Jia Aili' s Hibernation <3>

My first article ever published in a art catalogue, for a group show "Looking for Me", curated by Fangfang at Shanghai Minsheng Art Centre this September. I wrote the part for Jia Aili within 500 Chinese characters.

If it’s true that an artist’s technique is developed later in life, then his disposition is surely innate. When the heavens endowed Jia Aili with his artist temperament, they also gave him an incredibly sensitive fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae. As a student in sketch class, one day their subject was a ball of wrinkled newspaper. Jia Aili was the first to finish, but looking closely, it becomes clear that he altered the newspaper’s headlines to read a dense jumble of: “Never Forget Painting Master Jia.” At that moment, Jia Aili’s talent and ambition of art has already outstanded from his peers.

Untitled 40x40cm Oil on Canvas 2008

Critics like to use words like “depressed” in describing Jia Aili and his art works. He is depressed in his heart, but never lack of adherent or adorer at his side. More care and attention might the other way round intensify his torment inward about creation and himself. When he was a student in Luxun Academy of Fine Arts, Aili often worked on a canvas at the corridor of the students building, drawing a crowd of fascinated onlookers every time. And he has been taking it easy while now his studio in Beijing also frequented by curators, critics, artists or art enthusiasts.

It's not only you who is pale, Oil on Canvas, 300x600cm 2007 Jia Aili2

The Wasteland 286x400cm Oil on Canvas 2007

Facing the canvas, he is lonely, and longs to close the distance between him and his surroundings, but he always stops before going too far，in case any close touch to his sensitive heart or unintentional hurt.

Untitled 296x400cm Oil on Canvas 2007-2008

The Wasteland 286x400cm Oil on Canvas 2007

The most common recurring element in Jia Aili’s paintings is a man in the gas mask; he consistently fills his enormous paintings with an expansive wasteland that seems to swallow up everything. Adding words such as “wizen,” “pale,” or “waste” to his landscapes of ruin, skeletons of planes, or waning lotus ponds, thoroughly diffuse the solitude and inhibition of Jia Aili’s works. The occasional appearance of beds, the seascape or his father bear the weight of inescapable innermost feelings and a sorrow that he will never reveal to others.

残败的不只是你 170x175cm 布面油画2006

《无名日2》200cmx267cm Oil on canvas 2007

Untitled, 200x232cm, oil on canvas, 2008

A smoking bed, a burning car, and a smoldering open field…. What is burning? And what is transpiring with the smoke? Gazing at these dimly discernable coils of black smoke, is one’s heart liberated, at peace? Or is it even more entangled in nervousness, entrenched in suffering?

The Wasteand, 232x200 Oil on canvas 2008

二月物语-过去(床)-300cmX500cm-2006

In warm-colored works In the Fields of Hope and Be Ready at Any Time, the plaster busts donning gas masks in his paintings finally explode and collapse. Yet amidst his ceaseless self-negation, Jia Aili seems to have discovered the thoroughfares to self-discovery.

On the field of hopes 164x265cm oil on canvas 2007

The Wasteland 110x300cm Oil on canvas 2008

Image rights reserved to the artist and associated galleries.

Merry Christmas, Sanlitun Village

Missed the Santa Claus skating show on the open-air skating rink in Sanlitun Village at Christmas Eve, it is not late to lighten the special environment-protection-theme Christmas tree and have a look at the cute shopping baby installation in the south village till January 17th .

Sanlitun, is one of the best known and most popular bar street in Beijing. Adjacent to 79 foreign embassies and 7 foreign organizations in China, it is fashionable with expat community, foreign travelers and younger locals, despite several threats of closure.

Sanlitun Village, a new retail property by Hong Kong’s leading property developer, Swire Properties, was opened this summer with so much eyeball attraction by bringing the adidas global flagship store, first apple retail store in China and some other big bands such as Fossil, Nautica, Quiksilver, Steve Madden and Timberland. This winter, Sanlitun Village is presenting a fantastic experience of Christmas to Beijing with creation and arts.

A series of Peekaboo Angel Baby sculptures designed by contemporary designer and illustrator Dorophy Tang are exhibited among the stores in the south village. The babies are apparently oriental babies, but with a pair of symbolic wings of western angel. It is painted in blue flowers as the traditional Chinese blue-white porcelain. Moreover, some mud spotted on the baby makes it even ancient like unearthed cultural relics. As Dorophy said, the baby blends two different cultures with a real visual impact. Her works are based on some traditional Chinese elements, namely Chinese propaganda culture, New Year prints and traditional Chinese blue-white porcelain.

