Host: This is Anton Tscherne reporting on art scene in China. We are here today inJiaxing China, 30 minutes from Shanghai. And we are in a studio of a very very prominent Chinese artist, probably the most prominent in this area. His name is Mr. Zhang. He is kindly let us have an inside look behind the scenes of his studio. it’s already quite considered successful throughout China and collectors overseas.

Host: So he will introduce his different styles and his paintings. Thank you Mr. Zhang for meeting us.

Zhang Lianyun: You are welcome.

Host: What part of China do you come from? Where were you born?

Zhang Lianyun: Heilongjiang Province.

Host: All over these pictures show the place he was born.

Host: The winter scenery is very beautiful.

Host: Yeah, it’s very cold, probably the coldest part in China.

Host: It’s like Canada，you know the north of Canada.

Host: So as we saw the past, Chinese contemporary art has an about 30 year history. It began in 1979 when Den Xiaoping declared the Open Door Policy.

Host: Then in the year 2000 the government decided that it was OK for Chinese artists to show them museums and galleries.

Host: So he’s from a generation that started out in the 80s and 90s.

Zhang Lianyun: You know, after during this policy has been carried out, he did have some access to the art works in China.

Zhang Lianyun: So he was starting to think maybe it is time for him to take his own fortune, to decide his own fortune.

Host: So let’s now talk about the specific your different art.

Host: Looking through, you have a tremendous amount of work.

Host: Different styles.

Zhang Lianyun: Totally different styles. Let’s begin with what I believe to be one two three four styles on the table in front of me.

Host: So could you just briefly describe ,well let’s go through this. This almost looks like a collage, numerous blocks as you just describe perhaps East meeting West. Could you just describe your ideas behind this a little more.

Zhang Lianyun: You know, during the three years he formed a very new conception because he had learned about Chinese calligraphy and Chinese painting and he found a very special , you know, Chinese painting paper, and about Chinese ink

Zhang Lianyun: He thought, you know, it’s a reflection about this whole five thousand years of

Chinese culture.

Host: You are right.

Zhang Lianyun: We must get familiar with these very traditional art tools which are left by our ancestors.

Host: Now , are these normally , these are large format, very large. How big is this art work?

Zhang Lianyun: This one could be any size..

Host: Any size.

Zhang Lianyun: Actually you know every part of it in the square is one separated painting.

Host: Yes, it’s separated painting. I’ve seen these. Yeah.

Zhang Lianyun: You know about the “ Yi” conception in Chinese thinking is about , you know, one can be building two, two can be building three, and three produces a lot.

Zhang Lianyun: It’s sort of like, you know, the philosophy。

Zhang Lianyun: The same thing. However more with the blues, with the blues, reds and greens.

Zhang Lianyun: It also can reflect about four seasons and even the space , about changing in space.

Zhang Lianyun: About human’s imagination.

Zhang Lianyun: That’s seen within these.

Zhang Lianyun: Yeah. No matter how big the environment is.

Host: I understand, yeah.

Host: We currently have an artist in United States, he has also this idea to do the seasons, spring summer winter fall. Somewhat abstract but to bring this idea.

Zhang Lianyun: You know his thing is different cause his is about the space .

Host: Oh，it’s about the space more than deep in the seasons.

Zhang Lianyun: It’s more like a decoration art.

Host: Alright.

That was the first style. Let’s now look at a second style. And this is also somewhat abstract. Could you please describe your ideal behind this？

Host: It’s so abstract I didn’t know the up and down.

Zhang Lianyun: That is actually, you know, because when he was a very young man he loved to travel a lot. He almost traveled every place in China. When he saw things like the South of China, he saw many minority culture and minority people about their dress.

Host: Yes.

Zhang Lianyun: About their paintings.

Zhang Lianyun: Yes, these vibrant colors.

Zhang Lianyun: He thinks the minority culture is also a part of Chinese culture.

Host: Yes.

Zhang Lianyun: Yes.

Zhang Lianyun: You know he uses the western artist form and now the Chinese color, and some minority culture to exist his form.

Host: Very good. Let’s move on to the third style.

Host: This is the most abstract.

Host: What’s his thinking behind this?

Zhang Lianyun: You know, because he loves to travel a lot, he’s always been to some places which are not very popular among the tourists, which is very quiet. So he went there.

Zhang Lianyun: You know, among these years of traveling he cannot remember exactly the name of the scenery the mountains. But there is something in his mind telling him that he should paint these down. He should , you know, keep record of it.

Host: So let me ask you, because they are very abstract. But these are locations, they are like mountains and scenery.

Zhang Lianyun: Actually, you know the abstract things in his mind should be very concrete

Host: OK.

Zhang Lianyun: Deep down in his mind is concrete

Zhang Lianyun: It’s just because you know, the audiences do not have the same experience.

Host: That’s right. They don’t.

Zhang Lianyun: But he has.

Zhang Lianyun: If you went there with him you will know where these places are.

Host: For me I would see a mountain here, and clouds up here, and the sky.

Zhang Lianyun: Yeah, you know the gray cloud just come suddenly and …

Zhang Lianyun: Just come suddenly to the mountains.

Zhang Lianyun: You know, those happen so quick even the camera cannot take pictures of it so they are just in his memory.

