The Beauty and Leisure of Yunnan Always Excite the Human Inspiration and Imagination
-Interview with Zhao Ye

You You: Mr. Zhao Ye, you are the planner and initiator of the “Lead Up” Art Forum which was just closed in Lijiang. How about your feelings?
Zhao Ye: I think the forum is very successful. All the participants are the best of the national critics’ circles, whose concept and scholarship have been very considerable in terms of the contemporary art and the amendment of the history. Especially, being an important force, the young generation has been very impressive on me with their wide vision and great insight. It is very admirable that they have acquired such theoretical attainment, feelings of the era, life and art, and the courage to “love the truth than the teachers”. It is also very valuable in this material era that the young critics can raise the flag of the idealism, which makes me feel like going back to the 1980s when the youth were ardent and the enthusiasm was pure.

You You: It is a crossover activity of different cultures and subjects that invited the experts, scholars, poets and artists who are influential in their fields of learning. What are your conception, and the original intention, when planning it?
Zhao Ye: In my opinion, although the contemporary art has begun to warm up, it has been blocked in a small circle. Besides some celebrities, the contemporary art has no relation to the public and the society, or attentions, exchanges, and crossover with other fields of culture and art. It should not be like this. The contemporary art should be an important force to the social innovation, being very active, rebellious and pioneering to take the responsibility for the shock to the bound of the society, cultures, aesthetics and vogues even. It is to lead up the spirit of human, and expand the depths of humanness. Therefore, it should have been more flexible. It should have more attention and participation from intellectual and cultural elites. Among all kinds of art, there should be more encouragement, inspiration and support to become the force for the change. I think culture as a whole, and it was in the past.

You You: What’s the difference between the forum and other academic seminars which seems similar in the country? How special this forum is?
Zhao Ye: It might be the crossover. I think the speeches our poets gave us at the seminar are very brilliant. The questions are from different angles and different views, which are very inspiring and have to be treasured and concerned. After all, all kinds of art are interlinked with each other at the highest level of intelligence, imagination, feelings and creativity. Besides, Shuhe is such an easy place that every participant is much released to have a better condition.

You You: The forum invited a lot of poets and writers, and you are a famous poet, too. When did you get involved in the activities of the contemporary art?
Zhao Ye: I have been fond of music, film and painting for a long time and continuously paid attention to them. In the 1980s, many brilliant artists and I have become friends. At that time, we even thought each other as the comrades in arms. The idea of the forum was originally started when I met Mr. Guan Yuda at Dali this Spring Festival. The beauty and leisure of Yunnan always excite the human inspiration and imagination.

You You: Refer to the relation between poem and art, is there any overlapping or common parts of the contemporary art circles and the poem circles in China? What do you think of the relation between them in the future?
Zhao Ye: Basically, poem and other kinds of art are connected. They are all to express the sanctity of life, the mystique of world, and the complexity of human existence. However, they have their own language and ways of expression. At present, there are not very many concerns between the contemporary art and poem in China. I hope it will be better in the future. Such as Baudelaire and the modernity of art, Apollinaire and the modernism art, Breton and surrealist paintings, they are all the perfect fusion of poet and art. Of course, they existed in a classical era, and now they are gone.

You You: Are there any impressive works among the nominations? What do you think of them?
Zhao Ye: I trust the critics and the nominees. The standard of the Chinese contemporary art is very confused. Even we can say there is not  a standard at all. But, these artists will give us a show of the abundance of the contemporary art and their efforts on every possibility. In terms of the spirit and soul, there is no winner or loser in the world of art. I also believe that, among them, there will be the artists who can point out the direction of future and be representative.

You You: Do you think the Lijiang seminar and Beijing nomination exhibition have satisfied your expectation? How do you feel them?
Zhao Ye: I haven’t set up some expectation. I think every thing is fantastic. The attentions, passion and participation to the art will always be very nice. All in all, art is about the human spirit and soul. It can’t be judged by the standard of the commercial society. I do appreciate all the related critics, artists, poets, scholars, and everyone of the work team.

You You: Will the “Lead Up” Art Forum be continuously held? Are there any plans of the next? Would you like to give us some information about the next subject and topics?
Zhao Ye: I hope we can go ahead, but, it’s hard to say the expectations for the future. We have already had the idea of the next forum. The subject will be “Return of the Exiles”. We will focus on the artists who went to the occident in the 1980s or 1990s and got back to China in the recent ten years. They have experienced the idealism in the 1980s and the materialism at present. Influenced by the Eastern culture and the Western culture, their confusion, loss, thought, view, choice, nostalgia, creativity and energy from squeeze and impact are no doubt the most profound and attractive part of the contemporary art. 
 

【编辑：郑红】

编辑：admin