Dorophy Tang was born in Hong Kong, and graduated from department of design, Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Her raw creative talent was initially discovered by her mother, then she was encouraged to attend local art classes. She still has a strong memory of completing her first self-portrait aged just eight years old.

In 2008, she first came to Beijing with 70 little adidas babies, till now, not only adidas, Camera company Lomo and Japanese toy company Medicom both gave Tang free reign to redesign established products for them.

As for the shining point in the Christmas time of sanlitun village, it is an exhibition of the “green” Christmas tree design competition, joint hosted by the village, milk magazine and environmental organization The Green Long March.

The design uses empty wine bottles and corks to make the Christmas tree and second second-hand bike is attached to a generator which, when cycled, powers the Christmas lights. The visual effect and “green” electricity make this design an interesting and interactive Christmas tree.

The unique and creative design comes from He Linkan, a fourth-year student from the Academy of Arts and Design at Tsinghua University, and winner of this green Christmas tree design competition. What’s more, I happened to recognize that he is one of my friends when I skim over the sanlitun guide with my friends at a nearby café and see his portrait. Isn’t it a small world?

I sent him a SMS congratulation that night and expressed my idea of a further talk with him someday. He replied with his invariable Japanese style politeness and just wondered how I found it was him, who designs that tree since there is no caption beside.

Wish the incoming graduate a prosperous future.

Gia, A Punk Artist

The girl I would talk about this time has already gained her fame in the world early at the end of last century. But now she is still striking hard to explore a foothold with her own characteristic in the Chinese contemporary art scene.

It is Gia (Wang Yue), the girl who has graced the cover of American "Newsweek" as the representative of China's first female punks in 1999, and for twice from then, appeared at the same cover page with the portrait of Chairman Mao and president Nixon. This year, she is also nominated as one of the 40 heroes who make Beijing great by "Time Out" .

Despite of her glory in music, I am gonna talk something people may not know about Gia and her deep-hidden art talent.

Gia started her initiatory drawing learning when she was only three years old. She was enrolled into the art class of Beijing Children’s Palace at six, and later entered a middle school specilized in fine arts. It was also in the middle school she came to reach rock music. After middle school, she established her first band "Hang On The Box" with her classmates. And at the first school year of her college, she gave up art study and finally devote herself to the rock music. The band later signed a contract with a Japanese agency and gradually been popular abroad with their eccentric clothing and make-up as well as their fantastic music.

Never betraying her potential love in art, recently she finds some inspiration of art creation in music. She names it "soundpainting". (It is different from Perry Hall's "sounddrawings", which are images of sound waves moving through paint.)

Images below are paintings inspired by the music of two early foreign bands "ESG" and "NEU!". “ESG” can be traced back to the 70’s to 80’s Now York, frequented in art events organized by Andy Warhol.

While “NEU!” is from Germany, a well-known experimental avant-garde, characterized in Kraut Rock, with a sense of cold abstract.

This one comes from inspiration of the most popular experimental noise pioneer “EN” in Germany. The band owns a name translated as “collapsed construction”, expressing cold sense of mechanism and steel construcion. The sound equipment made by the band themselves weighs tons, often toss a big hit to the live.

In virtue of her good sense and comprehension of music, Gia transfers a wonderful world we can hear with ears to a fantastic world we can see with eyes by employing paint and canvas. It is a bit like the visible effect of media player.

And here goes some of her most favorite ones which she suggests to my blog.

“I Want” comes from the memorial edition of lomo for the band “white stripes”, recently released in 2008, which Gia is quite desirous of, but hasn’t got yet.

“I Miss” is to recall her most favorite soft drink “Lemon CC” during the band’s first itinerant show to Japan in 2001. As for the artificial wool, it is a indispensable part of Gia’s life and her unique expression.

Some selected sets have been exhibited in the M-ART show of Modernsky Music Festival. Another two new sets created in 2008 would be included in “The mARkeT : New Year Gift” open soon at this Christmas Eve in Beijing Center for the Arts at the Legation Quarter. Recently, this enthusiastic girl shows much interest in visual art.

