《我的2008 NO.05》  刘骐鸣   布面油画   200X150CM    2008年

A: I've seen a lot of English interviews in the USA, and I feel the questions and answers are not quite the same as in the Chinese interviews. The questions in the English (American) interviews are often quite easy to understand, the answers are quite near to life, too. The Chinese interviews seem to be more "profound". Do you think that what people from the eastern hemisphere want to understand about art is different from the western countries?

Liu: There certainly is some difference. Looking into the reasons for this, it's is a long story, to put it simple, different cultures bring along different customs of thought, for example Tibetan Buddhism, Taoist Metaphysics are crystallizations of Eastern wisdom, the practice of asceticism relies on the consciousness, it's very much directed towards the inside. Christianity relies on the basis of religious doctrine, series of clauses, it pays attention to the form, it is very much directed towards the outside. In history, the duration of feudal civilization is longer in the East than in the West, the degree is deeper, because of the honoring of social status, taboos about the gentry, taboos about the seniors. From not daring to directly express to not being able to directly express, in the end, there is no expression_r. This way, examining a person's degree of intelligence is just to look at his understanding ability. So what people from the eastern hemisphere want to express certainly is not what's on the surface, what an artist really wants to communicate often is hidden below the surface layer.

A: How do you choose your agents? What are your suggestions to young artists for selecting agents?

Liu: Actually there are not too many opportunities to choose agents, me for example, I' m not a very well-known artist, there’s no kind of rush-to-purchase-phenomena about me. Just looking at the agent I'm presently working with, it's basically still a tacit agreement. Because she's a Westerner studying abroad, but with a lot of understanding of the Chinese culture, she understands what I'm doing, and at the same time respects my creative freedom very much. At the moment, she's making great efforts to build up an even better group of collectors, so I support her work very much. In regard to young artists choosing agents, if they've got the four points mentioned, ad this agent can directly communicate with important international curators and museums, then I think it's perfect.

A: In these two years, Chinese Art auctions have brought about one climax after the other. I'd like to know how you're looking upon the contemporary Chinese Art market and Chinese artists.

Liu: This is not only a singular phenomenon of the transformation of the international role ofChina. It is consistent with the requirement of other countries to understand China. If you want to profoundly exploit a forest, you need the specimen in the forest to reveal its importance and value. Art and artists naturally are the best samples of a "country section"! Since they are samples, they naturally are discovered for their degree of penetration of this section, for their completeness, representativeness and the information volume they're containing. Thus their destiny differs in as whether they are discovered earlier or later, discovered or not, and by whom they are discovered.

A: When scanning famous modern artists, do you think the proportion of a work's or artist's success depends on luck (or being blessed)?

Liu: 50%, becoming famous or not depends by half on luck.

A very famous artist once told me: If you want to have your works exhibited or being sold, then completing the works is only 30% of what you need to do, you need to use 70% of your time and energy to accomplish a personal promotion of your work afterwards. If you want to become famous, you need to use even more time and energy to make and entertain social contacts, and this way you still don't necessarily become famous. According to what he's saying, an artist's works are only the base to become famous, only if you have good relations, then there is an opportunity, only if you're lucky, then you can succeed. So the importance of the role of agents goes without saying, consequently artists can gain 70% of time and energy that they can put into their creative work.

      《我的2008 NO.04》  刘骐鸣   布面油画   120X160CM    2008年

A: If you can choose freely, where would you most like to live and work?

Liu: I would wish to spend half of every year in Sicily as a fisherman, the other half inChina creating art. (It doesn’t matter where, all the cities are the same in China)

A: When do you think did you start to become an artist? Do you still remember your first work of art? Do you have pictures of it?

Liu: When I finished university, the name of it was "light · darkroom technique · heavy", it was finished at the time when I graduated from university at the Institute of Fine Arts in Sichuan, it was also one of the works in my first personal exhibition. I still have pictures.

A: What opinion do you have about the academies of art? Do you think they ruin the talent of artists?

Liu: The academies of art certainly always have unceasingly ruined geniuses, but art doesn't need geniuses!

My suggestion to the art academies is just to either close down, or get rid of the Party's guidance.

A: Among the courses you studied at school, which one is most useful to you?

Liu: None, spiritual freedom and the circumstances of a reasonable system are the things that are most important.

A: From the art academy graduate that you were, how have you become the professional artist that you are now?

Liu: I've learned to do subtractions, unceasing transformations!

A: What kind of profession could you do apart from being an artist?

Liu: A person repairing things, I'm happy to repair anything that's been damaged. And a taxi driver, because my sense of direction is especially good, my ability to remember the road is extremely strong.

A: In your eyes, this world is a complicated synthesis, or it's very simple, or it's plain?

Liu: It's a very simple complicated synthesis.

A: What do you think is the most difficult thing for a professional artist?

Liu: The most difficult thing is not to have the support of an art foundation and a working space that you can rent on a long-term basis, because the working spaces that we are renting right now can be razed to the ground by the government at any time.

A: What do you think are the greatest advantages of being a professional artist?

Liu: Spiritual freedom, independent action.

A: If our internet readers want to buy your paintings, where can they see your works exhibited? And how can they contact you?

Liu: In the galleries I'm working with. They can get into contact through you, through the galleries, agents or directly get into contact with me, the best way of contact is by mailing.

A: At last, can you give any advises or suggestions to artists that have just started?

Liu: What you put into your mouth comes out at the back, don't be impatient!