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China is transforming rapidly, opening its doors and absorbing everything foreign. The field of contemporary art is catching up quickly in the big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, but in a second tier city like Nanjing the scope of contemporary art work is comparatively limited. With my own interests and background; being fluent in both Chinese and English and understanding the dynamics of Chinese and Western culture, I feel a strong sense of responsibility to try to build bridges between East and West. My goal in curating this exhibition is to give foreign artists the opportunity to exhibit in China. |
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Needle Sharp: Shen Young Threads His Way to Glorious Perspectives – Katie Lau
If you choose to judge Shen Young’s "needle paintings" from a distance,
you won’t know what you are missing.
The photo-derived "paintings" are actually embroideries in which, on closer inspection, countless tiny shiny taffeta threads are woven tightly into a fabric of visual magic. The technique instills a regal magnificence into the Yellow River, a serenity to the Great Wall of China, a stillness on the New York skyline and a tenderness about his
portraits.
"They’re very real, just like photographs. Only when you look closely
do you see the difference," the 60-year-old artist says.
Splitting his time between China and New York, the Chaozhou native devised the art form after a business trip to Suzhou, Jiangsu. Impressed by the delicacy of traditional Suzhou embroidery, the photographer of more than 20 years applied those techniques to recreate his photographs, calling the style Chinese needle painting. "Instead of the pen and brush, I use the needle and silk threads. It’s a new concept," he says.
Young’s painstakingly elaborate emulations of his own photographs require an extremely high level of dedication. An average painting requires more than one million stitches to get its three-dimensional effect, as opposed to the flat feel of traditional embroidery. Each painting takes a year to complete, working 10 hours per day.
But indulging his passion has been more than time consuming. It has come at a price: he has sold his house, sacrificed his job as a garment importer in 1995 and, later, his marriage.
"I worked on the art for five years with my wife. But later she thought it was a big risk and wanted out. She told me, ‘You’d better stop it or I’ll divorce you.’ I finally signed the papers," Young says.
"It’s okay that it has effected my personal life. I am the only survivor of four siblings, two of whom died trying to smuggle themselves into Hong Kong during the Cultural Revolution. I realized freedom is not free. You always pay a high price for it."
Now living solely on his savings, Young says he intends to needle paint
for the rest of days.
"Life is always a risk. I am simply captivated by the sheer beauty and
charm of the embroidery," he says.
Young takes inspiration and direction from his mentor and now artistic director, Chen Zhuqing. Chen, an expert of Suzhou embroidery, began teaching Young how to execute and convert the techniques nine years ago.
"She’s very important to me, it’s a wonderful partnership. We travel together and I take the photos. Because she’s there, when we try to recreate the picture, she can remember what she sees and gives me guidance," he says.
Recreating the photos is technically challenging and laborious. "It gets very intricate. The photograph is usually not perfect so we use the needle to make it better," he says.
Then there are the intriguing portraits of people Young holds dear. Among them are tycoon Li Ka-shing, who Young admires for his philanthropy, and his late friend, professor Huang Peizhen, depicted as a gentle old woman sitting next to a piano in a candid moment. Within the painting is a pencil sketch of Huang drawn 30 years ago by Young’s late brother.
"I visited her two years ago when she had Alzheimer’s. We sang a song that reminded us of my brother. So this picture has a lot of personal significance to me. It brings back the memories of my life over the past 30 years.”
Despite the repetition involved in creating his art, Young says he never gets bored.
"It’s still fresh for me. Take the Great Wall, for example, many people take photos of it and so do I. But you can always find something new in it, as you do in life," he says.
Weekend Standard (Hong Kong) / June 10, 2006, Volume 2, No.6
