Forward

Life has its own will in making twists and turns. Unexpected to the both of us Zhang Nian and I have crossed paths again and again in our lives. This is what the Chinese call yuan fen, a concept close to fate and destiny.

In 1989 the Grad Exhibition of Contemporary Art took place in Beijing. One of my favorite works from the exhibition was Hatching. I was particularly interested in the paper plaque hanging in front of the artist's chest, on which the artist declared, "To avoid disturbing the future generation, no debates during hatching." At the time I was criticizing the rationalism in the avant-garde art and the power struggle in the art world that resembled the peasant revolution. Years later I found out that Zhang Nian was born in Si Chuan and went to the preparatory school of Si Chuan Academy of Fine Art, thus not only come from the same place but also the same school.

From then on I have continually monitoring Zhang Nian's work. I am most impressed with his Egg series. When Zhang Nian did Hatching perhaps he expected the next generation would have not been like the noisy sparrows of 1985, he was hoping to see the birth of hawks, falcons and phoenixes. To his disappointment the new generation was corrupted by the vulgarity and greed in the society. Zhang Nian lived among those who deny the concept of value or take what was valueless as value, which inevitably aggravated him as he was expressing a long waited hope in Hatching. In his performance art ?Egg, Zhang Nian threw eggs at the wall to represent the brutal crush of his ideal. Although disappointed with reality, he never abandoned the questions of an artist with a sense of social responsibility. Since the heroes are long gone and there is no hope in inducing the birth of his hope, Zhang Nian turned his eye to examine the reality of a consumer society that China had become and what was devoured by the society. Next came Sunny Side Up. The photos showed eggs laid in perfect sunny-side-up form on the street, shining yellow yoke surrounded by the buttery egg white, its luring beauty even suggested a tint of eroticism. Zhang Nian used the exaggerated image to challenge a society that gave in to sensual desires. This is what made Zhang Nian stand out among artists born in the sixties. His work always has an element of social critique. Motivated by social consciousness Zhang Nian is able to walk out of pure art to express his concerns on social and cultural issues such as urban development, history, art preservation, peasants' life and even the society's physical and psychological damage caused by SARS.

Zhang Nian is not an artist who lives for money and fame. His livelihood does not depend on his art. He is a successful illustrator and designer. Now to think of it, he did the design for the series of The State of World Contemporary Art that I published and wrote The Readymade and Art. Design is Zhang Nian's profession, as for art, just like my writing of art critique, is his amateur activity. Being an amateur he has more freedom than others. This is good for him and good for the Chinese art community. China does not lack artists; she lacks artists who have critical mind and who are free from other aspects of life so that they are able to use their mind to the utmost capacity in art. At this point I suddenly remembered a line from a poem by Su Dong Po, "the moon shines every night; bamboos and pine trees grow everywhere; but there aren't many who have the free time in hand like you and me."

 

 

Wang Lin

Mt. Peach Flower

Si Chuan Academy of Fine Art

July 15, 2004