“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.

by Noor Chadha

Shanghai born artist Chen Zhen's self interview, Chen Zhen has an
intimate and soul-revealing dialogue his alter-ego Zhu Xian who's name
is actually the two characters that form Chen Zhen's first name. In
the dialogue Zhu Xian interviews Chen Zhen with very personal
questions relating to both life and art, digging deep into Chen Zhen's
psyche. Employing several references to both his artworks, his time in
France, Chinese culture and idioms from both Western and Eastern
cultures, and life experiences, Chen Zhen coins a new term,
"Transexperiences", both an artistic and life-based concept, which he
feels is the most profound type of experience one can have in life. In
fact, transexperience is the only path to true understanding and
comprehension of what life and art is about. What are transexperiences
exactly? It is a type of "spiritual running-away" where you yourself
seek loneliness and throw yourself into a completely new context, be
it a different culture or country or a different lifestyle or creative
process. He feels that in this special state of mind, when "the soul
has left it's shelter" is the only time that one can create their best
work. Through experiences and accumulating these transexperiences,
constant change and unchange, the possibility that anything can happen
at any time, he experiences "cultural homelessness" which enables him
to enter bursts of extreme creativity.

Self-interview by Chen Zhen

Minji Kim
Contemporary Art and New Media in China
2 December 2010

Blog Entry

"Self-interview by Chen Zhen." That short phrase turns this interview
into a very dramatic reversal. It made me look over the entire
conversation all over again. Asking, answering the questions, and
making conversations were all done by an individual, and I think that
the concept of "Transexperiences" is well shown throughout the
conversation done within himself. Chen Zhen defines the
characteristics of genes to be the internal power of heredity and the
external conditioning factors. Also, while explaining the definition
of "spiritual running-away," Chen Zhen states, "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," and
it might be the reason he conducted this self-interview. In many
parts of the conversation, Chen Zhen seems to use these self-inquiries
to excavate what kinds of thoughts or intentions have been staying
undiscovered in his mind. In the interview, he deals many questions
with a relationship either between one and others or within an
individual ego. It was a very inspirational example of how one
endeavors to find a genuine identity of a self.

Chen Zhen's Interview with Himself by Cori Huang

Chen Zhen's interview with Zhu Xian (or rather, himself) focuses on
the idea of "transexperiences," as the artist refers to this idea of
crossing through many places and the experiences they entail. I find
it very interesting that many of the ideas Chen Zhen talks about, he
describes using Chinese terms. For instance, at the very beginning of
the interview he talks about his travels, referring to the traveling
as to "zou," the Chinese term for walk. However, as the artist
explains the term in Chinese has more implications than simply
walking, since it can be used as a general term for traveling and
experiencing in both a literal and spiritual sense. This sort of
synthesis of multicultural experiences seems to really inform Chen
Zhen's artistic decisions. In fact, he works with the idea of multiple
cultures in his 1995 piece Round Table.
Regarding Chen Zhen's 1995 piece Round Table, I think the idea of
networks is prevalent in the way the installation interacted with the
setting, namely the United Nations' building, and then with the
audience who would have their own preconceptions about the Chinese
round table. The interaction of a viewer and his or her ideas with
what the artist presents can create a dialogue that is more
interesting than either one alone. However, the artist states that "as
far as art is concerned, understanding is nonexistent," and so the
relationships that are created are not just about taking information
from the artwork, but also about the dialogue. Chen Zhen describes the
misunderstandings as creating "networks of relationships," which are
more interesting that simply understanding an idea. Although I find
this to be a very interesting point and relevant to the Round Table
installation, I think it makes it more difficult to create a network
of relationships if there is too much misunderstanding. If I hadn't
read about Chen Zhen's thoughts behind the Round Table piece, I may
not be as interested in it.