There is a motto in Gia’s blog. (gia.blogbus.com)

“We are the middle children of history
With no purpose or place
We have no great war and no depression
Our great war is a spiritual wars
Our great depression is our lives”

Disbanding “Hang On The Box” last year, Gia refounds a new band in 2008 with a sharp name “Girl Kill Girls”. She is gonna be absorbed more in the music itself.

Currently, the real depression comes to us. Hope Gia and her girls will grasp more from this personal experience and make their music and art to the excellence.

Image copy rights reserved to the artist.

Merry Christmas

I bought Xiao Xiong a pink bunny dress for Christmas! XXXL in size, still tight!
Isn't she cute?

Meant to take her downtown to see beautiful night scene at Christmas Eve, but it is too cold outdoors. Moreover, she could hardly move in that tight dress. Have to give up this idea.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Thanks for attention. Still more ahead.

Retrospection of Zeng Fanzhi's Solo 2008 -We Donate for Earthquake, Who Donate for Economic Crisis?

Finally, we had our farewell dinner on Tuesday evening. Yet no director nor senior staff from Seoul was present. ......

The following days in December, I am going to see off more and more co-workers, at the same time, getting more and and more work and responsibility. Everyone could accept the truth, but should be in a better way.

Life is full of frustrations. There could be natural disasters, accidents, or even terrorism. But all of those can be overcomed with cooperation and love.

It reminds me what happened in Sichuan province this May, and what we have done to relieve those suffered. I still can find an article of mine covering something about the artist donation to the quake-hit area. All of us are encountering a global difficult time at this moment, what are we gonna do for that? Is there anyone coming out to help or donate?

After "Excessive Transition Geng Jianyi Solo Exhibition" inaugurating the new space of ShanghART in Beijing, 3:00 pm, 24th May, Zeng Fanzhi's solo "Tai Ping You Xiang" unveiled to the public with four of his new works mainly in 2008."

All rights reserved to the artist and associated gallery.

Tai Ping You Xiang" is a Chinese idiom with the meaning of safeness and happiness. It is also the title of one of the exhibited works, featuring the representative bush of Zeng Fanzhi, with an elephant behind."Elephant" borrows the same Chinese pronouncation of "Xiang" in "Tai Ping You Xiang".

There is fire in the air that day. Personally speaking, I don't think 3:00 pm is a quite appreciated time for opening in the hot summer of Beijing. But the hot weather would never keep away people's passion and enthusiasm from Mr. big name Zeng Fanzhi. There are only four works separately on the walls of the main exhibition hall. It is a simple layout without racking one's brains for installation like for some retrospective exhibition.Sometimes simple is rich. What makes us envious even more is the exhibiton date is from 24th May to 2nd September.

Even for the long exhibition duration, none of the four works are for sale, but just for show. Zeng Fanzhi explains that he would like this exhibition to be an opportunity for art students and young artists in China to learn and research, rather than selling any piece. It is undoubted that he can paint as many as works and sell them at a considerable price now in the market. But he refuses to do that, but concentrate so much on what he can do now for the Chinese art field and young generation.

After 5.12 Wenchuan Earthquake, Zeng Fanzhi also joined in the contribution for the quake relief effort. He created a new piece of work for donation through poly charity auction. The work is originally titled "Sky of Hope" but later on "Earthquake" which was temporarily displayed also on the opening day of his solo.

There is big love behind big disaster. There is big character behind big fame. We sincerely pray for victims in the Wenchuan earthquake. We pray for China.

Now, we pray for the world.

Qiu Ruixiang, A Purest Artist

Qiu Ruixiang, born in a small county of Shaanxi Province in 1980. He is the purest young artist I've ever met. He is shy and conservative. Although near his 30, he has been staying at Xi'an, the city where he went to college for most of his time. He cannot even speak a standard Mandarin (putonghua), but keeps his dialect in that small county. He enjoys life there with some of his artist and poet friends, quiet and slow-pace.

Qiu Ruixiang worships the Chinese mural a lot especially those of Dunhuang Caves in the west Gansu Province. He specializes in painting a figure alone or with some props in simple dark background, expressing a sense of serenity and solemnity. The figures are all highly idealized images, shaped as if it is a sculpure, with a lot of details left out.

