其实不是我自己真正想要的，疲劳，没有新的题材出现，不想无病呻吟。”所以朱伟如今的生活就是“以玩儿为主”。这并不是他第一次进入“不务正业”的阶段，在画《水墨研究系列》之前，从2007年到2012年，朱伟在绘画上停滞了五六年时间，“别人说我休息，其实就剩下焦虑了。”

看似逍遥却带着焦虑的日子，因为朱伟摆脱不了艺术家忧国忧民的天性，寻找自己新的绘画形式的同时，也思考着中国当代艺术的何去何从：“当代艺术到现在，全世界的艺术家们都站在一条起跑线上了，大家都面临着无米可炊。为什么西方当代艺术没有新绘画出现的时候，中国艺术家们就马上面临着集体无声了?中国经济崛起了，但艺术上为什么就没有这种苗头呢?”

正好赶上85美术运动三十年，各类回顾活动此起彼伏，朱伟的语言很直接：“一个模仿西方的三十年，值得回顾吗?或许再等一等，六十年、一百年之时，再看看有没有值得回顾的事。”显然，朱伟对于当代艺术是失望的，这在其他艺术家看来或许有点儿杞人忧天。朱伟跟很多人都聊过他的质疑，却没有产生过共鸣，的确，那么多年的在场，谁会愿意否定自己的以前呢?

总是针砭时弊直指当代艺术现状的朱伟，具有典型的“老北京”式的口吻，朱伟说自己对新生事物越来越保守，他不用微博微信，手机也是仅仅能支持电话短信的老款诺基亚。当然，他还有光头、墨镜、衣着打扮和对摇滚的爱好，这些都足以能够配得上时髦的“当代艺术家”的身份。

出生于60年代的朱伟是89后的艺术家代表。85时期，当各方艺术群体浩浩荡荡展开艺术大讨论时，朱伟在封闭的解放军艺术学院上学，并没有直接参与80年代的热血狂潮，却看完了80年代的重要当代艺术展览。他后来的绘画直接受到了85大环境的影响，却没有老85们的沉重与严肃，他们这一代对某些符号的利用也没那么恰到好处，就如他们对当代艺术的态度一样，后89艺术从一开始就是戏谑和调侃的。即使对当代艺术有再多抱怨，但朱伟始终认为，中国的绘画还有一个水墨：“水墨画比别人多出两千多年，中国的当代艺术理应在几千年的水墨基础上走得更远。”

自己就是最好的艺术

雅昌艺术网：85年您进入解放军艺术学院读书，当时的环境是怎样的?您是否受到了85的影响?

朱伟：军队很封闭，但是大环境是有的，我没有直接参与过85，如果非要说和85相关，一是85的展览例如现代艺术大展、中国美术馆人体展等重要展览都看过，二是当时和当代艺术有关的杂志、书籍也看过，现在我家里还保存了很多当年的美术杂志。当时我更关注浙江的水墨发展，关注谷文达、沈勤，就觉得他们敢画。

雅昌艺术网：在这样的大环境之下，您的创作是如何开始的?

朱伟：我画的第一张创作是1987年的《八大的山水》，当时画的是纯山水，一个人物都没有，也可能是受到85的影响，能好好画但就不好好画，把八大的山水给结构化了，有结构、有山、有水、有文字，很装饰画的一种结构。当然这种画在学校里是不能拿出来的，上课只能画素描，这是背地里画自己想画的，我也画点儿泼墨，但很多都失败了，只留下了一张。

再后来就开始画人物，我住在人大附近的万泉庄，离北大附近的圆明园很近，经常会骑着自行车去看，看大家画什么回去我用水墨材料来画，但是我不太愿意去圆明园住，因为他们都是画油画的，我画水墨凑在一起聊不来。当时就画出了《北京故事系列》。

雅昌艺术网：跟85时期的绘画完全不同，你们这一代人的画面状态其实跟生活很贴切。

朱伟：60年代出生的人对事物的反应自然的反应在画面中，没有上一代一脑门子的痛苦。因为我们成长的过程中文革已经结束，也没有经历过上山下乡，所以对于某些东西的追求没有那么迫切，也没有那么痛苦。到了90年代初，市场开始出现了，大家就琢磨怎么好卖，例如刘炜他们学版画的，黑白版画没人要，就想着买国外分的很细的颜料直接挤到画面上填色就好卖了，我的水墨画也是这样。

雅昌艺术网：从《北京故事系列》开始，军队人物形象一直存在于画面中，再后来直接画了《上尉同志》等和军队相关的人物画，是跟您自我经历相关吗?

