Wei Kejian December, 2012
Today artists are unrestrained in pursuing the power of understanding the world with art when they work on all kinds of different subjects. However, there are still not many of them who can create in the light of history through a unique angle. Ye Huanwei is one of the few.
I. Historical dignity of the subject matters
"Fish"
In the time when new things keep coming, we should devote ourselves to challenging old things; between the new and the old, Ye Huanwei has a unique way of thinking. Take “Fish” for example: it’s an extraordinarily big fish and a small set of knife and fork. There lies an interesting analysis: the dry fish and exquisite cutlery are not in concord, and they seem to co-exist in an unusual way, which would lead to two possible conclusions: either the person who is eating the fish is greedy, or he can’t find suitable cutlery. And the answer is clear: it’s the greed. And what is “greed” about? Feature of the time and human dignity. Same with “Football”; I think of it in this way: the person breaking the chair reflects the fact that he is an avid football fan and that he’s not happy about the performance of his football team; this is also about the feature of the time and human dignity. Disappointment leads to two results: introspection about reality and pursuit of eternity; they are the faith and hope we have for life; the more disappointed we get, the more we feel about the values of things. Ye Huanwei is telling us with his work that there is still much to be found in things that are deemed insignificant and cast away by the time; what he concerns most is the historical dignity of things, the silence they keep in the waves of the time.
"Football"
II. The track of time
"Mitten"
Art gets different definitions during the development of different elements as time goes by. Ye Huanwei has the concept of time in mind when he creates; his concept of time is not metaphysical, but starts when he picks up the subject matters. Take “Mitten”: it leads us to think that mittens were not or will not be used in such a violent way as presented now. In this sense, Ye Huanwei grasps the track of the time.
I never doubt Ye Huanwei’s way of thinking or creation, because I think it’s better that art should not be metaphysical, and that artists should be realistic and have their own unique ways of thinking. Metaphysics is undoubtedly a way of understanding the world, but its self-contented way of analysis will easily drag the work into a black hole. Ye Huanwei’s sense of responsibility comes from his thorough understanding of the subject matters; it is exactly in this sense that the value of avoiding metaphysics is more profound--- his work clearly presents the elementary realities of the time.
III. Parallel with the time
TPA staff shooting at Ye Huanwei's studio, Green Wood Garden
There are two kinds of human responsibilities: one is about the existing world, and the other is that of the people with a “passive” attitude who are not changing themselves or the world. Ye Huanwei belongs to the latter; there is no loud performance in his work or life; he observes and creates with a “passive” attitude and proceeds in the direction parallel with the time. He runs a restaurant in the art village and he’s also the chef. Both his work and his planning for life are different from those of the artists who claim to be the sons of god. I can say with certainty that he records the track of time and protects the dignity of things while being parallel with the time. As a result, Ye Huanwei’s creation is highly consistent.
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Wei Kejian is Member of the Guangdong Artists Association. His work “The Duo Form” won a bronze prize at the 10th National Artworks Exhibition and was collected by the National Art Museum of China.
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