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Master of Fine Arts Thesis
I AM LEARNING TO PROTEST THROUGH PAINTING
Zihao Chen
Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirement for the degree of Master of Fine Arts, School of Art and Design
Alfred-Dusseldorf Painting
New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University Alfred, New York
2023
_____________________________________________________________________
Zihao Chen, MFA
_____________________________________________________________________
Stephanie McMahon, Thesis Advisor
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Abstract
Personal memory, cultural background, political anxiety, and contradiction are inseparable dialogues in my painting practice. I grew up in Fujian, China and chose to go to the United States and Germany to study art in 2017. My experience living in different countries allowed me to see a more explicit relationship between individuality and art from a completely different cultural and political perspective. Reflecting on my
background and the political environment in China has also become an essential part of my art. By exploring, comparing, and accepting foreign cultures and my own, I took the initiative to try new forms of painting. Through material investigation and installation, I discovered how to utilize and address the subversive elements of abstraction.
In 2022, a democratic movement called ‘A4 Revolution’ took place in mainland China that caught the world's attention due to covid-19 lockdown restrictions. This historical protest rapidly spread to 16 Chinese major cities. The demonstrators in the parade held A4-size white papers on the street as a symbol of protest against the
government's strict “Zero-Covid” and “City Lockdown” policies. I was in the US when I saw this news. This social movement overlapped and intertwined with my works and brought me back to my personal experience of political turmoil. Since then, I have started to consider censorship, authority, and self-liberation as my subject matter in my painting.
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I approach the presentation of my paintings in an unconventional manner, opting to hang them in open spaces or lay them on the floor, allowing for a more engaged viewing experience. Exploring the materiality of paper has been a crucial aspect of my artistic practice. I have experimented with torn painted papers, handmade papers, and paper pulps, utilizing these materials as three distinct stages to deconstruct and reconstitute information. This approach serves as a visual metaphor for the dismantling and reconstruction of societal, political, and personal ideologies. Through my art, I aim to evoke the tumultuous experiences of individuals in contemporary political environments, particularly in China.
My apprehension about censorship and my education have made me hesitant to discuss and write about certain topics. To overcome this, I use the art-making process as a tool to express how power systems have impacted my upbringing. My paintings are a reference of my life experiences and a means by which I learn how to recognize
individuality and protest. Through this process, I aim to achieve both external and inner liberation.
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Table of Contents
“Read Thousands of Books or Travel Thousands of Miles” 5
A White Paper Revolution: A Wordless Protesting 7 A Common Message from Both Sides
Self-censorship：Abbreviations and Codes Blurred Boundaries
Goals of Abstraction 14 External and Inner Liberation
Gesture in Abstraction
Abstraction as a tool of political propaganda More Possibilities of Abstraction
Bulletin Board Project 24 Everyone Can Share Their Information There
Coincidence or Destiny?
Papermaking Installation 30 Papermaking
Use Paper to Form a High Wall
Pulp painting series 35 Exploding Books
Chalkboard and Blackboard Newspapers
Bibliography 50
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“Read Thousands of Books or Travel Thousands of Miles”
“Read Thousands of Books or Travel Thousands of Miles”1 is used by ancient Chinese to summarize the two ultimate pursuits in life — knowledge and experience.
After living in China for 21 years, I chose to study in the United States and Germany to see the world beyond my own culture, language, and national borders. The experience of living between different countries has immersed me in exciting new cultural experiences.
At first, I put my background aside, I tried absorbing all the new cultures and knowledge, and integrating into society. However, cultural and ideological differences made me realize the differences between people brought about by their living and political environments. In recent years, issues of race, political elections, and the handling of the pandemic in the United States were all very unfamiliar to me. I was a witness, but always felt like an outsider. The various narrative produced by the ideological differences
between countries also meant that I often faced conflicting voices. For example, the social attitudes and treatment towards the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine conflict in China and the United States present completely different public opinions and
approaches. The political environment and dominant ideology in the US are very different from what I learned in China. These differences have brought me intense contradictions and anxiety. However, the style of expression and personal narratives I
1Reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles came from Ming Dynasty painter Dong Qichang's “Painting Purpose”.
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have seen in Western society have inspired me greatly: I should tell more personal stories.
I chose to look back and question and deconstruct my memories, educational background, and the current political turmoil in China. These conflicts and contradictions have
become the nutrients of my art.
Traveling in cultural differences enriched my vision, and brought me a stronger individual consciousness. The original intention of “reading thousands of books or traveling thousands of miles” reminds me that I should always maintain curiosity and adventure, but the process of life experience requires me to search for answers on my own. I am no longer a bystander. I have made myself the protagonist of all events through art.
