艺术评论

      【评论】其实我也没有真正知道自己是如何成长的---陈文令与李贵明访谈

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      2014-05-28 15:42:22

        李:从最早的“小红人”到“英勇奋斗”、“幸福生活”直至今年的“金牛系列”,突出的视觉效果、充满张力的体量感、主题的不断创新等特征一直贯穿于您的作品,您作品所呈现的艺术气质是您真实性格的投射吗?


          陈:我的性格特点是只言片语难以言尽的。我是双子座、B型血,败落的地主阶级的后裔,少年时干过农事,当过乡村画师。也许这些影响了我的艺术气质,充满着摇摆和不确定性,同时敏感且富有激情。其实,有很多方面我也说不清楚自己,我无法真正认识自我,我是一个充满矛盾的人,常常要花好多时间去说服自己,很难与自己谈和。如此的性格基调为我的作品铺垫下了一层底色:一种草根生猛、睿智,并充满挑衅力和冒险精神。


          李:一个人童年时代的生存环境和人文环境对其日后的艺术气质起着至关重要的作用,那您的童年是怎样的状态呢?


          陈:我出生于福建安溪县金谷村,举目环顾皆是层层叠叠青翠的山谷。当年的金谷村是一个非常贫瘠的山村,村中间淌过一条清澈的小溪。我在这条溪边天天摸爬滚打着成长,不是捕鱼就是掏鸟窝,不是捉迷藏就是打水仗等等。我的童年充满了一种野生成长的状态。当时,社会环境唯阶级论,由于我家的阶级成分是地主,常常遭人白眼和欺负,再加上孩提时我口吃十分严重,一句话半天说不出口,时常引得村童的捧腹大笑,他们越笑我就越愤怒,越愤怒就越说不出话来,经常把我急得不行。常常气不过之时,便和村童们打架。无论打赢还是打输,回家父母心定再爆打我一顿。总之,我的童年很压抑的时光会多一些。儿时话说得不流利,可是我的手脚倒是挺灵光的,用今天的话说就是患了“多动症”,什么药也治不愈。不知是哪天起我迷恋上在沙地上涂画、在田间捏泥人什么的,每每都感到格外开心。从此我感觉心里的艺术之门就慢慢地打开。我艺术的种子可能就是那时候种下的。日本著名艺术家村上隆说他的艺术来源于愤怒,我想我的艺术大概来源于愤怒和超越自卑的情绪。


          李:也就是说您的童年快乐是通过自己寻找的?


          陈:是的!在我整个童年时代里,父母从未给我们这些孩子买过任何一样的玩具,不可能像今天我女儿的玩具堆积如山。我童年的快乐都得自己去寻找和创造的。当时自己做了很多木制那样的或土捏的手枪、大炮、轮船、飞机什么的,玩得也不亦乐乎。让我记忆犹新的是,村子有些稍富的人家外墙是粉刷成白石灰墙,我就情不自禁的拿着木炭在白墙上涂龙画凤,或者画一些日本鬼子踩到地雷的图,描画着日本鬼子被地雷炸得钢盔、手枪、胳膊、大腿满天飞,非常痛快刺激。小孩们看得兴高采烈,白墙的主人们却气得狗血淋头,白刷刷的墙总是被我给糟蹋了。今天看来,这挺像是我最初的展览。我十二岁的时候全国恢复宗教信仰自由,处处大兴土木,修建寺庙、祖祠。大人们用木头雕刻神像,我就用田泥模仿做了些小神像,大人们抬着大神在村口山上举行开光仪式,我们村里的小孩们就抬着我做的小神像挨家挨户的去巡境。这有点像行动中的展览,村里的男女老小感到格外的惊喜。儿时的游戏对我日后从事艺术产生了不可低估的影响,我非常眷恋我快乐的童年时光。


          李:那艺术的理想对于当时环境下的你应该算是一个梦一般的愿望吧?


