Interview time: June 3, 2015

Interview venue: Xu Bing Studio

Interviewer: Zhang Yanzi (Zhang)

Interviewee: Xu Bing (Xu)

Editor: Zhang Wenzhi, translated by Chen Peihua and edited by Sue/CAFA ART INFO

Xu: I graduated with a special condition that the students of that year graduated ahead of schedule as this was the idea of the Ministry of Culture, so there was actually a sense of tragedy for all the graduates. I was lucky as I was the only one retained to teach in the academy. We also said goodbye to teachers and proudly prepared to do something just as the students today do as well, when we graduated.

Xu: It is certainly different. Currently, the students born in the 1990s have changed a lot compared with us at that time, but the immature part of the youth is the same. The change on the surface is that our future was passively arranged by the state, which assigned the majors and jobs for the graduates, so our initiative was weaker than the young people today. Now in fact, young people particularly need to be selective, there are a variety of chances in society, with different spaces and opportunities, if they are determined, they can do many things.

Xu: Today’s young people have an advantage in that they have an extensive opportunity to receive information and contact with different things. Seen from the work of “The Start of a Long Journey” and “CAFAM Future” exhibition, on the one hand, I can feel the life and work of the young people themselves, and they passionately want to try new things, which is very interesting, for they closely relate to interesting things of the age and the uncertainty of the space.

On the other hand, I feel each student as been restricted by the teacher, which directly reflects on their work, I would like to say that Oriental and Western education both have their advantages and disadvantages. On the whole, the thinking of Oriental and Western education has been separated after the cold war, Western art education is basically unfolded in accordance with the writing context of Western contemporary art history, because the clue of art is changing, education is also changing, which is the advantage, namely making education modern and socialised, the writing of contemporary art focuses on recording the innovative work or new concept of art work at the present stage. Currently Western art education is actually for the purpose of the teachers which teach the students to interpret works. In short, art is transformed into the narrative of text and then restated. This process will develop students’ thinking, while the students also ignore the work itself, which seemingly becomes less important than interpretation. As for our art education, I feel it is more complex, it has to face the Chinese tradition in addition to another huge world, namely the Western tradition and the reality, so that our education faces many complicated problems as in Chinese society itself which deserves a lot of consideration. The Chinese educational system has never changed from the system used in the Cold War, basically learning a foundation in training methods in fine arts in the 19th century. In fact, such a system limits our students’ creativity to some extent, and also limits the ability of the artists when they face society, so students don’t know what they are doing sometimes. Art demands thinking about how to become an end of the exchange chain while society is another end, an artist should know what he/she needs to do, but many graduates of Chinese academies could not answer this problem though they graduated from the academy. It is one of our problems, and the complexity is that all the Chinese contemporary artists are basically born in the same educational background and some of them are really creative, some lack creativity but we recognise that most of the artists are short of creativity. Our works are very active, or thriving, but I believe it is just superficial prosperity, it is a lack of really creativity, or it is the lack of artists who have implications in the art field. However, there are some really creative artists, so the academy needs to reflect on why they appear in the same art educational background.

Furthermore, the educational background and style is our reality, which deserves being faced seriously, selecting the effective things, I also believe that the special thing must be located that is not found in other art education.

Xu: I don’t have a preference for academy students, all art students are very lovely and the happiest thing for me is to discuss art together with my students. In the process of discussion, I actually compare myself with them to find the differences at any given time and I always believe that the younger generation must have a lot of things that are better than me, because they are young, representing the future, they have a stronger physiological adaptation than me, more sensitive to new things, more confident in the East-West relations and have more freedom to think. Through communication with them, I constantly reflect on myself and it is a learning process for me.

In addition, I think the most interesting thing is when I talk with my students, through their moves, I can find what kind of student he is, and I also believe that everyone is a treasure and a treasure of different varieties. The role of teachers is to know where and how to discover the treasure.

Xu: My friend Deng Xihong once said something that I felt every interesting, each child had his/ her own map to complete. Students actually have their own maps, although teachers still think of students as children when they graduate, neither teachers nor students can predict the future, which is like myself as I have finished a large number of work, but I didn’t know I was interested in certain things until I finally review them. I think every student has their own map or their own fate, which is determined by the personal character, background and all their belongings. For example, if you think a lot about material things or money, which is not wrong, you can work hard to become a successful commercial artist, I think this is also good. Although the teacher said art is serious or noble, refusing to be influenced by money, but the intrinsic and judgment of value is determined by the economy, while the whole world is also determined by the economy to a great extent. For example, a male student that majored in science can brings rigorous science into the art circle, which perhaps also needs this. A handsome boy or beautiful girl is more convenient than the ugly man or ugly women in society and their career but convenience will simplify your thinking, which certainly reflects in your work.

If you are really particularly interested in serious art or art in the context of art history, attempting to be recorded in art history, you have to give up a lot of things, to firmly hold onto the core which promotes art or you can’t be the man you hope to be. If you really want to be a historical recorded artist, you must eventually finish something and convey the best-quality and cutting-edge thoughts on contemporary civilisation through your work, using a new artistic language to perform a new thing that has never been referred to before. Because it is a new thing, you have to find a new way of language to express it, so the new artistic language will be prompted. Art history always records the artists who prompt the art world or human culture in the art language. If you want to do it, you must firmly hold on to it. In short, the role of school and teacher is to help you become a man of quality and whatever kind of art or job, you should be a man of great quality.

Xu: Yes. There is no right or wrong, but it is destiny. The so-called map is destined, but no one knows the details, until you finish it. There is no prediction, because we can’t plan life, like I didn’t plan most of my works in advance, I know what they are when looking back after they were finished.

Translated by Chen Peihua and edited by Sue/CAFA ART INFO