Features
An Interview with Xiang Jing and Qu Guang Ci
This interview of renowned sculptors Xiang Jing and Qu Guangci has been translated into English from Chinese. It talks about how they work and the journey they have walked as artists
ShareBy Rachael Quek
Original Article Link: http://quguangci.artron.net/news_detail_40856
R - Interviewer
QGC - Qu Guang Ci
XJ - Xiang Jing
Image Source: usa.chinadaily.com.cn
R: Hello everybody, today we have sculptors Qu Guangci and Xiang Jing in our studio. Welcome to the Artron Studio. I heard that Mr Qu has recently partake in an exhibition. Is this your first exhibition?
QGC: This is not my first exhibition as I’ve done previous exhibitions with Xiang Jing, both locally and internationally. Since I’ve stopped teaching and started working as a freelance artist, I have accumulated more works, and decided to exhibit because it is a relatively stable period of time to do so. This exhibition is also relatively more important to me. Placing it in Shanghai and more so in the Zendai Museum of Modern Art has given me a lot of space. I feel that having a suitable scale for my sculptures is very important, and I am currently opening my second exhibition.
R: You used to work in pairs for your past exhibitions. Now that you are exhibiting alone, do you feel any differences?
QGC: Indeed. In terms of style, our paths had diverged even more. In the past, we exhibited together and lived together, we were more vulnerable individually and we needed greater teamwork since we had different sculpting and painting styles. Although we still share resources in our studio, I feel that the thought process and creation of our works will become increasingly different. Last year, Xiang Jing did a huge exhibition at the Shanghai Art Museum, which stimulated me and hence decided to hold this exhibition.
R: How big was the scale of Xiang Jing’s exhibition at the Shanghai Art Museum last year?
XJ: I was given the space to exhibit at the two biggest main halls on the first level, and I had placed all my works there. It was quite presentable. I borrowed a lot of old works from collectors, making it a short-term retrospective, a continuation and expansion from the Beijing 2005 solo exhibition. Many people think that both of us have to be together. Actually, a friend of ours who have stayed with us for about a week realised that Guangci and I have completely different ways of living, from having two cars, our break times, our work habits, to some aspects of our personality. We rarely appear simultaneously at any occasion as well.
QGC: Apart from participating in exhibitions in the city.
XJ: Our friend said “I have only understood after living with the both of you for a few days, that the both are you are rarely together, unlike what others imagined.”
R: Where does the difference lie in your works?
XJ: I think that for any two artists to become one good artist, they must be independent individuals. We like to work on our own and will deliberately maintain an independent working condition. As individuals, we are quite independent as well. We do share similar experiences - we were both from the sculpture department in the China Central Academy of Fine Arts and mostly had the same teachers. Keeping an independent thinking state will allow personal growth. We almost never talk about our works and art, and I’m sure this must be surprising to many.
QGC: Whenever I want to understand her works, I have to hear from her assistant. I often have to look for other people to help with my work, and I also have to look for materials myself. Whenever a product fails, I have to re-do it several times. Finally when it is shipped home and has a nice effect, I get quite a good feeling when people park their trucks outside our studio to take a peek. In the past, many people think that we are an inseparable duo, but I feel that as long as we are individuals, we are independent. Sometimes she tells me that I am too self-centred, self-opinionated, but on the other hand, I feel that I cannot surpass her because she is too self-centred. Overall she is relatively more self-centred, while I am more objective.
R: Xiang Jing has definitely visited Guangci’s exhibition, right? How do you feel about it in its entirety?
XJ: I have been with him since the start of the exhibition. Although I am unsure of the meaning behind his works, we have been together long enough to know what each other is thinking without speaking, so I try not to interfere. Even when I have a lot of ideas during the exhibition set-up, I know I shouldn’t talk about it at the very last minute. I think that everyone has their own methods. Sometimes I get annoyed when he opposes my decision saying “you can’t do it this way”, after I have finished doing it.
