Artist statements
To consider the pain and spirituality of females, It is not that pain makes women conform to a certain aesthetic that is fascinating, but rather that women are artistic because they fall into the realm of pain into the spirituality of reflection. I sought out four young artists to see this state of affairs through their eyes.
Xinyue Luo
There are still many solidified traditional concepts in contemporary Chinese society, and this is often a kind of bondage to people. I use status symbols to try to express the con- flicting sense of responsibility and restraint. The sense of contradiction is opposite and unified, so there is resistance to tradition, and there is also some compliance with social laws.
At this stage my work is largely grounded in identity and memory, so feminism and temporality have become major sources of thought in my research. I have been obsessed with exploring the materiality of translucent or transparent media, whose open qualities are powerful symbols of femininity. I also like to burn, splice and overlap symbolic me- dia to create a sense of space between the real and the unreal.
I have tried to combine painting with installation and sculpture, and after experimenting with various media I have found that the outcome of art making is inevitably a highlight- ing of the creative process. So at this stage I am trying to rediscover the uniqueness of art by looking at the process of making art. This uniqueness may come from experimenting with materials and images in the process of creation.
At this stage, experimental art is one of the ways in which I express my art and present my theoretical research, allowing me to be better grounded in the connection between classical art history and contemporary art.
Xiaoshuo Deng
The last two years have seen a gradual shift from easel painting to installation and performance work, and the beginning of my engagement with contemporary art. In the process of creating participatory public art, I have gradually transformed elements of personal identity, region and ethnicity into the content of my works, experimenting with social consciousness, gender rights and political relations in the public sphere, thereby triggering a collective resonance.
In Asia, there are still many countries in which women are being unchosen to be trained by life and become a model of a certain kind of life, and many women are often influenced by traditional values while inevitably becoming a neglected group. The most hidden and unnoticeable aspect of domestic work is exploitation in the name of love, and women are habitually the compromising party in the family. How many women are forced to give up their careers when they are unable to combine family and career? What are the obligations and demands behind the status of 'mother'? How can women be liberated from the definition of their own identity?
Since 2021, I have been experimenting with the theme of women. Through the participatory art form of street interviews and the display of my works in public places, I focus on the marginalised women of life, thus expressing the perception of women from their bodies to their minds. Through the interviews, I document the current problems faced by women, and express them in art in terms of their fertility, labour and emotions. Through my works, I hope to present a unique space for women, so that more people can pay attention to the marginalised female group, so that women can further think about the connection between their bodies and their identities, and thus influence more people to establish an awakening of the value of their own identity based on social, cultural identity and traditional power relations.
Mu Chen
Born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang in 2000, he graduated from the Chinese Painting Department of the China Academy of Art in 2022 and was admitted to the Research Studio of the Chinese Figure Painting Department of the China Academy of Art in the same year, and was awarded the graduation creation and Lin Fengmian creation prize of the China Academy of Art in 2022.
The works on display are mostly figure paintings, using traditional Chinese brush painting techniques and materials to portray modern female figures, pursuing naturalness and clarity in the colour palette, and striving to express the spiritual connotation through limited figure portraits without revealing.
Xinhao Li
In my self-awareness, I am a social liberal artist who loves to explore the reality of society. I like to use realistic techniques to present the problems that exist in society, and to explore these problems through art.
I firmly believe that art is an indispensable force in the progress of this world. Therefore, I view my creations as a form of action, to reveal the wounds of our spirits in each current hot topic, awaken people's consciousness, and call for social change.
My works are mainly based on "reality" as the main material. Through observation and contemplation of reality, I express my views and feelings about social issues, and send out a faint voice for those who are in shackles. In my creation, feminism and LGBTQ are very important themes. I hope to use my works to call for attention and reflection on gender and orientation. At the same time, I also pay attention to other social issues, such as poverty, exploitation, etc., and hope to convey my attitude and viewpoint on these issues through my works.
In my previous statement, I wrote: "We have been on the road of 'taking the essence and discarding the dross' of so-called 'traditional ideas' for a long time, but we still have a long way to go. Until those so-called 'dross' that are still considered 'essence' by some people are truly regarded as 'dross' by society, until those excellent 'she's who are running on this road one by one no longer need to be defined by social values such as 'daughter', 'wife', 'mother', but are just who they are, as I wrote in the big letters at the end of my film: 'She is she, not Confucius and Mencius' daughters'."
In my mind, the power of art has always been an interesting topic. It can be powerless, but it can also be infinite. Some people may just leave a spit when they hear us speaking up for minority groups, but some people will start to think, to understand society more deeply, to care for others, and to reflect on themselves. It is precisely because of this that we have to struggle to create, to let more people perceive these "cries" that come from visual, auditory, and even tactile senses, because there will always be people who can perceive and believe. Therefore, in my future creations, I will continue to adhere to my own philosophy and style, and use art to constantly try, explore, and change the world.