contemporary. How do you understand the combination of brushwork and installation in your work?
*DR 0\¿UVWJODVVLQVWDOODWLRQVZHUHPDGHLQLQLPLWDWLRQ of furniture from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Moreover, I am very interested in the theme of space; the title of my dissertation was "A Contemplation of Space." I used fiberglass and diverse materials to explore changes in space, and I hope that it can provide new possibilities for my artistic language and spirit. Zou: Have you ever thought about using classic Chinese gardening techniques to depict space? For example, showing landscapes through windows and gates? Gao: Yes, I have. I was inspired by these landscapes after reading many gardening books. However, I brought it into my combinations of painting and environment. Zou: There are two ways: one is to frame installation works, LQFRUSRUDWLQJWKHQDWXUDORUDUWL¿FLDOHQYLURQPHQWLQWRWKHLPDJH of the installation. By doing so, the environment becomes the scenery of the image and it changes as the visual angle changes. The other is to bring the painting and the environment together, without a frame. Which one do you prefer? Gao: At the beginning, I used frames just to support my works, then I used screens, which meant that the works could stand without support. I later used a round format so that the works could blend into the environment. You could say that I prefer the ODWWHU2UWREHPRUHVSHFL¿F,SUHIHUWKHWHFKQLTXHWKDWFRPELQHV dassic borrowed scenery and contemporary ideas about immersing a work in its environment. Zou: One more question: since your works can become a part of any space, do you prefer the incidental effect of the work in the space or the ideal effect that you expected? The latter is environment-sensitive. For example, Henry Moore thought that his sculptures were shown to better effect when they placed against uncomplicated backdrops, such as meadows.
Gao: As an artist, I value tradition. It is my intention to combine them, whether those traditions are Western or Chinese. However I do not hope to achieve this through displacing or collaging of traditional symbols, but through natural spiritual combinations. I have recently experimented with combining brushwork and public art or installation. Zou: In my view, the original significance of the painting is no longer present when brushwork becomes part of the installation; it also becomes both conceptual and contemporary. In general, your installations express your perceptions of modern life experience, and it is the most successful part of your experiments. In my opinion, art is powerful only when the artist respects his own life experiences.
Gao: That's right.
Zou: What do you think of the artistic styles that are popular nowadays?
Gao: I hope to maintain an independent perspective in an artistic method that focuses on the contemporary and stresses internal, lived experience.
Zou: Very nice!
Gao: I prefer the latter.
Zou: Now we come to the third main question. It is obvious that your works feature strong brushwork, with a strong foundation in classical technique. However, your installations are relatively
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