QGC: This exhibition is very clear. In the beginning, I had no idea how to execute this exhibition. I didn’t want to make it a special exhibition in the traditional sense, because sculptures themselves is already a traditional form of art. I thought about it a lot, and she has also given me a lot of exceptionally good ideas, so I went to a few art galleries, learnt and figured out what I should not do. Later on, I thought about exhibiting rusty iron shelves - she had no idea about this. She only found it weird that we have so many of those things in our courtyard.
I thought of making the space monumental, which is humorous and similar to my works. I wanted them to be conflicting - to weaken each other. For example, I wanted to scare people when they enter my exhibition - to have someone wear a bear mask, and another wear a dinosaur mask, and when the mask goes off, you realise that it is someone familiar and everything is resolved. I feel that in life, we will always face some kind of emotional turmoil, whether it is stress or something else and I hoped that I can create something relieving.
Image Source: www.we-heart.com
R: You are the star of this exhibition. Do you feel that this exhibition has better expressed your works and your basic ideas? What do you feel about the effects of this exhibition?
QGC: Display space is a given because they gave me the two biggest space and I quite like them. I dreamt of it being quite illusory and simple which suits me. There was a challenge - I didn’t want the outlook to be very traditional but I didn’t exactly know what I want it to be like. I thought of what the interaction between these works will result in. Say, if the lights can be more focused, or if it is more professional, it will be better. Because of the division of the hall, the colour of the smaller hall is a little dark, so when there is light, the spatial distribution is weakened, and the lighting will eventually be perfect. Other than that, I am actually pleased with everything else, including the staff in the museum, for their cooperativeness.
R: The both of you chose to specialise in sculpting in school. What are the reasons for choosing this form of art?
XJ: I did not wish to do it… When choosing a specialisation in school, under the education of Chinese art, most of us are misguided but I feel that no matter what choice we make, it will eventually fall into place.. After specialising in sculptures, I felt that my choice was quite inevitable because in school I preferred something that is more hands-on and tiresome. Sculpting is something that requires long hours and feels never-ending, so I thought it suited me more and decided to stick with it.
QGC: I feel that things like choosing a specialisation has an accidental element to it because in our early lives, we have no clue about what we will do in the future. To me, learning was basically a profession, and if I’m not in school, I will be drinking and chatting, spending all my money until I had no money to buy pigments when I entered my third year. My father always wished I did traditional Chinese paintings, but I didn’t like it. I feel that painting them will cause one to become irrelevant. I was lucky that I had a relative who learnt sculpting in the past. Coupled with my poor sense of colour and the fact that the school provides a sculpting knife, I felt that sculpting was easier. Learning to sculpt opens up a brand new space - people who learnt oil painting discover a brand new coloured world, but we were made aware of spaces, so I am quite happy.
R: Having done sculptures up till now, do you feel that this form of communication helps to express your thoughts? Many artists do not only engage in one form of art - they have a variety of styles and works - do you think sculptures can adequately express your creative thoughts?
XJ: To me, sculpting is a highly restrictive form of art. Firstly, it requires attention - to sculpt, you have to stay in and work on it endlessly. Sometimes I really hate sculpting because I do not like to be restricted and also because sculpting requires space, studio and assistants - too many constraints and your work has to stay at one fixed place. I personally have a very wide spectrum of artistic hobbies. I almost never read about sculpting, but instead, I buy more books from other categories, and learn from other artists. I think we choose sculpting just as a means to an end, and speaking from a more positive angle, I think this is how we think about and understand sculptures. Maybe because we never had the intention to understand it from the traditional perspective, it has become one of the reasons why we easily deviate from traditional sculptures.