朱伟：画军队人物也是因为当时当兵，当代艺术的意识和思潮产生之后，我们那一代人大家都悟出来要画自己，不再去写生，跟生活没啥关系，自己就是最好的艺术，所以当时我周边的每个人都画身边的故事，观念不知不觉地发生了一些变化，把自己跟社会结合起来，不管生硬与否，反正是放到一起了。

雅昌艺术网：似乎从《上尉同志三号》这件作品开始，开启了您对人物的重点刻画?因为在这之前的绘画都是多个人物和风景结合，而从这张开始，重点放在了人本身。

朱伟：的确，从这张画开始我开始更关注某一个人，在这之前画的似乎都没有去画一个人的内心世界。在此之前，我经常画毛泽东，时代感就出来了，但是画别人或者我家亲戚，大家都不认识。这张画一方面为了跟社会呼应，开始画一个人的内心，另一方面也是我对人物的把握相对成熟了。在此之前或许是能力达不到，总觉得水墨画很弱，如果不画成叙事情境或小说，画总站不住，所以总是靠人、山水去描述一件事情、一个场景。到这张画的时候我在造型上完全把握到了当代人物应该如何去画，跟时代挂钩了，就开始画大头。

雅昌艺术网：面临西方绘画的冲击，会跟别人讨论水墨画存在的问题吗?

朱伟：90年代有过新文人画的讨论，但那会儿我们都在忙着画画，很少讨论，每个人都是画完就卖，也不愿意让别人看到，我也不会去别人工作室乱窜，也不太去看画。

激情时代

雅昌艺术网：那当时画画的状态是怎样的呢?

朱伟：因为年轻，有激情，画画总感觉有的画，想的少，脑子里似乎并没有什么思想来指引，就是不断的有东西在画。但画了二十多年之后，现在却不愿意画了，想的多，会想我画了这么多年的画是不是当代艺术?

1993年我就开始和画廊合作，当时我只认和我合作的画廊，平常都是一个人，骑车去圆明园也不跟任何人交流，就是过去蹭顿饭，我比较独。我还跟画廊立了个规矩，不参加任何联展，要做就做个展，觉得水墨画和油画放在一起，气场会弱很多，油画颜料是能够反射光的，但水墨画隔着玻璃不好看，我有的画3米多，没有那么大玻璃，总觉得我在拿一个彩色稿跟人家比赛似的，现在想想这是非常失败的。才刚刚碰到程昕东聊起1996年在巴黎法兰西画廊做了一个当代艺术的联展，邀请了方力钧、王广义、顾德新和我，但当时我就因为是联展而拒绝了，后来那个展览挺轰动的。

雅昌艺术网：从89年到90年代中期，您的画面本身风格其实是有一些变化的。

朱伟：开始是故意做旧的效果，最初画这些当代的东西，总想要拉回到传统中去，觉得毕竟我画的是水墨，不能画的白不呲咧的。所以开始对画天安门、红旗、当兵的人，会把颜色做旧，让画面跟传统绘画有点儿关系，后来发现观众已经开始接受当代绘画，再后来即使画面不做旧，也能让画面的气息追溯到传统中。

雅昌艺术网：最明显的风格变化其实是《甜蜜生活系列》，这个会印证了您生活中的某些变化吗?

朱伟：《甜蜜生活》前后一共画了三十多张，开始画这一系列，是因为当时我感觉到生活开始甜蜜。1993年开始我跟画廊签了独家代理合约，那时候我才二十六七岁，解约的时候我都四十一了，等于是端了个不愁吃喝的饭碗。大约1995年，我自己的心情开始变化了，开始衣食无忧，有吃有喝，当时我还买了第一辆车，那会儿北京路上还没什么车，我每天晚上都喝完酒再开车，也没人管，每天晚上泡酒吧，跟摇滚乐队天天混在一起。当时我看了一部意大利电影叫《甜蜜的生活》，找到了这批画的名字，当时心情很好，画的也多，每年画三四十张，画画状态好，每天一个变化。不像现在7个月就画了一张画。

雅昌艺术网：画画之外您更多的会跟儿摇滚的朋友在一起，音乐会对你的画有影响吗?

