Transexperiences

Overall, I thought this reading was a bit difficult to comprehend, because a lot of what transexperience is, is intangible and is really very hard to describe. The most basic definition that Chen Zhen uses is “the complex life experiences of leaving one’s native place and going from one place to another in one’s life.” This is pretty straightforward. Throughout the interview Chen Zhen adds to his first definition. He says that transexperiences are a “special mode of thinking and a special process of experience-accumulating” but these are not physical “experience-accumulations.” Rather, a state of life which allow an artist to “blur the rationalization of art and the mechanization of artistic styles.”

Something else I had difficulty comprehending is less directly related to transexperiences but the idea of an alter-ego. Zhu Xian is Chen Zhen’s alter-ego. But what does that really mean? Beyonce is said to have an alter-ego (Sash Fierce) when she performs. Or maybe someone who has anger management issues, might say they have an alter-ego when they’re angry. But, these two cases seem circumstantial. How can Chen Zhen and Zhu Xian co-exist is such a tight space?

“The Path of Mystery Leads Inwards:”#

Nina Boys
Contemporary Art and New Media in China
Final Project
Artist Statement
12.16.2010



“The Path of Mystery Leads Inwards:”#
A Personal Response to the Interconnectedness of Art and Philosophy


The interview on “transexperiences” between Zhu Xian and Chinese artist Chen Zhen put a lot of my own philosophies on art, travel and life into perspective. I related with much of what Chen Zhen was voicing because I, too, connect with this concept of “transexperiences” that allows one to “immserse oneself in life, to blend and identify oneself with others”# in an experiential manner. Of late I myself have been recognizing the “boundarylessness” of humanity and therefore of art, as art is simply a visual representation of the human experience. So when Chen Zhen says that “you have me in you and I have you in me,” I recognize that this understanding is what informs his outlook on life and art is the way in which he expresses this to others. He fled China, isolated himself, traveled around the world, returned home and departed again in a cycle that manifests itself through his artwork; because for Chen Zhen art is a philosophical experience rather than a physical object. It is the “here and now” of every moment of his voyage that is valuable, not the physical object that comes to symbolize them. Ironically, he would never have learned the futility of escape unless he had fled China initially.
While Chen Zhen’s philosophy correlates to my own, to suggest that they are the same or different would be misleading as they encompass the very “sameness” of the human condition. These “transexperiences” belong not to someone who is overtly knowledgeable about the world but rather one that “does not belong to anybody, yet [who is] in possession of everything.” Thus the term “transexperience” is merely a road sign pointing to an enlightened form of being that focuses on presence rather than action. His experiences were far more than the experience themselves; they were a way of life and his artwork is an expression of this that can be read regardless of language or culture. Art is powerful in this regard because it has the capacity to elevate consciousness to a level that transcends social constructs and dances instead with the intangible.
Furthermore, art is a beautiful part of the human experience because it is not confined to paint, theater or sculpture; it can be far more intangible and to think that it was would be to limit art in the same way that words often limit awareness. Art can be any infinite expression of these “transexperiences,” even those which transcend sensory input such as a beautiful smile, a contagious laugh or an expression of pure sorrow. The magic of art is that it is all around us and that we create it simply by being. Everything else flows naturally and it is this very “boundarylessness” of art discussed by Chen Zhen that has informed my personal photographic reaction to it.
Something that has struck me while in Shanghai are the moments in when I literally transcend experience. From different angles and perspectives I can see the limitless in a framed moment in time and space, in fact I am that very limitless. I am in Shanghai and yet that is not as important as the fact that I am “here” and “now” and the very fact that I “am.” While these moments do not catalyze me into creating art, the very fact that I recognize them means that life and “being” is its own work of art that one needs only to open oneself up to in order to appreciate. This in turn allows us to appreciate its physical manifestation that we call artwork, and in modern day, contemporary artwork. Chen Zhen believes that understanding is non-existent as far as art is concerned since the very ambiguity and “misunderstanding" that stems from contemporary art is its own greatest attribute; it allows us to experience and interpret the indefinable. I have tried to capture some of these personal moments of “transexperience” through the photographic medium in order to represent the philosophic outlook that Chen Zhen and I share.

