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Mishi's street art is sweet art
By Xu Wenwen |
December 16, 2010, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A neighborhood in Hangzhou has allowed a daring new painting to be created - on the side of a five-story building. Xu Wenwen speaks to the talented artist behind the massive project and also finds out what the locals think of it.
By the end of this month, Hangzhou's first outdoor wall painted by artists will be unveiled as a landmark on "Dessert Street," which is due to open next spring.
Located at the crossing of Jiacheng Lane and Hushu Road, the 200-square-meter artwork on the five-story building was started at the beginning of the month and is only halfway to being completed.
Clouds float across a starry sky with a girl crawling up, while cats at the bottom on the yellow ground share cakes - fanciful, abstract and glorious.
"The theme of the artwork is 'sharing,' in accordance with the spirit of dessert," says Chen Dongfan, the artist behind the huge painting.
The artwork on the wall is at the east end of Jiacheng Lane, which will soon be transformed into a "Dessert Street," containing dessert shops and bakeries as a part of the Mishi Neighborhood's renovation program.
Chen, who works as a team leader with another artist Hua Peng and a decorator, has been invited by the neighborhood to decorate a seven-story building at the west end of the lane when he finishes the east wall.
As it is rare to have an artist paint an outdoor building in the city, the neighborhood's action is considered as risky, but its aim is to "create an artistic atmosphere and raise artistic taste among locals," says Chen Jinsong, director of Mishi Neighborhood.
The 26-year-old Chen, who studied comprehensive arts at China Academy of Art and designed posters for this year's West Lake Music Festival, is an artist from Clepic Image gallery in Hangzhou.
Chen's works are highly imaginative, colorful and psychedelic. Previously, his biggest work, a dimensional work, spanned 150 square meters.
The painting continues his unique style, typically using bright, lively color and captivating, penetrating touch to convey its meaning.
Chen outlines his work to Shanghai Daily.
"The whole painting seems to be running as all elements are involved with each other. Beside the cats there is a castle, across the castle a huge white hand holds a girl in a red dress who is trying to climb up high to reach the starry sky at the top, while clouds, pipes and letters decorate the painting.
"The pipe is like a straw, the clouds symbolize butter and the starry sky depicts the feeling after people have eaten dessert - cool and sweet. I designed the main direction upward because it is on a building and people need to look up."
As the first of its kind in the city, the wall - although still being painted - has attracted lots of attention from passers-by who often stop to observe the progress and comment on it.
"Different people can get different feelings by looking at the painting," says Chen.
"Dessert is related to love, and though love is seemingly sweet, behind it there are selfishness and the desire to control," he explains. "Both people in love and people crossed in love eat desserts, but the feelings in their inner heart are different, just like their feelings of my work vary."
Though the discussion and evaluation to the yet-to-be-completed work differ, the artist is thankful because his work "has already influenced people."
Inna Xu, general manager of Clepic Image, has been accompanying the team as they carry out the work and explains how she has experienced a change in people's attitudes since the painting began.
"At first, people didn't understand us, especially residents in the building, because they reckoned the project would disturb their daily lives. But the situation has altered since they've witnessed the transformation of their old building."
Xu cites examples. Some residents come to ask her "what my house will look like when it is finished;" some observe the process frequently; and an old man on the second floor keeps cleaning his window everyday because it is now one part of the painting.
"It is the power of art!" says Xu. "Life and art are inextricably involved, to create an artwork in a public zone is a lively way of communication with citizens, and it encourages young artists to merge folk life into art.
"However, it's not a rebellious doodle," she adds. "It is a harmonious, comprehensive creation."
Nevertheless, behind the beautiful artwork is the artists' hard work. Because of shoddy facilities, the team has to climb up and down the scaffolding to paint.
There is no wire to protect them because it will greatly slow them down, no ladder between each level because the bamboo surface of the scaffolding is too bumpy and they are unable to rent a lift to carry them and their equipment.
Hence they climb and carry paints by using their own strength. Chen suffers most because his left foot has been crippled since boyhood, and he climbs the scaffold using his right leg and left knee, resulting in a large area of brusing on his lower limbs.
Apart from the physical difficulties, the shabby facilities also challenge the artists' skills. Given that the two artists are positioned on the scaffolding only about half a meter from the wall, arranging such a vast picture can be vary demanding.
