A Conversation with Gao Xiang before "Like Thunder Out of China"
Interviewer: Pia Camilla Copper, French curator and art critic Interviewee: Gao Xiang Date: 3 February 2013 Venue: Arsenal Montreal, Montreal, Canada
1644 CE), two important dynasties, red represented the south, and the leaders of these dynasties came from the south. Back then, only the royal family could use red, and so red is very special; it represents power. In the twentieth century, red represented revolution and power. Chinese love and respect red. We feel serious when we see it.
Pia: In your Red Bride series, the bride is a surrealist apparition larger than life. The artist (yourself) is a tiny dwarf in her hands. Why the strange perspective? Gao: It feels natural and comfortable to draw the bride much bigger than me in this series of paintings. Although the perspective is removed from real life, it is very close to my psychological reality.
Pia: The artist still wears a blue Mao suit, why is this?
Gao: The artist always wears a blue zhongshan suit because WKLVNLQGRIFORWKLQJIHHOVRI¿FLDODQGVHULRXVLQ&KLQD7KHVXLW was designed by Sun Yat-sen (Sun Zhongshan) and represents Chinese official style. Many famous figures such as Jiang Zhongzheng, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Deng Xiaoping have worn these suits. Since the suit came to represent important Chinese politicians such as Mao Zedong, Westerners came to call it a "Mao suit." However, the Chinese term still refers to Sun Yat-sen. This type of clothing and its derivations constituted the main clothing style in China before 1980. I chose this clothing to accentuate the Chinese atmosphere.
Pia: Are you inspired by the Surrealists or other Western painters?
Gao: Yes, I'm inspired by the Surrealists. Take Paul Delvaux; his work is a fascinating blend of reality, dreams, and sexuality. There's also Giorgio Morandi, whose work is so spiritual. His still-lifes come from everyday objects, but they transcend reality to become artistic perceptions that blend spiritual and religious sensibilities.
Pia: Do you feel that women in China have gone backwards, shifting from feminist Communist heroines to dolls and muses?
Pia: Can you explain why red is such an important color in China?
Gao: I have not thought about this question before. From my perspective, this series does not simply give an answer but asks a complicated question. Why does the painter (me) keep asking the question “who is the doll?” despite the fact that the paintings GHSLFWWKHEULGHDVDODUJH¿JXUHDQGWKHDUWLVWDVWLQ\7KHSDLQWHU
Gao: Red is a cultural totem and spiritual tradition in China. In the Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE) and the Ming dynasty (1368-
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