WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.050 --> 00:00:17.250 align:center line:-1Today we have a rather large topic, which is the use of, and influence of, Zen (Chan) in Chinese contemporary art. 2 00:00:17.260 --> 00:00:39.760 align:center line:-1 Today we’ll start talking about this topic, discuss a few artists and groups, but later on, we can extend this topic a bit, since this really is a big topic. 3 00:00:39.770 --> 00:00:50.590 align:center line:-1 First, let’s talk about Zen Buddhism—as we all know, it’s an ancient school of thought. 4 00:00:50.600 --> 00:01:03.620 align:center line:-1 It’s said that Bodhidharma brought it [to China] from India, but later, in the Tang Dynasty, it developed into the Northern and Southern schools. 5 00:01:03.630 --> 00:01:22.050 align:center line:-1 In the 7th century, Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Zen, established the Southern School, the Zen southern school of thought. This was an extremely important event. 6 00:01:22.060 --> 00:01:42.840 align:center line:-1 Huineng’s theory of Zen indeed had a profound influence on later generations. In the history of Chinese culture, it had quite an impact, including on literature, art, philosophy, thinking, etc. 7 00:01:42.850 --> 00:01:59.150 align:center line:-1 In painting, we all know this; especially in culture that emerged after the Song [Dynasty], the influence was very deep. Also, it influenced Japan, and painting in East Asia. 8 00:01:59.160 --> 00:02:07.930 align:center line:-1 Then, how did Zen suddenly show its influence in contemporary art? 9 00:02:07.940 --> 00:02:33.150 align:center line:-1 Well, actually the influence of Zen and even Buddhism as a whole, its thinking and subject matter, primarily appeared in Chinese modern and contemporary art beginning in the 1980s. 10 00:02:33.160 --> 00:02:45.150 align:center line:-1 In the early 20th century, and in the Mao Zedong era, almost nobody talked about religion. 11 00:02:45.160 --> 00:03:04.240 align:center line:-1 Part of the reason might’ve been that in the early 20th century, there was the May Fourth Movement, and many of China’s intellectuals and artists focused on how to absorb modern aspects of the West. 12 00:03:04.250 --> 00:03:21.320 align:center line:-1 Another thing is that in terms of culture, Zen influenced different styles and schools, and was always seen as an old thing, this old-fashioned, even conservative thing. 13 00:03:21.330 --> 00:03:30.420 align:center line:-1 To a certain degree it needed to be innovated upon, abandoned, overturned, etc. Then, in the Mao Zedong era, it was even more like this. 14 00:03:30.430 --> 00:03:46.730 align:center line:-1 Up until the Cultural Revolution--after the Cultural Revolution ended, slowly these kinds of traditional Chinese things began to reemerge, be rediscovered. 15 00:03:46.740 --> 00:04:04.970 align:center line:-1 In the 1980s, especially in the ’85 Art Movement, these young [art] groups began to return to Zen, to its philosophy, 16 00:04:04.980 --> 00:04:25.870 align:center line:-1 and also to take things from Zen and connect them with modern and contemporary western art movements, taking their own artistic philosophies to lead their own artistic creation, finding a new artistic form. 17 00:04:25.880 --> 00:04:34.610 align:center line:-1 So, at this time, Zen was discovered anew. Then, what was the meaning in its being rediscovered? 18 00:04:34.620 --> 00:04:51.670 align:center line:-1 Or, these young artists in the 1980s, if we say they rediscovered Zen, that they carried the Zen flag, then what things about Zen did they primarily focus on? 19 00:04:51.680 --> 00:05:20.210 align:center line:-1 I think there were primarily two points. One is the skepticism of Zen, its intuition, its opposition to the past, all such preconceived ideas, concerning what is Buddha, past Buddhist teachings, this skepticism about texts. 20 00:05:20.220 --> 00:05:34.250 align:center line:-1 That’s because it didn’t advocate spending a lot of time venerating these Buddhist texts, using a lot of energy getting wrapped up in it academically. 