My partner arrives this afternoon, so I have been getting the place ready, tidying up from the opening (which was not too painful, as a magic cleaner has tidied up all the drinks and bottles during the night from outside the studio!). My thoughts have turned to firstly leaving Chongqing for the next 7 days to travel, and ultimately when we return. I am hosting a dinner tomorrow for everyone that has so generousely helped me, so I am off to buy some gifts to say thank you to everyone.
I have had a lot of time to think while on this residency about a number of issues, both personal and social. A student asked me last night at the bar, why – if they study the history of western art, why do we not study the history of Chinese art? It is an interesting question, a massive question, and I have been fascinated in the differences between the arts ‘scene’ in the UK, and in China, and how society has forced, or stopped developments in each country. My feelings towards the way society is developing and is run in China is complex one. There is an evident drive for financial development but at the same time a yearning to eradicate the past. I have struggled to find anything historical architecturally here, and when I do it is glorified/villified into some kind of theme park.
The students question also struck me, as I feel that our history of art has gone through so many more movements and development, as their society had been halted for so many years. Therefore some of the art I see here as contemporary Art functions to me in what seems an earlier period, and at times can come across as shallow, and a romanticised version of what my belief around art are. I met an artist the other day, who showed me a body of work which spanned 4 years in his studio – purely of abstract expressionist work, and somewhat repetitive. He makes a living from his paintings.
When I first arrived I was overwhelmed by the amount of working artists living from their practice, the scale of the studios, the racks of paintings produced….however, as I have gotten to know artists, I have been surprised at approaches to researching, and commitment to developing their work. YanYan often says, ‘there are many artists, but he or she is a true artist’.I disagree with the romantic notion of truth, but I can see the problem with the ‘production line’ approach to art. A signologist I met a few weeks ago, Diego Gullota, said that ‘Commodification ruined art in China’, I can understand the basis in his viewpoint, and although I don’t think it applies to all artists, there is definitely an argument in his opinion.
Another thing that has struck me is the Western artists that many of the Chinese are familiar with; your stock movements, your famous Chagall, Freud etc. But for me it is the practising artists that inform my work, but it seems there is no access to information on these, apart from those who have left the country. I would like to set up a website/blog which could provide a resources for the people I have met, and to provide an exchange after I leave – to open up the routes of communication.
