Iona Whittaker: <\/strong>How did your exhibition in Switzerland go?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hu Qingyan:<\/strong> I left as soon as it opened. Even so, it was pretty enjoyable\u2014I was able to talk honestly with a few interesting people about some of the pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW:<\/strong> What kinds of things did you talk about?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY: <\/strong>They didn\u2019t use any plinths or platforms when setting up the exhibit; the sculptures were placed directly on the ground. A sculpture is a complete object in itself, while a base or a stand is yet another object. Placing the sculpture on a stand is extraneous, and it interferes with the display of the sculpture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW: <\/strong>What kind of relationship do you see between Chinese influences in your works and Western concepts?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY: <\/strong>Besides \u201cMountain of Gold\u201d [referring to a piece made of gold paper], most of my work should be relatively accessible to Western audiences. They might mistake the gold paper for candy wrappers, when they\u2019re actually pieces of paper burnt as offerings for those who\u2019ve died. These things connect us to the dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW: <\/strong>Is there a unifying theme in your work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY: <\/strong>The title of the exhibition [\u201cReincarnation in a New Guise\u201d] summarizes my overall thoughts, which are also expressed in each piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW: <\/strong>Is \u201cReincarnation in a New Guise\u201d an exhibition about breathing life into materials by displaying them in a new way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY:<\/strong> Yes. Sculpture is composed of materials, and once these materials are turned into a sculpture, they shed their identity a simple substance and become something more. A sort of life is breathed into them. When you see them, they give you different associations; they spark off new feelings and emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW:<\/strong> So you try to imbue the materials with different sensations?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY:<\/strong> I do for some of my works. I tried to create different textural sensations in works like \u201cCloud\u201d and \u201cStone,\u201d but in \u201cFirewood\u201d the sculpture basically looks and feels like the material it\u2019s made out of\u2014wood. Sometimes I want my work to move away from the materials; sometimes I want to go back to the materials. Another theme that comes up is transformation. I recorded the transformation of clay through photographs in \u201cNarrative by a Pile of Clay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW: <\/strong>Are there any artists you especially admire?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY: <\/strong>There are many I like a lot, but there isn\u2019t one whom I revere or place on a pedestal. Lots of artists have done great pieces, but I don\u2019t idolize any of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW:<\/strong> In your view, what do you think qualifies a sculpture as \u201cgood\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY: <\/strong>All sculpture feels very substantial, but good sculpture builds on this sense of the physical. It embodies a strong sense of the artist\u2019s individual touch; it offers new concepts from a unique angle\u2014the artist might use a material in an innovative way to give viewers an entirely new experience, or he might offer a different angle or perspective, or an original way of rendering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW: <\/strong>Which method are you most satisfied with? Which do you use most often?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY: <\/strong>I started out learning realist sculpture, and I use it often even now. Outside China, it\u2019s different; they don\u2019t segment your learning when you start. Lots of people might begin with abstract sculpture or installations, but I\u2019m most familiar and comfortable with realism, so I use it most frequently. In the end, realism is just a technique I use to make what I want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW: <\/strong>What kind of environment do you feel is most suitable for displaying your works?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY: <\/strong>It depends. The environment shouldn\u2019t be chosen at random, but exhibiting the same piece in different surroundings can have interesting effects as well. You can adjust the exhibit based on whether it\u2019s an individual or group show. How pieces are placed is important too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW:<\/strong> How do adjust the relationship between the piece and the space?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY: <\/strong>I emphasize the pieces themselves, because they don\u2019t have a close relationship to the surrounding space. As long as there\u2019s enough space for the object to fit into, I\u2019m satisfied. Even if they decided to put a piece in the gallery basement, in the dark, I\u2019d be fine with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW: <\/strong>How do you deal with the relationship between traditional and modern elements in your works?