Interview Jonathan Aumen: An artist’s responsibility is to recharge society
by Luo Fei, TCG Nordica gallery curator

Time: 10am, 7th of Jan, 2012
At: TCG Nordica Gallery
Jonathan Aumen: TCG Nordica resident artist (since Sep 2011, see artist CV)

1, You moved to China with your family when you were eight and lived here for ten years. Can you talk about your impressions from that time?

My parents were English teachers at the time, starting in Tianjin and then relocating to Beijing. My childhood was like a storybook, very colorful. I frequently hung out with old men doing what they did. This consisted of keeping birds as pets, flying kites, fighting crickets and many other things. I was always captivated by the stories that the old people would tell me. That was when there weren’t a lot of foreigners around and Chinese people were super curious about us and our lives. Life here was completely different from my home in the state of Virginia back in the United States, but I jumped immediately in the deep end. My most important experience, however, was studying under a private art tutor, a strict teacher from the Central Academy of Fine Arts. I studied under him for three years before I graduated from high school.

2, There is a significant difference between the China of the 90’s and the China of today. What are your thoughts about the changes?

I’m a full-on idealist. I always think on memories of yesterday. You can spy shadows of yesterday’s China but the differences are significant. China has become very materialistic and has emulated the habit of the west by placing too much of an emphasis on possessions. In addition, many historic buildings and hutongs have been torn down, both in Beijing and Kunming, namely the Flower and Bird market. This is a shame. Its comparatively like ripping up old family picture albums. There are now also a lot of electric scooters. Not many bicycle bells can be heard. I like the sound of bicycle bells. The speed at which things have developed has given society more comfortable conditions but has not given them a sense of their own culture and identity. Chinese don’t seem to know what their identity is because their identity has been pulled out from underneath them or placed in a dusty museum. This seems to be a universal problem, though. We all ask the questions: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? Therefore, we as human beings look for an identity in whatever seems fitting at the time.

3, Kunming’s “The Loft” is China’s earliest art community. When it was established in 2002 there were more than 30 artists residing there. However, it did not become an art industry model for society. As a result, many artists relocated to other cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. Some decided to stay put. What are your thoughts regarding the Kunming art scene?

I feel like The Loft is like a minority community. It’s somewhat isolated from the outside art world and has not yet become commercialized. The artists there are warm and friendly and welcome visitors inside their studios. It doesn’t seem all about the money or the fame. There seems to be a rich soil to develop as an artist. It’s slow and quiet there. You can choose to be alone or to talk and be with people. It seems like the only problem with the Loft is that there is not sufficient exposure.

4, There was recently a pretty serious fire at the Loft. You were the first to discover the fire and also helped rescue some paintings after breaking into one of the artists’ studios in fear his work would be destroyed. Some of the artists suffered pretty significant loss from the fire. Works and studios were burned. Can you share some thoughts with us regarding this situation?

First of all, the newspapers and tv exaggerated quite a bit calling me a hero. I’m not a hero. I simply did what I did because of God and the love he has given me for others. I hadn’t known Tang Zhigang for that long but had the desire to help him. There really is nothing to brag about. A lot of people look at catastrophes and think that God is judging the earth. Ironically a lot of Christians have this view. I believe that although God is righteous and judges us for sin he is also equally loving. He can turn bad situations into good. Sometimes God allows bad things (bad things being a result of the sin of mankind) to happen so we can be blown away by his creativity. I believe he allowed this fire to show all us at The Loft and in Kunming that our lives have no guarantee and our material possessions are not eternal. Tomorrow is not promised.

5, What does it mean to be a Christian to you?

It means I am a child of God. It means the spirit of God is within me empowering me to love others. It is to be a light in the darkness. Light is the truth. This is an absolute identity. This is the rock I stand on, my foundation. Christianity isn’t a crutch. It’s not here to give people an easier or happier life. After becoming a Christian life gets more difficult in my opinion. That being said, I believe that God gives us his own power and peace that surpasses understanding to help us trudge through the mud of life as it were.

6, Are there any conflicts you deal with regularly being both a Christian and an artist? How do you balance these two identities?