Chen Zhen on Transexperience

Chen Zhen’s interview on Transexperiences was an insightful look into the discussions and debates of cross cultural experiences and conflicting consequences that may emerge out of a newly interconnected world. Chen explains that a “’Spiritual running-away’ is the most profound experience one can have in life. One should learn to break out of one’s own “cocoon” and be courageous enough to break away from one’s own self and to abandon one’s own cultural context…..[this is when] creative capacity has reached the most active zenith.” This “self-sought loneliness” via moving about and engaging with transexperiences reminds me a lot of Thoreau’s escape to Walden. I was also reminded of all our students’ experiences studying abroad and traveling—Chen’s words relate precisely to our own experiences being here in Shanghai and away from our safety zones, “our cocoons”. In this light, Chen encourages the movement of the art world to encompass artists’ experiences that include both the perspectives of home and away from home, both literally and figuratively. Chen also illustrates that “to immerse oneself in life, to blend and identify oneself with others” is a foundational concept of art, and transexperiences help us to recognize this. He goes on further to say “You have me in you, and I have you in me.”

Chen also talks about what is familiar to us in relation to what is “the other” or what is foreign to us. Chen says that in a “Multi-other world…the center will be left totally blank. This is my revision of the definition of “Others””. Cultural protection, going back to the roots, rediscovering and rebirthing the classics in Chinese philosophy and way of life has been a recent reaction to the imitation of the West. Some Chinese feel they’ve lost their own country’s distinctions and special cultural traits, because the country is trying so hard to modernize and with that, they look towards the West. Chen adds, “Those that are in power suffer from a major paradox: being ideologically conservative, they worship nonetheless whatever is foreign. It is the same disease they’ve been having over the last hundred years.” Therefore, Chen wants us to realize that transexperiences help us to find perspective and balance between the familiar and the other: “A long spell of separation leads to reunion, and a long spell of reunion leads to separation” is no other than a principle of dealing with the world and its people….its called “the self-sought loneliness of opening-up and moving-about”. He also suggests a new way of looking at cultures, not as foreign and conflicting or contrasting, but rather Chen says, “I pay more attention to the psychological processes of their culture.” And therein lies the key to understanding different cultures and peoples as well as applying those new ways of thinking to contemporary art that is fresh, original, revitalizing, and engaging.

Transexperiences

Transexperiences was a really interesting self-conducted interview of Chen Zhen by his alter ego, Zhu Xian. In the interview, he discusses his experience as an artists and a person from china who has expatriated to the West for long periods of time. He has the perspective from growing up in China and witnessing the effects of Mao and the Cultural Revolution on his culture. Coming from such destruction, eventually led to his leaving for a life in France. Chen Zhen has some really interesting ideas which he puts under the term of a self-coined word ‘transexperiences’. This word deals with the physical and metaphorical running away from what one knows to find a new place, bringing the knowledge one has but adapting to the changes. He stresses the importance of adjusting to circumstances in order to fit-in to the new situation. While he does represent a physical worldliness through travel, his meaning of transexperiences is more based on the internal state of being, to be spiritually and psychologically experienced and changing.
Another topic discussed that interests me is the idea of “inter-contextualization” regarding the displaying of art. Each work has its own meanings and context and connotations. If shown together with other works though there develops a unique relationship filled with new meanings because while each piece has its own story and history, together they can enhance the meaning of each other of even change it. This goes along with the transexperience idea of adapting to the new situation with understanding and knowledge of the past, an overlapping. It’s a really cool concept, how an art work is almost alive really, always changing because how one reads it will always change relative to their own experiences in life and the context in which it is shown, and what is happening in the world that shapes it all.
Chen points out the experience of Chinese artists in the world today and issues they face. On the one hand, some people don’t regard a Chinese artist working abroad as a ‘Chinese artist’ but he argues that this shouldn’t be so because having grown up in china, having been educated there and gone through the cultural revolution are things that cant be cast aside and forgotten. A person’s experiences are always with them, overlapping with each other. The Chinese experiences is connected to a way of round-about thinking which has a unique effect on the Chinese culture and the way the people view the world and problems and ideas. For an artist I think it would help with creativity, to discover ideas others would miss by going from point A to B in a straight line. The experience of someone from China today also holds the effects of modernization. Often people equate this modernization with westernization but its important to try to see China as its own entity with a growing economy and culture and while there undoubtedly are western influences, the result is definitely Chinese. Chen Zhen mentions his interest in the interactions involved with multiculturalism. Because really, each party involved gives and takes, and to witness this exchange is very telling of the culture and characteristics in general of a group of people. And with China and Chinese art we see right now how keen the world is on taking while China itself is taking elements from the world to adapt to its developing self.
Chen Zhen overall may come off as too idealistic in some respects but it is after all just an interview addressing his ideas and shouldn’t be read as necessarily literal. I think he raised some interesting questions. Especially, his understanding of what it means to be a Chinese artist in the world today, and how for him it is necessary to actually go out into the world to add those experiences to the Chinese ones he already possesses.

