Wang Qingsong said that because
the language of painting could not reach what
he wanted to say about gaudy art, he thought
of photography. His first works in 1997 were
still based on his exploration into gaudy art,
a term given by art critic Li Xianting. Wang
Qingsong intended to use photography as a new
medium to better demonstrate "kitsch".
However, he comes to understand conceptual photography
as he creates more and more works. Once he has
an excellent feeling for creation by way of
photography, he comes to the mastery of photography
quickly. Therefore he hopes people can consider
him as one of conceptual photographers.
| Among
various language forms in contemporary Chinese
art, "gaudy art" is given the
most criticism and attacks. Somebody calls
it a product "premeditated". Maybe
this premeditation comes from the concerted
effort by all artists involved. Objectively
speaking, gaudy art has its apparent origin
for social development. When artists intend
to express their certain sensitive feelings
and find out friends around have similar
feelings, it is natural and necessary that
they come together. Possibly, like its name,
gaudy art tells the exaggerating phenomenon
in the society at that time and satirizes
the kitsch psychology the public have on
consumptive culture. However, the superficial
expression of gaudy art or its separation
from ordinary painting language gives us
some kind of premeditated fabrication. |
|
Maybe this is the major reason
that it is attacked and died out pretty sooner.
Maybe artists have put too much attention to
finding out the expression of their creativity.
Leaving the utilitarian mind of these artists
aside, gaudy art does provide us some reference
and reflection upon artist inspiration, art
and social ideal of art, or social responsibilities
for artists and etc.
Wang Qingsong is one representative
artist for gaudy art who is also one that does
not avoid gaudy art. He always creates his works
naturally and tries to resolve well what he
does not fulfill. When he startes off with photography,
he chooses theatrics according to his character
and habit for creation. He slowly works hard
on his works based on his financial capacities.
When he carries out important and big works,
he creates single pieces upon inspiration from
occasional feelings.His earlier works have once
been painted on silk reflective films, which
are easy to fade out and pose difficulty for
collection. Even though there is economic pressure,
he still give up this way of printing quickly.
Due to his persistent exploration into gaudy
art, his earlier works give off an idea of traditional
Chinese Spring Festival pictures. However they
are lack of happiness and added with irony and
imitation. Works at this time highlight the
major images, which he acts out, with rather
grandiose and rich colors in the backgrounds.
 |
Night revel of Lao Li,
based on a traditional painting in post-Tang
Dynasty, 2000
His recent work Night
Revel of Lao Li (2000) is a significant
work with clear awareness for conceptual photography
after he gets involved into this field that
takes photography as a medium of expression.
It is said that when he shoots this series of
works, it is bitter cold. He has to offer extra
payment to models for warming up. In the course
of continuous exploration, he keeps understanding
and mastering how to create his works that fits
for theatrics. Once he feels it is right to
work it out, he will get involved into preparation
immediately. Of course, cost is a consideration
that Wang Qingsong has to face up. Just because
he is very clear about the connotation for conceptual
photography, he knows what works are most suitable
for him. He is very concerned about and sensitive
to social problems and history, which needs
to be reflected upon from another perspective.
He knows his works are destined to spend a lot
of money. Even if Wang Qingsong tried his best
to present a simple kitsch, which is more exaggerated
than reality, what he delivers to us is more
intense and much richer. Night Revel of Lao
Li becomes his representative piece as an artist
of conceptual photography.
Take up the the pen,
fight till the end, 1997
|
Another battle series,
no.4, 2001
|
In Another
Battle series (2001), Wang Qingsong presents
us a setting of warring times, which are too
true to believe. However he uses such signs
with cultural significance as McDonald's
and Coca-Cola
to remind us that it is a war he fabricates.
In the meantime when he exposes the confrontations
between eastern and western cultures or cultural
invasion in the global era, his works hint that
he is a solider with another awareness and mission
though his head is wrapped with gauze. His different
outlook tells us that he is more conscious of
his new role.
Artists born in 1970s are more concerned with
personal feelings. In comparison, artists of
1960s experience a lot of significant events
in that part of history. They are more concerned
about social problems and would like to create
works to reflect upon their own experiences.
It is their way of creation to consider both
then and now.
Wang Qingsong's latest work
Past,
Present and Future (2001) demonstrates this
point most clearly. On the surface, this triptych
imitates urban monuments. However he invites
models to act out the sculpted roles in the
monuments. Besides giving out a sense of hard
cement sculpture, his work has a deep theatrical
effect. In
Past, he uses wall paper used in decoration
for common families to cover the pedestal aiming
to give out the effect of marble while covering
the front with mud. On this pedestal, Wang Qingsong
applies true human beings to depict a typical
scene in the warring times though it is far
away from us. Wang Qingsong covers the models,
flag, guns, pack of dynamite, bugle, and etc
with mud. It seems that mud can represent the
colors of that period of time. What is more
interesting is that Wang Qingsong portrays himself
as a wounded soldier who looks up to the people
on the pedestal who wear serious but expressionless
look. He holds a bouquet of flowers which might
be presented to the "heroes" in our
hearts. In Present,
Wang Qingsong takes one puppy and looks up at
the workers in urban construction that include
cleaners, oil workers. It deserves mentioning
that Wang Qingsong used to be a worker in the
oil field. Maybe it is that experience that
gives him this inspiration. In this photo, he
covers the figures with silver powder though
having a sense of oily connotation which adds
some color of post-industrial society and decreases
the sense of truth. This personalized redecoration
aims at emphasizing the artist's attitude and
thoughts --- workers should walk into modern
history or honored on the monuments.
last supper,
1997
It can be said that Wang Qingsong's
triptych Past,
Present and Future which takes months of
preparation and great cost is a powerful classical
piece no matter from the perspective of presentation
or the idea behind the picture. I evaluate this
piece as a classic is because conceptual photography
has to be dealt with and readjusted after a
lot of trials though its concept is finished
in one second. This is one of the charms for
photographic art.
(Ms. Gao Yue, M.A. in art history
of Beijing Drama Institute, Beijing, China.)