Of course there are many conflicts. I am a sinner and a very weak person in and of myself. The most difficult thing is putting Jesus first in my life. There are times where I focus too much on my art and forget temporarily why I am actually doing art. My purpose in doing art is to enjoy God and his creation and also be a magnifying glass, making his glories known to the people around me. I’ve noticed that as I’ve been busy preparing for my show , working at the studio and then coming home to work, I’ve neglected time with my wife. The order of importance in my life is as follows: God, my wife, and then my art. Loving my wife is a picture of how Jesus loves us his children. The aim is to love my wife like he loves her. This is far more important to me than my art. I pray for more grace and the ability to make this a reality. A lot of artists love their art far more than they love their own family. The way balance comes in this area is through prayer and reading the Bible, letting the truth soak in to my heart and change me. Getting together with other Christians is important too so that I can be both challenged and encouraged.

7, When the fire took place I saw you were working on a painting that looked a lot like smoke rising from buildings. A lot of people, especially artists, were saying that you were some kind of prophet. Maybe they were just joking but do you think an artist is to be a prophet of sorts?

I was not purposefully painting a picture of burning buildings. It was actually a painting of a development in Kunming being torn down and a cloud of dust arising from it. Honestly though, I really want to be a prophet of sorts. A prophet of truth, Gods truth. Prophets are courageous, direct, and completely honest. In Old Testament times the message brought from prophets usually made people uncomfortable or even afraid. This was because a lot of prophetic messages had to do with turning away from sin and seeking the Lords way again. This is really interesting. When I arrived to my studio at the Loft I noticed there were ten words written on my door: “We must tell the truth, even if the truth hurts.” I didn’t realize that this phrase would embody a lot of the paintings I would paint. People don’t like to hear the truth about a lot of things. Its more comfortable to ignore things sometimes. For instance I’ve told people in the past that they have no guarantee that they will live until tomorrow. They could be hit by a car on the way home and die. People are afraid to die. Chinese are especially superstitious and don’t like hearing how they could realistically and possibly die. We all will die.

8, Recently a famous Chinese art critic said: “The main characteristic of contemporary art is the lack of belief. Artists believe they are themselves gods when we talk about faith or belief…… If contemporary artists want to devote themselves to religion they must say farewell to their art otherwise they will they will neither be a good religious person or a good contemporary artist.” How do you feel about this statement?

First of all, what is contemporary art? Bare minimum it just means art that is happening now. Traditional art used to be contemporary art in its own day. Contemporary art doesn’t have to be marked by lack of belief. If one says contemporary art is marked by lack of belief, isn’t this in turn a belief? Many artists believe there are no absolutes. This belief is automatically a self-contradiction. Saying there are no absolutes is an absolute. Our reality is extremely complex. Think about atoms, molecules, water, our very bodies. Who holds these intricate constructions together? One has to ask him or herself: “Is there a Creator?” When we see a Mercedes Benz on the street or a plane in the air we automatically deduce that these were made by people or a factory of people. We then look at a human being, a far more complex creation, and we emphatically state that it had no creator. In the past there have been artists who have been very counter-cultural. Van Gogh for instance never sold a single painting to someone other than his brother. Being a Christian artist is the epitome of being counter cultural. It’s like constantly swimming upstream. You have to swim hard. Christian artists have the responsibility of communicating truth. Artists that don’t believe in God have a longing that their art can never completely satisfy.

9, There have been all different sorts of roles that artists have played throughout the centuries. Artists have also crossed paths with many different cultures or ways of life. For instance, in antiquity artists were more craftsmen while modern artists played the role of bohemians leaving there normal everyday to revolt against traditions and become nomads. Some artists played at being wizards living very mysterious lives and even communicating with spirits. Today’s artist plays more of an intellectual role and feels a responsibility toward guiding culture and the public arena. Under the influence of POP art many artists have turned to fashioning a kind of pop star persona and have escaped into the world of entertainment and fashion. This makes them feel more successful and glorified by the public. Now artwork not only depends on the actual physical art work but the physical action of the artist too. Clearly we see that art in and of itself cannot fulfill our deepest human need. There is a deeper need. How do you feel?

What is the function of an artist? If life is meaningless then what is the point of creating art? A lot of artists feel no responsibility to society or their fellow man. I believe the artist has a crucial responsibility. This responsibility is to communicate the truth about our reality and to bring hope to a hopeless world. Most everyone appreciates beauty. Why is this? Because we see in a beautiful landscape or a fantastic creature a greater power. I believe this greater power is God. He manifests or reveals himself and his characteristics through his creation. Just like my art work reveals personal characteristics or thoughts. We are like batteries that get recharged by things that are beautiful, things that are great. I believe the artists responsibility is to recharge and heal society. Many contemporary artists are all about shocking people. Does shocking people do any good unless it is accompanied by truth and worth?