          陈:我十几岁时每个寒暑假期都要下田去帮助父母干农活,多余的时间就去帮村里的寺庙或祖祠画点门神龙凤什么的。每个假期都能挣得几十块钱以补家用。至今村里多处还保留着我十三四五岁时画的活。我们的村子坐落在群山环抱的小小盆地之中,房前屋后都是麦田而今却是茶园满目。有很多次,我们在埋头割小麦时,慢慢地听到飞机从山沟上飞出的轰轰声,每次都让我兴奋不已,紧紧盯住喷着一条长长白烟的飞机,盯着飞机从出现直到消失在天际边。心里想的是现在要好好割麦,好好读书、画画,以后考到大城市去,去看大飞机,不能永远待在村子里看这么一点点的。一个充满理想的农村少年,梦想着离开那片黑土地,真是一颗驰骋万里的心。


          李:在当时,是谁引领你走这条艺术道路?整个80、90年代的厦门是经济特区的前沿,福建人天生就有的生意头脑让厦门处处弥漫着金钱、物质和商业气息,而当时艺术更多的是个很理想但是没有钱赚的职业,你是如何走向职业艺术家这条道路的?


          陈:当时,我在老家跟启蒙老师翁火枝学习了三年画画,在厦门师从马心伯老师和李维礼老师学习雕塑。他们对我艺术基础和人格塑造也都产生很大的影响。91年毕业时我做为优等生分配在厦门市政府主办的鹭风报社当美编,92年底邓小平南巡讲话,推动市场经济体系的改革。我就是这个时候辞去了工作走上了职业艺术家的道路。先是回到安溪老家待了半年,做了些木雕。93年到中央美术学院雕塑进修。94年返回厦门成立陈文令工作室,当时工作室非常简陋,一直折腾到99年春天才有了大一点的转机,当时的商业雕塑活几乎都不做了,着手于“小红孩”系列雕塑的创作。


          李:在90年代末,选择作为一名职业艺术家是艰难的。但是你还是坚持用最大的胆识和精力在厦门珍珠湾海滩做了一个对你来说具有里程碑意义的展览——“红色记忆”的个展。


          陈:整个90年代,中国雕塑家几乎都在承接带有甲乙方关系的城市雕塑,这是很难保证艺术家创作的独立性。98年我萌芽做“小红人”雕塑的念头。并从99年至01年的三年里潜心地创作这套作品。2000年7月初,我到北京四处碰壁,找不到展场,后来无奈地被逼推到海边去展示,真是歪打正着起了意想不到的展示效果。“小红孩”置于蓝天、碧海、黄沙滩、绿草场之中,还有一些搁小木船上。激起很强烈的视觉张力。而且具有大泛的公共性,前来观展的什么人都有,从厦门市长大学师生到卖艺者,甚至乞丐都来观展。当时,乞丐仍然是在展场讨钱而已,哈哈!这种展示方式所产生的互动关系很有意思。当时有人赞不绝口,有人破口大骂,厦门的媒体也作出了很多评论和介绍,随之在国内也引起挺大的反响,尤其是在南中国。确实是向社会抛出了一个被谈论的话题。我认为艺术家的个展似乎是一次自我艺术的全面体检。不论你是驴是马都得拉出来溜一溜,这才能检验出一个艺术家的底气。每次个展后所引发的各路声音都能成为我成长的养分和理由。其实一名艺术家的成长史就是一部个人艺术发展的展览史。


          李:在完成“小红孩”系列作品之后,你有了更明确的方向感。并把自己的全部精力都投入到个人作品的创作上来,已经进入了职业艺术家的状态。


          陈:把艺术当职业是我的少年梦想。孩时,就是想长大后天天游山玩水、雕塑、画画、每天睡到自然醒,远离文山会海的条条框框。因为我这个人就是典型的属于那种宁挖一口井,不挖十个坑的人,尽量把这口井挖到出水,甚至出石油为止,艺术无疑是我的最爱。创作“小红孩”之前,我一直在黑洞里摸索着,看不到黑洞出口的一点曙光。但我铁打的心坚信自己一定出得来。


          李:之后你作的“幸福生活”和“英勇奋斗”这些系列的作品在中国当代艺术界产生很大的反响,并频繁地亮相各种国内外的各种双年展等重要展览,这与您个人的生活经历有关吗?


