Xue Feng & Chen Qi: everything grows

Xue Feng takes Mr. Chen Qi's representative vector painting strokes as the beginning of time. Through the subdivision and reproduction of images, he gradually leads the viewer's thinking to a broader and magnificent world in depth. Inspired by Mr. Chen Qi, Xue Feng made this process multi-directional, that is, the image starts from the generation of a line, and after continuous symbol deduction and order reorganization, it presents a picture with both micro and macro world characteristics.

All things by Chen Qi and Xue Feng: 7000 * 1000 pixels

Through digital image processing technology, Chen Qi's famous image symbols - "water" and "time spectrum" are expanded, alienated, reconstructed and regenerated, thus completing the context transfer from traditional easel system to digital art. In the image works, Chen Qi's Vector painting 2021 generation and dispersion, which took one year to complete, was transformed into a vast digital water body by Xue Feng; In the meantime, it fully pays attention to the meaning of "diffusion" in the original work, and creates a new spiritual experience space with ambiguity, ethereal and harmony.

The work uses continuous dynamic technology to show the line draft of vector graphics and the gradual coloring process, as well as the rippling and surging waves of water body. Through the interaction of abstract and concrete visual images, the temporal space of the integration of heaven and earth is created.

<All things> by Chen Qi and Xue Feng: 7000 * 1000 pixels

It is worth mentioning that with the deduction of the creation process of everything, the two artists gradually feel that even in the decisive system of digital technology, image generation has unlimited possibilities; The continuous disorder and reconstruction of the constituent symbols permeate the sensitivity to the initial elements all the time. This is a journey of chaos aesthetics exploration. Following the hidden law, the image conjures up the image landscape similar to mandala and caisson, and makes the work put on a layer of mysticism, This kind of random echo in the contemporary and traditional means is also a response to the current era of information implosion.

The reason why everything is known as a cross-border work comes from Chen Qi's expanding conception of his famous print work 2012 generation and diffusion, which is a 42 meter long masterpiece and once considered as the largest watermark print work in the world. This work consists of three units, each of which is 14 meters. The unit in the middle is a water pattern of uniform depth. The unit on the left and the unit on the right, from left to right, are from nothing to existence and from existence to nothing respectively.

<2012 generation and diffusion> watermark woodcut 380 × 4200cm in 2018

This work, first of all, should be sketched in a digital way. After drawing, it will be divided into different types. The work has 240 printing plates and is overprinted in seven colors. The technology is very complex. This is perhaps the largest watermark print work in the world. And works from the early sketch, to the layout design, and then to carving, are completed with digital technology. After the engraving of printing plate is finished, it can be said that it is a typical combination of traditional handicraft and modern digital technology. It took two years to create and 14 months to sketch.

Standing in front of the painting, the audience seems to be in a vast expanse of waves. In the middle of the picture, it is dark to black, and on both sides, it gradually diffuses from thick to light. The water is bright, but the waves are turbulent but very quiet. Let people feel beyond the barrier of time and space, in the huge natural landscape with their own inner dialogue and game.

<2012 generation and dispersion>

However, Chen Qi has more imagination and appeal to the works.

In 2018, during Qiu Zhijie's exhibition of Chen Qi Gezhi: an experiment of exhibition and understanding held by Nanjing Deji Art Museum, Chen Qi invited Xue Feng, who has been active in the field of cross media animation art creation, to jointly create a digital image work with the same name, 2012 generation and diffusion. As Chen Qi explained: "generation and diffusion are the process of reflecting life changes. Whether from left to right or from right to left, this work tells the process of things growing and dying.

"2012 generation and diffusion" image works

Water is flowing, and moving the work in an animated way can enhance the interaction with the audience. " Thus, it can be seen that his important focus in recent years is to transform the image language into the circulation symbol in the current media information matrix, further expand the integration of art language and real space through the intervention of current digital technology, and strengthen the resonance of art space, personal experience and information exchange.

"2012 generation and diffusion" image works

By 2021, Zhejiang Art Museum's "plane dimension: visual art from paper to virtual" project has provided resources and conditions with special significance for the realization of the concept, so Chen Qi and Xue Feng started the second cooperation based on digital image space device.

Similar to three years ago, "generation and diffusion" is also set as the motif of creation and interpretation in this digital image work. In this regard, Xue Feng chose a completely different creative idea from his previous work. In his opinion, the joint creation with Mr. Chen Qi is not only a kind of cooperation, but also a kind of dialogue that needs the ultimate tacit understanding. Facing the powerful symbol system of Mr. Chen Qi's works, Xue Feng first made clear the boundary between the creation of the image works and the original works as well as the previous image works.