Transexperience – the Life and Death of Chen Zhen

Transexperience - the Life and Death of Chen Zhen

In his conversation of the coined term "transexperience", Chen Zhen
expressed the necessarity for artists to travel, to learn and to
experience. His idea is in accordence with an old Chinese saying, "
读万卷书，行千里路" (Read and travel extensively), which can also be
interpreated as learning from experience. This notion is applicable to
any occupation, including artists. In fact, as art comes from life and
society, it is life experience that educate and inspire artists. As
Chen Zhen said, " like many artists today, I spend two-thirds of my
time each year traveling and working outside of my home." I think his
life experience has contributed to the acuracy and profoundness of his
work. Unlike other artists who do installation only for the sake of
appearance, Chen Zhen's work has very deep social implication, and
reflections on Buddhasim and philosophy. "Ten thousand changes will
not alter the essence of things," and "Stay unchanged to face off the
ten thousand changes." His employment of "Jie" (borrow, also has a
meaning of 'imitation', or 'plagiarize") helped on his fusion of
eastern and western art. I agree with Chen Zhen very much. I believe
that artists should enrich their lives as much as possible, by ways of
traveling, dealing with different peopel and trying different things.
Also artists should have an understanding about history and
philosophy, because art could not exist without the historical
context. I appreciate Chen Zhen's hard working attitude and his
courage to learn and employ foreign languages.

Looking up more information about Chen Zhen, I was shocked to find
that his brother is the incubent head of Ministry of Health of
People's Republic of China. His parents and his brother are all
professionals in health, but tragecally he was diagnosed of hematology
disease, which is incurable, at the age of 25. He knew that his life
was time-limited, hence cherished it more than any one else. He
traveld, learned and worked full-heartedly throughout his short life
and was a very productive and profound artist. He pondered on
children, religion, social issues and life. He is an respectable
artist with real passion.

Blog Entry

Joon Nam
After Reading the Self Interview of Chen Zhen

In the dialogue with himself, Chen Zhen reveals his sources of inspiration to his work. Chen Zhen, a Chinese artist who moved to France in 1980's, says that his experiences of travelling and adjusting to the new life after his move to Paris have shaped him. He uses a Daoist term  "transexperience" to explain "the complex life experiences of leaving one's native place and going from one place to another in one's life". The dialogue proceeds further into discussing different topics about multiculturalism and the concept of aesthetics in Asia where Chen Zhen claims, "do not have time to pay attention to that sort of thing". Chen Zhen also emphasizes the role of multiculturalism, which he claims to bring boundless potential into the works.

Since I was born in South Korea and raised in the US, I can understand some of Chen Zhen's points about his "transexperience" and his views on multiculturalism. However, I feel that even as he speaks in such language, he himself was bound by what he had seen and experienced in his life, just as we all are. We are limited by what we know; for instance, when a kid is asked to draw a monster, the kid will draw something based out of the things that the kid has seen, whether it be a three headed, one eyed monster. Yes, I belive going through new experiences and seeing new things will expand one's boundaries, since knowing more things will allow one to imagine further based on those things. However, at the end of the day, we are all bound by what exist around us. Perhaps then, creativity comes from discovering what exists around us.

On Chen Zhen and "transexperience"

Zhu Xian’s interview with Chen Zhen, or rather, Chen Zhen’s interview with himself (thus the two will be referred to as separate individuals to respect the artist’s intention) reveals Chen’s concept of transexperience. As Chen Zhen has put it, Transexperience is “a kind of fusion-transcendence experience…which summarizes vividly and profoundly the complex life experiences of leaving one’s native place and going from one place to another in one’s life.” Chen also states that “Transexperience also represents a concept of art,” which he cleverly tied to concepts of Buddhism. When Zhu Xian misunderstands the concept as he wonders how transexperience can be both a deep artistic concept and a “universal life definition” at the same time. Chen Zhen responded by alluding to the Buddhist concept that every living being has the “sense of a Buddha,” similarly to how transexperience can be a life definition that is applicable to everyone. However, transexperience also has deeper underlying meaning, which Chen refers to as a type of “cultural homelessness, namely, you do not belong to anybody, yet you are in possession of everything. This possibly refers to the fact that not everybody can reach enlightenment in Buddhism. The interview diverges into Chen’s multiple transexperiences and many of his philosophy on both life and art. It is interesting how Chen Zhen’s responses may seem personal and detached to everyday life (especially his pseudo-philosophical beliefs), many can probably relate their own stories to him as some kind of “transexperience.”

want my soul to come out of my mouth

A conversation between Alexa Haas and Lisa Lim

>早上好！
～早上好。

>Haha are you nervous? Don't be nervous.