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A White Paper Revolution: A Wordless Protesting
A Common Message from Both Sides
On November 22, 2022, a fire broke out on the 15th floor of a high-rise apartment building in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China. The blaze killed ten people and an additional nine were injured. Since August 2022, COVID-19 has spread to many parts of Xinjiang, and the Urumqi local government has issued several strict policies to stop the epidemic, such as apartment lockdowns and mandatory tests. The public raised questions of whether the local government's strict enforcement of the zero-COVID policy prevented residents from leaving the building or interfered with the efforts of firefighters. Mourning for the tragedy in Urumqi began across China. At the same time, small-scale protests against the
lockdown have also begun to erupt in some cities. On November 26, at the
Communication University of China, Nanjing, a photo of a schoolgirl, Kangmeng Li, standing silently holding a blank paper in mourning for the victims of the Urumqi fire spread on the Internet. More and more students at the scene joined Li’s lonely mourning activities. The school quickly took steps to stop the students' gathering, but the white paper turned overnight into a national symbol used by demonstrators across the country to protest the Chinese government's draconian Corona-lockdown. It was another
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nationwide protest in mainland China like the Tiananmen Square protest2 in 1989. The outbreak of the protests has sparked concern around the world.
Figure 1. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images, 2022, Protesters held up the blank pieces of paper in Beijing, New York Times, Nov. 28
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/28/world/asia/china-protests-blank-sheets.html
“People have a common message,” said Xiao Qiang, a researcher on internet
freedom at the University of California, Berkeley. “They know what they want to express, and authorities know too, so people don’t need to say anything. If you hold a blank sheet, then everyone knows what you mean.”3 The A4 revolution originated from a joke in the Soviet Union. A man was caught by a KGB agent distributing leaflets in the Red Square.
2 Tiananmen Square protests: It is a student-led demonstration in Beijing, China in 1989 for political freedom and democracy. The government's violent crackdown had a significant impact on Chinese politics and society, with subsequent censorship of discussion and suppression of dissent.
3 Xiao Qiang. "Memes, Puns and Blank Sheets of Paper: China’s Creative Acts of Protest " The New York Times, November 28, 2022.
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The KGB agent confiscated all the leaflets only to find out that they were just blank sheets of paper. However, the man was still arrested when the KGB agent told him: “I know what you are trying to say.”
When I saw the white paper on the Internet, I understood the meaning instantly, like a biological instinct. Blank sheets of paper serve as a symbol of dissent against
censorship and a tactic to avoid arrest under Chinese law. It is the first time Chinese people of my generation have witnessed a demonstration movement. I have seen many protests during my six years living in the United States. All these city protests have become familiar but somehow strange to me. I could never have imagined that these demonstrations against the government would one day happen in China because of years of patriotic education and strict anti-demonstration laws. The first time I knew about the 6/4 Tiananmen protests was when I came to the United States in 2017. Before that, like almost everyone born after the 1990s, I knew nothing about what happened in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Even more coincidental is that my birthday is June 4, 1996. I once
searched the website for what happened on this day in history, but no relevant entries appeared in Chinese search engines. It is blocked by the network's censorship
mechanisms like it never happened. It was also the first time I discovered that the history and memory of a generation can somehow be erased.
Self-censorship：Abbreviations and Codes
Self-censorship is the act of limiting or suppressing one’s own thoughts, ideas, or expressions in order to avoid offending or upsetting others or to adhere to social norms or
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expectations. In China, the censorship system created a series of special language use phenomena. Abbreviations and codes have become a common way for Chinese people to communicate sensitive information or express dissenting views without being detected by government censors or surveillance systems.
Living in China, young people and internet users have a common understanding of using this special language. On China's largest social media platform, Weibo, the rules of abbreviation and codes include a variety of techniques, such as puns, homophones, Latin alphabet abbreviations, and neologisms. The scope and standards of censorship have been increasing over time and events, so there are still many new words constantly being added and censored. Below, I will give some common examples.
Puns: One of the most representative puns is “river crab” (河蟹 héxiè), which is an online Chinese term for internet censorship commonly seen in forums and blogs. The pronunciation of “harmony” in Chinese is similar to “river crab”. Emphasizing the correctness of values and maintaining social stability and harmony are the primary tasks in China. Therefore, people like to use the term “harmony” to express the censorship mechanism. Censorship’s role is to block information that undermines social harmony and stability. In some forums, the word "harmony" itself has become a banned keyword.
To circumvent this censorship, Chinese Internet users used "river crab" as a homophone substitute. At the same time, “river crab” as a type of crab (a seafood) is also interpreted as an object that has been caught. In practical use, when people describe a content creator
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whose speech has been censored, they use the phrase “the first person to eat the crab” to describe them.
Latin alphabet abbreviations: In addition to using Chinese characters, Latin alphabet abbreviations are also sometimes used to evade censorship. Sensitive words include the names of political figures, national leaders, government agencies, and special social news events. People usually use Latin alphabet abbreviations to replace the original Chinese characters. For example, “Government” is pronounced as “Zheng Fu” in Mandarin Chinese, so “ZF” is used to replace “Government”.
Homophone: “Run” (润 rùn) is a word in Chinese that sounds like the English word
“run.” During the COVID-19 lockdowns and economic challenges, those who have the means have been spreading the message: “run” and get away from it all. This word became widely used during the COVID-19 lockdown period in Shanghai in 2022.