Light path design interface of <everything> in hecoos server

In the digital image creation of 2012 generation and dispersion in 2018, Xue Feng chose a completely rational way to lead in, that is, to deconstruct the fine and soft hydrological texture of the original work with an even grid pattern. In the original work, "water" is replaced by geometric figures and lines of large blocks, and its concrete meaning is very simplified and dispersed in the abstract composition space and image stream time line.

In all things, Xue Feng breaks away from the concrete and abstract thinking, and interprets the work from the perspective of spatial observation. By virtue of the immersive circular device design, Xue Feng introduced the audience into the cross section of "water" and "time" by using the comprehensive processing technology of digital three-dimensional and later images, and organically organized and reconstructed Chen Qi's "water" and "time spectrum" with the rules similar to cell division, thus creating a magnificent vision full of oppression.

<All things> by Chen Qi and Xue Feng: 7000 * 1000 pixels

In order to better strengthen the audience's experience of the work in the art gallery space, the sound part of the work specially invited sound artists to design the sound field environment. Using the ring device structure, 5.1 channel surround device and image to build a full immersion text narrative context.

At the exhibition site, many audiences gather or sit in the arms of the whole video device, meditating or recording - this scene is exactly what the two artists sincerely expect.

Group photo of two authors

The creation of all things lasted for four months. In the whole process, Mr. Chen Qi, as always, gave young artist Xue Feng full play to space and dialogue power. On the one hand, he integrated his own ideas into the creation, and on the other hand, he accepted the different opinions and opinions of his collaborators. It was this that made all things full of collisions from multiple ideas, highlighting the rich language tension.

In a few months, the work will be invited to appear in many famous art museums, and Chen Qi and Xue Feng will also propose different installation schemes and display forms for future exhibitions in different regions.

                              Xue Feng

Artist Xue Feng

Professor, doctoral supervisor, curator, currently vice president of Communication College of Nanjing Art College. As a cross media researcher and practitioner, his works have been selected in more than 30 animation festivals, international film festivals and art exhibitions at home and abroad, and won many important awards. Over the years, he has participated in the curation of domestic contemporary animation experimental art activities, and served as the executive director of China contemporary animation art reference Museum of Nanjing Art College, working and living in Nanjing.

Former:

Co curator of the 4th China Independent Animation Film Forum 2015

Co curator of 2017 China Experimental Animation Art season

Producer of 2018-2020 Nanjing contemporary animation Literature Exhibition

Curator of Shenzhen independent animation Biennale 2018

Selected filmmakers of the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival in 2021

Chinese film selectors of 2021 Germany inter film Berlin Short Film Festival

Exhibition of experimental images:

2016 action: amnua, a new force of Chinese Experimental Animation

2016: murmur's echo / academic young artists joint exhibition Shenzhen Ogilvy art space

Amnua college program of 2016 "limit frequency"

2017 exim International Experimental Media Exhibition Macao Art Center

2018 China (Hangzhou) International Youth Animation Biennale China Academy of Fine Arts

2018 animation x lab: International Contemporary Experimental Animation Exhibition Taiwan, China

2018 Chen Qi Gezhi: an experiment of exhibition and understanding

International dynamic visual creative art exhibition Shenzhen red cube

The return of art in 2020

                                                                    Chen Qi

Artist Chen Qi

Doctor, Professor, doctoral supervisor, executive vice president of Graduate School of Central Academy of fine arts. He is a member of the exhibition appraisal committee of the China Art Museum, a member of the print art committee of the China Artists Association, a researcher of the National Academy of painting, and a distinguished professor of Renmin University of China. His works successively won the Bronze Award and excellent award in the 7th, 8th and 9th National Art Exhibition, the Gold Award in the 13th Print Exhibition and the excellent work award in the 5th Beijing International Art Biennale.

Important individual exhibitions:

"Farewell and symbiosis: Chen Qi's solo exhibition in 2019" (amy Li Gallery, Beijing, 2019)

"Chen Qi Gezhi: an experiment of exhibition and understanding" (Deji Art Museum, Nanjing, 2018)

"Impression and plural - Chen Qi's solo exhibition" (Asian Art Center, Beijing, 2018)

"Chen Qi's time: 1983-2016" (Peninsula Art Museum, Shanghai, 2016)

"Time chart - Chen Qi's works of Art Exhibition" (National Museum of China, Beijing, 2013)

"Chen Qi woodcut" (Oriental Museum, Durham University, Durham, UK, 2008)

"The first exhibition of Chen Qi's watermark prints" (China Art Museum, Beijing, 1993)