Chu Yun works above all with installations. He participated in the exhibition China Power Station II at the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art in 2007. Chu Yun was born in 1977 in Jiangxi, and lives and works in Beijing.
Three questions to Chu Yun
Caroline Elgh, Assistant Curator: China is a big country and the living situation I understand varies a lot depending on which city or region you live in. The big cities on the east coast like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou where most of the artists in this exhibition live are also very different from each other. You live in Beijing, so in your work as an artist, how do you relate to your city and home environment?
Chu Yun: It is difficult to separate my works from the external environment. It is not a question of specific events or questions; rather, it has to do with how disparate external environments can elicit different emotional responses from us. To me, artistic creation is aimed at understanding these physical responses and adjustments. This is the sole relationship between us and the external world.
Caroline Elgh: I would like to refer to the hype of Chinese art. As a Western citizen you encounter the work of Chinese artists in a lot of important institutions, galleries and collections. I know that you travel a great deal and that your work has been shown in several international exhibitions. Is it important for you to show your art outside China? What does in mean and how do you look upon the relationship between China and the West?
Chu Yun: I believe that exhibitions abroad are very important because we often have preconceptions of one another, and working together on such exhibitions can help us to increase true understanding of one another. As for hypes, I don’t think that it is solely the problem of Chinese art, nor do I reckon that all Chinese art is being hyped. Of course, there are some that fall into that category, and to a certain extent, hype definitely does increase people’s awareness of these works. However, my understanding is that the reasons for this hype do not lie with these artists nor with their artistic works.
Caroline Elgh: From where do you take your starting point and what inspires you as an artist? Is it other artists or perhaps other creators like filmmakers and musicians or something completely different?
Chu Yun: I find myself constantly returning to the starting point. I do not have a very clear understanding of my artistic practice nor do I make too many plans.
Perhaps what could be considered as my starting point would be my time at the arts college when I started creating installations. Actually, I didn’t have much knowledge of it at the time, or maybe it is because I had no interest in traditional Chinese painting, which I was studying. The second time I had a fresh starting point to creating again was after my relocation to Shenzhen, and I felt compelled to create something in that special environment. Most of the works you see are produced during that period. After arriving in Beijing, things became different again, and I felt that I was once again at a new starting point. To be honest, this seems both interesting yet depressing to me.