Wenjing Fan
My motivation to create art comes from a genuine interest in two directions:
Observation of evocative objects
Experience of social engagement
In Door Flights, Ernesto Ballesteros, 2015
Q(Fran Norton): What can make you feel quiet and peace?
A: Through the working process.
After the talking with Fran Norton in tutorial, I realized the long-term and repetitive making process is very important to me, and it brings a meditative feeling to both me and my work. As this meditative state is "process-based", I decided to make the whole drawing process as a performance, brifefly showing how I interact with the material and the space.
Drawing, Performance, 2018
i) I set up the working space as a narrative.
ii) The background bell sound was collected at an old temple in Japan. It represents the time flow.
iii) The lighting of the table lamp means the performance start.
In the performance, I started to consider about
i) How to "frame"your work in a living situation?
ii) How to control the length of the work?
iii) How to represent the "process-based"practice in a different way?
I'M JUMPING
In order to breakthrough the pervious work, I am taking in sights, exploring the everyday objects with psychological power. It have to be simple, evocative and magical. I chanced upon the mechanic toy frog I played with when I was young. The organic outlook, the inflexible movement, and the rigid sound inspired me to represent them again. Pared back from narrative , the work only focusing on the object itself and its movement.
I'M JUMPING, Video, 2019
I look at the artist Rodney Graham's video work, (Victoria8, 2003), he dedicated in describing the purity of the typer through the metaphor of flour. Accordingly, I look back to the functional essence of the toy. It is an object embodying such potential, undefiled by making for fun, for interacting with people, for jump.
In the project, the thought I have:
i) What 's the meaning behind the iterant movement?
ii) What's the difference between 'futility' and 'boring'?
Part 2 The Boundary in DISTANCE
If you measure the distance between you and others, how far would you place the ruler away from you?
What would you do if others break safe distance between you and others unintentionally?
Where do you draw the boundary?
DISTANCE, Mix Media, 2019.1
DISTANCE, Video, 2019.1
DISTANCE
This series of work 'DISTANCE' includes photographs and a video, worked with the main idea of personal boundary. Everyday we are facing with a social construct, which further increases the limitation of our capacity as individuals.
The photographs show how people measure their personal spaces visually by ruler before the camera, and the video shows a conditioned response how we defense 'invaders' if other break the boundary.
In the process, I have to invite volunteer to share their personal experience with me, indeed, giving me a boarder understanding of "the boundary". What's more, this project brings me a chance to shift my boundary line with strangers.
DISTANCE, 9.5x10.5cm each, 2019.1
Part 1 The Futility in FLY & I’M JUMPING
FLY
My observation practice started from the inspiration from artist Ernesto Ballesteros's performance. In the drawing Fly, I use graphite powder to create works without textures, marks and meanings. I don't bring in any perspective, light nor dark. It is only focusing on how an object in a vacuole and solid space.
Fly, Drawing,2018