10, In the Christian view there is the world now and the world that is to come. God will come again to earth and establish his kingdom. He will make all things new. Do you think the role of the artist is any different now in the present than it will be in the new kingdom?

Our biggest responsibility as Christians right now is to spread the truth of the gospel. Gospel literally means “good news.” The good news is that God came to earth in the form of a man, JESUS, to pay the penalty of our sin. Through his sacrifice we have received forgiveness and eternal life. This is the best news ever! Right now I’m excited about telling other people about that through my art. In the heavenly kingdom that God will establish one day on earth our responsibility as artists will be to enjoy and explore the wonders of God. They are eternal. In eternity one responsibility or joy. Right now at the present time two.

11, You’ve said before that the forward or literary introduction to your show is more important than your paintings. You hope that the article will light a fire underneath the viewers. I hope I can attain this goal. But the interesting thing is that you put the forward above your pieces. A lot of artists are against a description of their work. They resist putting their work in a box. How do you view the relationship between art and art criticism?

There are many methods to express the many facets of truth of one idea. Music, more than visual art, for me has quite an immediate effect on influencing my emotions. This is ironic because I’m such a visual person. A perfect analogy of this instant effect is how they administer IV’s at local Chinese hospitals. The effect is much faster. Looking at paintings takes time. We ingest through the eyes and digest in the heart and mind. Music is so powerful because it combines objective logic or words with emotional sound. Film in my opinion is the most powerful art medium for me because it combines writing, visual art, and music. A movie can leaving a lasting impression and move us greatly. A lot of artists believe their work is most important and all the attention must be put on the actual painting rather than the truth. I think truth is far more important. I believe art and art criticism is like a marriage relationship. One needs the other. No fighting.

12 How do you view the relationship between form and concept?

There is a very important relationship between the two. A lot of artists make conceptual art but many of the forms are weak. When a concept has weak form it is like a sculpture made out of cotton. Its easy to blow away or blow over. Form is language. If you have an idea but can’t communicate it or can’t form your thought into language then the idea is only useful to you. There are many people researching this question. My understanding is a simple and humble one. I feel like concept and form are like two railroad tracks. They work together and always meet in the horizon.

13, You focus on the city in your work and how it is very similar to and as equally complex as the cell. You talk about this all the time and seem fascinated by this complexity and the power that holds it all together. Would you like to talk more about this?

When I look at the buildings of Kunming I can’t separate them from people. I’m not just saying people live in them but when I look at the buildings they remind me of people. All the life and stories that go on inside are the spirit of the building. One thing that I’m grateful for and that I think many people besides artists are grateful for is that we like to think below the epidermis. The other day I was thinking about mosquitoes and thinking that if I walked outside one day and saw the mosquitoes the size of a car how terrifying and terrific that would be. We need to force ourselves to see beauty in the simple things. Because a lot of the times it’s the simple things that are most complex. When we see these complexities we are compelled to admire. I’m hoping people not only admire their reality but also think about the future of this reality and the demands that places on us. Personally I love feeling small when I contemplate these truths. I can’t separate any part of creation from an admiration and awe for Creator God.

14, Your works seem to contain some sort of hidden revelation. Do you feel Christian artists work should have this dimension to it?

Thank you for your accolade. I’m really not a very mature artist and am still searching for my own personal form. I don’t believe my work is super amazing but I will unabashedly take pride in the truth that I wish to communicate. I don’t think Christian art has to have some sort of cosmic revelation in it but I do believe that the work should have some sort of truth that would point the viewer to God like a road sign. It’s funny because even if an atheist paints something that is true it still points to God. All truth is God’s truth whether it comes from the mouth of a monster or a monk.

15, If you chose a piece of scripture to describe your artistic view and work what would it be?