~Haha I am nervous. I don't know what I will say. I think ever since I
started getting serious about a film career I've been scared of that
one day where I would be interviewed and what I say really matters.
>No, you shouldn't think of it like that. This is really casual, don't think of it as an interview, I mean an interview is really just a conversation. I just want to know about your experience and thoughts this semester.
~But in relation to art, right?
>Well, this is for your art class.

~Yea, but I think what I am scared of going into this is that I think
I have to talk about everything at once in order to express anything I
am thinking.
>I know, I know, that's why we decided it would be better for you to record this conversation than write an essay…So where should we start?

~I guess…we could start from the first exhibit we went to. The
Propaganda Poster exhibit. Because looking back now, it seems like I
didn't really know anything then. I mean, that is day one, so. Well,
it was called "Art is History," which I personally had always believed
too. Once when I was taking psychology, which I failed, my professor ~
Professor Coons ~ wrote this one thing in the course reader. We never
talked about it in class or anything, but when I read that line, it
seriously altered they way I looked at society and people and film and
art especially. Ugh, I wish film and art were seen as the same thing,
but they are such different businesses. But they are so…!! They are
recording the same history!!! If you look at film in China after the
Cultural Revolution, it tells exactly the same story.

>Wait, tell me first about what your professor said? Or wrote I mean.

~Oh sorry sorry, it was something like…wait, I want to say it exactly
how it was: Myths and…legends….oh, "Myths, legends and fairytales
allow us to glimpse into those hidden concerns that are shared by
whole cultural groups." I mean, I've been reciting this sentence to
people for years, for three years since I took that class. It's like
on my facebook haha. Sometimes I say it and it feels like it loses
it's meaning. Like I just said it, and I'm like no wait, that's dumb
because that doesn't really have to do with anything.

>No, no, it makes sense. It is true. Do you think we can just reword it and say, "Art allows us to look at concerns shared by a peoples?" I mean who is telling today's myths and fairytales if not art? Like, is it politics…or…?
~Like maybe its newspapers too.

>Haha yea, I mean, well...actually, that's true. Actually, it is newspapers too. I think the media is telling its own myth too, maybe the myth the authorities want you to believe.

~God that sounds so ridiculous when you put it that way, for someone
to want to force you into believing a myth a certain way. But the myth
of the authorities doesn't express the hidden concerns of the people.
So it is really the art that does. Like the hidden concerns are in
reaction to the authorities' myth. The propaganda art museum is an
interesting place to begin, because no one was saying what they were
actually thinking. But it still expresses so much about that mindset
of that time.

>Mm, definitely, "the boundless power of people!" 努力努力！

~No that's that exactly it. Its like all about The People. Like, ughh,
I wish I could say it so simply! I am quite obsessed with the concept
of 'man and nature.' Like I seriously dig the concept of A Harmonious
Society of today's China. But listen, listen.

>I'm listening!!
~haha I know I just want to fully convey this thought to you: okay
so…Okay…Alright, so traditional Chinese paintings. Let's start there
and then go to now, okay?
>Haha okay, I'm with you, chillax~*

~So! Chinese traditional paintings. In the beginning of this semester,
the way people looked in the paintings quite bothered me. They weren't
particularly, I don't know, beautiful I guess? But then one day when I
was in the Forbidden City this guy asked me and my friend to come into
his studio, which was right inside the Forbidden City, to look at some
artwork that him and his art classmates made. They were studying
conventional form like traditional Chinese paintings. He said to me,
"look, look you see, the person is so small in the scene. It
represents the harmony between man and nature…" and I was like,
"ohhh!" that was a big realization for me. That is a concept that
doesn't exist anymore. The person is always emphasized.

>mmm…Lynn Pann showed us a painting during the HaiPai time, of a man etched in with full detail but his clothes are painted broadly in traditional smooth one-lines. She said that it was a painting in light of the Western model because of all the detail paid attention to the human figure. HaiPai.
~Ughhh everything is in light of the western model, it is so
frustrating!!! The western model suuuuucks.
>Don't you think it is necessary though to dissect the human before realizing themselves in accord with nature?