He pursuits for sort of depth and permanence by employing the simple lines and colours which he thinks already existed in the world when he was born.

He paints a lot of figues just standing on the ground. And he says it is the relationship between feet and the ground, the relationship between man and the land that attracts him.

Due to my innocence, I cannot tell the genre that can get him included or who might have some influence on his works. But his works were displayed in some group shows themed animation, such as Animamix Hyper-Link at Moon River MOCA, curated by Victoria Lu, and will be shown also in 100 Tales in Animamix at Linda Gallery from Beijing to Indonesia and Singapore. Personally, I think there should be better subject that can fully cover Qiu Ruixiang's unique and fantastic works.

Most of Qiu Ruixiang's works are painted on paper, and only few on small size canvas. That is unusual for young aritist today. What makes us feel even heart-broken is that most of his previous works were ruined by leaking rain in bad storage in his rental house. He tells the reason with a shy but sincere smile. Without any official contract with agent galleries for support, he cannot afford the cost even for buying canvas. When we see a canvas painting of his, actually there are layers beneath. Each time he finishes one painting but in the lack of canvas, he will cover it and repaint a new one on the same canvas.

Just as he said, "That's because there's nothing you can do, you just love it."

Jia Aili's Hibernation <2>

After handling so many international big names' solo exhibition in doART Bejing, finally it comes to our young Chinese artist Jia Aili's solo. Been supporting Seoul team for a long time, it is time for us to manage a project totally independently. So many ideas and suggestions spring up. The time when I knew that I was supposed to be the project manager, I was quite afraid that I would ruin this project. Since ideas of the artist change so quickly with the suggestions from his gallery friends, artist friends and media friends.

According to my comprehension of the artist and his works, I did write some concept sketch seriously for the project. Anyhow, it is abandoned and not disclosed to the public for the project. Things change so much. But I think the sketch could help to understand how things change.

Here goes the Sketch.

Part One

This is not an exhibition. At least, it is not an ordinary exhibition. What you think it is makes a difference.

on the field of hopes 164x265cm oil on canvas 2007

For an ordinary exhibition, a lot of preparation work will be done beforehand. However it seems that all the efforts are made solely for one day, or even a few hours of the opening ceremony, which makes the exhibition itself looks so empty and flimsy. Hence this time we would not hold the exhibition in that way. It's like a project. We make an announcement of this project to public when we take the first shovel. In the exhibition hall, all works and painting kits will be open to public. At the same time, JAL will keep working on the canvas displayed on the wall, which enables the whole project much more substantial and fully-developed. Although the large work will not be finished even till the end of this exhibition, we have to declare an end to this exhibition in terms of time. But it is undoubted that the exhibition as well as the whole project will be prolonged and extended in terms of academic sense. After all, we cannot easily declare an end to anything in life, not to mention a piece of art work.

Part Two

A Boy on The Tree 72.5x117cm Oil on canvas 2008

Being Ready at Any Time 80x120cm Oil on Canvas 2008

JAL has some kind of youth complex. The outstanding figure in most of his works is a junior who is always wearing a mask, as shown by his works like "A Boy In The Tree", "Ready at Any Time", "On The Field of Hopes" etc. Props in his works such as "red scarf" and 'armband of the leader of young pioneers" also express his nostalgia of the youth. "Dragonfly Web"and "Wooden Chairs in Primary School" often come onto the top of his tongue. He must have such a special feeling and memory of that period that he would never let them slip out of his mind. The youth must be the happiest time in his life. As he grows up, he becomes more keenly aware of the significance and invaluableness of that period of life. Maybe we can also interpret the mask in his works as a shield to keep himself far away from the adults' world, which is full of lust, avarice, deception and corruption. He would prefer to stay in that pure and innocent period of life and never step into the adults' world where he will never feel free and comfortable. However, it is impossible. What he can do is to express all his youth memories, no matter sweet or bitter, on the canvas. In this sense, the mask is just a method to achieve spiritual victory or self-salvation.

This time, he will paint a large canvas painting, 600cm by 1200cm. As he says, he would like to depict a gang of young boys and girls around his age. It is about youth, not only about himself, but also about you and me, about everyone who has ever had a wonderful and memorable period of life called youth. We have no idea yet whether the figures in this painting will be masked or not. Let's wait and see.

All rights of the images above reserved to the artist and the associated gallery and collector.