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY: <\/strong>I don\u2019t think there\u2019s much of a difference. I use a lot of traditional techniques, but the issues reflected in my works aren\u2019t pass\u00e9 because they are about present concerns. It might seem strange to blend the traditional with the modern in this way, but I don\u2019t personally feel there\u2019s a great disconnection between the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW:<\/strong> As you\u2019ve said before, \u201cNarrative by a Pile of Clay\u201d is about the clay\u2019s transformation rather than the final state of the work. Could you share more of your thoughts on this piece?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY: <\/strong>Time is important. The purpose of this work is not to finish something fixed. Some of the objects I made along the way were chosen at random, they aren\u2019t necessary linked in any way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I used to model an object out of clay and then recreate it in a solid material, but I found this method so disconnected from life that I couldn\u2019t convince myself to keep using it. To elaborate, a brick will stay as it is for a long time, but it will eventually disintegrate. At first, it\u2019s placed in a wall, and one day it might fall out. Our lives are the same; we exist and then we cease to exist. The way I used to work was so removed from existence that it no longer had any relationship to life. So I started trying to display the changing world, because with the passage of time, nothing is eternal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW:<\/strong> How does it feel when you destroy a completed work and turn it into something new?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY:<\/strong> By the time I\u2019m finishing with the first object, I\u2019m already thinking about the next thing, how to make it different from the previous one. I attempt to incorporate the entire world through this process, mimicking the continuous fluctuations happening in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW: <\/strong>[pointing at a piece<\/em>] What is the motivation behind this work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY: <\/strong>I worked on this for three years between \u201908 and \u201910. I was at school at the time, and didn\u2019t have any opportunities to participate in any exhibitions, but I did attend many large-scale exhibitions and saw many large-scale works. So I thought, other people are working in bigger and bigger ways, taking part in exhibitions, so I\u2019ll work smaller and smaller, starting with rocks; this way, I won\u2019t need any exhibition space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW:<\/strong> It\u2019s like a rehearsal. You started with boxes, moved on to bones, then soap, soy beans, powder\u2026and eventually everything disappears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY: <\/strong>People ask me, what is sculpture? I think this is the essence of sculpture. A completed and fixed form could almost be photography or painting. On the other hand, I think incomplete forms\u2014like a pile of objects, for example\u2014are better defined as sculpture. If you take away the elements of form and image, sculptures are simply objects. A lot of sculptures look just like paintings after you photograph them; those aren\u2019t true sculptures. In this work, the paintings on the front and the back form a sculpture, expressing the relationship between painting and sculpture. You can expand on the basis of an object with different elements like time, movement, or so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW:<\/strong> Do you feel any aversion toward permanent sculpture after having worked with the concept of \u201cfluidity\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY: <\/strong>If I\u2019m able to create something new, I\u2019ll convince myself to work in a fixed way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW:<\/strong> It\u2019s extremely difficult to find anything new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY: <\/strong>If you take this work as an example, where I\u2019ve painted on both sides of the canvas. It started out looking like a painting, but now that it\u2019s finished, it doesn\u2019t fall clearly into the category of sculpture or painting. It\u2019s up to the audience\u2019s interpretation. That\u2019s why I made this piece in the first place, to stimulate exploration into the concept of sculpture versus painting. The style of these paintings seems abstract, but I painted them by copying another painting; so, are they realist or abstract? These are questions I find interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW: <\/strong>Many pieces such as \u201cWood Pagoda\u201d or \u201cFirewood\u201d don\u2019t look very complicated\u2014they\u2019re presented very naturally. Do you always choose to use simple methods?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY:<\/strong> Even if I\u2019ve used a very complicated technique, I still want my people to see the work and get a sense of purity and simplicity. I don\u2019t want my works to become too complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW: <\/strong>What is the most important thing you consider when moulding?