Chen Heng
I am totally opposed to discussions of “ideology” in art. I believe if we follow a doctrine we could easily fall into radicalism and extremism by becoming aware only of the doctrine, not the universe as a whole, so restricting our wider perspective. Could Li Bai have become the great artist he was had he been restricted by any ideology? In our recent history; we have suffered enough at the hands of ideologies. I have no interest in creating a ‘unique or original image’ at the cost of deliberately distorting natural life; this to me is meaningless and soulless. We should embrace nature in its entirety instead of trying to misrepresent it. Depicting the life of the common people has been a main focus of artists since the Ming Dynasty. The culture of the common man has always been a part of my childhood memory, and it forms the basis of my creative work. Unlike Western tradition and culture, the Chinese do not depend solely on factual evidence for their understanding of the workings of the universe. We learn about the outer world by listening to our deep inner selves. Without the body’s participation, the soul will become a pond of stagnant water devoid of colour or life. We create art as taught by our ancestors; it is dependent on one’s spirit, heart, body, and cerebral powers. I follow the path of: “To study all the exotic mountains for inspiration”, depending only on memories to feed my soul, giving me freedom and deeper understanding, allowing me to follow in the Chinese tradition of emphasizing life and nature. Although I may occasionally use symbolic images or metaphors in my work, it is always meant to be obvious.
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