Through using it as slang, people have been daydreaming and sharing tips online about getting visas or studying abroad. During this period of time, searches for immigration keywords on online platforms including WeChat have skyrocketed. "Run" (润 rùn) has also given rise to new words like Runxue/study(润学), Runology (润学研究), and Run philosophy (润哲学) to extend the aspirations and desires of young people in China to break away from the pressures of work and society and to pursue a more fulfilling and meaningful life.
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Neologisms: 50 Cent Party - Internet users paid by the government or the Communist Party to post comments/ US penny party- Internet users paid by foreign governments or parties to post comments. People use this term to describe groups that support
government policies and promote foreign national policies.
This sentence uses all the examples I mentioned above: “A US penny party said that the ZGZF river crabs a post that a 50 cent party wants rùn(有一个美分党说ZGZF和谐 了一个五毛党想润出国的帖子).” Its actual meaning is: “A person who received money from a foreign government said that the Chinese government censored a post in which someone pro-Beijing wanted to run away from the country.” This is a very common sentence structure on the Chinese internet, and this mode of communication is gradually being used in offline communication as well.
Blurred Boundaries
The boundaries and mechanisms of censorship are very vague. The law does not provide clear regulations on which words and content are prohibited. This has resulted in the simultaneous prohibition and sudden opening of a batch of words, leaving users often needing clarification on when a specific word is prohibited or has been allowed again.
Text and content censorship has had a significant impact on the cultural industry. The ambiguity and difficulty in defining boundaries have led creators to “castrate” their works
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to be able to publish them. For example, Chinese film directors and screenwriters first consider whether the plot and values of the film conform to positive and correct “social mainstream values” when creating their work. The feedback they often receive from censorship is that the content is too low and dark, lacking positive energy. These broad words make it difficult for creators to understand the censorship system. As a result, films are withdrawn and taken off the shelves. This means that the investment of investors and creators in the free market risk huge losses. To avoid risks, creators have to conduct self-censorship first. This has led to the emergence of many childish, vulgar, and unclear works of art in the Chinese market.
Self-censorship is even more terrifying than strict monitoring because its impact on individuals leads to restriction and numbness of reality and creativity. People no longer question and doubt, leading to a passive loss of their ability to judge as individuals. When conversing with people or browsing articles on social media in China, I become
particularly cautious. I often self-censor my conversations with others on social media to avoid trouble. There have been instances where articles were blocked and turned into blank pages. The reasons for their censorship and deletion are usually “violations of relevant regulations”. Gradually, our questions about these phenomena have turned into informing each other to quickly delete specific content, as it may lead to the suspension of our accounts. Even though nobody knows the specific boundaries, this has become a habit formed by self-censorship.
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Goals of Abstraction External and Inner Liberation
The frustration of painting on canvas led me to seek more freedom through different painting processes. I shifted from figurative to abstract painting simultaneously with external explorations of painting forms and an inner desire for individual freedom. After a long time trying various styles, I realized figurative painting couldn’t precisely convey what I was trying to say, but abstraction informed me of new possibilities. It is a better way to express chaos, fragmentation, and complex feelings of consciousness.
Coming from a traditional academic style painting system, where paintings are judged according to a single standard, I felt constrained by the limited ways of using a painting that I was taught. My early training instilled in me a desire to break through these traditional methods and explore the full potential of visual language. I yearned for freedom in the creative process and sought to embrace a more spontaneous, intuitive approach to painting. Through my journey toward abstraction, I discovered new ways of expressing chaos, fragmentation, complexity, and ambiguity and found a deeper sense of consciousness in my art.
The pursuit of form and my inner search for freedom are related. I was born in China and lived there for 21 years. My education and political environment always demanded that I conform to a unified and correct value system. We wore the same uniform and hairstyle in school and received the same painting training. The state’s censorship of
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news and culture was rigorous in society, and the government screened out voices that did not match its values. During my growth, I felt that I couldn’t be myself. I developed a natural resistance and strong critical emotions toward standards and limitations. This made me care more about the meaning of individuality and urgently seek my true self. I tried to fight against the traces left by the authority in my head, which is a heavy stone buried in my subconscious.
I’m constantly questioning my approach to painting, driven by a complex interplay of external and internal factors. Growing up in a politically restrictive environment in China and undergoing traditional academic style art training made me aware of standards and limitations, leading me toward the expressive freedom of abstraction. I relish the unpredictability of the creative process, valuing the opportunities for discovery that come from embracing unexpected coincidences and even mistakes.
The Gesture in Painting
‘I’ve always wanted to find a way of making art that would be at once personal and public, that would be both spontaneous and controlled, that would be free and formal, sensitive and tough, that would be all things at once.’ —Helen Frankenthaler4
The gesture became important in painting in the mid-20th century with the
emergence of Abstract Expressionism, a movement characterized by the use of gestural brushstrokes and spontaneous, intuitive mark-making to express emotion and create a
4 Frankenthaler, Helen. Interview by Barbara Rose. Frankenthaler: Works on Paper 1949-1984."
New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1985.
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direct connection between the artist and the viewer. The movement valued individuality, emotional expression, and the act of creation itself over traditional representational techniques.
As an abstract painter, my gesture in painting is directly related to the results of my abstract images. My way of physical action and material utilization is a constant pursuit of liberation.