QGC: Actually now that we think of it, it is quite amusing. We wanted to change our profession after completing university - she did oil painting before, and I wanted to do oil painting as a postgraduate. We thought sculpting was very effort-consuming. I felt that being a renowned sculptor is very difficult, but at the same time, I wanted to succeed early. Secondly, sculpting requires space. This restricts the way you live and how you live. For example, if you are a global journalist, you are a writer so it doesn’t matter where you write from. If you are an oil painter, how much space do you honestly need? In a big city like Beijing, a great artist needs everything to be big. Actually, it is sufficient with 150m2 of space but you also need some storage, plasters, working space for an assistant and a mover whom you can call whenever; this kind of working style is especially painful. Whenever we think of returning to Beijing, the thought of moving things is enough for us to give up that thought, because it requires a lot of time and energy. I think that sculpting is actually a very traditional way of working, and until I reach a certain level for my sculptures, I always think they are the existence of my problems.
R: Having participated in large-scale international exhibitions, do you think there are any differences between them and those in the country?
XJ: We rarely participate in overseas exhibitions.
QGC: We seem to be more different, and hard to reach. XJ: This year, because we went to the Kassel Documenta and Venice Biennale, we also chanced upon Art Basel and visited it. At that time, our plan was to book a hotel for two days. We would spend about two hours visiting art fairs, and have a lot of time to read magazines inside the booths. I think these sort of fairs focuses more on gallery businesses, and artists themselves will not be able to gain any special experiences from there.
R: Do they have any special projects?
XJ: There will be some involvements when participating in such projects. We’ve never seen such fairs before, so we decided to go. After seeing it, it feels like just a business deal. I think at local art fairs, Shanghai and Beijing where I have been to, you can bump into more artists during these occasions. China’s artists will appear at any occasion, whether it is a trading course or an exhibition, and this is the specialty of China’s art scene. It can be said to be relatively messy (at the primary stage), but “messy” can also be a kind of vitality with more possibilities.
QGC: As the saying goes, you can only catch fishes in muddy waters.
XJ: To a foreigner, it will also be interesting to witness such situations.
QGC: I’m different from her. I also like to participate, I feel that art fairs are more fresh, and in fact, their general tolerance should surpass the usual biennale and documenta. I think that even though I didn’t stay long at Basel, the two hours I’ve spent there has caused me some stress, which I don’t think is very good. But in terms of viewing art, art fairs are quite interesting, because different galleries have different aims and will showcase entirely different works. If you go to the biennale, you may feel a little disappointed seeing strong yet heavy-weighted works. You may also feel that everything is done solely based on the curator’s idea and thinking, and it may consist of some sort of trade or deal in it and because of that, you may feel very disappointed. Art fairs, on the other hand, are worth the visit, because they are a fresh phenomenon. It’s all about phenomenons.
R: Do you think participating in such commercialised art fairs will be beneficial for artists? Will they be affected in any ways?
QGC: I don't think there is any effect. Both of us don’t have any experience in these aspects, and overall, these art fairs do not carry our works. Previously, all the art fairs in Shanghai doesn’t have any of our works, and at most they will buy our works from elsewhere and display it. We also don’t have any contracts with art galleries, which could be why we are still surviving. I think it is quite hard to be in contact with galleries, because we are subjective people.
XJ: I think artists should always strive for growth. No matter where we are, as long as we grow according to our own ways, everything else is secondary. When growing, you need to absorb every kind of nutrients. When you feel that something is not beneficial or not important to you, you should let go of it no matter what it is. Because to me, art is just a way of knowing the world. As long as an artist can find a way to survive, it is all that matters. And I think it is only by doing this, that an artist by profession will be able to seek happiness.