My favorite thing about creating is that I get to spend many hours contemplating the beauty of God. This is a privilege I do not take for granted. All my five senses are still intact. I’d like to offer two scriptures if I may. The first has to do exactly with this contemplation and enjoyment. The second has to do with the plight of the human race. This second scripture relates more to my larger canvases where as the smaller ones communicate more of a sense of longing.
“I ask only one thing Lord, let me live every day of my life to see how wonderful you are and contemplate your beauty.” Psalm 27:4

“The earth turns gaunt and gray, the world silent and sad, sky and land lifeless, colorless. Earth Polluted by Its Very Own People.  Earth is polluted by its very own people, who have broken its laws, Disrupted its order, violated the sacred and eternal covenant. Therefore a curse, like a cancer, ravages the earth. Its people pay the price of their sacrilege. They dwindle away, dying out one by one.” Isaiah 24:4-6

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Post tags: Bible, Christian, Christianity, city, faith, Jonathan Aumen
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———————————————————————————————————-
TCG Nordica closed for Spring Festival from 2012.1.21 – 2.5
———————————————————————————————————-

Mon 6, English Corner – Wedding Culture
Fri 10, Movie Night – Julia and Romeo 7pm

Mon 13, English Corner – Valentine’s Special
Tue 14, A Romantic Valentine Dinner

Mon 20, English Corner – Friendship Crosss Broders
Tue 21, Semla Night
Sat 25, TCG Nordica residence Artist Jonathan Aumen（US）Exhibition Opening(Main Space)
Ke Yi Exhibition Opening ( UP Gallery)

Mon 27, English Corner – Passions

Activities begin at 8PM unless marked otherwise

*High Light of This Month*
Tue 14, A Romantic Valentine Dinner
Sat 25, TCG Nordica residence Artist Jonathan Aumen（US）Exhibition Opening(Main Space)
Ke Yi Exhibition Opening ( UP Gallery)

For detail Info please look at “stage event” or “gallery event”

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Nordic Eyes
Art, Dance, Writing by Swedish VRG high school student at TCG Nordica

Date: 12th of Jan (Thu) 8pm
Place: TCG Nordica (xi ba road no.101/loft)
Free entrance

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Curatorial team:

Sponsor: Dantong Group-Xinghe International Art Town
Organizer: TCG Nordica Gallery

Curator: Sun Guojuan
Academic Host: Luo Fei
Artistic Director: Lei Yan
Producer: Mao Di
Translator: Orion Martin(US)

Artists(Part I):
Bai Xuejuan, Chen Lingjie, Chen Manni, Fei Min, Fei Xuemei, Guo Junxiu, Huo Xiaoxuan, Lei Yan, Li Hongju, Rao Siqi, Song Ziping, Su Yabi, Wang Yuqing, Wang Hailin, Ye Songqing, Yang Lihua, Marjan Verhaeghe(Belgium)

Artists(Part II):
He Wu, Li Shuang, Lin Binbin, Li Jingfei, Lv Lirong, Liu Zefang, Pu Huaxian, Ma Dan, Sun Jin, Song Huan, Sun Suqiu, Wu Yanxi, Xu Yun, Yang Wenping, Yang Yanqiu, Wang Aiying, Zhu Xiaolin

Opening time:
Part I: 8pm, Dec,9th,2011
Part II: 8pm, Dec,30th,2011

Exhibition Duration: Dec,9th,2011–Jan,21st,2012(Sunday Close)

Address: TCG Nordica, Xibalu 101, Kunming
Tel: 0871-4114692
Web site: http://en.tcgnordica.com
Email: info@tcgnordica.com

Introduction – Four Seasons: Summer

By TCG Nordica

The creations and exhibitions of Four Seasons, Yunnan Artist Group Exhibition, are based on the seasons: Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall. Planned by Sun Guojuan, Four Seasons is a series of four exhibitions to take place annually for four years. Beginning with Winter in 2009 and continuing to Spring in 2010, the theme of this year’s exhibition will be Summer. Each exhibition gathers the most excellent artists in Yunnan, be they residents of or travelers to the province, and presents their newest work. The purpose of the Four Seasons Project is to increase the cohesiveness of Yunnan female artists, to encourage persistent creativity, and connect with a wide audience.
This exhibition, Four Seasons: Summer, focuses on the season of summer. The artists express their individual sentiments, life experiences, and human-nature relationship with works ranging from oil painting to hand-made installations. As the artists realize their art they give us the chance to encounter a pleasant summer in the midst of this frigid winter.
This exhibition will feature the newest works by 33 artists in the forms of oil painting, installation, photography and others. Because there will be some 100 works, Four Seasons: Summer will be divided into two exhibitions. The first half will have a reception on December 9th at 8PM and the second half will have a reception on December 30th at 8PM.