Transexperience

"Upside-down Buddha/Arrival at Good Fortune" Chen Zhen

Chen Zhen sure had a lot to say, especially with his alter ego. All in all, I felt that this article was quite philosophical if anything. All that he said seemed to have great meaning, nothing too exact, much of it representing what he had said before concerning the Chinese "talking in a roundabout way...the Chinese don't look at issues directly, and don' state things directly." All of the things he said, I found quite true. I agreed with what he said regarding people to look outside their own little world. Don't conform to what everyone else is doing. Explore and see what is out there. Make connections that you normally would not make and be aware of your environment. When Chen Zhen was talking about whether or not he saw himself Chinese or not, I felt that I could relate. Though I was born in the US, and he only left China, I still felt that what he was saying was quite rational. For me, am I Chinese, or am I American? To be honest, I have a lot of American pride. But what it boils down to is that I still am Chinese. That is my genealogy. I just found his way of thinking to be interesting because I never thought of it his way. We are yellow, but at the very same time, that does not limit us to just being Chinese, or of other race. This is what I feel I have discovered coming to China, but sort of the vice versa way. I came here as, more so, an American. But now I have discovered my Chinese roots. It's hard to explain on my part but what I am trying to say is that this movement to a different environment has opened my eyes, or made me think differently, much like Chen Zhen. It is a different experience. This is how I saw what Chen Zhen was saying, at least on one of his points. The Transexperience, though my experience is at a much lower level than Chen Zhen's. What Chen Zhen is saying, to me, is not a new idea. It is just something that everyone knows but don't really realize they know it. All that he is saying makes sense. It's interesting, yet at the same time, a little obvious.


"Round Table"

Chen Zhen seems also to be highly two sided. He takes into account the Chinese perspective and the Western perspective. By him mentioning this in the interview, he makes it a point to show everyone that he does not lean more towards on one side, such as the part he mentions the importance of context to the Westerners as well as the Chinese. Chen Zhen also mentioned something interesting about "misunderstanding." That I liked because I seem to always misunderstand things, especially art. What stimulates art is not the understanding of it, but this misunderstanding of it, thus generating more creativity and move to study and create.

What caught me most of guard with this interview was his analysis of China in more of an economic/international relations point of view. It wasn't that I was shocked that he mentioned this, just that I thought that he wouldn't. I was pleased to see that he did. It backed up everything he said much more concretely, at least for me. Chen Zhen, I feel, is completely right regarding the fact that the economy is the basic level of development for Chinese culture right now. That is partly why China has changed so much in so little time. It is these changes that cause "short circuits" for artists. So many contradictions, so many problems, so many benefits. All these are forming right in front of everyone's eyes.

I was sorry to find that Chen Zhen had passed. He seemed to be a very wise, and knowledgeable artist. One, who instead of seclusion, tried to discover as much as possible, such as his desire to learn Spanish, as he mentioned later in the interview. Everything he does as an artist most certainly is based off of his experience and observations. It's very interesting to see what he would have done, what he would have been able to accomplish if he were able to continue.