QGC: The reason why China’s present situation has attracted the world’s interest and gaze is because I think that a lot of Western influences have failed in China. I read on a magazine about the failure of such values and I think these failed attempts excite people. I have a lot of prejudice against the Chinese art galleries, so I objectively reject galleries, both locally and internationally. There are countless numbers of galleries that have contacted us, and have been rejected - this gives people the impression that we are hard to work with. That's not the case. At early stages, we feel that an art gallery is like a painting shop, but galleries require a few special traits, which cannot be easily replaceable. First, there must be money and capital. Second, there must be a particularly good vision. Third, there must be determination. These three aspects must be present. Nowadays, many art galleries focuses on buying and selling art. If an art gallery has accompanied us through our years of growing, just like a mentor and a friend, they will not give up on you after you’ve matured. It is akin to having a very good friend who is a little wealthy. I feel that in this era, wealth is not all that important, because it comes easy, and nothing that comes easy is important. Of course I feel that our mindset have gradually changed, because I think that we really require a partner, a pushing force to help us achieve more time in completing our works, including this year’s exhibition, because we worked together more in the past. Just like how I have helped her in her past works, I’ve always hoped to be able to achieve something that I’ve long thought of, and I’m now slowly seeking a collaborative opportunity. But of course, I’m taking one step at a time, because I don’t know what the future holds.
R: You’ve mentioned a few criterias that a gallery should possess. Do you think such galleries exist in the country?
QGC: I think there are a few galleries that are not bad. We prefer not be related to a particular gallery. I’d tell them that there are two kinds of galleries. One feature artists that the gallery basically doesn’t raise and of course, there may be only one main line. For example, some galleries who doesn’t focus on names, will go in the direction of dividing your works into the price points, like 500 thousand, 300 thousand, 200 thousand - I’m talking about luxury boutiques. The other kind, there will be established artists, but there will also be emerging artists, and to me, that is the real meaning of an art gallery. Even though sometimes we may be prejudiced against some artist’s judgment, I’ve always felt that these kind of art gallery could represent the direction of China’s art galleries. Just like the young age of the gallery, I think that in future, it will become a fairly important gallery. Yesterday I went to ShanghART gallery, and along that entire stretch, ShanghART is still a relatively strong gallery. I went back and asked Lin Song when will all the galleries in the country be able to reach that standard. In Shanghai, I think Aura gallery by Zhang Ming is not bad. Although many galleries are becoming internationalized, I still hold some wariness against these galleries, for unknown reasons. Every time I interact with such galleries, they always try to brainwash me, and I particularly hate it when people try to brainwash me.
XJ: He likes brainwashing people instead.
R: So you prefer things that are more new.
QGC: At least I feel that we have to attempt to understand each other, not just come and try to brainwash us.
R: Some say that many curators are like that - they take artists’ work and change the ideology behind it. Things like that are not very nice. Are your views as a curator the same as your own opinions?
QGC: There is no curator for this exhibition. In reality, most solo exhibitions do not require a curator. An artist would have thought about it for five years already, while a curator doesn’t actually spend much time on it and this, I think is something regrettable.
R: The both of you have previously worked as a teacher in an art institution. What advice do you have for budding artists and art students?
XJ: I think China has really caught up on a good era - anybody who has experienced or is entering this era is too lucky, and we are lucky that we are born at the right time. When I did my first exhibition, one of the artists there was Yu Hong’s sister, so we called her over and listened to the advices she gave us. She said three words, “determination, determination, determination”. It has already been so many years and I think these three words are quite practical, because determination is what the great tide of waves has left us. And if there really comes a great era, you should not disappoint this era.
QGC: Everybody knows that we quitted our jobs this year. We have forked out a lot for the school, and our students are becoming the climate of Shanghai. In terms of hands-on work, this batch of students is undoubtedly the best in the nation. Leaving this profession, something that we single-handedly built, and have spent much time, energy and even sweat, is of course bitter. But if I really have to give young artists or those who are already teaching art at institutions a piece of advice, it would be to leave the school early if you really want to become an artist. There are too many problems in school, and you can never count on schools to give you any opportunities, because I think that the power system in schools is especially huge, and you often have to compromise as a result of that. If you compromise, you may attain some short-term benefits, but they are often little and you cannot expect real success. After you leave this power system, you will realise the majesticity of the world - the small river will eventually become a pool of dirty water. If you think you really have a talent, then you have to go out there and work, and do whatever you want to do.
