It’s all about self-satisfaction
Print Edition
Almost 15 years ago Zhang Enli was an unknown artist who struggled to make ends meet in his studio along Suzhou Creek.
Not anymore. Zhang now cooperates with one of the world’s best galleries and his paintings are coveted by collectors. He is considered one of the first Chinese painters of his generation to be recognized in the West.
Over the years, Zhang has been invited to participate in Art Basel and a number of other major festivals. His paintings can be found at Tate London and UBS Art Collection, among other galleries and museums.
Recently Zhang and Australian cinematographer Christopher Doyle cooperated on an exhibition titled “Nobody Knows Where.” The exhibition, currently on display at Aurora Museum, presents film and photography works by Doyle alongside Zhang’s paintings and installations.
The exhibition also indicates Zhang’s status in the art circle as Christopher Doyle is one of the world’s most famous cinematographers. With dozens of awards and nominations to his name, Doyle has served as director of photography on over 50 Chinese-language films, including classics like “Chungking Express,” “Temptress Moon” and “Happy Together.” He won the technical grand prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000 for his work on “In the Mood for Love” and won the best cinematography award for “Ashes of Time” at the Venice International Film Festival in 1994.
Born in 1965 in Jilin, Zhang graduated from the Arts & Design Institute of Wuxi Technical University and relocated to Shanghai to teach at the Arts and Design Institute of Donghua University, a transition that greatly affected his art.
At one time, Zhang was enamoured with German Expressionism, but after moving to Shanghai he found his own style. He treats ordinary objects seriously and beautifully. He paints curling rubber pipes and knots of iron wires in works that suggest a mix of the concrete and the abstract. He identifies everything that he paints as a “container.”
He also paints trees from a slightly elevated perspective and skies in colors that are always different. Some viewers, after seeing his “trees,” claimed that they were “terrified” due to the untold atmosphere of quietness the exudes from some of his paintings.
Zhang travels frequently and also likes painting the walls of various interiors.
In Genoa, Italy, he became interested in the medieval era, and began painting leaves and branches on the dome and walls of the Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Villa Croce.
He has produced a series of “space paintings” since 2010, when, in Gwangju, South Korea, he painted directly onto the surfaces of a small, empty room.
For the exhibition at Aurora Museum, Zhang also painted in a small room composed of carbon paper and packaging tape.
He once said: “Everything in front of me belongs both to the world of sentience and to the world of material, and in my art, everything feels.”
Q: How does this exhibition differ from your previous exhibitions?
A: The big difference is to consider the relationship between the works of two different artists including the exhibition mode. Each work is independent yet closely related.
Q: Currently what bothers you the most? Are you having a middle-age crisis?
A: Everyone has his or her own troubles. For me, I am concerned about the decreased energy and the condition of my body. But that’s not a big problem, I have to encounter these changes as I grow older.
Q: What does painting mean to you?
A: For me, painting is akin to every meal I eat. I don’t know what will happen in the future, but at least now this is how painting matters to me.
Q: When you were at your studio along Suzhou Creek before rising to fame, were you confident in yourself and your art?
A: My confidence has been accumulated bit by bit. When I was young, my confidence was a kind of encouragement to support myself. When I was painting at my studio, I was quite proud. But I became upset when my paintings were displayed at an exhibition. That’s how I felt when I was young.
Q: Someone once said that your paintings radiate a terrible serenity, what do you think?
A: I feel it is OK.
Q: Have you ever seen a movie shot by Christopher Doyle? Is he the type of cinematographer that you admire?
A: I have seen some of his movies, but I didn’t make a detailed study of his films. I think that he does a fabulous job. As a foreigner who developed his career in Hong Kong, his camera captured a unique atmosphere, a feeling similar to the special hot and humid weather in Hong Kong.
Q: Do you have other hobbies besides painting?
A: I have some, but not many. In the past, I collected cartoon books and I also liked pretty cars. But in recent years, I have focused on how to present a perfect exhibition. When a man reaches 50, the mood to “play” gradually changes. But still I would drive a racing car on a professional track several times a year and entertain myself surfing on automobile websites.
Q: You are one of the artists who has gained fame after a long time, can you feel the change in yourself?
A: Sure, there are bound to be some changes. One of the most important of all is that I don’t need to worry about supporting myself. But as time flows the so called success of an artist doesn’t matter, what matters is how to create work that satisfies myself.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