I blend a large amount of water and pigment together. In my studio, there are more bowls and buckets than brushes because I always work in splashing and pouring
techniques. I am deeply fascinated by the physical properties of water itself. It is uncontrollable and can always find its way. Working with water is challenging and difficult, but at the same time, it brings me unexpected subtle changes in the fusion of different colors through flow. Every time, I can see some new effects that I have never seen before in my paintings. A few days later, the water evaporates into the air, leaving behind traces and colors that completely change my painting. I have partial control over the color and composition, while water is responsible for the final result. This creative process makes me feel a negotiation between myself and the material. I consider this process as a form of democracy.
Abstraction as a Weapon of Political Propaganda
The language of art can be defined with entirely different meanings according to contexts and social circumstances. Abstract art in the modern context strongly symbolizes
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liberalism, individualism, dynamic activity, and creative risk possible in a free society.
However, it may still be used as a propaganda tool to make it politically charged.
Abstract Expressionism emerged in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s. The movement was characterized by its emphasis on expressing individual creativity and emotions through non-representational forms. It quickly became an important cultural force in American art during the Cold War. The US government and conservative politicians embraced the movement as a symbol of American exceptionalism5 and as a way to counter Soviet propaganda that claimed the US was a culturally impoverished society. In addition, the government saw Abstract Expressionism as a way to demonstrate American culture's freedom and creativity and showcase American artists as innovative and groundbreaking.
One example of the political aspect of Abstract Expressionism is the exhibition, The New American Painting, which was sponsored by the United States government and toured Europe in the 1950s. The exhibition featured works by several Abstract
Expressionist artists, including Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning.
While the exhibition was well-received in Europe and helped to establish Abstract Expressionism as an essential art movement, some critics argued that the government’s involvement in promoting the movement was a form of propaganda that had little to do with the artistic merit of the works themselves.
5 Exceptionalism is the belief that a particular group or individual is exceptional or superior to others. It can manifest in political, religious, or cultural forms, but can also be seen as arrogant and overlooking the contributions of others.
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There were intentional links between cultural cold war politics and the success of Abstract Expressionism. Influential figures in museum policies and cold war tactics aimed to attract European intellectuals. The success of the movement was not coincidental but was consciously forged by these figures.6
By promoting Abstract Expressionism abroad, the CIA hoped to present a positive image of the United States and its values to people around the world.
This tension between artistic freedom and political influence is a common theme in the history of Abstract Expressionism. While the movement was embraced by the
government and conservative politicians as a symbol of American exceptionalism, many artists within the movement were critical of the government's use of their work as
propaganda. They felt that their art was being co-opted for political purposes, and that this compromised their artistic freedom.
Indeed one often hears Existentialist echoes in their words, but their “anxiety,” their commitment, their “dreadful freedom” concern their work primarily. They defiantly reject the conventional values of the society which surrounds them, but they are not politically engagés even though their paintings have been praised and condemned as symbolic demonstrations of freedom in a world in which freedom connotes a
political attitude7
Abstract Expressionism met the needs of a new historical epoch by emphasizing individualism and eliminating recognizable subject matter, creating a significant new art movement. However, this movement also contributed to the political phenomenon of divorcing art from politics, which served America's needs during the cold war. The legacy of this tension continues to shape the art world today as artists grapple with issues of funding, censorship, and artistic autonomy.
6 Cockcroft, Eva. "Abstract Expressionism: Weapon of the Cold War." Artforum, June 1974.
7 Cockcroft, Eva. "Abstract Expressionism: Weapon of the Cold War." Artforum, June 1974.
https://www.artforum.com/print/197406/abstract-expressionism-weapon-of-the-cold-war-38017.
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More Possibilities of Abstraction
In the 21st century, artists have continued to push the boundaries of abstraction and explore new ways to express themselves through non-representational art. Artists use digital technology, material experimentation, cultural context, and hybrid forms to redefine abstract language with different meanings. Having lived in China, the United States, and now Germany, I have been inspired by different artists in each country. For example, Cai Guoqiang, Sam Gilliam, and Katharina Grosse have all helped me consider the possibility of painting and abstraction in different areas such as materiality, identity, and spatial boundaries.
Cai Guoqiang8
In my cultural background, Cai Guoqiang is one of the artists who have significantly influenced me in terms of using materiality. We come from the same hometown. I knew his art when I was young. He is renowned for his large-scale installations and explosive gunpowder paintings that explore the relationship between nature, culture, and history, often using traditional Chinese materials and techniques. Cai’s use of gunpowder as a medium gives traditional explosives multiple meanings in contemporary visual art, creating abstract and directional works. In 2011, in the desert of Doha, Cai Guoqiang
8 Cai Guoqiang is is renowned for his large-scale installations and explosive gunpowder paintings that explore the relationship between nature, culture, and history, often using traditional Chinese materials and techniques.
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released ‘daytime fireworks’ - a vast firework exploded in the sky. It was the only time he used petroleum for the explosion, referring to the local resource that sustains people's livelihoods and evoking the Middle East's turbulent situation.