          陈:我做“小红孩”的时候,身处比较封闭的环境中,外界对我的影响不多。大都只能随着自己的生存经验去创作。当然艺术家个人的典型经验往往也是典型的社会经验或是集体经验的投射。相对而言,“小红人”是比较内向型的作品。后来“小红孩”参加广州的一次三年展之后,我决定做一套相对外向一点的作品,所谓“外向”就是更加直接关注现实和介入社会。于是我从2003年春天开始着手做“幸福生活”这套作品,在后来又做“英勇奋斗”、“中国风景”、“物神”、“紧急出口”等系列作品。


          李:不同于一些艺术家所坚持的一种符号化的创作思路,您的创作思路一直在转向之中,每次系列的创作完成时间不超过两三年时间,近年来更是一年一个面目,但是精神内核大多是涉及消费主义社会的种种现实问题。那您对消费主义的理解又是怎样的?


          陈:从根本上说我是一个有风格没符号的艺术家。我的内心要求我不断超越自己、打倒自己。我骨子里挺欣赏那些战死沙场的英雄,不欣赏那些抱着勋章自我陶醉、停滞不前的英雄。消费主义与消费文化是不同的概念。前者是贬、后者是褒。消费主义是舶来品。它是推崇人的一切价值都建立在消费、炫耀、极度的奢侈、无节制的物欲之上。把消费主义当做是人的终极目标。对于消费主义疯狂的时代,什么都可以被消费,每个人在消费别人的同时也被别人消费。消费主义刺激每个人的物欲的扩张和人性的异化。消费的本质就是交换的规律。有次,我回福建看到一个富人出殡队伍的长龙,其中有三个妇人扑在灵柩上哭喊得很厉害。当时我对边上的人说,这位去世的老人一定是很受爱戴和尊重的长者。边上人说,这些哭得最厉害的都是花钱请来哭丧的。本来一天是150元的佣金,今天她们每人可拿到500元。也就是说她们拿的钱越多哭的就越是撕心烈肺、肝肠寸断。哭价越贵、哭得越痛而内心越开心。这真是哭笑不得的现实社会。这些哭丧的妇人的被消费对象是哭声、眼泪、痛感的表情。这就是她们的生存所依。其实,今天的穷人比古代自给自足的农耕时代里的穷人要痛苦多了。因为今天的消费社会分工太细化了,所以今人比古人被物质欲的异化的程度要严重得多。


          李:你今年的“紧急出口”展览得到了很好的口碑,在学术上也得到了广泛的认可,可以说对以前作品的一次大的超越。你是如何挑战这个新的主题?


          陈:这几年的社会现实中关于坑蒙拐骗的事端频频见诸媒体,各种花招层出不穷。华尔街的麦道夫正是典型的缩影。我想通过自己的艺术做出一点回应。“紧急出口”展的这两件作品不适用粉饰生活,更不适用娱乐百姓或歌功颂德,而适用认识人性,了解社会,是解剖社会的听诊器。我也知道自己永远治不好这些“社会病”,但我力争提出一些问题,激发一些人去反思就足够了。


          李:我觉得您的很多作品都是用来对社会进行剖析,然后用一种寓言的幽默方式来表达。比如之前作品里的猪,或者这次作品中的牛,他们都是一个演员来充当不同的角色?


          陈:对我而言,猪是寓意物质性最好的载体,它的内在指向也比较复杂。比方说:猪的生产力,猪的烈量,猪的富足感,猪的闲散的快乐,猪的膨胀的速度,猪的脏,猪的愚蠢或聪明等等等。上述的种种让人难以一言道尽。它能为受众提供更多的阅读可能性,哪怕是误读,错读都是我不反对的,同样是一种解读。我想把“读”的自由度交给公众,让我的作品有更大的开放度。而近作中的“牛”,不是“孺子牛”,而是华尔街的“金牛”,它是金融,股市兴盛的象征,这是不言而喻的。我把华尔街的金牛的“屁”作为助推气,把叱咤风云的华尔街巨头顶在墙的中央,从而营造出一种戏谑、荒谬、反调的戏剧般图境。


          李:纯粹探讨艺术语言或纯粹探讨艺术观念可能都不是当下对艺术最好的呈现方式,艺术语言和艺术观念的兼容并包是艺术家要面对的。在中国当代艺术领域里,您的艺术语言和方法论都是极具个人风格和代表性的,您是怎样来构筑和传达您的艺术观念的呢?