Four Seasons: Summer

By Sun Guojuan

Our planned four year exhibition has passed through Winter and Spring. We have now come to the third year, the year of Summer.
Summer has always been dear to my heart; it is my favorite of Kunming’s four seasons. During Kunming’s summer, rain is so common that we often call summer the rainy season. This rain gives Kunming an indescribably beauty. It cleans the air, it moistens the soil, and it refreshes the trees, turning them from a tender to a deep shade of resounding green. In summer, girls come and go wearing their beautiful outfits, the flowers are always blooming, and the mushrooms are sprouting, full of the delicate flavor of summer air after a light shower. Sitting in a garden or on the banks of a river when it rains, listening to the sound of the falling drops, this is the pinnacle of rainy season revelry. The sound of rain has a kind of magic that can turn chaotic hearts tranquil. Whenever the night draws near and you find yourself on the outskirts of the city, you will find the Milky Way is sprinkled across the night sky. At times you will see a shooting star dash across the horizon.
There is a chance encounter etched into my bones and carved into my heart, one that can only occur during summer. Perhaps it is because I have always regarded summer as the season of love.

Interview with Sun Guojuan and Lei Yan: http://en.tcgnordica.com/2011/interview-sunguojuan-leiyan/

photos from Part II:

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Post tags: Bai Xuejuan, Chen Lingjie, Chen Manni, Fei Min, Fei Xuemei, female art, Four seasons, Guo Junxiu, He Wu, Huo Xiaoxuan, Lei Yan, Li Hongju, Li Jingfei, Li Shuang, Lv Lirong, Ma Dan, Marjan Verhaeghe, Pu Huaxian, Rao Siqi, Song Huan, Song Ziping, Su Yabi, Sun Guojuan, Sun Jin, Sun Suqiu, Wang Aiying, Wang Hailin, Wang Yuqing, Wu Yanxi, Xu Yun, Yang Lihua, Yang Wenping, Yang Yanqiu, Ye Songqing, Zhu Xiaolin
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By Gao Xiang

This post is only available in Chinese, Click here to read…

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Date: Dec 31, Saturday 8pm
Tel: 4114691 4114692
In 1986 when Rhonda Dorsey and Chris Moser met in a band, both already had many years of experience as musicians to their credit. Rhonda had honed her skills as a lead vocalist and choir director in Philadelphia, USA while Chris had polished his as a guitar and bass player in Berne, Switzerland. Not only did they capture each other’s
hearts, they have been married since 1988, but the synergy of her voice and his guitar,full of experienced emotion, has captured the hearts of many an awed audience. Chris’refined and versatile playing style escorts Rhonda’s expressive and multifaceted threeoctave
voice enabling her to sing free as a songbird that she truly is.
In addition to new interpretations of jazz to pop classics like “Stormy Weather” and “Yesterday” their repertoire includes gospel favorites like “Amazing Grace” and “Go Tell It On The Mountain” as well as Chris’ solo arrangements and Rhonda’s original compositions. Feel-good vibes and groove is at the core of their musical message,
which makes loyal fans out of their wowed listeners time and time again.Both have chosen to share their musical talents as professional and passionate pedagogues conducting courses at various institutions in and around Switzerland.Moreover, Rhonda founded a private singing and performance school, “In Voice” and Chris a recording studio, “tonart productions” in Berne where they reside.Throughout the many years of their career Rhonda and Chris have performed at numerous venues and events. Whether on intimate stages, in churches or concert halls, the sophisticated simplicity of just her voice and his guitar renders them a dynamic duo, a must see…and a must hear.

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Mon 2, English Corner – Resolutions & Expectations
Sat 7, Live Experimental Music

Mon 9, English Corner – Global Warming
Thu 12, Culture Evening by Swedish VRG High School Student

———————————————————————————————————-
TCG Nordica closed for Spring Festival from 2012.1.21 – 2.5
———————————————————————————————————-

Activities begin at 8PM unless marked otherwise

For detail Info please look at “stage event” or “gallery event”

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Lei Yan‘s art usually starts in her personal memories, moving on to the big ideas. After serving 30 years in the army, her personal experience is closely connected to the history of modern China.

