Jing Zhou
LandE scape
CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW artistic languages. The purpose of such practice is to touch the Sublime— something that is above the mundane and transcends our ordinary lives.
As you have remarked in your artist ' s statement, you create artworks for making visible those concepts which reflect your personal experiences. So would take this occasion to ask you if in your opinion, personal experience is absolutely indispensable as part of the creative process: in particular, do you think that a creative process could be disconnected from direct experience?
I think that it depends on the individual and the artwork’ s context. I don’ t think that direct experience is“ absolutely indispensable” as part of the creative process. One of the significant qualities of humanity is the ability to sense and sympathize with others’ feelings and experiences, which we call“ compassion.” I believe that good artists are sensitive and compassionate people with rich imaginations. In that sense, creative process cannot be disconnected from a personal experience, whether it is direct or indirect.
As a Chinese woman artist living in the Western world, you are aware of both Eastern and Western cultures and you had the chance to explore the heritage of both worlds. So we would like if you can recognize any dichotomy between Tradition and Contemporary: in particular, do you think that Contemporariness is an expression of a contrast, such a reaction towards the heritage of the past?
Understanding both Eastern and Western cultures has helped me to reach a wider horizon as an artist. Art reflects our society and mirrors our souls.
Social movements have transformed art throughout history, and the art movements are sophisticated and various. For instance, although some dated the age of Modern Art between 1860 and 1970, perhaps its social influences went back as far as the French Revolution( 1789-1799) and Industrial Revolution( 1760-1840). Meanwhile, according to online resources, Contemporary Art was defined as“ the art of the late 20th and early 21st century”( dictionary. com), which“ includes, and develops from, postmodern art, which is itself a successor to modern art”( arthistory. about. com). Therefore it might be a little over-simplified to compare the two— Contemporary and Traditional arts— in a social context,