~mmm…that's quite a beautiful thought. Like exploring the oceans
before going to space. I think maybe that step is necessary, actually.
But I hope we are getting out of it and focusing on other things now.
Doesn't it seem like Chinese artists focus more on nature than the
authorities do? I think it is possible for a people to move forward
without their government. Wait…this is what I wanted to say. Tradish
Chinese paintings to propaganda art. they are complete opposites from
each other. And I think that mindset still exists today in today's
advertisements. Like for the expo especially. Like people perfectly
lit up by the sun, perfect conditions for people. Big smiling faces so
featured.

>Mm, I'd agree, it is an interesting connection. It makes it seem like maybe people in China haven't really changed in what they want. Because they are still advertising that big smiling face. Do you think that is what Yue Min Jun is poking fun at with his signiture smiling face.

~Ugh, you know I used to really like him. I mean, when I was signing
up for this class, I just typed in 'Contemporary Chinese Art' into
Google Images, because I actually had no idea what that would
entail…and I saw him. Or his work, I mean lol. I really loved him at
first seeing him, I felt like I understood the work on first viewing,
I felt like it made sense that it was Chinese Contemporary Art. Even
though then I was SO naïve, haha, it's ridiculous. I like didn't even
really know what happened at Tiananmen Square at that point,
god…that's so sad. I mean I had a general idea! Ah! Don't judge
me!...Anyway, when I first saw his work I thought it was a comment on
Chinese culture. I saw it quite positively. About real happiness, and
gay outings, and a comfort with the body ~ because I think the first
painting I saw was a painting of men in their slinky bodies laughing
with each other in their underwear. Now I see his paintings like
everywhere, like lots of fakes actually. Like in the fake market, they
have a lot of re-do's of his paintings. Isn't that interesting?
>I mean, he's been painting that face for more than a decade now. Like that's sort of absurd, don't you think? You think he would have had some like, life changing experience since then or something, that would make him look upon things differently. Even his compositions are pretty much consistent.
~Barbara said we could see it that he figured out a marketable icon,
and has just been making money off of it since then. And then JJ asked
us if we would want it hanging in our house, and we said yes, because
it is really happy. But I don't think I think that anymore.

>Propaganda Museum. Chinese Paintings.

~Mmm, I know, I think that really what lasts from each era is the art.
I mean maybe the newspapers will be kept on record, but I don't know,
I don't think it is taken as seriously as the art of a time. What is a
<<collective memory>>? You know, it is the images and songs of a
time.

>But you know, just because traditional Chinese paintings expressed harmony between man and nature, doesn't mean people in that time lived in that principle. So art can't really represent time.

~But what about "the Garden as the setting for a good life" ~ it was
more embedded in the everyday life of people in that time. Wasn't the
garden a necessary part of a family's house. I feel like that
represented an accordance with nature. Like right now, cities are so
gray and removed from nature. Mm but I guess I actually don't know
enough about how people actually acted in their everyday during that
traditional Chinese painting period, but like, I think it became like
a practice. I mean, like those students in Beijing are still painting
Chinese paintings in the same way right now, but maybe without fully
understanding the principles. Or I mean, they must. But those
propaganda posters encapsulate it all about that time. Even the lies,
and especially the fantasy of the time.
>Did you see Zhang Dali's: A Second History ? That book is in Defne's library in the student lounge…?

~Mmm, I've looked at it. When Gu Zheng, the photographer/Fudon U.
professor came to visit he showed us some pictures from that book. Mao
digging a hole with a fellow comrade, whom he later denounced, so the
picture was modified to be just Mao digging alone. So crazy…

>Ya, I know. That book is like, incredible.

~Gu Zheng introduced to me the idea of reality vs. 'posed reality.'
Like he personally really enjoyed going into the street to take
pictures, in response to propaganda photos. People look at a
photograph to confirm something about reality. And he thought that the
street is a stage for the truth of everyday life. He found the work he
was producing to be very political because he was showing real daily
life in a way that the authorities try to hide.

>Yea China did that again in order to prepare for the expo. It's like cleaning your room before the maids come, because you don't want to be thought of messy. They want to appear a certain way.

