Zhou Documents

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  Essay: Action Artist's Readme File 行为艺术家自述

  Jin WANG 王晋

  Wang Jin and Lv Pinwen

  This Readme note on his action arts is scripted in Chinese. It was published in newspaper “中国美术报”. (Jerry Wu'23).

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  Artist Note: Signing Statement -- Aerosol 签署声明 -- 气雾剂

  Jin WANG 王晋

  Wang Jin

  This introduction of Wang's work is scripted mainly in Chinese (besides a few words in the artwork that are in English). (Jerry Wu'23).

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  Resume: WANG JinSong

  Jin-Song WANG 王劲松

  Wang JinSong

  This resume of Wang is scripted in Chinese. Note that the published year 1994 is only surmise upon the last activity on the resume and the due date of the file submission. (Jerry Wu'23).

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  Resume 3: WANG JinSong

  Jin-Song WANG 王劲松

  Wang JinSong

  This hand-written bibliography of Wang is scripted in both Chinese and English. Note that the publish date of the file is only surmised upon the last activity listed and the due date of the file submission. (Jerry Wu'23).

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  Resume 3: Wang Youshen

  You-Shen WANG 王友身

  This resume is written in both Chinese and English. A definition of the “Nutritious Soil” and a description of its ingredients are listed at the bottom of the resume. Two photos of the artwork “Nutritious Soil” are attached with the resume. This document was published on the《Chinese Contemporary Artists’ Agenda (1994)》, which was a program that showcased the artistic activities by some of the most influential Chinese young artists at the time. (ASIA ART ARCHIVE, “Chinese Contemporary Artists’ Agenda (1994), 中国当代艺术家工作计划（1994）”.) (Yifan Shang ‘25)

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  Brief Description of Fluorescent Pamphlets 荧光小册子的简要说明

  Sui-Kang ZHAO 赵穗康

  Sui-Kang ZHAO 赵穗康

  This is a brief description of the artist's mixed-media installation Fluorescent Pamphlets in 1994. (He Zhang 25')

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  A Brief of the Art Activity of the Big-Tail Elephant Group "大尾象" 艺术活动简述

  Tan XU 徐坦

  比隆

  Published on the “China Art Weekly” in 1994, this article was written by Bi Long and about the third art activity that was showcased by the Big-Tail Elephant group on November 24th, 1992. It introduced the installation and action arts done by the three artists in the group respectively. They are “Five Hours” by Chen Shaoxiong, “The Allegory of Love” by Xu Tan, and “One Hundred Bricks and One Thousand Yuan” by Lin Yilin. Besides, the feedback of this art activity from the public was discussed by the author. By comparing it to the second exhibition of the art group, he concludes that “this art activity is a risky experiment”, because it challenges the viewer’s senses, and contains certain danger of electric shock in the installation. (Yifan Shang ‘25)

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  溢出墙外神人墙内（Overflowing yet Penetrating into the Wall)

  Ke-Qin YANG 杨克勤

  Liu Xiao-Chun (刘骁纯) and Qian Zhi-Jian (钱志坚)

  Critic paper written by Liu Xiao-Chun on artist Yang Ke-Qin's style and impact. Translation by Qian Zhi-Jian provided in attachment. (Nicole Wang '26).

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  不羁行为与艺术（Unruly Behavior and Art)

  Ke-Qin YANG 杨克勤

  Ge Peng-Ren （葛鹏仁）

  This is a review of Yang Ke-Qin's artwork and style. It was written by Ge Peng-Ren. (Nicole Wang '26).