          陈:我从观念艺术、新媒介艺术、装置艺术等艺术形式中吸取我所要的营养。希望我自己天天在吃不同的大米,当大米进入到艺术之胃的时候,要经过反复的转换,提炼,酝酿和琢磨,然后酿造出自己香醇的米酒,而不是一个吃米拉米的机器通道。我应该是个酿酒厂,终究是要酿造自己的艺术美酒。再者我推崇雅俗共赏的艺术,喜欢深入浅出的方法论,讨厌浅入深出、故作深沉的伪艺术,徐冰说他的作品比较“平易近人”,对于这个提法我有深刻的共震。


          李:金融危机对于当代艺术是一次巨大的考验,考验艺术市场的基石、考验艺术家的职业素养、考验艺术家的信心。中国当代艺术家苦过,但是经历财富的迅速积累后,艺术家的心里素质反而差了很多,而您恰恰在大家出于信心低谷的时候大手笔的投入新的展览,您怎么看艺术市场波动对于一个艺术家的影响?


          陈:经过金融危机和北京艺术家工作室的大拆迁后,我们会发现英雄气短的比英雄气长的多得多。这是一场雪上加霜的双重创伤。大多数的中国当代艺术家都要经历这场暴风骤雨的洗礼。我想真正强悍的艺术家一定是愈挫愈勇的。在不景气的冬天,我们更应该好好磨刀,待到春天之时定有用武之地。今年确实是最严峻的一年,我以“紧急出口”展回应我的基本立场。


          李:您的艺术经历和生命历程经历充满了故事甚至带有些传奇色彩,您可以用一个比喻来概括您走过的这四十年的风风雨雨吗?


          陈:我出身贫微,早年身处边缘的边缘人。98年以前我像是一台土炮,浑身是劲,满腔激情,但缺乏正规军的洗礼和规范。土炮的炮弹打不远,杀伤力也不大,当炮弹打尽之时,敌军顶多数是轻伤而已,而我军却是死伤无数,最后只落得一片滚滚浓烟、碍我远见。而今的我更像是一架腾空而起、搏击苍穹的战斗机。试飞已过,初得要领,自由翱翔,虽称不上歼敌无数,但已有用武之地,并且已经拥有了自己的雷达装置和导航仪系统。只要不骄不躁,必能达成目标。诚然我一生的终极心愿就是想成为一把无声手枪,袖珍干练归于平静,不动声色。这种淡定从容的边缘人的生活就是我的理想国。我的一生就是从边缘人走向边缘人。其实我上述的自诩也是从无数历史能人的生命经验中得到的开示。


          李:听说您2010年还会有一个更具震撼性的展览,您可以谈谈未来新展计划?


          陈:其实,人生的许多方面是无法按照自己设计好的方式走的,我今天的想法可能明天就会有变数,所以现在还不好说清楚,待到明年时敬请大家多多关注我的新作吧。




        陈工作室




        2009年10月1日Actually, I do not really know how I grew up


        Li Guiming Made an Interview with Chen Wenlin


        Chen Art Studio


        October 1, 2009




        Li: From earliest " Little Red Child" to the "Heroic Struggle ", "Happy Life"" until "Golden Bull Series" of this year,some characteristics, such as the prominent visual effect, tension-filled body feeling, continuous innovation of the theme, have been pass through your work. Do you think your art is projection of your true personality?


        Chen: My personality is difficult to be characterized by few words. I am a Gemini, B-type blood, declined landlord class's descendant. When I was a young man, I has done the farming, has worked as a village painter. Perhaps these experiences have influenced on my artistic makings, which full of uncertainty and sensitivity. Actually, there are many aspects that I do not know myself. I am unable to really know myself, I am a person full of contradictions; often spend a lot of time to convince myself. Many times, it is difficult to talk about. These characters pave the way for my art works: a vigorous grass-roots, wisdom, and full of provocative and adventurous spirit.


        Li: The living environment and the culture environment of a person’s childhood usually play an important role to his art making. Could you tell us something about your childhood?