~Yea but you can't pose people in real life the way you want them to
be. So taking pictures of real daily life is really the opposition of
a <<forced image>>. Naturally, I started thinking about film, because
it is so often all posed. But that is not all true, because right now
there is a strong movement of shooting on location, heavily
improvised, low-budget, independent films – all around the world
including China. But it is always true of Hollywood. Hollywood's
representation of life is as fantastical as propaganda art. I thought
about how China Film Bureau only imports twenty foreign films a year.
Most of which are Hollywood movies. So this is how the Chinese people
view American society really. This semester, I got with a Chinese guy,
BinBin. And he like completely misinterpreted what people are like in
America. I think he thought we were like out of a Hollywood movie. It
was like, ridiculous. He told me he liked me then immediately went in
for a passionate-ass kiss. Like it could be so simple! I asked my
Chinese friends if this was normal Chinese behavior, and they said,
"no it means he is a bad person." Haha. But we had sex later in the
year, he put like the craziest cheesy song ridden with electric violin
on repeat, and it must have played like 90 times that night. It
reminds me of a quote from this Brazilian movie, Eu Sei Que Vou Te
Amar : "Do you think love has always existed? No…there was no love in
Babylon…Love was invented by American movies to make money."

>Mmm…I think the Chinese are rather fond of the Hollywood mindset, but I think that is because Chinese itself is just a very sentimental culture. Especially the language. I think the Chinese, culturally, perceive that fantastical happy world as something that is attainable. Like look at "harmonious society."
~Defne put it like, "a perversion of emotions."

>mmm…but there is another thing about Hollywood's influence on China. I mean, just that American mindset. In the 90s, mimicking consumer culture, mimicking the way American movies look even, let's think about China in the 80s. How would you describe the way art of the 80s looked in like, let's say, three words:
~mmm…Earthy – like I think of a lot of black and brown,
mmm…oil…annnd…idealistic. Mmm but it is defiantely a backlash to all
the propoganda art like Gu Zheng. And now I'm thinking about JJ's
symbols of nature, the moon and rocks and soil.

>Yes, yes, yes. And you were talking about man's relationship to nature before. I think the artists of the 80s in their idealism thought they understood how to get to a utopia. There was this fallback onto nature. A reemphasis of the elements and of spirituality. But then came the anti-spiritual pollution campaign and then the June 4th incident. And then started the economic reforms, the mimicking of western culture.
~mm, mm. and why is Chinese sentimentality so funny in English, I
think has to do something with the spirit as well. That the Chinese
language has such a beautiful emphasis on the heart, the body and the
mind, and the harmony between them. This is where the American mindset
fails. Spirituality and like even the word, 'meditation' is funny in
English. It conjures up images of like guru hippie, drugged-up…I don't
know. I think people find it quite insincere.

>And if you look at the composition of the Hollywood movie, where is the emphasis? On the people.
~Why are people always the subject?

>It is just what interests people.

~Well like in the 90s, all of political pop art and everything. People
became so like self-involved. It was just a very cynical time, where
like irony was emphasized. Does the environment ever become the
character?

>Do you think right now is the least spiritual generation for China because of these 'Hollywood' influences?

~mmm….no. no no no. I am really liking the direction of Chinese art
today. I think, a lot of Chinese artists have had this same
realization subconsciously. I think people see where human
civilization is heading in all this urbanization, and they are scared.
So I think maybe in reaction to the economic reform of the 90s, and
human self-obsession there was a move from the body as a landscape
(like Xu Zhen's Rainbow 1998) and then now there is a fallback on
nature again.
>At the very beginning of 2000s, Yang Fudong has this picture called, "The First Intellectual" and it says that on this photo of a bloody man in a torn up suit standing in the middle of the road holding a brick. It is a funny picture. But I think it is about a guy who has a realization that there is something fundamentally wrong with human society. It is like a reawakening, as though we had become monkeys in a society again and people are realizing it doesn't have to be this way.