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  独具粗犷气度的青年女画家（A Young Female Artist with Masculine Demeanor -- Yang Ke-Qin)

  Ke-Qin YANG 杨克勤

  Gao Wei-chuan

  Published in "Jiangsu Pictorial Art Monthly", this article written by Gao Wei-chuan is a review of Yang Ke-Qin's painting style. See images referenced: "Car and Bottles":(https://digital.kenyon.edu/zhou/455/) "Legs and Hands": (https://digital.kenyon.edu/zhou/465/).(Nicole Wang '26)

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  lebensraum(Habitat) - Interview with Five Young Sculptors 生存空间-五位青年雕塑家访谈录

  Wang ZHAN 展望

  Lin ZHANG，Song LIN

  This is a series of interviews, published on the "Han Mo Art News," Hong Kong, issue 1, 1994, on the "Sculpture 1994" exhibition,held at the Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum , featured Zhan Wang, Sui Jianguo, Fu Zhongwang, Zhang Yongjian, and Jiang Jie. The interviews discuss the motivation and methodology of artmaking, subjects include Chinese identity which is the primary motivation for many of them,and the contrasts between classical and modern sculpture, etc. Artists expressed their desire to develop Chinese sculpture's independence, and worried about the art market because the first party who requests a sculpture expects aesthetic works but there is no self-expression in doing such sculpture proposed by the government. Zhan Wang is concerned with identity issues, reflecting on his works, in addition to complex relation between sculpture tradition and self-expression. (Zhuocheng Jiang '26)

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  New Sculpture: A Symposium on the exhibition "Sculpture 1994"

  Wang ZHAN 展望

  This symposium minutes summarizes the speeches of five featured artists at the symposium on the exhibition "Sculpture 1994," and they are Zhan Wang, Sui Jianguo, Fu Zhongwang, Zhang Yongjian, and Jiang Jie. Each artist has their own artistic statement about new sculpture. They reflect on the role of sculpture in the new era, as well as their own identities as Contemporary Chinese sculptors and other concerns. (Zhuocheng Jiang)

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  Artist Statement: A Legal Trespass

  An-Ping LIU 刘安平

  This document is written in both Chinese and German. It states that someone is instucted by Zhang to enter Apartment No. 1--505, Laodong Street, H city within 48 hours in the summer of 1994, and take photos at will. This conceptual art is designed by Xiaohong, likely the alias of Liu Anping. After the photographs are taken, this execution is named "A Legal Trespass (正当侵犯)". According to Xiaohong, he reserves the right to judge whether this act is legitimate or not, because the conceptual art is executed inside his property. Note: the artist provides “Legitimate Violation” as the English name of this work, however, we think that “A Legal Trespass” is a more proper translation. (Yifan Shang '25)

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  青年书简 -- 杨克勤 (Young Artist Yang Ke-Qin)

  Ke-Qin YANG 杨克勤

  Yang Ke-Qin featured in China Art Weekly (1994) (Nicole Wang '26).

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  Corresponse: Gao Minglu's letter to Ye Shuanggui 给叶双贵的一封信

  Shuang-Gui YE 叶双贵

  This letter is written by Gao Minglu, an art critic, in Chinese. In this letter, Gao provides his understanding on Ye's "Post-Ceramics". This concept roots from the history of ceramics, which is summarized by Gao as Function-Art-Function. In the postmodernist era, ceramic art is supposed to return to its function, since the thread of post-modernism is massive product and mass communication. Ceramics should be dragged down from the art for the elite to art for the mass. Gao asserts Ye's project "Meta-Ceramics Art Series". It is a product as well as a manifesto. And Ye advocates evolutionary concepts of ceramic. The artist strivs for the artistic position of ceramics in the postmodernist era. (Zhuocheng Jiang '26)

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  Work and Experiment

  Ju-Hui LIANG 梁钜辉

  LIANG Juhui

  This essay is hand-write and is scripted in Chinese. (Jerry Wu'23).

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  Essay: Interrogating "Cultural Conventions" -- Art of the Experimental Artist MA LiuMing from Dongcun, Beijing

  Liu-Ming MA 马六明

  KONG Bu

  This essay on MA Liuming's art and the cultural conventions is scripted in Chinese. (Jerry Wu'23).

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  Artist Note: Red -- Beijing-Kowloon 红 -- 北京-九龙

  Jin WANG 王晋

  Wang Jin

  This artwork introduction is scripted in Chinese. (Jerry Wu'23).