21 00:05:34.260 --> 00:06:04.830 align:center line:-1 Instead, it allowed you to quickly understand the core [ideas] of Buddha and Buddhism.Then, from this point, it was primarily negating, or overturning, past accepted theories, to establish a new concept. This is the importance of Zen... 22 00:06:04.840 --> 00:06:24.180 align:center line:-1 So, Huineng himself was illiterate, but he was intelligent and quickly comprehended Buddhism, what was Buddha, the fundamental soul of Buddhist teaching, that is, what things must come from your own spirit. 23 00:06:24.190 --> 00:06:34.280 align:center line:-1 What’s important is that the Buddha nature is your own faith, how your own faith can quickly blend with the Buddha nature. 24 00:06:34.290 --> 00:06:48.900 align:center line:-1 Then, you obtain what is called “enlightenment,” that is, this kind of comprehension of the Buddha nature; you achieve this comprehension. 25 00:06:48.910 --> 00:06:56.700 align:center line:-1 So I think these young artists in the ‘80s placed importance on this thing. 26 00:06:56.710 --> 00:07:15.390 align:center line:-1 That’s the first point, since indeed it was at that time, under those specific circumstances, that is, after China’s Cultural Revolution, this opening up, that western modern and contemporary art came in [to China], and then artists studied this. 27 00:07:15.400 --> 00:07:33.920 align:center line:-1 At that time, [they] had to be suspicious and dismissive of old, preconceived ideas. [They] had to allow their own minds to displace, to let in fresh things. I think this is quite natural. 28 00:07:33.930 --> 00:07:54.910 align:center line:-1 So, we can see, especially in “Xiamen Dada,” which appeared in the mid-‘80s—actually, before this, the leader of “Xiamen Dada,” Huang Yongping had already, in ’82 or ’83, begun to think about these things. 29 00:07:54.920 --> 00:08:21.140 align:center line:-1 However, 1986, 1987 was when their thinking saw results. In 1986, Huang Yongping wrote an article called “Zen: A Kind of Postmodern?” with this question mark—that kind of article. 30 00:08:21.150 --> 00:08:37.140 align:center line:-1 Actually, it connected Zen and the postmodern, and it was that kind of ancient Zen skepticism and contemporary skepticism put together. 31 00:08:37.150 --> 00:08:53.960 align:center line:-1 Then, you could see, young artists had already very clearly accepted this use of traditional resources. 32 00:08:53.970 --> 00:09:10.610 align:center line:-1 So, we can see [this] at the time, for example in the north [of China], [in artists like] Xu Bing, especially in his word art. 33 00:09:10.620 --> 00:09:30.150 align:center line:-1 The north had Xu Bing, the south had Gu Wenda [and] Wu Shanzhuan, and then in Fujian, Xiamen, Quanzhou, etc., that area, there was “Xiamen Dada,” led by Huang Yongping. 34 00:09:30.160 --> 00:09:44.210 align:center line:-1 They didn’t make this kind of word art; they made some “idea art,” performance [art], installations, etc., these sorts of pieces, but it reflected a kind of Zen spirit. 35 00:09:44.220 --> 00:10:08.440 align:center line:-1 Also, in Shanghai, there was the "M Group" who, similarly, adhered to the Zen spirit, and use contemporary art as a way of critical practice. 36 00:10:08.450 --> 00:10:29.600 align:center line:-1 So, there are concrete [reflections of Zen], the first point I just mentioned, that kind of Zen destructiveness, its dismissiveness, its skepticism--how this could be used in contemporary art. 37 00:10:29.610 --> 00:10:32.870 align:center line:-1 This is the first point. The second point has to do with the method. 38 00:10:32.880 --> 00:10:40.980 align:center line:-1 Actually, Zen has its own kind of Zen creativity; one of its very, very important points is its creative method. 39 00:10:40.990 --> 00:10:45.480 align:center line:-1 What is this method? It is the bang’he [koan], as we all know. 40 00:10:45.490 --> 00:11:13.590 align:center line:-1 That is, it opposed, dismissed the Northern School’s gradual progress of reading scripture day after day, reflecting upon yourself, and then slowly, gradually arriving at this enlightenment, Zen, arriving at Buddhist enlightenment, or whatever. 