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The Transfiguration of Meat into Contemporary Reality:
Chen Ke's Recent Paintings from 2006 to 2007 |
| Dr. Shin-Yi Yang |
M Gallery launches a solo exhibition of oil paintings by Chen Ke as its first exhibition. Chen Ke was born in Siping, Jiling providence in 1972 and graduated from the oil painting department at the Central Academy of Fine Art, Beijing, in 1997. The artist is well-known for his work with the subject matter of meat. In his early paintings, he portrayed meats in the process of rotting. He created more than a hundred paintings based on this concept and method. This series of works was shown at the Chengdu Biennale in 2001 and garnered positive responses from critics and audiences. Over several years, the artist has developed his early works into several series of works, which have not been shown before in public. In his recent works, audiences, not surprisingly, still find his signature-meat-but he transfigures the meat into rocks and other objects. Meat becomes a code of double meaning. In this solo exhibition, Chen Ke shows 18 new paintings associated with three series of works-"The Foolish Old Man Removing the Mountain," "Sand Tables," and "Time in Past Years."
The painting series "The Foolish Old Man Removing the Mountain"
"The Foolish Old Man Removing the Mountain" is a very well-known Chinese story, and many Chinese artists use it as a motif in their paintings to represent the human being's determination to win victory and courage to surmount every difficulty. For example, Xu Beihong's "The Foolish Old Man Removing the Mountain" was created during the Japanese invasion of China during World War II, and he used this motif to stimulate Chinese to fight again the invasion. Unlike Xu, Chen Ke created his series painting of "The Foolish Old Man Removing the Mountain" in 2007. He painted workers and farmers in groups (normally two to three as a unit) in the environment of rough mountains and wilderness against a sunny sky. It seems that the works break the mountains and earth and try to create a new land here, symbolizing the determination to overcome difficulty to create a good future. More important, the artist integrated the motif of meat into the forms of the mountains and earth. "Meat" has several meanings in Chinese: in one case meat symbolizes a fortunate and rich life, in the 1980s in China; in another meat signifies material life; and in another it is used to describe a person who is unreliable and who has no ability to get things done, as when Chinese say a person is "so meat." From a different angle, according to the famous French anthropologist Claude L谷vi-Strauss, raw meat represents primitive life, uncultivated.
When fire was discovered by primitives, they learned how to cook raw meat. And thus humans became civilized. In Chen Ke's paintings, he paints meat as raw meat, which might symbolize the primitive stage of China. If interpreting the series paintings from the contexts above, we find it not difficult to see that the paintings reflect on the realities of China's social, economic, and cultural life. In the stereotype of the common people, workers and farmers are associated with people who are foolish and unreliable. Using them to interpret the Chinese story shows the artist's intelligence in interpreting this classic story through a contemporary lens. In the paintings, these figures appear positive and graceful, as though they are determined to overcome any difficulty. They become determined, rather than foolish. The sunshine in the background might symbolize the fire that ushers in civilization after they cultivate the wilderness. As a result, we see the artist's works not simply as figure paintings that contain a sense of humor, but as works that express his concern with humanity.
The painting series "Sand Tables"
In this exhibition, the artist shows two paintings that consist of the painting series "Sand Tables." One of them is a collage of three images: China's first craft, group dance, and the city of Beijing. While the craft presents China's march into industrialization, the group dance symbolizes China's basic force of power: its people. In the group dance section, there are several children dancing, an image that denotes the future as the source of the force. The other painting in this series is based on a historical illustration that depicts politicians overseeing the map of China or of a city in China. Among them, there are two children dressed in Red Guard in the front of the crowd and watching the map. As we look at this painting more carefully, we discover that the map is represented by meat. In this series, we see again that the artist consistently uses his signature of meat; the wave in the former painting and the city in the latter painting. The quality of meat is visually reminiscent of both wave and city. This shows that Chen Ke is skilled at representing different objects that have similar visual qualities and expressing a very unique sense of humor. However, conceptually, how can these two objects represent each other? Is the artist concerned only with a sense of humor? Or does the artist intend to depict a conceptual meaning of the objects?
