Zhang Yizhou

This world is ordinary; life rests in stillness. The other world is wonderful; sages dream of it.

I

What is the other world?

In Buddhism, “the other world” (“para-loka” in Sanskrit) means other worlds beyond “this world”. According to its samsara theory, one remains in a cycle of rebirth and continues to be born and reborn in six domains of god - jealous god, human, animal, hungry ghost and hell. These other domains are called “the other world” in contrast with “this world” we are living in. In Celtic myth, the “otherworld” (“orbis alia”) is one without disease, aging or death, where people live happily ever after. There, like in the Elysium in Greek mythology, a century equals a day. “The other world” then was generally referred to the underworld or afterlife. For example, Vikings often cremated their dead in ship burials to send it to the afterlife.

The “other world” as presented in the exhibition “anotherworldanotherboundary”, however, bears a much broader meaning: Referring to a parallel imaginary world, it could be the hell or god realm in Buddhism, the earth of death or gods’ homes in European myths, a supernatural domain, a wonderland built in a fairy tale, a saga, a movie or a book, a virtual existence created in games or networks, a utopia of faith or simply a hidden corner in one’s mind or heart.

One’s world is the “other world” to others. A world looks too ordinary and familiar, seen from another perspective, could be so different and strange that a fresh new existence or metaphor could be found, recognized or understood.

Artists of all ages are depicting various types of “other worlds”. In China, some earliest drawings show primitive sun worship and phallism that was beyond knowledge and experience of the time. The imagination was then carried on by Buddhist and Taoist paintings and sculptures in Wei and Jin Dynasty, “literati paintings” that signify painters’ ambitions and interests and express their characters in Tang and Song Dynasty and art works of various and mixed styles in modern and contemporary period. In the West, art has gone through medieval religious period, Renaissance, classicism, romanticism, brutalism, expressionism and surrealism. Through all stages, art in paintings and other forms have presented numerous “other worlds” under diverse social and cultural backgrounds in different times.

Created out of artists’ untrammeled imagination, these “other worlds” have expressed their opinions of the religious world, exploration of terra incognita, sneers at current social abuses and longing for perfection.

In contemporary China, after 30 years of tremendous social revolution and transformation, when consummation, globalization and information are prevailing, the young 70s’ artists are seeking to exhibit their thoughts about ultimate, expose their doubts about society by means of paradox or materialize their attempts to reconstruct and restore another world by resetting and reorganizing some random and scattered information.

Welcome to “anotherworldanotherboundary” --- the other world, without boundaries and beyond description, is unfolding right in front of you, slowly and steadily.

II

In a more and more pluralistic epoch in current China, the sweeping modernization makes all hasty, confusing and complicated, yet no one is sure where it is leading. It is the age of transformation. It is the era fraught with bubbles. Things are turning intricate. Edges are getting blunt. Commercialization, internet and globalization has gradually blurred the boundary between reality and virtuality.

While inheriting traditional heritages, the 70s’ artists have to encounter a somewhat westernized China with its decline in traditions and belief. They are in the face of disconnectedness between ideal and reality, the surface’s betrayal of the facts and the contradiction between an unreconciled heart and compromises… They are anxious yet hopeful. They chase after and lead the trends, but they don’t forget introspection and reflection.

Huang Yishan’s paintings conceal an indispensable sense of absurdity. In a strong manual language of art production and a calm and sensible manner, he virtualized a narrative of cold violence. While constructing a specific space of in-depth 3D effects, he broke away from the limits of the space set by the shadow and yet preserves the existence of every image. He managed the depth of field with flat colour, habitually depicted a delicate background, realistically outlined tiles and skirting with printmaking skills and portrayed main body in a figurative manner. Meanwhile, he simplified elements as much as possible by eliminating all unnecessary ones and thus created a more open space in his painting, so that the attention of his audience would be always attracted to and focused on the comparatively small main body. The space Huang constructed was highly rational: slightly timeworn tiles were arranged in an accurate order, every detail demonstrated clearheaded preciseness and carefulness and a strong controlling ability and thus became a steady symbol in the image. Such a rational and realistic space set a contradicting background for the absurdity to come. As the plot unfolded, abnormal coldness and irrational violence were released from the supervision and control of sense under the seemingly ordinary background; some intensive feelings enveloped by the unmoved chill were thus floating indistinctly in between the image.

In “Judith and Holofernes”, the main characters were making some extraordinarily brutal moves in most skillful manners with an indifferent face as if what they were doing was nothing but not-at-all-surprising daily routines. Judith was cutting a man’s throat with ease and calmness, while Holofernes, unmoved, was simply holding a vessel and waiting for the blood: Everything looked just ordinary and natural. The absence of ought-to-be fierce actions or moods fills the image with a strong sense of restlessness and disconnection.