41 00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:23.540 align:center line:-1 So, the Southern School advocated the flash of enlightenment, but how would you be able to achieve that flash of enlightenment? There was something very important--a koan. 42 00:11:23.550 --> 00:11:38.900 align:center line:-1 [The Southern School] advocated using a koan, so in our history there are a lot of koans, as well as a lot of short stories, koans...this kind of...what are called “lamp records,” The Song Dynasty History of Zen Buddhism in China, etc. 43 00:11:38.910 --> 00:11:52.390 align:center line:-1 There are many of these kinds of “lamp records,” which record Buddhist monks’ and students’ dialogues. 44 00:11:52.400 --> 00:12:10.960 align:center line:-1 A lot of these dialogues seem illogical to us—for one question, there’s an irrelevant answer, but actually it’s inspiring you to... 45 00:12:10.970 --> 00:12:28.650 align:center line:-1 you don’t need to strictly follow the rules in accepting old ways of thinking about issues, but rather, you must realize the essence of things from deep within yourself. 46 00:12:28.660 --> 00:12:39.150 align:center line:-1 For example, if I ask, “What is Buddha?” and your answer is, “hemp,” this thing and that have no relationship at all. 47 00:12:39.160 --> 00:12:59.990 align:center line:-1 This thing is actually a kind of attitude; you just have to take the state of your thinking, open up your mind, and only then can you accept this kind of truly valuable thing. This is a very important method in Zen. 48 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:15.610 align:center line:-1 Then, the Southern School of Zen called this a “koan.”So, in contemporary art, we can find that artists used this type of thing in their work. 49 00:13:15.620 --> 00:13:41.830 align:center line:-1 For example, Huang Yongping took Wang Bomin’s A History of Chinese Painting, and the American art historian Herbert Read’s A Concise History of Modern Painting, which was translated into [Chinese] in the ‘80s, two books that were very influential at that time—lots of artists had read them. 50 00:13:41.840 --> 00:14:03.310 align:center line:-1 [Huang] put these two books in a washing machine and spun them around for two minutes, then pulled the dregs out of the washing machine and put them on a platform, looking like a pile of ruined paper, and then that became a piece of art. 51 00:14:03.320 --> 00:14:13.030 align:center line:-1 The title was, “A History of Chinese Painting” and “A Concise History of Modern Painting” Washed in a Washing Machine for Two Minutes [1987]. 52 00:14:13.040 --> 00:14:17.850 align:center line:-1 It was an objective title, with no added commentary whatsoever. 53 00:14:17.860 --> 00:14:39.030 align:center line:-1 This piece of art, taking two books and putting them in a washing machine, originally it was a very frivolous or comical thing to do; it has something like a koan in it. 54 00:14:39.040 --> 00:14:55.770 align:center line:-1 You fundamentally never would think of it, but why? Right away, you think, why put these two books in a washing machine for two minutes? What’s the meaning of this? It opens up your mind to think. 55 00:14:55.780 --> 00:15:04.030 align:center line:-1 Huang Yongping himself didn’t directly explain it, right? In this way, he was a bit like a Buddhist monk: “I won’t tell you anything!” 56 00:15:04.040 --> 00:15:17.510 align:center line:-1 Of course, later on people wouldn’t stop asking, so Huang Yongping just said, “Oh, we talk about Eastern and Western culture, and combining the two all the time. 57 00:15:17.520 --> 00:15:27.590 align:center line:-1 Then in my work, I had a thing from the east, and I had a thing from the west; it represents two cultures. In this instant, the east and west fit harmoniously. In this instant, China and the West harmonized, right?" 58 00:15:27.600 --> 00:15:37.480 align:center line:-1 It was also a type of teasing, responding to the question in this manner, but actually, that wasn’t his or this work’s true character, the work’s true nature. 59 00:15:37.490 --> 00:15:50.740 align:center line:-1 Actually, what I think is most important is that you needn’t explain this artist’s intention and meaning, what he was actually trying to do. 60 00:15:50.750 --> 00:16:06.270 align:center line:-1 What’s most important is the artist suddenly had an inspiration, believing that taking these two books and putting them in the washing machine could inspire this kind of result, like a koan, provoking your thought. 