Don’t be fooled by Lei Yan’s humble, almost timid appearence. All the politeness and restraint she shows in her private life changes into an uncompromising clearness as soon as we enter into the world of art. Independently if it’s about her creating it or her talking about it.
It was a Long March for Lei Yan to reach the art – to fully see herself as an artist. She entered the army at an age of 14. In 1991 she graduated from the China Military Fine Art College.
She retired from the army after 30 years. By then she’d been a soldier, an officer, a nurse.
Artist Fei Wenlu, an important figure in the “Kunming Out-light group”, encouraged her to enroll in the Military Art Class. She did. She then mainly worked with prints.
Later she was sent to the Military Colored Photo Class. In 1994, she and Tang Zhigang used digital technique to put all the heroes of the revolution on to the same photos.

- These were the first digital photos in China.
- In the beginning of that project there was a conception, a title: “The Photos of an Era”. The only person of the heroes still to live is Xu Hong Gang. The others have died. Who remember him today? Not many.

It took quite some encouragement from artists like, Sun Guojian and others for Lei Yan to really see herself as a full member of the art community.
Maybe she’s more of an observer than a participator, like in her artwork “What if the Long March was a feminist movement”. There, women are marching, high in spirit, into a supposedly bright future. Lei Yan is standing on the side watching them through a pair of binoculars. She’s dressed in contemporary clothes, as if watching them through a lens of history.
So I ask her which is her Long March, if she participates in any?

- This is your point of view. My original idea was to use this to see history from a distance.

They march into the future, but in different directions. And you stand there watching. What do you see?

- I don’t think too much about that. This was part of a project in Beijing, where Judy Chicago (the famous US artist with the seminal installation “The Dinner Party”) gave us the topics. One of them was: “What if the women ruled the world?”
– I made two photos to describe it. One photo is historical. I took an iconic group photo of chairman Mao and other leaders, but I replaced them with their wives. All these women particiapted in the Long March. But why, in the end, did all the leadership consist of men?
– So this is more about raising a question than giving an answer. If the leadership had been female, would things look different today? And can women take this kind of responsibility? Through Chinese history, when women would take this kind of responsibility, they would generally have to be totally independent.

I see your works “Frozen Red” and “Frozen Youth”, loaded with history. Would you agree that Yunnanese contemporary art in some respects are looking more to history than the future? And in that case, does the Yunnanese style differ from other parts of China?

- For us Chinese, when we talk about history we are always also talking about the future. We use the history as a mirror.

You have mentioned that Sun Guojian was much earlier than you in exploring the path of feminist art. In which directions, more precisely, did your conversations move you and your way of thinking about art?

- Before Judy Chicago, I had no idea about feminist art. I had just retired from the army in 2001. I meat her in 2002, and it made me concerned with these questions .
– Sun Guojian lived in Beijing for many years and brought back ideas from there, like installations and different forms of conceptual art.
– The greatest influence though was the Log book. Then I reflected more about how to use different materials, and I pondered on the basic question: What is art?

Another thing that strikes me is that whenever I meet you and Sun Guojian, you both seem very relaxed. Not like two great spirits who think they are revealing profound thoughts to humanity, but like good old friends sitting down chatting in a tea house. Do you think there’s a difference here between the men and women of your generation?

- I think that it’s because of the distance. Maybe you don’t know the men as well you know us?(Laughter).
– But yes, there’s a diffenrence. Do you mean in Yunnan or in all of China?

Let’s take Yunnan.

- In my generation, most of the male artists participated in the 1985 art movement, were Kunming was important. The only women to enter this circle ware Sun Goujian and Fu Li Ya.
– Later, I see two main differences. One was the market. Women barely had one. The other was the content of the art. The men seemed more concerned with big ideas, we women more with the personal and the inner life.

But that’s really interesting, ’cause what I find striking in your art is that you are so wide in scope – not only in that you use so many different ways to express yourself. But even more important, you start in your personal experiences but always lead my thoughts to the big ideas. Do you agree?

- Yes. Most of them relate to my own experiences. But because of my 30 years in the army, my experiences are tightly connected to the country’s history.

For example, in “Frozen Red”, I see something which reminds me of the film “Goodbye Lenin”. There, an East German woman falls into a coma, just before the fall of the Berlin wall. She’s a devout believer in communism. She miraculously wakes up when the iron curtain is down, there are now holes in the wall. The doctor tells her son that the mother should not be exposed to any strong, shocking emotions. So the son builds a small, microcosm of the old East Germany in her room. And he keeps her there. People then begin to visit her – not so much to see her as to relive the old days. Life was much easier then.
Is there a parallell to the situation in China today? You’ve said yourself that the thinking back then was clear like crystal and ice, like in your “Frozen”-series. And that nowadays, even with all the wealth of the cities, people still lack something to believe in.