Huang Yishan calmly and collectedly exchanged a seemingly familiar image in art history with a scene in daily life and dissimilated it. “Judith and Holofernes” has been painted over scores of times by European master painters. Huang Yishan’s work, originated from Caravaggio’s version, borrowed the master’s form, but produced an irrational and abnormal dramatic effect that takes on a bantering and boundless look yet undermines its inherent authority de facto. The people in “Circling Persons” imitated the circling way of prisoners in Van Gogh’s work and came in contrast to the picture hanging on the wall in the painting and thus formed a complex narrative in the time dimension. Carrying on its painter’s thoughts, the painting suggests an allegory of dilemma and presents a sense of glueyness and irrelevant vanity. By putting people’s doubts of and restlessness about the state of their lives into such pointless actions, the artist was directing an inexplicable play in a most trivial manner.

Li Jianfeng’s painting betrays intentional and subject absurdity. Dingy and faded walls, dingy interior floors on which grass were growing freely… Under these somewhat decadent backgrounds, pig, horse, elephant and other animals traveled through; people seemingly from middle or small cities or their outskirts were each busy with his own baffling and boring chores, lost and depressed. Both people and animals bore on a dull look as if something was missing. All actions, dressing and the environment being totally inappropriate, the image revealed a sense of de-orientation and misplacement in the time and the space.

Li Jianfeng cartoonized his symbolic scenes and characters and, in a joking or mischievous manner cooperated with bold bright colours, made an exaggerated and uglified expression. In his work, all living things were but ignorant beings overwhelmed by the recreational and fickle society driven and twiddled by destiny. By adopting a ridiculous instead of serious approach, the artist secretly laughed behind his intentional absurdity, while others can merely be dissociated from his world in eternity.

Li Wei is always able to work on delicate portraits overlapping the sense of time with bright colours. She is keen to capture facial expressions along with the temper they carry. She created images out of the prototype of her friends, which revealed melancholy, restless, nervous and anxious temperament that can be found in everyday life. To present such qualities, Li Wei patiently and subtly worked on each detail of her characters’ faces, bringing into it full expressive force: dark speckles and faint blue blood vessels shown on the face, each thread of black hair, absent and glazy looks… Each specifically betrayed the characters’ somewhat fragile and disturbed inner feelings. Each detail was a particular being, all of which constituted unique and independent individuals along with their ample inner worlds and thus their specific destinies and existence.

As the old Chinese saying goes, one’s facial expression betrays his mind and heart, and the change of one’s mind may influence on his environment. The characters’ moods and disposition revealed the frame of their minds and thus their states of being. The youth was rather gloomy than cruel. These quiet yet specific statues turned back the sculpture art’s aim at and appeal on the general public, nameless people in daily life and fellow travelers who silently walk together with us in this turbulent and flashy world.

“Trap”, Li Wei’s statues of dogs shifted attention to a terrified and helpless pack of dogs. Trapped, these dogs kept staring with miserable terror and distress at this cold world beyond their understanding. The scene set in between reality and ridicule contrast with extremely true-life part of the statues. The look in their doggy eyes brings forward a doubt about existence. Li Wei concerns and constructs the specific and subtle “other worlds” which seem so ordinary and are thus turned a blind eye to. She cut in from her particular point of view and infused in her own feelings, care, compassion and pity. She gave up a carefree way of expression and got immerged in her own quiet world: She was alone, but independent and mature.

Qin Qi has been adopting variable styles. His works sometimes can look entirely unlike to each other, as if they were from different artists. But one constant element of his is allegorical exploration. Many of his works look realistic on the first sight, but they actually imply some absurdity. He usually paints some common things from daily life, but set them in scenes that go against the true life. In such scenes, any realistic item will take on an indescribable sense of ridicule. The narrative logic in paintings being easily defied, real things become disconnected from real life and free from a familiar context, and such images between reality and virtual-ness turn into picturized narrative experiments.

Take “Flower Basket” as an example. The painting was set on an aesthetic view on a bouquet, but its theme was vegetables. Such ridicule is also found in a heavy horse standing on its forehooves with a crane looming behind as well as a snake-like belt and a withdrawn turtle paralleling on a relatively abstract background. Qin Qi hid himself and his intentions behind these paintings of different genres and dropped only hints to communicate with his audience.

After years of artistic practice, Qin Qi has unquestionably established his own visual expressive system which incorporates reality, imagination and virtuality. In his paintings which resemble still life, landscape sketch and expressionism, images created in a more abstract and direct manner abandon narrative and meaning on the surface and point at obscure allegories.

UNMASK is an artistic production team built up by three artists --- Liu Zhan, Kuang Jun and Tan Tianwei. Unlike regular sculpture or installation, their works carry on a unique artistic tone and concept as well as a strong artistic expressive force. Their human statues depict wise and deep roles silently absorbed in thoughts and reveal somewhat unexplainable solitude and sorrow. They are deformed yet perfect; their aesthetic structures are mystic and extraordinary. Their works integrate extreme tension with graceful poetry and take on a sense of rebellion and dissimilation beyond description. The adoption of semitransparent materials and LED backlights avoided traditional depressed and lumbersome impression as often found in sculptures and presented a sense of lightness and unrestrained flexibility instead, thus possessed strong romantic sentiments.