Gunpowder symbolizes violence in our current civilized world, but Cai uses it to create a fleeting beauty, naturally adding another layer of political meaning to this art form. Cai Guoqiang also agrees with the political significance of gunpowder explosions, but he has his perspective. “The environment I grew up in was often controlled, and I was always looking for a way, a gesture, to liberate myself. I realize that gunpowder has a history of anti-control. For me, this is also a kind of politics.”9 The confinement of the political environment makes each generation of Chinese artists explore different forms of expression to convey the influence of the environment on themselves. Cai’s mediums are fully charged with cultural attributes, political opinions and personal liberation.
Sam Gilliam10
Sam Gilliam is an artist who I have been exploring a lot lately in terms of the
relationship between abstract art and politics. In terms of form, his abstract paintings and installations have no obvious connection with political content, but are more inclined to
9蔡国强的白天焰火：“我没有用火执照，我是美术馆的恐怖主义者” [Cai Guo-Qiang's Daytime Fireworks: "I Don't Have a Fire License, I Am a Terrorist at the Museum] Jiemian News, Novenmber 29, 2018. https://m.jiemian.com/article/2660214.html.
10 Sam Gilliam is an American contemporary artist known for his innovative approach to abstract painting. He is best known for his "drape" paintings, which involve hanging canvas-like works from the ceiling or suspending them from walls, creating sculptural forms that challenge the traditional boundaries of painting.
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abstract expressionism and formalism. Gilliam himself has described the political
significance of his artwork, stating that “the expressive act of making a mark and hanging it in space is always political. My work is as political as it is formal.”
In a piece about Sam Gilliam11, written by Jackson Brown, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, Brown comments on Gilliam's political stance. According to Brown, Gilliam is an artist who typically denies the influence of politics, particularly racial politics, on his artwork. This position, Brown suggests, may have been adopted in response to criticism from the Black Arts Movement. This movement held the view that artwork without legible political content was insufficient in its potential to serve the fight for black liberation.
I acknowledge that the background of the times is a subjective condition that can be interpreted in different ways by artists and can change an artist's narrative of self.
However, I am interested in the idea proposed by Sam Gilliam: “My work is as political as it is formal.” It is an extension of the way we think about abstract works. The language of abstract painting can change its interpretation based on the specific audience and the identity of the artist. Just as the symbol of a blank sheet of paper can become poetic in a specific political context, when this symbol is transferred to other countries, it may be interpreted as hollow and ineffective. Therefore, Sam Gilliam has important reference value for my creative process. I do not need to deliberately use any political symbols or figurative images, because my environment, personal behavior, and way of thinking may
11 Brown, Jackson. "Sam Gilliam." Callaloo 40, no. 5 (2017): 59-68. Accessed April 5, 2023.
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already be politicized.
Katharina Grosse12
I remember my reaction when I first saw Katharina Grosse work: So this can also be painting? I was particularly impressed by her large installation, Wunderbild, which she created at the National Gallery Prague in 2018. She hung gigantic pieces of cloth in the large exhibition hall, blurring the boundaries between painting, sculpture, and
architecture. What fascinated me was that the attributes of painting were still so strong in this kind of presentation. This came from her use of color and gesture. I could feel her language as a painter. It made me think about how to distill the forms of abstract painting and the sense of boundaries that exist in painting within space. At that time, I began to explore ways of presenting painting that moved beyond the traditional canvas, and instead tried to interact with the space and the viewer more.
Katharina Grosse’s personal and unconstrained understanding of painting gave me the inspiration to break through my creative bottleneck during my first semester in Düsseldorf. I was then in a period of confrontation with all traditional painting methods that I had previously understood. I felt anxious about the canvas. After going through several style changes, studying Katharina Grosse’s attitude towards painting helped me to
12 Katharina Grosse is a German contemporary artist known for her large-scale, colorful, and immersive installations that blur the boundaries between painting, sculpture, and architecture. She often works with spray paint, using it to create abstract patterns and forms that cover walls, floors, and sometimes entire buildings.
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establish my own way of thinking about painting. For me, painting is a conceptual and material language, not a particular style, subject, or convincing illusion. Whenever I am in different places or see special materials, I always ask myself: “Can this be a way of expressing painting?” Therefore, I try to “painterize” protest symbols in political movements and special items in personal memories, and use the language of painting to transform anything that I feel an urge to express.
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Bulletin Board Project
Installation, The weather has changed, 2022, acrylic and watercolor on paper
This public space project is a significant work in my creative journey over the past year. This project has forced me to think critically about the power of art in relation to current political and social issues and how it can be used as a tool for expression and dialogue in public spaces. Torn paper as a gesture and abstract language represents the brushstrokes and personal attitude towards incomplete information. Through exhibiting this work, which explores the ongoing democratic protest events in China, I have been confronted with the question of whether the connections between my art and these events are a coincidence or predetermined.
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Tearing Papers
My earliest experience of tearing up my paintings came from my frustration with traditional canvas painting. I wanted to achieve a more free and emotional expression. I would paint each sheet of paper and treat them like an individual painting. Then I tear them up. Through this form of expression, I wanted to explore new forms of painting and how censorship affects the way we process information.