- Yes, now it’s more complicated. It’s a mess. In “the red time” it was simpler, people all seemed to have the same thoughts. When we studied we were told that all other countries were “in fire and hot water”, like we have a saying. Meaning we needed to help them.
– Because of my experiences in the army, that current was even stronger All education was about “the red”, we were sealed off.

Sealed off – also like the objects and photos in your “Frozen”-series?

- Yes. But today China is open, and it’s more complicated. Even children form their own opinions.
– We opened up China, and that liberated the human spirit. But people became more confused, with no direction. And that’s valid also for buddhists and christians. People take less and less care of society, they only care for themselves. Our weakness is growing. Crime rate increases, officials get richer and richer through corruption..

Were does this leave the human predicament concerning freedom? It’s what we all want, right? But it’s not always easy to deal with.

- I think there are different standards in different countries. If we have freedom, what’s the difference if you don’t believe in anything?
– I visited USA and Sweden. Sometimes I found they have less freedom than we do; they have so many laws. It limits people from doing things. Perfect freedom also needs a legislation to protect; human beings have always had their weaknesses. It sometimes sounds to me like people in China are freer. There are no restraints here. They almost dare to do everything.
– So, my point is that in “the red times”, there were too many restrictions. If you said something, you’d be put in jail. But today, China is growing. We need a strong spirit. We don’t have that. The surface isn’t enough.

When you froze army material, did it ever occur to you that this kind of art seem to be exactly what a Western audience seem to want from Chinese contemporary artists? I mean, many western eyes would probably interpret this as a critique of an authoritarian society during the Cultural Revolution – with a blink to what it’s like nowadays. Right or wrong?

– ‘Cause of the language, I’m not sure about exactly what people in the West say about my art. But through Anna Mellergård and through the newspapers I know they generally seem to like it. When I went to Mariannelund, there was an old Danish man who said he was a party member there. He really loved Mao, and he liked my art…
– When I was in the US as an artist in residence, an art critique said there are lots of icons and art works with chairman Mao. But through my frozen images, she interpreted it like there is no real difference between yesterday and today.

And what did you think about that?

– She mentioned the expression in the eyes of the women. She thought it hadn’t really changed. I think there’s some truth to that. Most women still feel lost. When we talk about feminism, there’s still the notion that women carry half the sky, as chairman Mao once expressed it. That was in order to engage them in the revolution. Today their mission shouldn’t be about pleasing men. So I’m not very pleased with feminism’s results in China.
– I’m also a victim of Mao’s catch-phrase. I worked in Kunming. When I was 18 we carried concrete bags. I was 40 kilo at that point, the bags were 50 kilos. Afterwards, I had to operate my ovary which was hurt. That was the price for carrying half the sky. Most of Chinese women thought that feminism was about occupying men’s spots. It’s not.

So what is it about then?

- According to Judy Chicago’s thoughts, in the beginning women have to wake up, find their identity. In the US it had been about the passivity in relation to sex. About the need not to be passive, about daring to discuss your own needs.
– That was the beginning of feminism movement for her. Many female artists works are about sex. Even in the US, there’s still a difference between female and male artists. Women are generally less successful, less recognised in Art history. Fewer of them are accepted in society, which is still controlled by men. So, in governments, organisations and business, they should get more equal. But sometimes even the leaders of womens lib-organizations are still expressing themselves more like males. And still the issue of human rights is not solved. If it was solved, we could discuss the different responsibilities of men and women.

Here I am thinking about Mrs Wu Yue Rong, the General Manager of TCG Nordica. She’s not an artist herself but has dedicated so much of time and energy to assist Chinese artists pursuing their career – or simply starting it. Can you tell me something about your view of her work?

- She’s really good. If there had been no TCG Nordica, the Loft (China’s first art community) would have been pointless – with no connection to the rest of society. Xiao Rong and Anna Mellergård built this art space in the periphery of China, not in the centre. And thus made it possible for us to co-operate with artists from other countries. Before that, we would have to go to Beijing.

One of your more recent works is the “Camouflage cloth-making”. You’ve taken old military camouflage uniforms, using the cloth for hand-sewing a telephone, a computer, a tea pot, a tea cup and so on. Is the camouflage a reference to the difficulty of communication? These things portrayed often seem to have some relation to human communication.