It’s hard to define works by UNMASK. The team created a fresh new artistic language and concept and took on a visual and aesthetic perspective regardless of conventional standards and incorporated meanings used in art interpretation. Rather than discuss any grand narrative or serious issues, they simply construct, from an aesthetic perspective and in game-like self-descriptive virtuality, unrealistic images to the extremes and imply people’s state of being. While being exhibited before the audience, their creations remain eternal silence in answerless contemplation and inextricable puzzles.

Most of Yang Na’s works are portrayal of distinct-styled girls that are almost beautiful to the perverted extremes. She took real person around as prototypes and distorted and metamorphosed realistic images. The girls wished for slim figures with well-developed breasts, so she made their dreams come true in her works and even expanded their visions to the extremes by fitting together most popular facial features at present. Thus the models all had exaggerated Monroe appeal in their eyes, half-open red seducing lips and a misted intoxicating look. They wore sparkling jewellery, held lollipops in hands and amused themselves amidst swimming fishes and water.

Such beauty is made up of elements most run after in contemporary China: bony slimness, plump breasts, luxuries, money, sex etc. But they are not composing a coordinated tune in booming China. Stark disparity between the poor and the rich, omnipresent commercials, extravagant consumables… These have undoubtedly led to mental desires and distortions, vanity and corruption. The paintings exaggerated every element of beauty to create new images and presented the characters’ complicated mentality of lust and temptation out of their face, body language and other implying symbols.

On occasions, Yang Na makes quiet observations about such a group of girls in real life: Though youthful and beautiful, they are narcissistic and self-pitiful; they pursue individuality yet they have long been lost and materialized. In Yang Na’s recent works are found more simple and abstract tended geometrical figures that have been further materialized and dissimilated. Absence and emptiness seen in the characters’ delicately fine eyes betray their perplexity and confusion. From a unique feminine angle of view, Yang Na expressed her feelings about social development and changes, loving care for and satire of vanity on her characters.

Behind these fantasy-like beautiful paintings are Yang Na’s personal emotional world and her critiques on and disconnection from materialized style of living. In an extravagant and dazzling world facing vogue and fashion, Yang Na is adopting a likewise luxuriant style of painting to voice her silent yet resolute rejection.

Zhang Shuang’s latest paintings have broken away from earliest sentiments of self-remorse and later depiction of her daughters’ regular living state and shifted the focus onto a more open visual space, fancier backgrounds and environment and deeper mental state. Her backgrounds are sometimes barren moon, sometimes void grassland, sand dune or iceberg. A lonely girl rode on a horse, donkey or a huge and terrifying spider; she was surrounded by nameless bizarre small animals, odd clowns or little dwarfs from 19^th century, attacking. She was quite composed, graceful yet somewhat depressed and sentimental.

In a dreamlike painting such as “When Soft Voices Die”, the gray tone displayed a gloomy and disturbed mood; supposedly horrible spider played the role of the girl’s horse and bodyguard; the distance between her and other people created a sense of dissimilation and isolation. The image of spider represented things that look random and trivial yet bear a strong heart-shaking force. It was also a symbol of disturbance and unsteadiness which came from uncertainty about the destiny of human beings and implied the terror deep down in the artist’s heart. Here the artist was attempting to discuss the relations between conqueror and the conquered as well as attitude to choose and decision to make when we, tiny little human beings, are in the face of an irresistible fate.

In constant self-exploration and inquiries, Zhang Shuang has altered her style of painting. Her image has taken on a stronger visual striking force and a more abundant look with more graceful and subtle lines and colours. Her grayish and more delicate style of painting, integrated into a bizarre narrative, produced an unforgettable and lingering effect. In rapid transformation of the present society, the artist, hiding behind the virtual and grotesque world out of her own creation, resorted to her brushes to display people’s innermost terror and confused uneasiness and uncertainty about self, society and the destiny.

Perhaps in relation to the 70s artists’ living environment, differentiated scenes and contexts keep emerging amidst myriad and fast-changing information, misplacement between the past and the present, replacement between the grand and the tiny, a blend of the public and the private and melting of the real and the virtual. All these changes have brought us visual transcendental experience. Messages conveyed out of paintbrushes may look absurd, but they realistically represent our personal experience and intimate knowledge in daily life. They may seem ordinary and casual, yet they are strong and forceful.

III

As put in Chinese masterpiece The Dream of the Red Chamber, “When falsehood stands for truth, truth likewise becomes false, Where naught be made to aught, aught changes into naught.” Though thus virtual and absurd, one day you may find in such imaginary sentiments some reflection of the real world and our truest life experience. Ridicule and reality may not be that entirely different as we thought. The reality itself sometimes may be found absurd. As Master Chuang put about his dream, “Was it Chuang Tsu that became a butterfly in his dream? Or was it the butterfly that became Chuang Tsu in its dream?”

This world and the other world, are they really that different?