Detail of Weather Has Changed, 2022, acrylic and watercolor on paper
On one hand, tearing up the paper as an abstract form of painting and gesture breaks through the traditional way of viewing paintings. Visually, the torn pieces appear to expand freely and erase the boundaries of the painting frame, evoking a sense of anarchy and autonomy. On the other hand, I see these torn pieces of paper as an intervention and
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compromise on information. The image of a painting is like a piece of information.
Tearing it up and leaving traces on the paper reflects a violent intervention. It’s like an authority. The compromise is reflected in the dissipation of the energy of a single image.
The original complete image is disrupted and presented in a disorderly fashion on the wall. They are forced to be separated from their original context. Viewers can only indirectly piece together their original appearance through their perceptual imaginations.
Everyone Can Share Their Information There
Installation, Detail of Weather Has Changed, 2022, acrylic and watercolor on paper
“Everyone can share their information there. You don't have to get permission.” This was the information given to me by the school. The bulletin board is the only public place
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on campus where people don't need to fill out an installation art application form. Instead, it serves as a space for information exchange where anyone can interact freely. From the application to the removal of the work in the early morning to the covering and tearing of the work during the exhibition, displaying this installation in this particular space has brought me memorable experiences.
After exploring the torn-paper form of expression, I extended my painting from a flat canvas to a three-dimensional space. I unify the leading tone into red and use the change of grayscale on this basis to make the color layer richer. Both sides of the paper are drawn by color theory to form a contrasting and complementary relationship between colors. The location of the bulletin wall changed the original attributes of these pieces of paper. They’re not just art; they’re also used as an aggressive message to interact with other people’s messages. Papers were saying something through their gestures and colors without a word. I covered up other posters to form an aggressive interaction and dialogue between painting and public information, painting and audiences.
Fortunately, I quickly obtained permission to use the bulletin board, because it is a place for gathering opinions and information. For this reason, I wasn’t worried about the safety of my work in the beginning, but strange things happened the night after my installation. Overnight, all of my papers disappeared. Everything was as if nothing had happened. No one knew whether it was done by school staff, students, or people outside the school. This drama is inspiring because it meant that this work had encroached on
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someone’s duty, space, or emotion. My work was a direct invasion of public information, so the person’s behavior should also be considered part of the interaction with the work.
During the week of the exhibition, people gradually started to cover my torn papers with their posters and moved my work because they needed to show their own posters, even though there were still many empty spaces. Visually, they seemed to be having a conversation or contest with my work from a distance. In the special location of the bulletin board, this competition for information became even more intense and natural. In this process, I saw the painting properties of this work being weakened and replaced through a direct language expression by the public.
Coincidence or Destiny?
Two weeks after the displaying of my work, China witnessed the most significant democratic protest movement since 1989 due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Protesters were holding up white papers to protest against the government's authority.
One image immediately caught my attention. I saw people aggressively using white papers to cover up other information on public bulletin boards. It was what I had done in my art. This coincidence brought me back to my memories of the strict censorship system in the Chinese political environment. When protesters confront police with blank papers, almost all Chinese people and authorities understand the meaning behind the emptiness of the white paper because it is a poetic compromise and powerful resistance to
government censorship. As people who grew up under the strict censorship system in mainland China, we get used to using various abbreviations and codes to avoid
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censorship. Art can reflect a person’s life experience. My painting installation reflects the impact of this political and social situation on the individual.
Were these subjective choices mere coincidences, or were they destined to happen?
While the mysterious removal of those papers was unexpected, the characteristic of the bulletin board ensured that interaction between people and my artwork was always bound to happen; In China, the Blank Paper Movement was an accidental event that occurred due to the pandemic. However, my motivation for creating this public art installation was predetermined by the political environment in which I grew up. More importantly, this artwork has pushed my artistic context into current social hotspots, prompting me to re-examine how the social environment shapes an individual’s character and thinking.
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Papermaking Installation
Installation, Walls, 2022, cotton pulp, procion dye and watercolor
This installation was my second piece inspired by the White Paper Movement.
Chinese protesters had used the abstract language of white paper to confront strict pandemic policies, censorship, and authority. The fragile blank white paper had been filled with power and artistic expression in the context of protests. The installation responded to this scene, encapsulating the power of abstract language and the fragility embodied by paper as a material.
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Papermaking
The art of papermaking has a rich history intertwined with information dissemination and artistic expression. It led me to develop a deep affinity for this medium. During the summer break, I was invited by my friend to attend a week-long papermaking workshop.
This opportunity opened a new door to my art. The material of pulp was new to me, but in the process of creating it, I discovered the relationship between this material and painting. I was delighted how it could help me to return to a freer and much more spontaneous way of making images. In the final product, colors did not just sit on the surface but were physically impregnated into it. After realizing this, I wanted to turn the papermaking process into a painting process. So, I started to enlarge the size of the paper and integrate dyeing and coloring techniques from painting.
The process of my paper-making takes place in a pool filled with water. After 4 to 8 hours of processing, I beat cotton paper into a fine pulp and dyed it in different colors.