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  Correspondence: YANG Zhilin to KONG Changan on Exhibition and Artistic Creation Mentality

  YANG Zhi-Lin杨志麟

  YANG Zhi-Lin

  This letter is addressed to Kong Chang-an, an art critic. The letter's opening greeting was followed by a brief mention of Xu Lei's exhibition. He then began to express his creative mindset in the 1990s, often known as the "Apartment Art". Because there were few opportunities for exhibition, artists reverted back to underground. Yang Zhi-Lin, the artist and the writer of this letter, claimed that he encountered a bottleneck while creating. He continued to depict his hazy dreams in ink, eventually completing between fifty and sixty pieces. At that time, Duo Yun-Xuan, an art dealer and auction house, founded in Shanghai in 1900, sent him an invitation to an exhibition. He was putting everything together like a headless chicken because he did not ask for any media attention or financial gain. However, he also felt hassle-free. He said in his words "why? I don't know" twice to state his mindset, once for the exhibition and creation; once for his teaching duties at the Industry Design of Nanjing University of Arts. (Zhuocheng Jiang '26)

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  Event Document: Opinion Poll 民意调查

  Shuang-Gui YE 叶双贵

  "Opinion Poll" is a response to the relationship between artists and art critics, which is a controversial topic among participants in The Third Documentary Exhibition of Art (Shanghai). The artist offers a mischievous survey with multiple-choice questions inquiring about the relationship between artists and art critics. Beside the informal manner, it reveals a certain anxiety in the artist. In this group of files, there are the survey, photos of the event, and a review of the event beside the poll. (Zhuocheng Jiang '26)

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  Event Document: Signature Competition 签名大赛

  Shuang-Gui YE 叶双贵

  This signature competition is held by the artist. The winners of first prize would be granted a pack of Marlboro cigarettes. The second prize would be a bottle of Coca Cola and the third prize would be a "Xiao Ming ci" greeting card(literal translated as "little ceramics", a card with an image of porcelain work) made by the artist. (Zhuocheng Jiang '26)

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  Regarding (Twelve Square Meters)' Personal Story

  Huan ZHANG 張洹

  In this personal statement, Zhang talks about how he draws the most inspiration from the simplest and most ignored parts of life (talking on the couch, smoking, resting in bed, working, eating, defecating, etc.). He considers these universal moments to be the real human spiritual problems, the closest to people. By analyzing these moments, people can begin to discover the relationship between people and the living environment. The artist then goes on to describe how the idea for 'Twelve Square Meters' came from the moment he tried to find a bathroom on a hot afternoon in Beijing East Village and could only find ones impossible to stand in. He tried to bike to another restroom in the village and was bombarded by thousands of flies the moment he entered. He could only endure the experience for a moment. This is where the idea for 'Twelve Square Meters' came from. In his statement, Zhang says that there is an unpredictable and extremely essential process that follows the idea. Only after the project is completed does he understand the idea and has gained a new experience. This is the time where he truly experiences the spirit of the work. He ends his personal statement by saying that he chooses to focus on the experience of people in the most essential way and hates the performance element of his work. (Nicole Wang '26).

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  Artist Statement: ZHANG Huan

  Huan ZHANG 張洹

  The artist describes the inspiration of his work "12 Square Meters" in Chinese, and emphasized that the essence of his work was to experience the conflict between human being and their living environment through mundane life. As for this action art, refer to ZHOU Yan, "Contemporary Chinese Art: 1949 to Present," Springer, 2020, p. 310. (Yifan Shang '25)

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  Invitation of the Propositions for New Art at Hanmo Art Center首届翰墨新艺术方案大展

  Fa-dong ZHU朱发东

  It is the invitation of Propositions for New Art at Hanmo Art Center, which is scripted in both Chinese and English. The map at the bottom page shows the location of Hanmo Art Center. Several pictures of artwork are displayed beside the page. (Hao Yang’ 25)

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  Essay: Rolling Stone 论文：滚动的石头

  Huan ZHANG 張洹

  KONG Bu

  This short essay, written by Kong Bu, discussed action arts "12 Square Meters" and "65 kg" by Zhang Huan. It provided a brief description of the two works, then discussed the hidden symbolism and potential implications of the works. It emphasized that both works show the struggles, challenges and the awkward situation the artist has been facing. (Yifan Shang '25)