- That’s your iterpretation, not my original idea. I just had this feeling about the cloth that I’d worn for 30 years. The army is like a circle, with some special people distancing themselves from the Chinese people. So in that way you might have a point. But that textile! I wanted to use it to create something…
– The camouflage pattern is like a pattern of chaos. In a way it’s a reminder of the situation most people have today, with mixed and blurred identities.
– I’m not always clear about the concept at first. I start with a feeeling and then move on.

Yes, Lei Yan always moves on. From the personal, into the big ideas.

–

Anders Gustafsson
former Programs Director at TCG Nordica, journalist
2011/3/24

Anders Gustafsson, Lei Yan and Luo Fei

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• 2011/12/01 -- “Four Seasons: Summer” Yunnan Female Artist Group Exhibition Interview (0)
• 2010/09/27 -- BRIDGES: An art project between Swedish and Chinese artists (0)
• 2010/03/02 -- “Four Seasons·Spring” Yunnan Female Artists exhibition (0)
• 2009/03/31 -- Creating Inscape On The Spot (0)

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Lei Yan's CV	Lei Yan: Frozen Series and Camouflage Cloth-making	“Four Seasons: Summer” Yunnan Female Artist Group Exhibition Interview	An Archaeological Tour of Revolutionary Romanticism and the Metaphor of Camouflage	"Inscape On The Spot" contemporary art exhibition
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TCG Nordica Wish You a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

As 2011 draws to a close, the new year is calling out to us. Over the past year we have been blessed by the support of friends from every corner. People of different colors, sizes, and positions have come together to help us build a structure that reaches into the future. We have also experienced an outpouring of blessings both from within and from without!
We know that it would be impossible for TCG Nordica to achieve these results without you and your support!
Hereby, we sincerely wish you a Merry Christmas and a flourishing 2012!

–TCG Nordica Team

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TCG Nordica will be hosting a lively New Year’s celebration to welcome 2012. Festivities will begin at 6PM when we will open our doors for the annual New Year’s banquet. At 8PM, Nordica will begin counting down the New Year with quizzes, games, and most importantly, musical performances by world class musicians. Of special mention are Swiss gospel singer Rhonda Dorsey and guitar player Chris Moser . Enjoy a discount price of 110 Yuan for both the banquet and concert, or reserve separately; 88 Yuan for the banquet and 35 Yuan for the concert. Be there at midnight when we open the champagne and welcome the New Year!

Date: 2012.12.31/ sat
Schedule:
6-8pm banquet
8pm-0am concert
Price:
110 RMB banquet+concert
88 RMB banquet
35 RMB concert

Booking needed via 4114691 or 4114692

About Rhonda Dorsey & Chris Moser – Sophisticated Simplicity

In 1986 when Rhonda Dorsey and Chris Moser met in a band, both already had many years of experience as musicians to their credit. Rhonda had honed her skills as a lead vocalist and choir director in Philadelphia, USA while Chris had polished his as a guitar and bass player in Berne, Switzerland. Not only did they capture each other’s
hearts, they have been married since 1988, but the synergy of her voice and his guitar,full of experienced emotion, has captured the hearts of many an awed audience. Chris’refined and versatile playing style escorts Rhonda’s expressive and multifaceted threeoctave
voice enabling her to sing free as a songbird that she truly is.
In addition to new interpretations of jazz to pop classics like “Stormy Weather” and “Yesterday” their repertoire includes gospel favorites like “Amazing Grace” and “Go Tell It On The Mountain” as well as Chris’ solo arrangements and Rhonda’s original compositions. Feel-good vibes and groove is at the core of their musical message,
which makes loyal fans out of their wowed listeners time and time again.Both have chosen to share their musical talents as professional and passionate pedagogues conducting courses at various institutions in and around Switzerland.Moreover, Rhonda founded a private singing and performance school, “In Voice” and Chris a recording studio, “tonart productions” in Berne where they reside.Throughout the many years of their career Rhonda and Chris have performed at numerous venues and events. Whether on intimate stages, in churches or concert halls, the sophisticated simplicity of just her voice and his guitar renders them a dynamic duo, a must see…and a must hear.

Live pictures

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2011 Chinese New Year Celebration	2011 TCG Nordica New Year Celebration	2009 New Year Concert	TCG Nordica Greetings!	Merry Christmas and Happy 2011!
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