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY: <\/strong>The shape is far more important that the image. I\u2019ll first think about what I want to express, what I want people to feel, and then I\u2019ll choose a suitable shape to demonstrate that feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW: <\/strong>Do you always consider the audience\u2019s feelings when you\u2019re working?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY: <\/strong>More or less. Some people believe their ideas and concepts should come first, putting the audience second, but in the end, all ideas and concepts need to be conveyed somehow, so I do think about the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW: <\/strong>Do your predictions about the audience\u2019s reaction usually end up in line with their actual response?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY:<\/strong> They\u2019re roughly the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW:<\/strong> What is your favorite part of your work as an artist?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY:<\/strong> I love the freedom. Sometimes I work, sometimes I teach, sometimes I go out, often, I reflect on my work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW: <\/strong>Do you ever discover new questions when you reflect on your work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY:<\/strong> Yes, I try to solve them in the next piece. One piece might vanish over time, but I might keep working on another piece. The world keeps turning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW: <\/strong>Do you think traditional Chinese sculpture should change in some way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY: <\/strong>There are definitely going to be changes, it\u2019s not a question of should or should not. Sculpture has fallen behind painting. If it never changes, there will never be any developments; we have to be concerned with new issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW: <\/strong>What do you anticipate for yourself and your creative future?<\/p>\n\n\n\n HQY:<\/strong> I want to make sculptures that I\u2019m personally happy with. I don\u2019t altogether approve of some of the things I\u2019ve learned, so I want to make something I approve of, something richer, even if it\u2019s somewhat personalized and immature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IW: <\/strong>Thank you, Qingyan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n by \u4f5c\u8005\uff1aIona Whittaker \u7231\u5b89\u963ftranslated by \u8bd1\uff1a … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/randian-art.s3.ap-east-1.amazonaws.com\/2023\/02\/zh-hans\/image-150.png\")
\u827a\u672f\u5bb6\u80e1\u5e86\u96c1\u4e2a\u4eba\u7167\u7247<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/randian-art.s3.ap-east-1.amazonaws.com\/2023\/02\/en\/image-151.png\")
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\u80e1\u5e86\u96c1\uff0c\u300a\u221e\u300b\uff0c \u7ea2\u9178\u679d\u6728, \u76f4\u5f84250 cm (\u53ef\u53d8\u5c3a\u5bf8,\u53ef\u5448\u73b0\u4e0d\u540c\u5f62\u6001)\uff0c2011\uff0d2012 (\u56fe\u7247\u63d0\u4f9b:\u9ea6\u52d2\u753b\u5eca \u5317\u4eac-\u5362\u68ee)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/randian-art.s3.ap-east-1.amazonaws.com\/2023\/02\/zh-hans\/image-152.png\")
\u80e1\u5e86\u96c1 \u300a\u4e00\u6735\u4e91\u5f69-2012\u300b, \u5927\u7406\u77f3, 45 x 96 x 55 cm, 2012 (\u56fe\u7247:\u9ea6\u52d2\u753b\u5eca \u5317\u4eac-\u5362\u68ee)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/randian-art.s3.ap-east-1.amazonaws.com\/2023\/02\/zh-hans\/image-153.png\")
\u80e1\u5e86\u96c1\uff0c\u300a\u67f4\u706b\u300b\uff0c\u6a1f\u6728, 200 x 200 x 200 cm\uff0c2012 (\u56fe\u7247\u63d0\u4f9b:\u9ea6\u52d2\u753b\u5eca \u5317\u4eac-\u5362\u68ee)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/randian-art.s3.ap-east-1.amazonaws.com\/2023\/02\/zh-hans\/image-160.png\")
\u80e1\u5e86\u96c1, \u300a\u5341\u4ef6\u96d5\u5851\u300b,\u6a1f\u6728, \u517110\u4ef6\uff0c\u5c3a\u5bf8\u4e0d\u7b49\uff0c2011-2012 (\u56fe\u7247\u63d0\u4f9b:\u9ea6\u52d2\u753b\u5eca \u5317\u4eac-\u5362\u68ee)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/randian-art.s3.ap-east-1.amazonaws.com\/2023\/02\/zh-hans\/image-156.png\")
\u80e1\u5e86\u96c1\uff0c\u300a\u91d1\u5c71\u300b\uff0c\u91d1\u7eb8, 100 x 230 cm\uff0c2012 (\u56fe\u7247\u63d0\u4f9b:\u9ea6\u52d2\u753b\u5eca \u5317\u4eac-\u5362\u68ee)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/randian-art.s3.ap-east-1.amazonaws.com\/2023\/02\/zh-hans\/image-157.png\")
\u80e1\u5e86\u96c1\u300a\u4e00\u53e3\u6c14\u2014\u2014Karin\u300b\uff0c\u5927\u7406\u77f3\uff0c 27 x 23 x 16 cm\uff0c2011 (\u56fe\u7247\u63d0\u4f9b:\u9ea6\u52d2\u753b\u5eca \u5317\u4eac-\u5362\u68ee)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/randian-art.s3.ap-east-1.amazonaws.com\/2023\/02\/zh-hans\/image-158.png\")
\u80e1\u5e86\u96c1,\u300a\u7a7f\u5e2e\u300b.\u5c55\u89c8\u73b0\u573a\uff0c\u9ea6\u52d2\u753b\u5eca \u5317\u4eac-\u5362\u68ee,\u5317\u4eac,\u4e2d\u56fd\uff0c2011 (\u56fe\u7247\u63d0\u4f9b:\u9ea6\u52d2\u753b\u5eca \u5317\u4eac-\u5362\u68ee)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/randian-art.s3.ap-east-1.amazonaws.com\/2023\/02\/zh-hans\/image-159.png\")
\u80e1\u5e86\u96c1\u300a\u7a7f\u5e2e\u300b\u5c55\u89c8\u73b0\u573a, \u9ea6\u52d2\u753b\u5eca \u5317\u4eac-\u5362\u68ee,\u5317\u4eac,\u4e2d\u56fd, 2011 (\u56fe\u7247\u63d0\u4f9b:\u9ea6\u52d2\u753b\u5eca \u5317\u4eac-\u5362\u68ee)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"