        Chen: I was born in Jingu Village of Anxi County in Fujian Province where the green valleys were all around. At that time, Jingu village was a very barren mountain village, and there was a river flowed through the village. I played around this river everyday, fishing, digging bird nest, hiding-and-seeking, water fighting, and so on. My childhood was truly wild.At that time, people in the society was only being considered by class origin. Because my family's class origin was the landlord, I was treated disdainfully frequently. In addition, I had stutter problem when I was child. A few words needed to be said quite a while, which often caused other kids’ laughing. I was angry about the laughing, the more angry the more stutter. I was always anxious under this kind of situation, So I was always fighting with them. Regardless of wins or loses, my parents would hit me again when I went home. In short, my childhood was kind of depressed. Although I had stutter problem, my body was quite flexible. I was very active at that time. Maybe it was "hyperactivity" with the words of today. Gradually, I became obsessed with graffiti in the sand and pinching clay figurine, and often feel especially happy when I was doing that. Since then, I felt that art opened the door in my mind gradually. The seed of art was probably planted in my heart at that time. The Well-known Japanese artist Takashi Murakami said that his art came from anger, I think my art was probably from anger and from the effort of beyond the emotion of low self-esteem.


        Li: So, the happiness of your childhood was seeking by yourself?


        Chen: Yes! Throughout my childhood, my parents never brought us any toys. Not like my daughter, she has plenty of them. The joy of my childhood had to go to find and create by myself. At that time I have made a lot of wood or soil staffs, like pistols, guns, ships, aircraft or something else. At that time, the outer wall of the wealthy villagers’ house always been painted by white plaster. I could not help to use charcoal painting on the white walls. I was drawing everything on the wall, such as drawing some Japanese stepped on mines, drawing their helmets, pistols, clothes run all over the place. It was really fun, and the owners of the houses were very angry about these paintings. From today's perspective, it’s quite like my first exhibition. When I was twelve years old, the country restored the freedom of religious belief, and then local people began to build large scale temple and ancestral hall everywhere. Since adults used wood to carve statues, then I used clay to make some small statues to imitate adults. Adults carried giant gods and held opening ceremony at the mountain, and our kids also carried and showed our little statues all around the village. This was a bit like the moving exhibition. Some villagers were particularly surprised by our little statues. The games of my childhood were important to my art career; I really missed my joyful childhood time.


        Li: Regarding to the environment of your childhood, art just like a dream for you, right?


        Chen: when I was a teenager, I had to do farm work after the school and painted something for the temples in the extra time to make some money for my family. Until now, many places in the village are still retaining my teenage painting. Our village is located in a small basin surrounded by mountains and wheat fields are all around the houses. Many times when I was cutting wheat, I heard the airplane flying above the valley. I was very excited. I was always staring at the airplane until it disappeared into the horizon. At that time, I decided to study hard, paint well, and later I could study in a big city to see the big planes, not just stayed in the small village. At that time, I was an idealistic rural youth and dreamed to leave the small village. It’s really an ambitious heart.


        Li: Who was leading you to the filed of art? Xiamen was the Special Economic Zone during the entire 80 and 90s. People in Fujian Province have strong business-mind so that the city filled with money, material and commercial atmosphere. At that time, art could not make good profit compare with other careers, how did you move toward to the road of professional artist?


        Chen: At that time, I spent three years to study with my first painting teacher Wong Huozhi, and learn sculpture with teacher Ma Xinbo and teacher Li Weili in Xiamen. They also have tremendous influence to my art foundation and my personality. In 1991, I graduated and was assigned to Lufeng Newapaper as an art editor. Lufeng Newapaper was a government sponsored newspaper. At the end of 1992, Deng Xiaoping visited Shengzhen, and released the famous southern tour speech to promote the reform of market economy. At that time, I resigned the job of the newspaper and stepped onto the path of professional artist. At the beginning, I was back to my hometown and made some wood scuptures. In 1993, I went to China Central Academy OfFine Arts to continue my sculpture studies. After that, I was back to Xiamen to set up my art studio in 1994. The studio was very simple at that time. The situation was not changed until the spring of 1999. Since then,I didn’t make city sculptures any more and proceeded in the "Little Red Child" series at that time.


        Li: In the late 90s, the choice of being a professional artist was not very easy. But you still insisted on this with great courage and energy, and made the milestone exhibition "Red Memory" in Pearl Bay Beach of Xiamen, which was a very significance step for you.