~Yea, I think there are a lot of artists going back to promoting
reverence for nature. I think that is one of the key things askew with
modern human society. Even my art is heavily reflecting this emphasis
on nature, because I am also concerned. My favorite artists I have
seen is a couple: Ji Wenyu and Zhu Weibing. They have a few pieces, do
you know them? ahh I love them. They have this one piece called "Enjoy
Flowers" (2006) where they have these cloth sculpture men with their
hands folded in front of them looking at a tree with pink flowers on
it. It is so sweet and warm. I really feel good looking at it. They
also have another piece where all these businessmen in suits are
holding this big giant pink flowers. And both pieces have no specific
arrangement, they are like dolls of a set.
>mmm, yes I think we are in an idealistic stage right now. ~Harmonious Society~ 大同世界 ～It is a Confucian idea – "big same world." I think a lot of Foreigners think the concept of a harmonious society is funny but, I don't think the Chinese do. Like "Happy Street," the Dutch pavilion at the expo, is supposed to poke fun at the idea of a Harmonious society. But harmony to the Chinese "refers to harmony at every level, from the cosmic world of the two ultimate forces, to the social, interpersonal, and individual biological level of the human body." (57, Dragons of Tiananmen, Jeffrey F. Meyer) It is the idea of utopia. China is trying to figure out how to get there.
~Mm, maybe it is those happy advertisements that people find funny. Or
they find China to be really fucked up. I think people have bad
connotations with the word: "communism" because of the way it is
taught in school. It has such a bad history tied to it. So a
"harmonious communist society," is a funny idea to foreigners. But, I
agree, 'harmony' is not a funny idea. Wait, I think also the reworking
of museology and exhibitioning is part of this idealism. It is really
quite beautiful. Like The Long March, which is, literally a long
walking march of an exhibit, retaking Mao's steps on the Long March.
It is the idea of realizing looking at art doesn't have to be
concentrated into a room, and be a one-way transaction.
>Wait I actually have the curator's notes on that exhibit right here in my folder.
~Oh good, good.
>"The Long March looks to integrate the production, consumption, and interpretation of art in a single scene, three issues which have traditionally remained separate. It looks to overcome the traditional distance between viewer and creator, to close the gap between "host" and "guest," and to seek a new understanding of space. In this way, The Long March will merge exhibition with creation and allow consumption and production to interact."

~Mm mm, also like at Double Infinity they wanted to encourage you to
play with a museum collection, in order to backlash against that
"usually untouchable" feeling at museums. But it's weird because when
I went back to Double Infinity a few weeks later, that parking rug
that they said we could walk over was off limits. And the security
guard would point to the floor and be like, "do you see what you just
did?"

>People are still so used to the conventional model. So..if we were to look at right now like a story, what point would be at right now?

~I don't know, I think I might be a little too optimistic. I think
this time represents an ideological shift. People are rerealizing
themselves as nature again. I hope I hope anyway. I think the expo, to
my very pleasant surprise is trying to show to the world this
classically Chinese concept of harmony between man and nature. There
is a statue in front of the Chinese Pavilion called "Never Ending
Life" bye Yang Jian Ping. JJ is friends with her he said, and he told
us to note the sizes of the animals and the leaves and humans. They
are all the same. I think this is so important! I hope it is important
anyway!! It makes me happy!
>Do you think it is only represented in art or is it moving to the mainstream? How will people get this concept if it is only in the art?

~Mmm, again I think I am quite optimistic. Even if it was just the
West looking upon Chinese Contemporary Art, then the West will learn
this concept, and that is where it is especially lacking. Also, I mean
Avatar did extremely well worldwide, especially in China. This idea is
the main feature of the movie: reverence for nature and the human
body, harmony. And doesn't that mean that this idea is starting to
move into the mainstream? I think it is, I think it is, I hope it is!!

>Haha, that would be quite wonderful, indeed.

~Wait…before we part, I just want to tell you a dream I had about Ai
Weiwei. It is funny: The first thing I remember is that he lifts this
smashed automobile with panda pictures onto a tow truck with his bear
hands and shear strength. I looked over at him and he had dyed his
beard bright red. He was looking back at this old man, who he had
appeared to be helping. The truck drove away and the pieces he just
threw on began tilting off the tow truck, so I started running after
it yelling back to Ai Wei Wei, ahh look!! Ahh!! Ai Wei Wei started
running after it too, looking back at the old man laughing. I
understood that this is what they wanted, to destroy these pieces. I
stopped running and a dog came toward me and I started giving it
kisses, and Ai Wei Wei with his red beard told me "Don't eat him!"
haha that's the end of the dream.

Self-interview by Alexa Haas.

