Artist Liu Zhan
2001-2012 Unmask brand
In 2001, Liu Zhan, who was born in 1976, and two other students from the sculpture department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts created the "Unmask brand", but everyone used to think that "Unmask" was an art group. Although all three have a background in academy education, they all have a strong desire to establish a difference from the academy's creative system, and establish the "Unmask brand" with a conceptual art creation method.
The years from China's accession to the WTO in 2001 to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games were a period of rapid economic and cultural development. "Our artistic practice is only valid during this particular period of history, and it would not have ceased to work in the 90s. If after 2008 it is another situation, will the significance of this practice still be after the maturity of all aspects of the commercial capital system?" Liu Zhan felt that after the "subprime mortgage crisis", both art practitioners and various industries had some vigilance - the risk of the business system?
"0°" UNMASK 2009" exhibition scene Photo courtesy of UNMASK
Looking back on 2009, I remember when "0°" UNMASK 2009 was exhibited, they expected the market to be more standardized after the adjustment period, and the artists adjusted through this market to have a more peaceful mentality.
"At that time, we were very young and did not realize the crisis of being eaten by business." In the early days, in the face of the "new world" faced by "Unmask", they did not have these concerns, and Liu Zhan only wanted to create as many possibilities as possible. In the past ten years, the original fantasy, whether it is a spiritual or non-utilitarian pursuit, appears powerless in the face of reality, and has even been coerced, deviating from their expectations, which is a problem that particularly troubled Liu Zhan.
0° No.1 Image courtesy of UNMASK
0° No.1 (Partial) Image courtesy of UNMASK
"Art must resist vulgarity." Unmask was created to resist real problems, and in the end the "resistance" failed or even became what they opposed. The weapons of the "Unmask brand" model have failed.
The ten years of cooperation between the three people, from the initial radical ideal of hoping to expand the boundaries of the industry, and then entering a period of exhaustion, dissolving the cooperation method of the three people, "let everyone be more relaxed, do their own things." In 2012 the dissolution of the "Unmask brand" became history.
To Liu Zhan's regret, at the best age, he had a very absurd dream.
A decade of returning to the individual "collapses to reconstruction"
In the two years since the last exhibition of the "UNMASK brand", "Shopping-Shopping", Liu Zhan's personal work has come to a standstill. He needs to go through a process of "from collapse to reconstruction."
After returning to the individual, he faces the biggest question: "Before it was Unmask, now who are you?" Will you be able to continue to be an artist? Or become an artist?"
Translucent 1 Image courtesy of UNMASK
"For me, it is definitely necessary to re-establish my new attitude and understanding of art. The process is more painful. "The habit of the sculpture creation system on the shelf formed by the educational background of Liu Zhan College is a burden for the work carried out later.
"In the first decade, the creation developed a very skilled working method. Inertia is my biggest obstacle and I can't create anymore. In the past, the formal language with very high recognition has become a huge burden and obstacle, and it has become a barrier that Liu Zhan himself cannot pass.
"First of all, I must get rid of the shackles of memory on me." Although the early works also emphasized "conceptuality", many works of high technical standard were produced, and they were also highly recognizable. It is very effective for the market, but it is a shackle for artists!
"Can you get rid of inertia?" Liu Zhan tried not to be in the studio for several years, and the studio was a huge obstacle and constraint for him. "Be sure to get out." Otherwise, in the studio, you will do it, and create in an inertial way.
"If you're good at something, you don't do anything." He resolutely refused to be good at it, and if he really didn't know what to do, he would add new skills, shoot videos, and edit images.
The scene of Liu Zhan's art project "Exploring the Mysteries of Animal Reproduction"
In 2017, Liu Zhan's art project "Exploring the Mysteries of Animal Reproduction" was used as a turning point in his personal creation. Completely abandoning the constraints of the material level on personal creation, I have truly passed the hurdle of saying goodbye to customary methods!
Liu Zhan Literature section of the art project "Exploring the Mysteries of Animal Reproduction"
Liu Zhan's creation after graduation is based on concepts and assisted by the technology of the college system. With the advent of the digital information age, does it necessary to update working methods and technical means? It was the entry point for him to resume his work.
After returning to personal creation, he completely abandoned the manual way of shelf work and tended to use the concept of video, print, and ready-made products.
The "balcony" of the diplomatic apartment reflects another creative path he hopes to explore, that is, to pay more attention to the scene, reflecting the project's use of the spatial dimension and historical dimension of the site. The diversity and experimentation of his expressions, and the polysemy thinking that permeates space and beyond, all expand the boundaries of people's experience to some extent.
From "Balcony" to "Song of white clouds"
In 2018, Liu Zhan exhibited "Balcony" in Space 12 of the Diplomatic Apartment. The device is like a radar made up of 65 old semiconductor radios in a circular distribution. Each semiconductor radio receives a signal from one station at a shortwave frequency. As the circular disc slowly turns, the shortwave radio signal received by the radio emits a vague noise. In the special space of the diplomatic apartment, the connection between the historical scene and the present is formed.