R: We will definitely convey your message of “determination” and “leave school” to the vast population of young artists. Thank you.
R - Interviewer
QGC - Qu Guang Ci
XJ - Xiang Jing
Image Source: usa.chinadaily.com.cn
R: Hello everybody, today we have sculptors Qu Guangci and Xiang Jing in our studio. Welcome to the Artron Studio. I heard that Mr Qu has recently partake in an exhibition. Is this your first exhibition?
QGC: This is not my first exhibition as I’ve done previous exhibitions with Xiang Jing, both locally and internationally. Since I’ve stopped teaching and started working as a freelance artist, I have accumulated more works, and decided to exhibit because it is a relatively stable period of time to do so. This exhibition is also relatively more important to me. Placing it in Shanghai and more so in the Zendai Museum of Modern Art has given me a lot of space. I feel that having a suitable scale for my sculptures is very important, and I am currently opening my second exhibition.
R: You used to work in pairs for your past exhibitions. Now that you are exhibiting alone, do you feel any differences?
QGC: Indeed. In terms of style, our paths had diverged even more. In the past, we exhibited together and lived together, we were more vulnerable individually and we needed greater teamwork since we had different sculpting and painting styles. Although we still share resources in our studio, I feel that the thought process and creation of our works will become increasingly different. Last year, Xiang Jing did a huge exhibition at the Shanghai Art Museum, which stimulated me and hence decided to hold this exhibition.
R: How big was the scale of Xiang Jing’s exhibition at the Shanghai Art Museum last year?
XJ: I was given the space to exhibit at the two biggest main halls on the first level, and I had placed all my works there. It was quite presentable. I borrowed a lot of old works from collectors, making it a short-term retrospective, a continuation and expansion from the Beijing 2005 solo exhibition. Many people think that both of us have to be together. Actually, a friend of ours who have stayed with us for about a week realised that Guangci and I have completely different ways of living, from having two cars, our break times, our work habits, to some aspects of our personality. We rarely appear simultaneously at any occasion as well.
QGC: Apart from participating in exhibitions in the city.
XJ: Our friend said “I have only understood after living with the both of you for a few days, that the both are you are rarely together, unlike what others imagined.”
R: Where does the difference lie in your works?
XJ: I think that for any two artists to become one good artist, they must be independent individuals. We like to work on our own and will deliberately maintain an independent working condition. As individuals, we are quite independent as well. We do share similar experiences - we were both from the sculpture department in the China Central Academy of Fine Arts and mostly had the same teachers. Keeping an independent thinking state will allow personal growth. We almost never talk about our works and art, and I’m sure this must be surprising to many.
QGC: Whenever I want to understand her works, I have to hear from her assistant. I often have to look for other people to help with my work, and I also have to look for materials myself. Whenever a product fails, I have to re-do it several times. Finally when it is shipped home and has a nice effect, I get quite a good feeling when people park their trucks outside our studio to take a peek. In the past, many people think that we are an inseparable duo, but I feel that as long as we are individuals, we are independent. Sometimes she tells me that I am too self-centred, self-opinionated, but on the other hand, I feel that I cannot surpass her because she is too self-centred. Overall she is relatively more self-centred, while I am more objective.
R: Xiang Jing has definitely visited Guangci’s exhibition, right? How do you feel about it in its entirety?
XJ: I have been with him since the start of the exhibition. Although I am unsure of the meaning behind his works, we have been together long enough to know what each other is thinking without speaking, so I try not to interfere. Even when I have a lot of ideas during the exhibition set-up, I know I shouldn’t talk about it at the very last minute. I think that everyone has their own methods. Sometimes I get annoyed when he opposes my decision saying “you can’t do it this way”, after I have finished doing it.