Lisa Lim is an alter-ego whose name is formed by: Alexa>Lessa> Lisa
(this is what my martial arts teacher called me) and Lim, her mother's
maiden name

Inspired by
Transexperiences

A conversation between

Chen Zhen and Zhu Xian

Ishmael, David Quinn

Reflection for Transexperiences: A conversation between Chen Zhen and Zhu Xian

Christina Xiong
Reflection for Transexperiences: A conversation between Chen Zhen and Zhu Xian

Chen Zhen says in his 'self-interview', "That is the beauty of
being a <<migrating creature>> like me, who could examine my own
country and Asia through a polygonal prism". Although at first it was
hard to connect Chen's points, from his definition of a
trans-experience and "short-circuit" to the role of multiculturalism
and art in 'Westernization', I found it easier to understand by
relating his experience to my own. By coming to China, I've not only
gained a different perspective of the country of my supposed "identity
gene", where my family heritage traces back, but also learned more
about America. In the U.S., we focus on our nation's potential, what
lies ahead for us. But by 'zou-ing' and leaving my home in New York,
I've been able to see the other side, what the U.S. represents in the
eyes of the Chinese. Most importantly, I realized that while adapting
to Shanghai's environment, I've been unconsciously comparing the two
cultures. This, according to my interpretation of Chen Zhen's
interview, is 'trans-experience". From taking in communist China's
thoughts on American democracy and comparing it to our own pride in
the ideals of freedom, I've had to "connect the preceding with the
following". From being frustrated over crowded buses and frequent
line-cutters, I've grown to accept Shanghai's distinct social
behavior. The only difference between my own attempt to find a healthy
balance and that of Chen's is 'context'. China, unlike the U.S., which
is filled with 'multiculturalism', is constantly changing.

One of these constantly changing 'context' factors is China's
modernization. Chen believes that many outsiders mistake
modernization, China's social, economic and political transformations,
for "Westernization". Of course economic development, the need to
prove one's existence among Western superpowers, has an impact on the
culture of the people. But its influence does not mean that
modernization controls mass culture. According to Chen, "even though
the concept of multiculturalism was developed in the West, especially
in the United States, you can nonetheless set your own <<rules of the
game>> to shape that space". Therefore, through art, he is not only
trying to express what cannot be said in words, but also taking a part
in shaping this new China. Instead of allowing Chinese culture to be
defined by the many influences of the <<Others>>, he envisions China
as an initiator of a "second tradition" in multiculturalism.

Response to “Transexperiences” by Melody Song

Melody Song

Response to "Transexperiences"

I think the interview of Chen Zhen by Zhu Xian was very profound.

The discussion revolved around how leaving China for France in 1986
affected Chen Zhen's art and perspective on life.

Chen Zhen discussed how leaving China allowed him to break away from
all he had known – the Chinese culture, himself, and his
relationships. By not being fully integrated into Chinese or French
culture (or by being a part of both), Chen Zhen reached a
"transexperiential" state. It is a position where he can see the
conflicts and exchanges between these cultures, their similarities,
and transcend cultural paradigms of thought to reach a more global,
humanity-centered outlook. Chen Zhen is like a ghost that is "loosed"
from his cultural ties and previous perspectives. He can observe human
networks and society in a more objective, and also understanding way.
He "does not belong to anybody, yet [he] is in possession of
everything."
This manner of observing and absorbing things, of seeing networks
among culture and people, becomes Chen Zhen's stable approach to the
world. His attitude towards life (which feeds his art) is constant
amidst the physical changes around him. He quotes that even if we
travel ten thousand miles on the globe, "we should be able to move our
body with our heart remaining still." Chen Zhen means that he holds an
internal peace and attitude that is aloof from exterior surroundings.

I follow a similar life perspective with Chen Zhen. I was brought up
in Korea all my life, but always received an American education. I
rarely had Korean friends who went to Korean school and followed the
"average" Korean track in life. However, when I went to the US for my
university degree, I had immense culture shock. I was neither Korean
nor American. This sense of physical homelessness and loneliness made
me make "myself" (my interior) a home. Wherever I go, I am at peace,
because I am at home with my values and open outlook on life. My
belief in God contributes to this. An analogy would be the sea.
Although the exterior world may rain down on the surface or change
temperatures, the deep inner core of the sea remains constant and
peaceful. It is never changing. I think this way of thinking develops
when a physical home ceases to exist.

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?