61 00:16:06.280 --> 00:16:35.060 align:center line:-1 In this way, I think this was one piece of contemporary art that was influenced by Zen. So on this point, Dada and Zen seemingly just melded together, since Dada was also taking this very dismissive attitude to create artwork. 62 00:16:35.070 --> 00:16:50.860 align:center line:-1 This was a bit like, for example, Duchamp taking a urinal and putting it in an art museum; it simply shocked everyone, that piece. A urinal, how could you put it in an art museum, right? 63 00:16:50.870 --> 00:17:08.480 align:center line:-1 This no doubt inspired people’s contemplation, so from this point on, a lot of people started [creating] this kind of contemporary “idea art,” questioning what was art, etc. – these different kinds of methods appeared. 64 00:17:08.490 --> 00:17:24.910 align:center line:-1 I feel this is the Zen we just talked about, its enlightenment, its koans—this is how it influenced Chinese contemporary art. 65 00:17:24.920 --> 00:17:43.510 align:center line:-1 And then there’s Wu Shanzhuan’s work, his writing. Wu Shanzhuan’s works are similar to the “big-character posters” of the Cultural Revolution, covering heaven and earth. 66 00:17:43.520 --> 00:17:54.610 align:center line:-1 In a classroom or an exhibition space, [Wu] covered the walls with these kinds of “big-character posters.” 67 00:17:54.620 --> 00:18:26.200 align:center line:-1 On them were written a lot of slogans of all kinds: ancient poetry, Quotations from Chairman Mao, street slang, stories illustrating idioms, notifications, advertisements, even everyday speech used at home, etc. 68 00:18:26.210 --> 00:18:38.010 align:center line:-1 They were all put up, and among them there was no mutual relationship. After you went in and saw this, you felt it completely makes no sense. It was that kind of thing. 69 00:18:38.020 --> 00:18:50.040 align:center line:-1 However, if you thought carefully, thought a step further, first, that kind of “big-character poster” format might’ve been influenced by the Cultural Revolution. 70 00:18:50.050 --> 00:19:02.280 align:center line:-1 And then, a lot of posters were red, [Wu] used red and black, making you think about this red sea covering heaven and earth—that kind of feeling. 71 00:19:02.290 --> 00:19:13.840 align:center line:-1 However, after you went in [to the exhibition], the content was not like the Cultural Revolution. It also wasn’t completely of one kind. 72 00:19:13.850 --> 00:19:27.620 align:center line:-1 There was the sublime and the vulgar, spirit and substance, everyday and eternal, etc. They were all conflicts; everything [put in the piece] was conflicting. 73 00:19:27.630 --> 00:19:41.960 align:center line:-1 So, this kind of conflict, it illustrated what we’ve said is a kind of koan; it was contradictory, unreasonable. So, why was it like this? 74 00:19:41.970 --> 00:19:59.680 align:center line:-1 Then, you’d take its different words, different characters, and put them together, then think. Among them, they’d create a new semantic meaning. 75 00:19:59.690 --> 00:20:20.550 align:center line:-1 So, this kind of thing made people ponder, which was its goal, but one special point was that when selecting these things, Wu Shanzhuan was very agile, very smart and agile. 76 00:20:20.560 --> 00:20:48.240 align:center line:-1 So in koans, a very important point is that, when the Buddhist monk or the student asks a question or answers a question, they must be very agile, must move quickly, must arrive at the core of their pondering in an instant—this is extremely important. 77 00:20:48.250 --> 00:20:55.730 align:center line:-1 Another thing is that, compared with, say, Xu Bing's work, Xu Bing's A Book from the Sky [1987-1991], 78 00:20:55.740 --> 00:21:14.520 align:center line:-1 Xu Bing used two or three years to carve thousands of invented characters, bent over his desk every day, carving, and then finally printing them, hanging them up to create a book, made into a scroll hung in the exhibition space. 79 00:21:14.530 --> 00:21:28.050 align:center line:-1 So, I feel that this [work] more resembles a kind of Northern School gradual progression, but has more or less been influenced by Zen, this influence of Buddhist practice. 80 00:21:28.060 --> 00:21:39.430 align:center line:-1 In regards to this point, next time we'll concentrate on it. But today, we'll stop here.
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