Transexperiences: Painfully intangible but refreshingly meaningful

The ideas thrown back and forth between Chen Zhen and Zhu Xian (oh, who turned out to be…the same person) floated around in the clouds, so to speak. Very idealistic—but powerful. This interview was quite philosophical, and I guess the best way to put it is…intangible. But I really liked Chen Zhen’s way of thinking—his theory on way of life, art, the interaction of different cultures, contexts, and more.

Perhaps, the one I liked the most was his idea of “transexperiences.” Not only was this interesting because it is a non-real word that actually makes lot of sense, but it was also interesting because I think everyone can relate to this…”spiritual running away” or “special mode of thinking” or “loneliness of spirituality,” etc. I think Chen Zhen is right. In order to get more out of life, to find things within yourself that you never knew existed, you need to get out of that “cocoon” or that comfort bubble as we call it. I pictured this as flying over the barriers, whether it is cultural, language-based, racial, occupational, and even physical boundaries between states, countries, continents. I guess what I’m trying to say is being able to go through a lot of experiences at different times, together, no matter how easy or difficult, without having anything under you that you can fall back on. Through these scary experiences and confronting them right in the face, you grow as an individual. I thought of "transexperience" as freeing yourself mentally or I guess if I want to be abstract like Chen Zhen—“spiritually.”

Right now, I guess a lot of us are going through that too. One of my major reasons for studying abroad in China was so I can be scared, have a culture shock, be dropped off in the middle of a new place I know nothing of and start there. I wanted to empty my mind of all cultural stereotypes, everyday lifestyle, upbringing, expectations, norms, and start new. Or as Chen Zhen says so poignantly, “you do not belong to anybody, yet you are in possession of everything.” I took that to heart, because the more open-minded I became about this country, the more my eyes opened up, the more I feel like I gained. For instance, at first, I really did not empty my mind and stuck to my American lifestyle and mindset, complaining about why tampons or hand sanitizers do not exist, why I have to worry about consuming everyday things like yogurt, milk, and eggs, why the dryers don’t work well. But then I realized I was losing “possession of everything.,” Now I appreciate China for what it is, instead of dragging it down to the “cultural barriers” and comparing it to the States or Korea.

I agree with Chen Zhen. It is about networks and the experiences that you build after you free your mind, especially the misunderstandings and clashing between different people, between people and societal norms, languages, etc. Misunderstanding itself is a whole other language that implies so much. How do you learn about others or about anything if you just sit there watching and waiting? That applies even in the most basic level. In our every day relationships, it is not until you experience an argument, uncomfortable situation, or some type of tension with each other that you fully understand your friend, boy/girl friend, co-workers, etc.

One main criticism I have though with this interview is his idealistic proposals. First one is how he described his life as if it was the most heavenly thing ever when he was living in materialistic poverty in France. Especially in today’s growingly money-driven world, it is impossible to let go of this practical mindset of valuing money, because then you will have a hard time surviving. Is it really realistic and practical to ignore all material desires in a world where materials, the market, and money are what makes it go around? I do not understand how someone can be truly, truly happy without being practical about how important materials and money are.

Another idealistic proposal was Chen Zhen’s idea of “second tradition.” I do admit it is a great idea. This idea has very realistic roots. For instance, it is true. There is no such thing as a “pure Asia” any longer because it has such an embedded history with the West and now we are completely intertwined and interdependent politically, economically, socially, etc. So yes, in an ideal world, developing this “second tradition” that doesn’t shut out or completely replace China with this Western influence is the best way to go All I am saying is, it is not as easy as he makes it sound. Especially his idea of the multiculturalism web where every culture is an “other” with no dominating culture, power, or force.

Overall, however, I liked this interview because he managed to mold very unique and refreshing theories out of intangible concepts while exploring essential topics of today’s world.

Reflections on Chen Zhen & Zhu Xian's Interview...