        Chen: Most of Chinese sculptors undertook urban sculptures according to contracts during the entire the 90s. It was very difficult to guarantee artists’ creation and independence by doing this kind of sculptures. In 1998, I had the idea of making the sculptures of "Little Red Child", and devoted the following three years to create this series. At the beginning of July, 2000, I tried to find a place in Beijing to exhibit these works, but I failed. I was forced to display the works at the seaside of Xiamen. However, the demonstration effect was unexpected good. These red child sculptures were placed among blue sky, blue sea, yellow sand, and green grass field, which provoked a very strong visual tension. It also had a wide range of public nature. The visitors were various, which included mayor, professors, college students, and so on. Even beggars came to the show, ha-ha! This kind of demonstration produced the interactive relations which were very interesting. At that time, some people praised the exhibition extremely, and some people abused it. Xiamen's media also introduced this show and made some comments. The show caused the very big reaction in the whole country, particularly in the south China. It was truly a topic thrown to the society at that time. I think artist’s exhibition is comprehensive examination of the art itself. Whether you are a donkey or a horse, you must show yourself in front of people. It is the way to examine the energy of the artist. The different voices of each exhibition could become the nutrients that help me to grow. Actually, the growth history of an artist is the history of his art exhibition.


        Li: After completion of the "Little Red Child" series, you had a clear direction of your art and put all of your energy into the individual art creation. You totally worked as a professional artist since then.


        Chen: Becoming an artist was my dream of youth. When I was child, I dreamed to enjoy the beauty of nature, to make sculptures, and to paint everyday in the future; and I could be awake naturally everyday and far away from the rules of society. I am a person who is rather to dig a well, than to dig ten pits. I always dig as far as possible until find water in this well; even find the petroleum in the well.Undoubtedly, art is my most favorite thing. Before the creation of the "Little Red Child", I had been struggled in the black hole and could not see the exit point of the black hole. But I believed I could come out.


        Li: After the "Little Red Child", the "Happy Life" and the "Heroic Struggle" series also received great response in Chinese contemporary art world. These works frequently appeared on a variety of domestic and international Biennales and some important exhibitions. Did these works relate to your life experiences?


        Chen: when I did the "Little Red Child" series, I lived in a relatively unenlightened environment. The outside world did not make too much influence on me. My creation was major based on my own experience. Certainly, the typical experience of individual artist is also the typical of social experience or the projection of group experience. Relatively, the "Little Red Child" is a quite internally oriented work. After the "Little Red Child" participated in Guangzhou Triennial, I decided to do some relative extroverted work, which means I wanted to pay more attention to social reality and wanted to be involved into the society. Therefore, I started from the spring of 2003 to do "Happy Life". After that, I made the "Heroic Struggle", "Chinese Landscape", "the Fetish", "Emergency Exit" series, and so on.


        Li: Unlike some of the artists who have insisted the creation of a symbolic mark constantly, your creations were always in change. You completed each series no more than two to three years. Recently, you have different presentation every year. But the spirit of your works always focuses on the reality problems of the consumption society, then, what’s your understanding of consumerism?


        Chen: Basically, I am not a labeled artist. I always pushed myself to continue to surpass myself. I appreciated these who died in the battle filed, and did not appreciate these who always stayed in the old place. Consumerism and consume culture are two different concepts. The former concept is a negative one, and the latter concept is a positive one. Consumerism is an imported concept. It is a principle that all human values are built on consume, showing off, extreme luxury, and intemperate desire for materials. People put this as the ultimate goal. In the era of consumerism, anything can be consumed.Everyone consumes others as well as consumed by others. Consumerism stimulates people’s desire of material expansion and alienation of human nature, because the nature of consumerism is the rule of exchange. For example, in Fujian Province, I once saw a rich person’s funeral, people cried in the queues. There were three women among them flapped in the coffin and cried badly. At that time, I said to others that this dead person must be a very respectful person, and was deeply loved by others. But people around me told me that these three women who cried most powerful were hired for the funeral. Originally, the commission fee was 150 Yuan a day. But today they could get 500 Yuan a day. That was why they cried more intense than others, the more intense the more money. They cried painful, but their hearts were happy because they could make more money. This was really a dumbfounding reality of society. The consumer objects of these women were tears and painful expression. They made living by these. In fact, poor people in today suffered more than ancient people, because today's social divisions of labor are too comprehensive and detailed, so people’s alienation by the expansion of material desire is much more serious in today.


        Li: The "Emergency Exit" exhibition has received very good comments, and obtained widely agreements in academic aspect.This exhibition could be considered as a big surmounting of your previous art creations. Could you share with us how you challenged this new theme?