In my discussion of the painting series of "The Foolish Old Man Removing the Mountain" above, I mentioned the social, economic, and cultural symbolism of meat. In this series, I think that Chen Ke represents meat as symbols of industrialization related to the craft breaking the "meat wave" and the transformation of the city related to the "meat map."
He uses the theme of meat as a lens through which he criticizes China's contemporary reality of industrialization and urbanization. The artist's intention is reflected in the title of the series "Sand Tables." Generally speaking, sand tables are models for construction in the domain of the architectural area. In the domain of the military, they stand for virtual actions for military missions. If we interpret the series from these contexts, the painting series reflects upon the literal meanings of sand tables. As a result, the painting series illustrates that through the power of its people, China is marching into the contemporary stage of industrialization and urbanization. The painting series of "Sand Tables" is not necessary related to a specific city or a particular area in China, but stands for China's contemporary situation, which is marching into civilization from its privative stages.
The painting series "Time in Past Years"
In the painting series "Time in Past Years," Chen Ke features ten paintings, which are inspired by the themes of workers, farmers, and soldiers in historical illustrations since the 1960s and by his perception of these historical themes. The motifs of the paintings include a fighter, a tiller, a craft, and the acts of capturing sparrows, seeding, swimming, and so on. Unlike other Chinese artists who use those historical motifs, the artist integrated the motif of meat into the historical motifs, and thus he creates not merely a sense of humor or an unbelievable joke, but rather a strong and profound criticism of contemporary society and culture. Meat here contains the double meanings of historical moments and contemporary reality. The artist seems very concerned with the link between the historical moments and contemporary reality, and this is reflected in the selections of the motifs in each painting and the title of the entire series. He particularly selected those moments that are significant to the history they were associated with, and at the same time that become the collective consciousness of the Chinese, the contemporary memory for Chinese people. Not surprisingly, the artist titled the series painting in such a way-"Times in Past Years." More important, I think the paintings ask the audiences not merely to remember the past, but rather to realize contemporary reality through looking the past. As I consistently emphasized, meat is a symbol that plays such a role in the artist's paintings: expressing a sense of humor, criticism, and pessimism. When he combines meat with the historical icons, the motif of meat transfigures the icons into contemporary symbols, the signs for a new era.
To sum up, Chen Ke's recent works deeply explore the subject matter of meat in the domain of concept and image. He also associates historical moments with contemporary reality through this theme and reflects China's social, economic, and cultural contexts through it. He develops his early draws on meat (so-called living drawing) into capturing the deep meaning of the subject matter. As a result, the concept of art is exploited by the artist. I think Chen's works are unique and profound. He adopted Chinese academic-style painters' skills and concepts and simultaneously absorbed contemporary artists' aesthetics and criticism of sociality and culture. More important, his meat series painting is based on a unique method of exploring the common Chinese issues of the transformation of the city and industrialization. Unlike other Chinese artists, who use the themes of the city, famous politicians, and historical illustration, Chen Ke selected a primitive and strong icon, an icon specific to the Chinese context and general to the global context. On the other hand, the series presents the Chinese reality with an optimistic and constructive face, a depiction opposite that of major Chinese artists who represent it in a pessimistic and ugly way. Thus, Chen's series reflect contemporary reality through a historical and classic lens and are essential to history and contemporary society.
To sum up, Chen Ke's recent works deeply explore the subject matter of meat in the domain of concept and image. He also associates historical moments with contemporary reality through this theme and reflects China's social, economic, and cultural contexts through it. He develops his early draws on meat (so-called living drawing) into capturing the deep meaning of the subject matter. As a result, the concept of art is exploited by the artist. I think Chen's works are unique and profound. He adopted Chinese academic-style painters' skills and concepts and simultaneously absorbed contemporary artists' aesthetics and criticism of sociality and culture. More important, his meat series painting is based on a unique method of exploring the common Chinese issues of the transformation of the city and industrialization. Unlike other Chinese artists, who use the themes of the city, famous politicians, and historical illustration, Chen Ke selected a primitive and strong icon, an icon specific to the Chinese context and general to the global context. On the other hand, the series presents the Chinese reality with an optimistic and constructive face, a depiction opposite that of major Chinese artists who represent it in a pessimistic and ugly way. Thus, Chen's series reflect contemporary reality through a historical and classic lens and are essential to history and contemporary society. |
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