QGC: This exhibition is very clear. In the beginning, I had no idea how to execute this exhibition. I didn’t want to make it a special exhibition in the traditional sense, because sculptures themselves is already a traditional form of art. I thought about it a lot, and she has also given me a lot of exceptionally good ideas, so I went to a few art galleries, learnt and figured out what I should not do. Later on, I thought about exhibiting rusty iron shelves - she had no idea about this. She only found it weird that we have so many of those things in our courtyard.
I thought of making the space monumental, which is humorous and similar to my works. I wanted them to be conflicting - to weaken each other. For example, I wanted to scare people when they enter my exhibition - to have someone wear a bear mask, and another wear a dinosaur mask, and when the mask goes off, you realise that it is someone familiar and everything is resolved. I feel that in life, we will always face some kind of emotional turmoil, whether it is stress or something else and I hoped that I can create something relieving.
Image Source: www.we-heart.com
R: You are the star of this exhibition. Do you feel that this exhibition has better expressed your works and your basic ideas? What do you feel about the effects of this exhibition?
QGC: Display space is a given because they gave me the two biggest space and I quite like them. I dreamt of it being quite illusory and simple which suits me. There was a challenge - I didn’t want the outlook to be very traditional but I didn’t exactly know what I want it to be like. I thought of what the interaction between these works will result in. Say, if the lights can be more focused, or if it is more professional, it will be better. Because of the division of the hall, the colour of the smaller hall is a little dark, so when there is light, the spatial distribution is weakened, and the lighting will eventually be perfect. Other than that, I am actually pleased with everything else, including the staff in the museum, for their cooperativeness.
R: The both of you chose to specialise in sculpting in school. What are the reasons for choosing this form of art?
XJ: I did not wish to do it… When choosing a specialisation in school, under the education of Chinese art, most of us are misguided but I feel that no matter what choice we make, it will eventually fall into place.. After specialising in sculptures, I felt that my choice was quite inevitable because in school I preferred something that is more hands-on and tiresome. Sculpting is something that requires long hours and feels never-ending, so I thought it suited me more and decided to stick with it.
QGC: I feel that things like choosing a specialisation has an accidental element to it because in our early lives, we have no clue about what we will do in the future. To me, learning was basically a profession, and if I’m not in school, I will be drinking and chatting, spending all my money until I had no money to buy pigments when I entered my third year. My father always wished I did traditional Chinese paintings, but I didn’t like it. I feel that painting them will cause one to become irrelevant. I was lucky that I had a relative who learnt sculpting in the past. Coupled with my poor sense of colour and the fact that the school provides a sculpting knife, I felt that sculpting was easier. Learning to sculpt opens up a brand new space - people who learnt oil painting discover a brand new coloured world, but we were made aware of spaces, so I am quite happy.
R: Having done sculptures up till now, do you feel that this form of communication helps to express your thoughts? Many artists do not only engage in one form of art - they have a variety of styles and works - do you think sculptures can adequately express your creative thoughts?
XJ: To me, sculpting is a highly restrictive form of art. Firstly, it requires attention - to sculpt, you have to stay in and work on it endlessly. Sometimes I really hate sculpting because I do not like to be restricted and also because sculpting requires space, studio and assistants - too many constraints and your work has to stay at one fixed place. I personally have a very wide spectrum of artistic hobbies. I almost never read about sculpting, but instead, I buy more books from other categories, and learn from other artists. I think we choose sculpting just as a means to an end, and speaking from a more positive angle, I think this is how we think about and understand sculptures. Maybe because we never had the intention to understand it from the traditional perspective, it has become one of the reasons why we easily deviate from traditional sculptures.