I had to read this interview about four times before I could begin to make any sense of it. This wasn’t like most interviews about straightforward things, this was a deep conversation between “two” persons that allowed me to see the intricate inner thinkings of this artist. The first thing I want to discuss is his notion of “short circuit.” He describes this phenomenon as the peak of his creative process…the “most stimulating moment.” This reminds me of the “light bulb” effect that occurs when one is brainstorming. The moment the brilliant idea hits is very much like the spark of electricity in a short circuit. The burst of emotion is the culmination of what Chen Zhen calls the “conception of the work” and the “triggering of the thinking process,” is what happens when all things start to connect. He says that in order to do so, it is necessary to break away from the norm. When you do things repetitively, there is no place for a creative outlet. I remember at work, I would do the same monotonous tasks daily, and with that, there was no place for me to think outside the box. Only when you try something new, do something different, stray from the norm, is when innovative things can be produced.

The second idea that Chen Zhen brought up is this notion of the creation of a second tradition, especially for Asia. This new “state of consciousness,” he states, is developed by overlapping foreign influences with Asia’s traditional culture. To a business major like myself, it seems as if this artists view on modernization is very much in line with any business man’s perspective. First there must be modernization along with growth in economics, intertwined with help from outsiders; there is no and should not be any “anti-West” and “anti-tradition” divide. Asia’s rich past and foreigner influence should culminate into a short circuit result of a new tradition. This new wave of culture for Asia shows that she is moving on from her oriental past to a new modern era. Asia is developing and perhaps going through a “transpexperience” of her own. Though not physically expanding, Asia is gaining economic power in the span of the entire world.

Lastly, I wanted to discuss his idea of moving on, his “transexperiences.” The artist moved to France to experience new cultures, to become a well-rounded individual and to continuously learn throughout his life (even Spanish at his age!). He understood that breaking free from things that used to hold you back is the only way you can understand yourself; the only way you can really “zou,”—truly live. Despite the apparent physical travelling, he does “soul travelling,” where his development as a person throughout his life takes place. I can relate to this transexperience from my moving to Shanghai. I left NYC, my hometown for the past 20 years of my life to halfway across the world for 4 months. I grew up in New York, attending both high school and college in the city. That’s when I knew it was time for a change—I was not about to spend 8 years of my life strolling the streets of Downtown NYC. So I made this leap across the ocean and vast miles of land to try to make it on my own as a person. I have to admit, before coming to Shanghai I relied on my parents a lot; I am an only child so of course they spoiled/babied me rotten. Now almost three months into this program, I have done my own laundry and cooked my own dinner. While they may seem like small feats, they add up to myself being able to grow and mature as an adult. I know that I am fully capable of things that I never had the desire to do before, simply because it was not asked of me. I just came back from a week long vacation in Malaysia, doing things on my own, no tour guides, no adults. That’s something that I will remember for the rest of my life; it was a life changing experience. This whole study abroad experience has been one big “running away” from home-esque journey for me, both physically and emotionally. I left my native place and went from one place to another in my life. The different friendships I gained and my expanding network of peers, something that Chen Zhen finds most important with transexperience, is a concept that I have developed here in Shanghai. It is these relationships that allow me to grow into the person I am right now—one who is definitely different from the person who stepped off the airplane in Pudong International airport a couple months earlier. These relationships are what moves the world, according to Chen Zhen, and he manifests their importance in many of his works, like the Round Table for the UN building.

By the time I finished re-reading this essay, I saw a lot of applications for his thoughts to my own life. It really amplifies his statement that “art is relevant to everything, especially to people and their lives.”

Shanghai AvantGarde- Chen Zhen & Song HaiDong

Chen Zhen
- Born in Shanghai
- Died Dec. 2000
- Known for object-based installations
- Works displayed collisions of cultural worlds
- Artworks are mostly abstract







Song HaiDong
- Emerged in 1980s as part of AvantGarde movement
- Challenging traditional forms of art-making in search for more conceptual directions.
- Pieces made use of physical objects and synthetic materials
- Artworks used to express great opinions
- Sculpture as a carrier of conceptual art


The Earth in the Eye of Extraterrestrials

ON CHEN ZHEN (MIDTERM)

So what do you think.

I was surprised at first. Then I realized you are always in conversation with yourself. What a brilliant way to think through your ideas though, a self-interview.

I mean, that is how you think-- through writing. Writing is a way to think.