Then, I introduced these pulps into the pool of water. This method allows water to fuse the pulp together as a primary medium. I am fascinated by the process of breaking down and reforming paper by water. As the water flows and fuses the pulp back together, it creates a unique gesture that only fluid can produce -- a gesture of water. This fluid motion has become a form of painting in itself. When the dyed pulp fully absorbs the color, the painting's surface and two-dimensional plane definition are transformed, resulting in a fresh artistic approach.
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Using Paper to Form a High Wall
According to my exhibition space, I made a total of 7 big papers to fill it. I hung them in space to create walls that were like barriers. They looked like demonstrations, but could also be seen as a kind of authority.
Each piece of paper was painted in an expressive abstract style. The heavy paper pulp stacking made the surface of the paper look rough like rocks. When people entered the space, they needed to look up at them, but could also see the space behind each hollow part of the paper. I wanted to use a strong visual language to make the audience feel the turmoil and turbulence I had experienced from the current political situation.
However, when people carefully observed those huge pieces of paper wall, they realized that they were just fragile sheets of paper.
The wall is the core of architecture, but it is also often used as a metaphor to describe obstacles. Chinese people have a special emotional connection with walls, as there are two well-known walls in the world: the Great Wall of China, which was used by ancient Chinese dynasties to resist foreign invasions, and the Great Firewall of China13, which blocks foreign information from entering. Both are considered as protective mechanisms, but they also give me a sense of oppression that is difficult to overcome. The strong sense
13 The Great Firewall of China is a system of internet censorship and control implemented by the Chinese government, which restricts access to foreign websites and online content deemed politically sensitive or inappropriate.
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of walls has subconsciously influenced my artistic expression in my work. Despite the fragile appearance of the paper, the walls created a sense of power and strength.
In the end, my exhibition space became a manifestation of my personal connection to walls and the political situation that surrounded me. Through the use of expressive
abstract paintings on heavy paper pulp, I was able to create walls that appeared strong and powerful, but upon closer inspection, were fragile and delicate. It also conveys the turbulent and oppressive nature of walls as both protective and obstructive mechanisms in society.
Installation, Walls, 2022, cotton pulp, procion dye and watercolor
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Walls #3, 2022, 54 x 43 inch, cotton, procion, dyes and watercolor
Detail of Walls, 2022
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Pulp Painting Series
Ever since I was exposed to paper-making technology, I have been fascinated by the potential of paper pulp as an art medium. In this series of paintings, I have used paper pulp as my primary formula, as it offers excellent flexibility both in its physical form and the combination of pigments.
Invasion, 2023, 16 x 12 inch, paper pulp and watercolor At a conceptual level, the use of paper pulp is closely related to information,
knowledge, and art history. By transforming books, newspapers, magazines, and personal sketches into pulp through a blender, I create abstract forms that carry a deeper meaning beyond the materiality. This links to my recent criticisms of censorship and politics, as paper and pulp have long been associated with the dissemination and control of
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information.
To further explore the impact of information and education on individual thought, I introduced elements such as book covers and chalkboards related to my personal memory.
These universally recognized symbols help to convey my message to a wider audience.
When displayed in a physical space, these paintings create a viewing experience that is both contradictory and dystopian. The fragility, roughness, and even grotesqueness of paper pulp combined with the imagery of exploding books and ambiguous chalkboards aim to evoke a sense of unease and disorientation. As someone who has never
experienced demonstrations in my life, I see these paintings as a visual way to learn and express my views on the world. I am learning to protest through painting.
Exploding Books
The combination of the book cover I chose and paper pulp comes from the natural relationship between books and paper information. In this series of works, I want to try more straightforward language to visualize information censorship.
Throughout history, controlling books have played an important role in various civilizations. In China’s Qin Dynasty, the emperor burned books to destroy Confucian criticism and achieve the goal of unified thinking. In Germany’s recent history, the Nazi party organized a large book burning ceremony in Berlin, which was attended by
thousands of people, including prominent Nazi leaders. The books burned were those deemed “un-German”, including works by Jewish, Marxist, and liberal authors, among others.
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I understand the strong historical universality of using books, so I am very cautious about how I use them. It is not an easy task. I hope that the symbolic meanings of books can be preserved while also naturally integrating them into the form of painting. I pieced book covers together to create a shape by overlaying multiple book covers, hoping to dissolve the individual importance of each book through collective fusion. Finally, I wrapped the front and back of these book covers with dyed paper pulp. They look like abstraction paintings. Interestingly, the pulp and water distorted the physical shapes of some of the book covers. Compared to the violent destruction of books by fire, the use of water seems like a gentle but also cruel form of negation.
This series presents two forms, one in the form of sculpture and the other on canvas as a painting. Visually, these book covers look like they have been violently exploded.
They look like Jackson Pollock’s pursuit of randomness in action painting, but my
purpose this time is not to pursue randomness. I see these exploding books as a process of demonstrating in an esthetic way. To be honest, due to my background, I have always been resistant to creating works that are straightforward and strongly political. I have also never participated in any protest activities. However, in this series, I am trying to use the language of abstract painting to communicate with the audience in a more direct and symbolic way. As an artist, I also want to know if this expression can open up more possibilities for me.
