CAI GUO QIANG IN SOME/THINGS MAGAZINE ISSUE002 / THE BLACK BOOK

ASCENDING A STAIRCASE / REALISED AT THE 69TH REGIMENT ARMORY, NEW YORK 2000/12/1 / STAIRCASE LENGTH 18M, WIDTH 99CM, WOODEN LADDER & GUNPOWDER FUSE 30M / VIDEO BY ARAKI TAKAHISA


RAINA LAMPKINS-FIELDER / WHAT ELEMENTS FROM YOUR UPBRINGING HAVE HELPED TO FORM YOUR VIEW OF THE WORLD? IS SPIRITUALITY IMPORTANT TO YOU?

CAI GUO QIANG / MY GRANDMA, WHO IS 96 THIS YEAR, HAS HAD A HUGE INFLUENCE ON ME. SHE'S AN INDEPENDENT SPIRIT WHO'S CARVED OUT A PATH FOR HERSELF IN HER TIME. FOR INSTANCE, SHE PRACTISED CHRISTIANITY IN A REMOTE CHINESE FISHING VILLAGE WHERE PEOPLE HAVE HARDLY HEARD OF JESUS. DURING THE ERA OF THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION, SHE EVEN WORKED AS A VENDOR IN THE FISH MARKET. MY GRANDPA DIED IN HIS EARLY 30'S, BUT MY GRANDMA STILL TALKS TO HIM EVERY DAY AS IF HE HAD NEVER LEFT. HER BELIEF IN THE UNKNOWN WORLD, & HOW SHE IS COMFORTED BY IT, INFLUENCE THE WAY I THINK OF THE WORLD & RELIGION.

RL-F / YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS IS UNIQUE. WHAT IS YOUR METHODOLOGY?

CGQ / MY AMBITION IS— NO LAW IS THE LAW, BORROW THE STRENGTH OF OTHERS, CHANGE IS THE ONLY CONSTANT. THESE ARE NOT ONLY MY PERCEPTIONS OF THE WORLD, BUT ALSO MY METHODOLOGY OF REPRESENTING THE WORLD, THUS AMOUNTING TO THE UNCERTAINTY, UNPREDICTABILITY, & SPATIO-TEMPORAL CHAOS IN MY WORK. OF COURSE, THIS KIND OF TOLERANCE, BECAUSE OF ITS ALL-INCLUSIVENESS, CAN SOMETIMES MAKE ME APPEAR QUITE UNPRINCIPLED.


/ EXCERPT FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH CAI GUO QIANG BY RAINA LAMPKINS-FIELDER. ENTIRE ARTICLE ONLY IN THE PRINTED EDITION OF SOME/THINGS MAGAZINE ISSUE002 / THE BLACK BOOK






GUNPOWDER ON PAPER

ZHANG HUAN IN SOME/THINGS ISSUE003 / FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE

'THERE ARE NO LIMITS IN THE FIELD OF ART, IF ONLY THERE ARE NO LIMITS IN YOUR MIND. HISTORY CAN BE BORROWED, ALTERED & RE-IMAGINED BY ONESELF... DURING THE PROCESS OF MAKING ART, WHAT I TRY TO EXPERIENCE IS EXISTENCE, BODY & REALITY. I HATE THE 'PERFORMATIVE ASPECT' IN THE WORKS.' / EXCERPT FROM ZHANG HUAN INTERVIEW IN SOME/THINGS MAGAZINE ISSUE001 / SHEDDING SNATCHES OF SONG LIKE PETALS




IN SOME/THINGS MAGAZINE ISSUE003 / FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE WE CONTINUE COLLABORATION WITH ZHANG HUAN, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT CONTEMPORARY & PERFORMANCE ARTISTS TO COME OUT OF CHINA. WE FIRST FEATURED ZHANG HUAN IN ISSUE001. WE TRY TO MAINTAIN CLOSE INVOLVEMENT & COMMUNICATION WITH THE ARTISTS WE FEATURE, ALLOWING US TO WORK WITH COLLABORATORS ON AN INTIMATE LEVEL TO CREATE A STORY THAT IS UNIQUE.






POSTED 3.21PM BY LUKE MAYES / SEE ALL POSTS RELATED TO THIS AUTHOR

黄永砯 IN ISSUE002

ALL POLITICAL EVENTS ARE EASILY FORGOTTEN, INASMUCH AS POLITICS IS ALWAYS TEMPORARY. SITUATIONS ARE CONSTANTLY CHANGING; THEREFORE, PEOPLE FORGET THE OLD TO MAKE ROOM FOR NEW DEVELOPMENTS. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT POLITICS, IT IS AS IF WE WERE TALKING ABOUT ART. IN THE SAME WAY, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ART, WE ARE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT POLITICS AT THE SAME TIME. BUT ART IS NOT POLITICS; IT TRIES TO STAND UP AGAINST THE COURSE OF TIME & TO ALLOW SOMETHING THAT IS SUPPOSED NOT TO BE KEPT TO STAY THERE / HUANG YONG PING









NEEDLESS TO SAY, WE ARE EXTREMELY HONORED TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FEATURE HUANG YONG PING (黄永砯), ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENCIAL CHINESE CONCEPTUAL ARTISTS, IN ISSUE002. FIND EXTRACTS OF THE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY RAINA LAMPKINS-FIELDER IN ISSUE002 / THE BLACK BOOK ONLINE VERSION OR SEE & READ EVERYTHING IN ISSUE002 PRINTED EDITION