QGC: Actually now that we think of it, it is quite amusing. We wanted to change our profession after completing university - she did oil painting before, and I wanted to do oil painting as a postgraduate. We thought sculpting was very effort-consuming. I felt that being a renowned sculptor is very difficult, but at the same time, I wanted to succeed early. Secondly, sculpting requires space. This restricts the way you live and how you live. For example, if you are a global journalist, you are a writer so it doesn’t matter where you write from. If you are an oil painter, how much space do you honestly need? In a big city like Beijing, a great artist needs everything to be big. Actually, it is sufficient with 150m2 of space but you also need some storage, plasters, working space for an assistant and a mover whom you can call whenever; this kind of working style is especially painful. Whenever we think of returning to Beijing, the thought of moving things is enough for us to give up that thought, because it requires a lot of time and energy. I think that sculpting is actually a very traditional way of working, and until I reach a certain level for my sculptures, I always think they are the existence of my problems.
R: Having participated in large-scale international exhibitions, do you think there are any differences between them and those in the country?
XJ: We rarely participate in overseas exhibitions.
QGC: We seem to be more different, and hard to reach. XJ: This year, because we went to the Kassel Documenta and Venice Biennale, we also chanced upon Art Basel and visited it. At that time, our plan was to book a hotel for two days. We would spend about two hours visiting art fairs, and have a lot of time to read magazines inside the booths. I think these sort of fairs focuses more on gallery businesses, and artists themselves will not be able to gain any special experiences from there.
R: Do they have any special projects?
XJ: There will be some involvements when participating in such projects. We’ve never seen such fairs before, so we decided to go. After seeing it, it feels like just a business deal. I think at local art fairs, Shanghai and Beijing where I have been to, you can bump into more artists during these occasions. China’s artists will appear at any occasion, whether it is a trading course or an exhibition, and this is the specialty of China’s art scene. It can be said to be relatively messy (at the primary stage), but “messy” can also be a kind of vitality with more possibilities.
QGC: As the saying goes, you can only catch fishes in muddy waters.
XJ: To a foreigner, it will also be interesting to witness such situations.
QGC: I’m different from her. I also like to participate, I feel that art fairs are more fresh, and in fact, their general tolerance should surpass the usual biennale and documenta. I think that even though I didn’t stay long at Basel, the two hours I’ve spent there has caused me some stress, which I don’t think is very good. But in terms of viewing art, art fairs are quite interesting, because different galleries have different aims and will showcase entirely different works. If you go to the biennale, you may feel a little disappointed seeing strong yet heavy-weighted works. You may also feel that everything is done solely based on the curator’s idea and thinking, and it may consist of some sort of trade or deal in it and because of that, you may feel very disappointed. Art fairs, on the other hand, are worth the visit, because they are a fresh phenomenon. It’s all about phenomenons.
R: Do you think participating in such commercialised art fairs will be beneficial for artists? Will they be affected in any ways?
QGC: I don't think there is any effect. Both of us don’t have any experience in these aspects, and overall, these art fairs do not carry our works. Previously, all the art fairs in Shanghai doesn’t have any of our works, and at most they will buy our works from elsewhere and display it. We also don’t have any contracts with art galleries, which could be why we are still surviving. I think it is quite hard to be in contact with galleries, because we are subjective people.
XJ: I think artists should always strive for growth. No matter where we are, as long as we grow according to our own ways, everything else is secondary. When growing, you need to absorb every kind of nutrients. When you feel that something is not beneficial or not important to you, you should let go of it no matter what it is. Because to me, art is just a way of knowing the world. As long as an artist can find a way to survive, it is all that matters. And I think it is only by doing this, that an artist by profession will be able to seek happiness.