Liu Zhan Song of The White Cloud 2022_stainless steel, radio, microphone 475x181x500cm star orbit mode Image courtesy of The Side Edge Gallery
Not long ago, "Song of the White Clouds", which was exhibited at the 798 Art District's Pifeng Gallery, was an upgraded version re-created based on "Balcony" and appeared in the solo exhibition "Shine on You". "Song of White Clouds" is a short-wave signal received by 180 old semiconductor radios, which are received by microphones, and the power amplifier in the space emits ambiguous signal sounds. Illuminated by the light from the skylight in the exhibition hall, the works not only relate to the space outside the gallery, but also have a temporal and spatial relationship between history and the future.
Liu Zhan Song of The White Cloud Exhibition Scene Photo by Huiyun of The Partial Feng Gallery
"This work is full of logical relationships from the creative methodology, and audiences of different ages will feel differently after watching it." Originally, Liu Zhan envisioned "Balcony" to play only the signal sound of the receiving radio station in the space, excluding the installation part. Because the "device" itself is visual, it dissolves the logic of sound as the subject. Diplomatic apartments have regulations that do not allow the placement of private items anywhere outside the indoor space, which is very different and special from residential residences. If it is more in line with the conceptual logic of the work on the roof roof, the signal from the space is retracted into the house. But even a semi-private space like a balcony is not allowed. Therefore, the works are exhibited indoors, which also forms a visual logic. In the end, this work is presented naturally, without deliberate "anti-vision".
"Song of the White Clouds" in the exhibition hall environment of the Biased Front Gallery will have different feelings for people of different ages. If the post-90s generation does not have the corresponding historical experience and experience with semiconductor radios, it may be related to the visual experience of "cyberpunk".
"Art itself should also be open." For Liu Zhan, no matter what, each generation can look at it from its own perspective and will have different understandings.
The birth of the "Shine on You" series
During the "Unmask brand" period, going to "work" every day resembled a company's work model, and the three of them often discussed the "work plan" together.
"I do the plan myself, and basically one computer is enough for me to work now." Liu Zhan's personal creative method is not in a hurry to quickly produce the plan. First of all, when a new idea is generated, it will be particularly impulsive and will want to execute it. But you need to suppress it and wait a while to see if you can still maintain this state. After several programs have been repeatedly verified, it feels like it is still the most wanted to be implemented, and it will be implemented at its own expense.
Liu Zhan Shine On You No.1 2022_Stainless steel gold plated, image 127x270x295cm Image courtesy of Bias Gallery
Liu Zhan Shine on your No.1 exhibition site
At the beginning of the "Shine on You" series, it was also improvised and random. There was a gap of two years from conception to decision implementation.
There was a pile of scrap iron slag on the side of a warehouse that happened to pass by. Although only under a glimpse of the driving, already hit by the image, impressed, rewind back and get out of the car to watch. "That kind of natural savage and rough shape especially impressed me." From the experience of academy training, this pile of iron slag, naturally to carve, after training the hand eyes will often lose such a sharp, occasional and powerful clumps..... This time is precisely when Liu Zhan is pondering the new creative plan, and after being hit by a blow, it is like collecting this pile of scrap iron slag and taking it back.
Liu Zhan Shine You No.2 2022_Stainless Steel, Image 170x178x235cm Image courtesy of Bias Gallery
Liu Zhan asked the owner of the thing, and the result was that "the money is not sold." Just as he was pondering how to transport things back to the studio and get the vehicles ready for transport, the pile of scrap iron slag disappeared.
"I put so much effort into it, things are gone, very unwilling." Liu Zhan began to investigate the surrounding areas, and finally at such a professional waste collection station. The scene was particularly shocking, and after buying back the metal scraps needed, the game between the body and these substances began. He and his assistants are full of enthusiasm, and they "compete" with these scrap metal slags, and cycle sanding. The spinning wheel of grinding creates a beam of light in friction with metal, which comes with an indescribable "state"!
In high-intensity labor, they confront and dissolve each other, producing an incomparably brilliant, brilliant spark, and very illusory and pathetic.
These bright and dim sparks splashed in the beam state made Liu Zhan particularly obsessed. "Such a high-intensity confrontation, in itself, this particularly impressed me, I have always wanted to present such a scene, want to enlarge this scene even more." Such a scene is very contagious.
Liu Zhan Shines on You No.2 (Partial) Exhibition Scene
The two sparks splash in confrontation and tearing, releasing energy and danger, how to retain this unadorned roughness and romance. Being able to land in an exhibition hall facing the public is also a challenge. How to transform a sense of presence? Just converting into images, images, for the audience is only second-hand scene, losing a lot of the most powerful part of the information.
It is finally transformed into a video installation and becomes a light source to illuminate the exhibition hall. Images without narrative produce associations outside the images and also form a strong and rich live experience.