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Installation, Order of Strokes, 2023
Order of Strokes #2, 2023, 9 x 15 inch, paper pulp, book cover and watercolor
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Order of Strokes #6, 2023, 15 x 11 inch, paper pulp, book cover and watercolor
Order of Strokes #3, 2023, 9 x 15 inch, paper pulp, book cover and watercolor
Order of Strokes #4, 2023, 18 x 12 inch, paper pulp, book cover and watercolor
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Deep Knowledge, 2023, 47 x 40 inch, paper pulp, book cover, acrylic and watercolor
Explosive Mentality, 2023, 74 x 55 inch, paper pulp, book cover and watercolor
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Chalkboard and Blackboard Newspapers
In this new series, I use painting to simulate the effect of a chalkboard. The
universality of the chalkboard is undeniable, but its importance to me lies in the question it raises: how does education shape a person's or several generations’ memories? Even though I was not a good student, I still remember that everything written on the
chalkboard was something I should take note of. That one green board contained all the important knowledge of human language, history, politics, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and more. Almost everyone shares this experience, yet the content we see is different.
Chalkboard—New Chapter, 2023, 55 x 149 inch, paper pulps, acrylic and chalk The chalkboard holds a unique memory for me from my student days. In China, every classroom had two chalkboards. The front belonged to the teacher, while the back served as a mass propaganda tool. Its translated name is “Blackboard Newspapers”. The content of the Blackboard newspaper usually pertained to ideology, legal education, and major holidays. The decision-making power of the content was usually assigned by the
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school and created by the students, including drawing and writing. This is a collective memory of many generations of people from China's elementary to high school classrooms. Unfortunately, the source of the blackboard newspaper in Chinese
classrooms is difficult to trace back to its origin. During my research, I found it hard to find related history, but many people believe that this tradition originated from the Soviet Union and ancient Rome. Due to my drawing ability, I was assigned as an assistant to the student propaganda committee. My job was to add visual elements to make the layout more attractive, separating the content into sections and drawing symbolic patterns, such as flowers, flags, stars, national emblems, and sailboats. During my three years of junior high school, I drew every issue of the blackboard newspaper for my class. I suddenly realized I had been doing “political art” since early on.
Figure 2. Blackboard newspaper example: The 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. Photo from website blackboard newspaper design pattern collection, https://www.sgss8.net/tpdq/1158766/.
I incorporated this very personal experience into my painting. This time, I did not focus on the idea of painting but on simulating every step as a memory of drawing blackboard newspapers. I used chalk to sketch and chose different modules to divide the position of the image and text in my imagination. During the process, I also saw in
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memory the blackboard that never seemed to be entirely wiped clean and the handprints of my former teachers. These elements were all included in the painting. The final painting is an abstract version of a blackboard newspaper.
In painting, the artist hopes to preserve the traces left by each painting layer, but the content on the chalkboard naturally needs to be erased. Therefore, I hope this painting can exist in an intermediate state to allow the audience to have their understanding and memories.
Detail of Chalkboard—New Chapter, 2023
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Detail of Chalkboard—New Chapter, 2023
Installation, Chalkboard—Banner, 2023, 55 x 156 inch, paper pulps, acrylic and chalk
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Detail of Chalkboard—Banner, 2023
Detail of Chalkboard—Banner, 2023
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Installation, Thesis exhibition Censor/ Sensor on Düsseldorf studio
Installation, Thesis exhibition Censor/ Sensor on Düsseldorf studio
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Installation, Thesis exhibition Censor/ Sensor on Düsseldorf studio
Installation, Thesis exhibition Censor/ Sensor on Düsseldorf studio
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Installation, Thesis exhibition Censor/ Sensor on Düsseldorf studio
Installation, Thesis exhibition Censor/ Sensor on Düsseldorf studio
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Poster of Thesis exhibition Censor/Sensor 2023 in Düsseldorf, Germany
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Bibliography
Websites
⚫ Xiao Qiang. "Memes, Puns and Blank Sheets of Paper: China’s Creative Acts of Protest " The New York Times, November 28, 2022.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/28/world/asia/china-protests-blank-sheets.html
⚫ Cockcroft, Eva. "Abstract Expressionism: Weapon of the Cold War." Artforum, June 1974.
https://www.artforum.com/print/197406/abstract-expressionism-weapon-of-the-cold- war-38017
⚫ 蔡国强的白天焰火：“我没有用火执照，我是美术馆的恐怖主义者” [Cai Guo-Qiang's Daytime Fireworks: "I Don't Have a Fire License, I Am a Terrorist at the Museum] Jiemian News, Novenmber 29, 2018.
https://m.jiemian.com/article/2660214.html.
Books
⚫ Frankenthaler, Helen. Interview by Barbara Rose. "Frankenthaler: Works on Paper 1949-1984." New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1985.
⚫ Brown, Jackson. "Sam Gilliam." Callaloo 40, no. 5 (2017): 59-68. Accessed April 5, 2023.
