| Catherine Y. Hsieh: Your solo exhibition Just Did It took place at James Cohan Gallery in New York City from February to March. In a piece titled It, you displayed a patch of dirt under a microscope. What did that dirt represent? Xu Zhen: It represented “hui” (dust,) what’s always below our feet, what we’re always stepping on. CH: What was the motivation for this piece? XH: It’s very simple. People think outer space is mysterious and amazing. The United States sent astronauts out there and they left a footprint on the moon. |
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Catherine Y. Hsieh talks to Xu Zhen, a Shanghai-based artist
Xu Zhen, In Just a Blink of an Eye, 2007. Dimensions variable. Co-presented by PERFORMA and Long March Project at James Cohan Gallery as part of PERFORMA07. Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery, New York.Catherine Y. Hsieh: Your solo exhibition Just Did It took place at James Cohan Gallery in New York City from February to March. In a piece titled It, you displayed a patch of dirt under a microscope. What did that dirt represent?
Xu Zhen: It represented “hui” (dust,) what’s always below our feet, what we’re always stepping on.
CH: What was the motivation for this piece?
XH: It’s very simple. People think outer space is mysterious and amazing. The United States sent astronauts out there and they left a footprint on the moon. It became something monumental, something every country wanted to surpass, something everyone thought was historic. If we put a footprint on a small patch of dirt, would it, too, become something extraordinary?
CH: That patch of dirt seems really small. How did you manage to put a footprint on it?
XH: That is classified information. I can’t tell you. It’s a secret.
CH: In In Just a Blink of an Eye, everyone seems to be falling but freeze in midair. This piece tends to give viewers a peculiar sense of anxiety. What is it you’d like to signify in this work?
XH: The concept was to capture the exact moment when people are about to fall, to freeze that particular moment.
CH: For this piece you collaborated with performers from Chinatown?
XH: Yes. The piece debuted in China. Since it’s moved to New York City, I had help from people from Chinatown.
CH: Last December in Art Basel Miami, you presented Shanghart Supermarket. What did they sell in the supermarket?
XH: The same things you can find in a regular Chinese supermarket, but without the actual content. Only the packaging and wrapping were displayed.
CH: What was the significance of this work?
XH: Right now a lot of people want to buy things from China, including Chinese art. They don’t know what it is inside the packaging. They buy it merely because everyone else is buying it. To place such a supermarket in an art fair is a reflection of this phenomenon.
CH: In Dinosaur, where you created a dinosaur of 900 centimeters long, and put it in a glass display box. What was the inspiration?
XH: This piece is an imitation of British artist Damien Hirst’s work. He presented a cow, sliced in half, placed in a similar display case. For me, no one has done anything about a dinosaur display. So I wanted to create a dinosaur like Hirst did a cow, and put it in a case. Many might wonder if it’s a cross-influence of Eastern and Western cultures. This is not really my concern at all. For me, it’s all about how interesting the project is. A dinosaur, something we’ve never seen, so let’s give it a shot and see how it turns out.
CH: You turn 31 this year. For an artist, 31 is a relatively young age to have established a reputation like you have in China. More and more people from the West are beginning to notice you as well. How has being young affected you as an artist?
XH: It hasn’t had a huge effect on me. I’ve been working in the art world for many years, and I started when I was even younger. I feel like I’m experienced in some ways. Of course, age brings certain wisdom, and it would probably make me more mature as an artist, but it’s not like I’m young and have no experience in the field. The longer you work, the more things you want to change and accomplish. This is the same challenge every artist is faced with.CH: How long have you been working as an artist?
XH: Over ten years.
CH: Who’s your favorite artist?
XH: There are a lot of great artists all over the world, whether from China or from abroad. There are many artists I like. But because art is something I deal with on a daily basis, sometimes I get numb.
CH: What are the main influences on your art?
XH: Daily life is my biggest influence. My everyday existence, the surroundings, the news, and so on. Life itself always provides new inspiration for me.
CH: Is art how you make your living right now?
XH: Yes. I often collaborate with my friends on some exhibitions. I also work at an arts center, BizArt, in Shanghai.
CH: Can you describe your art in one sentence?
XH: It’s hard to say. I don’t know. One sentence? You can describe it however you want and attribute it to me. That’s no problem.
CH: Do you have any upcoming exhibitions or any new projects you’ve been working on?
XH: I’m getting ready for a year-end exhibition in Beijing at Long March Project, though I haven’t determined the title for the show.