QGC: The reason why China’s present situation has attracted the world’s interest and gaze is because I think that a lot of Western influences have failed in China. I read on a magazine about the failure of such values and I think these failed attempts excite people. I have a lot of prejudice against the Chinese art galleries, so I objectively reject galleries, both locally and internationally. There are countless numbers of galleries that have contacted us, and have been rejected - this gives people the impression that we are hard to work with. That's not the case. At early stages, we feel that an art gallery is like a painting shop, but galleries require a few special traits, which cannot be easily replaceable. First, there must be money and capital. Second, there must be a particularly good vision. Third, there must be determination. These three aspects must be present. Nowadays, many art galleries focuses on buying and selling art. If an art gallery has accompanied us through our years of growing, just like a mentor and a friend, they will not give up on you after you’ve matured. It is akin to having a very good friend who is a little wealthy. I feel that in this era, wealth is not all that important, because it comes easy, and nothing that comes easy is important. Of course I feel that our mindset have gradually changed, because I think that we really require a partner, a pushing force to help us achieve more time in completing our works, including this year’s exhibition, because we worked together more in the past. Just like how I have helped her in her past works, I’ve always hoped to be able to achieve something that I’ve long thought of, and I’m now slowly seeking a collaborative opportunity. But of course, I’m taking one step at a time, because I don’t know what the future holds.
R: You’ve mentioned a few criterias that a gallery should possess. Do you think such galleries exist in the country?
QGC: I think there are a few galleries that are not bad. We prefer not be related to a particular gallery. I’d tell them that there are two kinds of galleries. One feature artists that the gallery basically doesn’t raise and of course, there may be only one main line. For example, some galleries who doesn’t focus on names, will go in the direction of dividing your works into the price points, like 500 thousand, 300 thousand, 200 thousand - I’m talking about luxury boutiques. The other kind, there will be established artists, but there will also be emerging artists, and to me, that is the real meaning of an art gallery. Even though sometimes we may be prejudiced against some artist’s judgment, I’ve always felt that these kind of art gallery could represent the direction of China’s art galleries. Just like the young age of the gallery, I think that in future, it will become a fairly important gallery. Yesterday I went to ShanghART gallery, and along that entire stretch, ShanghART is still a relatively strong gallery. I went back and asked Lin Song when will all the galleries in the country be able to reach that standard. In Shanghai, I think Aura gallery by Zhang Ming is not bad. Although many galleries are becoming internationalized, I still hold some wariness against these galleries, for unknown reasons. Every time I interact with such galleries, they always try to brainwash me, and I particularly hate it when people try to brainwash me.
XJ: He likes brainwashing people instead.
R: So you prefer things that are more new.
QGC: At least I feel that we have to attempt to understand each other, not just come and try to brainwash us.
R: Some say that many curators are like that - they take artists’ work and change the ideology behind it. Things like that are not very nice. Are your views as a curator the same as your own opinions?
QGC: There is no curator for this exhibition. In reality, most solo exhibitions do not require a curator. An artist would have thought about it for five years already, while a curator doesn’t actually spend much time on it and this, I think is something regrettable.
R: The both of you have previously worked as a teacher in an art institution. What advice do you have for budding artists and art students?
XJ: I think China has really caught up on a good era - anybody who has experienced or is entering this era is too lucky, and we are lucky that we are born at the right time. When I did my first exhibition, one of the artists there was Yu Hong’s sister, so we called her over and listened to the advices she gave us. She said three words, “determination, determination, determination”. It has already been so many years and I think these three words are quite practical, because determination is what the great tide of waves has left us. And if there really comes a great era, you should not disappoint this era.
QGC: Everybody knows that we quitted our jobs this year. We have forked out a lot for the school, and our students are becoming the climate of Shanghai. In terms of hands-on work, this batch of students is undoubtedly the best in the nation. Leaving this profession, something that we single-handedly built, and have spent much time, energy and even sweat, is of course bitter. But if I really have to give young artists or those who are already teaching art at institutions a piece of advice, it would be to leave the school early if you really want to become an artist. There are too many problems in school, and you can never count on schools to give you any opportunities, because I think that the power system in schools is especially huge, and you often have to compromise as a result of that. If you compromise, you may attain some short-term benefits, but they are often little and you cannot expect real success. After you leave this power system, you will realise the majesticity of the world - the small river will eventually become a pool of dirty water. If you think you really have a talent, then you have to go out there and work, and do whatever you want to do.
R: We will definitely convey your message of “determination” and “leave school” to the vast population of young artists. Thank you.