Host: Oh，really？

Zhang Lianyun: He just remembered these in his mind.

Zhang Lianyun: You know, that natural phenomenon is not very usual for normal people. He needs to keep walking to see these.

Host: How long wo8uld it take him to pain a large picture like this?

Host: How many days?

Zhang Lianyun: Actually he is doing the sort of you know the paintings, many paintings at the same time.

Zhang Lianyun: Actually he didn’t use the traditional art tool. He invented some tools.

Host: Tools to paint that. OK.

Zhang Lianyun: You know he even use the spoon that Chinese people use and the thing we use to clean as a tool …

Host: As a tool.

Zhang Lianyun: To do the pictures.

Zhang Lianyun: Not just the painter’s knives that they use in the west. He uses other tools.

Zhang Lianyun: He does the art not for the sake of money.

Zhang Lianyun: You know, for the sake of culture.

Host: How many different tools could he use or has he used?

Zhang Lianyun: So many.

Zhang Lianyun: Hundreds of them.

Host: Hundreds of them, oh my God.

Zhang Lianyun: Even you know, those cups.

Host: Mr. Zhang could probably paint with this cup.

Zhang Lianyun: He used, he used.

Zhang Lianyun: He said you know because art thing in his mind is sort of like , you know, surpass ourself.

Host: OK.

Zhang Lianyun: To be more than ourself.

Host: So let’s look at the four styles that we have here.

Host: It’s a thing with mainly women, beautiful women.

Host: I would like to ask his inspiration.

Host: Are these Asian women or western women?

Host: In your mind.

Zhang Lianyun: Actually this woman is a Chinese woman. But she has dyed her hair, you know the color just like a western person.

Zhang Lianyun: You know, why he is doing those art works about women is because when he was a child, he thought his mother was very beautiful not only from the appearances but the heart.

Zhang Lianyun: No mater it is Chinese or foreign one.

Host: Yes.

Zhang Lianyun: All the women are just beautiful.

Host: Yes, I understand. But with the colors, the vibrant colors, you know the blues, the reds, they look very modern.

Zhang Lianyun: Because he does not want to, you know, use the traditional way to spread his conception about beauty.

Host: OK.

Zhang Lianyun: Because the old ways about, you know, doing the beauties in a traditional way, has already accomplished his saying. Even enjoys a good reputation among the same artists in China. So those sort of paintings is what now he is doing and focused on.

Host: Focused on.

Host: Now let me ask you a little different subject.

Zhang Lianyun: OK.

Host: You are quite prominent. Who buys your art? Is it mainly Chinese? Is it people from Indonesia, Thailand? What sort of collectors collect your art?

Zhang Lianyun: You know, the most of people who bought his art are like the very famous people he enjoyed a contact with.

Host: OK.

Zhang Lianyun: You know some real estate business men.

Zhang Lianyun: Some financial men. All of them are bosses.

Zhang Lianyun: They are very successful men in their fields.

Host: Well, let’s just go around the room and perhaps he could describe a few more.

Zhang Lianyun: OK.

Host: Here we have paintings. I believe more from his Haerbin Province perhaps or the countryside of China.

Zhang Lianyun: You know actually those paintings , yeah, they are in Haerbin cities. And this is about the Mudan River. A very famous river.

Host: Oh, Mudan river.

Zhang Lianyun: Yeah, just near the Mudan River, all these sceneries.

Host: So here we have it. We have landscape paintings on here which he does very verywell. Exquisite. Now let’s go over to the other side where we see figurative art, persons.

Host: So let’s start from the top. This is round and posed to square. Why did he choose the round format?

Zhang Lianyun: You know, actually those sort of paintings in the square front …

Zhang Lianyun: Are what he was doing during university when he was a teacher. And he sold out a lot of things like these.

Zhang Lianyun: You know every painting that he has now is like completed them with the students.

Host: Oh. With his students.

Host: We are watching a true Chinese artist paint. Very, very nice.

Host: You know compared to Chinese artists, there are so many artists but there is very, very few that have learned the art to paint.

Zhang Lianyun: You know painting is very happy for him. It’s a very happy thing.

Host: Very happy.

Host: An artist with really good technical skills.

Host: Only aquired after many years of practice.

Host: It almost took him over 30 years .

Zhang Lianyun :30 years.

Host: He kept practice every day.

Zhang Lianyun: Paints every day.

Zhang Lianyun: He starts painting at 5 am in the morning.

Zhang Lianyun: 5 am in the morning.

Host: 5 am in the morning.

Zhang Lianyun: You know he should paint for more than 10 hours a day.

Zhang Lianyun: Sort of ，you know, like a big part of his life.

Zhang Lianyun: Yes， his mission of his life.

Host: Yeah, like mission of his life.

Zhang Lianyun: Yes, he feels good when he paints.

Zhang Lianyun: Yeah, he is pursuing something perfect in his mind.

Zhang Lianyun: In his mind.

Host: Yeah. He wants this to look very good.

Host: Thank you. Here we have Mr.Zhang from Dongzha Art with Mr.Gu. And thank you very much.

Zhang Lianyun: You are welcome.

Host: Thank you. Your works are very good.