I was wondering, is it possible to think without language? I had a disagreement with someone about this. I think thinking is complex, but anything having to do with consciousness we view as complex because we don't understand it, it's so hard to grasp onto something intangible. But perhaps we make it more complex than it is, perhaps things are really very simple. Anyway I think that you do think with language...

Really the question is a bit pointless because what matters is that ideas are nothing without language/without a form. Language materializes thought and language is how we communicate thought to others. Thought becomes beautiful when materialized as language.

Figure 1: thinking ßà understanding ßà language

(Language helps you understand thought?)

So language materializes, is a material for thought; then, where is language?

And how does the power of language compare to the power of something visual? Both have their power, but language seems so unique... I can't put my finger on it... More powerful perhaps than visual art, because I find passages in Chen Zhen’s self-interview more powerful than the art works he talks about. How can a specific, physical art work compare to the pure idea? An art work can only be one manifestation of the concept, while the concept itself is limitless. A bit like a movie taking away all the magic in a book, though the movie may be very beautiful.

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(Tangent 1) (Tangent 2)

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Ok then the function of art may be humbler than it often claims to be. Which is fine. There is nothing wrong with art being only a little something. It's just that artists/critics/historians/etc make it out to be something more than it is, something that supposedly has more depth than it does.

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I don't know, language flows in a certain way, it's a linear flowing (one thing leads to another), as opposed to the visual simultaneous flowing. I suppose any kind of flowing is beautiful.

You know you use the same words again and again.

That is called vibration. Everything is vibration, repetition. (Even that line I think I wrote before.) Daily life is repetition, we learn by repetition, the sun repeats, art functions by repeating, by echoing our psychic vibrations or emotional vibrations or vibrations in the brain. Wavelengths.

Figure 2: /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Oh yeah the line I had written was: "Everything is repetition/vibration. Art that is realistic repeats the world around us and art that is not repeats our inner life." In that sense too.

You are supposed to be writing a paper about the reading.

Oh yeah. But I am. Everything is about everything.

The reading was good. It talked a lot about 'moving'. That word is quite beautiful and elusive. Moving physically, moving mentally, moving forward, moving backward, moving away, moving towards, moving slowly, not moving. A "miraculous word", as Chen Zhen says. He's quite poetic:

"Trees die when moved, people survive when moving...”

“When a person moves, his heart is also moving...”

“Is the wind moving?-- Are the poles moving?-- Are the flags moving?-- It is your heart that's moving...”

“When one is in a car, one's body is not moving and heart is not nervous, but the car is moving. This is called moving without moving".

I’d like to add one: To move people you have to move.

I, too, have moved much, "broadened" my heart by moving. (This paper is moving.) I have moved by moving. I have moved from continent to continent, from house to house to house.

I had originally written "from China to America" in place of "from continent to continent", but who cares about specifics, specifics are volatile. Irrelevant.

Do you believe in universality of art? Chen Zhen talks a lot about this.

Did you just change the subject? Well, "how could an artist represent only one nation and exhibit his works in only one national pavilion?" Artists are all humans. So in that sense yes, art is universal. But we also have specific ethnicities, cultures, histories, locations. And zooming in even further, each individual is individual. So, art in general is a universal phenomenon, but each artwork cannot be completely universal.

What about art and loneliness. I believe each person is lonely, each person is separate from another isn't he? An artist perhaps is especially lonely. More aware of inner vibrations. Chen Zhen mentions the "internal loneliness of spirituality and the overlapping of life experiences". He views loneliness as a kind of freedom, when he was living his simple life in Paris, "the rarest type of quietness and deep thinking in life".

Isn’t that where artistic impulse comes from? Loneliness. Some sort of repression which one must break free from via making art. A need to tell someone and let it out.

Loneliness is not the same as repression. No. Do you see the correlation? Would you be lonely if you weren’t repressed? Oh maybe repression is the wrong word. The opposite of repression is also a sort of repression, though.

Well. Artistic impulse is not easy to pin down. It is some sort of desire, that can be said-- where does desire come from? From the heart? Where does the heart come from?

I don’t know, but Chen Zhen said something beautiful: “…add another continent in your heart”.

Where do continents come from?