        Chen: In recent years,we saw a lot of troubles of the society. There were all kinds of tricks and endless cheating. Wall Street’s Madoff was a typical miniature. I wanted to make a point about the society through my own artistic response. These two works of "Emergency Exit" exhibition were not for decorating our lives or entertaining people, but for understanding human nature and the society. I knew that I could never cure the "social disease".I just tried to ask some questions to stimulate people to reconsider their lives.This is enough.


        Li: Most of your art works were used to analyze the society by a humorous way, Such as the pigs in your previous works and the bull in the latest works. These animals were playing different roles in your artistic creations.


        Chen:For me, pig is the best carrier for my art implication.Its internal characteristics are also complicated. For example: the productivity of pig, the strong volume of pig, the rich sense of pig, the happiness of pig, the expansion rate of pig, the dirty aspect of pig, the stupid or smart characters of pig, and so on. All these characteristics are difficult to be represented by others. It provides visitors more possibilities to read, even if it is misread. I do not oppose misread.It’s also a kind of interpretation. I want my works have enough freedom space and open mind to the public. The "Bull" of my latest works is not "Cow of Ruzi" which is willing to serve the people whole-heartedly, but a stock market symbol of prosperity. I used "the fart" of the bull as the boost of the mad Wall Street, which squashed the influential Wall Street giant Madoff to the central of the wall, thus created a sense of playful, absurd, and anti-dramatic atmosphere.


        Li: At present, exploring the art language purely, or simply exploring the art concept may not be the best presentation of art. How to combine these two elements is a problem that artists must face. Your art language and methodology are very personal and representative in the field of Chinese contemporary art. How did you build and convey your artistic ideas?


        Chen: I abstracted nutrients from conceptual art, new media art, installation art, and other art forms. I hope that I am different everyday, just like eating different rice everyday. When rice gets into the stomach of art,it need to be gone through again, such as brewing, refining, and converting, then I could get the aromatic rice wine finally. I should be a brewery. I must brew my own artistic wine eventually. Furthermore, I esteem art which has both academic and popular tastes, and I like the methodology of explaining the profound in a simple language. I hate false art which presents deep intentionally. Xu Bing said his art is easy to access, I totally agree with him in this point.


        Li: The financial crisis is a great test for contemporary art. It tests the cornerstone of the art, tests artists' professional qualification, and tests artists' confidence. After experienced hard time and the phrase of rapid accumulation of wealth, the sprits of Chinese contemporary artists are more vulnerable than before.But you presented such a large scale exhibition in such a difficult time, how do think of the influence of market fluctuation regarding to artists?


        Chen: After the financial crisis and the demolition of Beijing art studios, we found a lot of people lost their sprits and courage. Chinese contemporary artists need to go through this stormy baptism. I think the real artists must be more powerful under this kind of situation. In this cold winter, we must prepare ourselves until the spring time. I believe we will have opportunities at that time.This is indeed the most severe year. My exhibition of "Emergency Exit" represents my basic position.


        Li: Your life and art experiences are full of stories, and some of them just like legendary stories. Can you make a simple summarize of your life so far?


        Chen: I was born at a poor family and lived in the edge of the society when I was young. I want to use weapons as the metaphor of my life. Before 1998, I was a simple and primitive artillery, which was full of energy and passion but lack of regular training. The artillery could not hit very far and the destruction ability was not large. Even it hit best, the injury of enemy was small, but I myself suffered serious injury. The battle finally ended up with billowing thick smoke, to obstruct my foresight. And now I like a sky fighter which passed the test and got the initial main point. Now I fly freely and have the opportunity to provide outstanding military service. I have my own radar equipment and navigation systems. I will be able to achieve my goals as long as I can keep humble. My ultimate wish is to become a silent pistol, pocket-sized, calm and tranquil, living in the edge of the society, keeping calm and leisure. These are my idealistic life style. My life is from edge to edge. Actually, I mentioned above were from the life experiences of numerous historical genius.


        Li: I heard that you have an exhibition in 2010; can you talk about your plan for the future?


        Chen: Actually, life is always not following its own design. Today’s idea may be changed at tomorrow. So it is hard to say something accurately right now. I just hope people pay attention to my new works in




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