In the dark exhibition hall of the Bias Front Gallery, the dazzling flickering images of the "Shine on You" series form a tense and dangerous atmosphere with scrap steel and iron slag, and also collide with real problems here.
Liu Zhan Shine On You No.3 2022_Steel Plate, Image 422x111x300cm Image by Bias Gallery Huiyun
Liu Zhan Shine on your No.3 exhibition site
Create a different exhibition context
Liu Zhan said: "I am not a particularly peaceful person personally, especially when dealing with creation, I don't want to try step by step. ”
After the dissolution of the Unmask group, Liu Zhan's creations are in the process of constant adjustment, but there are also some works that are both personal and carry the shadow of Unmask. In the solo exhibition "Shine on You", "Co-manufacturing - XE1", "Co-manufacturing - Good", "Renaissance Mao No.1", "Xiaguang Diffusion 2017-2022", etc., in the way of the overall work, present the "commodity" attribute of the strong "product" temperament. It is still an exaggerated and colorful color, pointing to the idea of anti-consumerism.
Liu Zhan Xiaguang Diffusion 2017-2022_Mixed Materials Vary in Size Image courtesy of BiasEd Gallery
Liu Zhan Xiaguang diffuse exhibition site
"I don't want the audience to be looking at a sculpture, a particularly moral work. Differences from the audience's experience in the usual art galleries and galleries bring obstacles to understanding. "Liu Zhan's single pieces scattered on metal and glass-supported shelves, before or in a plan; or models; Or a 3D model in a computer; Or what has been achieved, has been re-upgraded from the different dimensions of texture and production; Realized on the "Shine on You" solo exhibition. These works, which began in 2012 and 2013 and spanned a decade, are now placed on a container-like booth, showing a context similar to "small commodity market".
In this exhibition hall, the audience sees a wide variety of works, and even some are wrapped in fruit-colored tactile paints, illuminated by dazzling neon lights, creating a landscape full of materialism.
In Liu Zhan's view, there is an element of ridicule, and he hopes that the audience will re-examine the exhibition from a consumerist perspective, rather than preconceived concepts to guide him to consume. Those "daylight diffusion" and "joint manufacturing" similar to "abstract sculptures", wrapped in candy-colored tactile paint are exquisitely made, and everyone wants to have it. Where do these looks come from?
Liu Zhan Co-manufacturing -XE1 2022_ Resin, tactile lacquer 42x53x47cm Image by Bias Front Gallery Huiyun
The negative space of the molds and boxes that pack electrical appliances in daily life is re-molded and poured out into sculptures. After being remade, these sculptures are full of "product" feeling. "It's better than me actually making a sculpture." Liu Zhan laughed.
Another way of creating Liu Zhan: he uses 3D modeling software to "play" with 1:1 models of objects like a game, these paradoxical and bizarre sculptures. And the daily electrical appliance packaging mold formed a playful relationship between the formation of a playful relationship, like a pair of twin sisters, or mirror relationship, if the industrial products of daily electrical appliances have practical value, and these 3D modeling formed "abstract sculptures" have no practical value, but become visual products, but they have established a relationship with the packaging box.
Liu Zhan Co-manufacturing-B 2R76 2022_ resin, haptic lacquer 100x79x67cm Image courtesy of BiasEd Gallery
Similarly, the foam mold space of the packaging pirated "Flash Memory No.6" has also been remade and cast, becoming a new sculpture, maintaining its relevance to the original type. Along this line of thinking, each box can be turned into a new piece.
Such works do not need to be copied at all like traditional sculptures, and each one is an isolated product. Because all the packaging molds collected can be transformed into beloved works of art. It is not to win the love of anyone, but to design works that are loved by everyone. "I can accept such an attitude and position!" Liu Zhan said.
Liu Zhan Xiaguang Diffuse Exhibition Scene Photo by Huiyun of The Gallery of The Side Feng
People can't refuse candy color, seeing bright light color will be happy, Liu Zhan naturally hopes that while being happy, he can feel the inspiration and thinking hidden in it.
Implicit in this concept is the subversion and destruction of consumerist value standards.
Liu Zhan Explores the Mysteries of Animal Reproduction 2017_Copper, Stainless Steel, Image 55x59x20cmx2; 55x53x17cm Image courtesy of Bias Gallery
Liu Zhan Renaissance Mao No.1 2022_ Resin, Velvet 52x70x71cm Image by Huiyun of BiasEdRy Gallery
Liu Zhan Co-manufacturing-Good 2022_Copper, Aluminum, Resin, Touch Paint 50x35x50cm-2 Image courtesy of BiasEd Gallery
epilogue
Although Liu Zhan has a background in college education, he is mainly influenced by postmodernism, he is not obsessed with classics, does not use existing language to repeat nature or repeat a habitual way. With the logic of "deconstruction-reconstruction", bid farewell to the "Unmask" era.
Ten years of creative practice have reconstructed the personal Liu Zhan and new creative methodology.