朱伟：有影响，摇滚乐是一个抽象的，你想表达但是却找不到他的画面，所以画面有自己的实践，这对我来说有意义。不像跟艺术家朋友在一起，很容易相互剽窃。

当水墨遭遇市场

雅昌艺术网：您绘画的系列总是在不停的变换，仅90年代就有十来个不同的系列。

朱伟：我的画到现在一共有19个系列，而且每个系列前后变化都很大，不太喜欢被商业和市场抓到那种符号的认知。很多人都跟我聊说，不要变的让别人不认识我了，但我觉得我就是一步步的往前这么画，高兴。但也有一部分原因是由于各类展览催的，只能一点点变化，我想变，但是还没有来得及变化展览又来了，有时候有点儿应付展览。到后来真正有变化是2012年进入观念绘画的《水墨研究系列》。

雅昌艺术网：您说不太想被商业认知到特别具有符号的作品，但是《中国 中国 》那件作品却是很典型的。

朱伟：对，这张画是画邓小平的，受到了市场的特别追捧，在外界看来这张画时代性非常强，直到现在都有画廊在要这张作品的版画，台湾也有很多人来买它，到目前为止这张画已经做了几百张版画，也都卖的很贵。这对于我来说是很矛盾的，对我来说就是我画了众多人物画中的一个。

可能很多艺术家都有这样的矛盾，你想改变别人对你的认知，但观众就是认可那个东西，就像赵薇演小燕子之后，再演谁都觉得不合适，市场也容易造成艺术家的这种痛苦，不成名痛苦，成名了改变不了也痛苦。这个时候也很危险，搞不好转型之后观众和画廊都不认可你了，可能你在当代艺术视野里就消失了，如果要坚持下去也会很痛苦。对我来说，这么多年画的系列多，东西比较杂，会相对好一点。

雅昌艺术网：那在这么多绘画的系列中您自己相对更钟情于哪个系列?

朱伟：《乌托邦》系列可以说是在创作上比较新，对我来说是成功的，画面人物场景简洁，也将古代绘画中的元素加入到绘画中，我自己是比较满意的。这些年画画一直在想的一个问题是水墨画一定得照顾中国两年多年来的传统，只是一个劲儿的往前走就不是水墨了。从画面本身来说是如此，从现实的角度来看，也反映了社会的现状，乌托邦其实表达的就是偌大的开会现场，大家都在那里有的没的做笔记，瞎写，这是一种中国的现象。

停滞之后的探索

雅昌艺术网：从2007年开始到2012年画《水墨研究系列》之前停滞了很长一段时间，为何?

朱伟：断断续续停了五六年的时间，2012年开始画《水墨研究系列》。这中间也偶尔画两张瓷器大花盆，以前的盘子上总会有蝴蝶什么的，我就把蝴蝶换成人飘在盘子上，大量的留白，但大家都没看明白我画的是瓷器。后来跟画廊解约，总觉得没人催也挺好的，你现在给多少钱我也不想画了。对画画的激情过去了。

雅昌艺术网：那段时间都说您在休息，没有东西可画会焦虑吗?

朱伟：基本就剩下焦虑了，那段时间媒体说我在休息，拍拍片子之类的，其实还是想着再画，但是很难开始，基本就剩下焦虑了。2012年开始找到《水墨研究系列》，但是我觉得也不完全是我想要的当代水墨画。

开启《水墨研究系列》的时候，我觉得过去了二三十年，中国人的生存环境有了很大变化，每个人身边都多了点儿爵士乐、酒吧，贷款，按揭什么的，但是其实并没有在抱负里解脱出来，人们都变得疲惫了，不像当年那么有激情，也没有当年的爆发力，似乎大家都在忍受这种状态，所以我画的就是一个忍耐的状态。

雅昌艺术网：叫做《水墨研究系列》，其实您是在寻找水墨本身的问题?

朱伟：对，这一系列作品叫做“水墨研究”其实并不是一种最终的成果，所以我叫做“研究”，我认为不是成品。这还不是我最终想要的水墨画，我觉得几千年下来水墨画的特征应该保持，而不应该被西方的冲击所妥协。我一直觉得水墨画是一个课题，这个课题对我来说是这样的：既然画了水墨，就应该有所突破。但是老觉得画了半天没有太令人激动的贡献。所以我经常老是质疑当代艺术，不是我一个人没有新意，中国当代艺术还是应该以探索为主，离市场远一点，保持生命力，我觉得当下的艺术家应该琢磨这样的问题了。