"Anyway, it is a huge leap to let the artist create in this way," says Xu. "Everything is difficult at the start. We make the first one, hoping others will follow."
By the end of this month, Hangzhou's first outdoor wall painted by artists will be unveiled as a landmark on "Dessert Street," which is due to open next spring.
Located at the crossing of Jiacheng Lane and Hushu Road, the 200-square-meter artwork on the five-story building was started at the beginning of the month and is only halfway to being completed.
Clouds float across a starry sky with a girl crawling up, while cats at the bottom on the yellow ground share cakes - fanciful, abstract and glorious.
"The theme of the artwork is 'sharing,' in accordance with the spirit of dessert," says Chen Dongfan, the artist behind the huge painting.
The artwork on the wall is at the east end of Jiacheng Lane, which will soon be transformed into a "Dessert Street," containing dessert shops and bakeries as a part of the Mishi Neighborhood's renovation program.
Chen, who works as a team leader with another artist Hua Peng and a decorator, has been invited by the neighborhood to decorate a seven-story building at the west end of the lane when he finishes the east wall.
As it is rare to have an artist paint an outdoor building in the city, the neighborhood's action is considered as risky, but its aim is to "create an artistic atmosphere and raise artistic taste among locals," says Chen Jinsong, director of Mishi Neighborhood.
The 26-year-old Chen, who studied comprehensive arts at China Academy of Art and designed posters for this year's West Lake Music Festival, is an artist from Clepic Image gallery in Hangzhou.
Chen's works are highly imaginative, colorful and psychedelic. Previously, his biggest work, a dimensional work, spanned 150 square meters.
The painting continues his unique style, typically using bright, lively color and captivating, penetrating touch to convey its meaning.
Chen outlines his work to Shanghai Daily.
"The whole painting seems to be running as all elements are involved with each other. Beside the cats there is a castle, across the castle a huge white hand holds a girl in a red dress who is trying to climb up high to reach the starry sky at the top, while clouds, pipes and letters decorate the painting.
"The pipe is like a straw, the clouds symbolize butter and the starry sky depicts the feeling after people have eaten dessert - cool and sweet. I designed the main direction upward because it is on a building and people need to look up."
As the first of its kind in the city, the wall - although still being painted - has attracted lots of attention from passers-by who often stop to observe the progress and comment on it.
"Different people can get different feelings by looking at the painting," says Chen.
"Dessert is related to love, and though love is seemingly sweet, behind it there are selfishness and the desire to control," he explains. "Both people in love and people crossed in love eat desserts, but the feelings in their inner heart are different, just like their feelings of my work vary."
Though the discussion and evaluation to the yet-to-be-completed work differ, the artist is thankful because his work "has already influenced people."
Inna Xu, general manager of Clepic Image, has been accompanying the team as they carry out the work and explains how she has experienced a change in people's attitudes since the painting began.
"At first, people didn't understand us, especially residents in the building, because they reckoned the project would disturb their daily lives. But the situation has altered since they've witnessed the transformation of their old building."
Xu cites examples. Some residents come to ask her "what my house will look like when it is finished;" some observe the process frequently; and an old man on the second floor keeps cleaning his window everyday because it is now one part of the painting.
"It is the power of art!" says Xu. "Life and art are inextricably involved, to create an artwork in a public zone is a lively way of communication with citizens, and it encourages young artists to merge folk life into art.
"However, it's not a rebellious doodle," she adds. "It is a harmonious, comprehensive creation."
Nevertheless, behind the beautiful artwork is the artists' hard work. Because of shoddy facilities, the team has to climb up and down the scaffolding to paint.
There is no wire to protect them because it will greatly slow them down, no ladder between each level because the bamboo surface of the scaffolding is too bumpy and they are unable to rent a lift to carry them and their equipment.
Hence they climb and carry paints by using their own strength. Chen suffers most because his left foot has been crippled since boyhood, and he climbs the scaffold using his right leg and left knee, resulting in a large area of brusing on his lower limbs.
Apart from the physical difficulties, the shabby facilities also challenge the artists' skills. Given that the two artists are positioned on the scaffolding only about half a meter from the wall, arranging such a vast picture can be vary demanding.
"Anyway, it is a huge leap to let the artist create in this way," says Xu. "Everything is difficult at the start. We make the first one, hoping others will follow."
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