Liu Ye, Leave Me in the Dark, 2008, acrylic on canvas, 86 5/8 x 118 inches.
Liu Ye is part of the first generation of contemporary Chinese artists to become a part of the international art market. He is also one of the leaders of that generation. When his paintings go up at auction, standards are set, and people pay attention. His most recent series of work is now up at Sperone Westwater through December 19. Known for his use of bright colors, pretty young girls as subjects, and references to Mondrian, this group of work is a slight departure – at least more subdued. And it certainly feels more personal. Whitewall sat down with Liu Ye last month while he was installing the show in New York.
WHITEWALL: This will be your first solo show in three years at Sperone Westwater. What was your starting point for this series?
LIU YE: I’ve tried to come back to painting. It’s not only an idea. My early works sometimes had an homage to Mondrian in the painting, but I don’t want to be a painter always referencing Mondrian. I’m interested in how to make a painting so I try different subjects.
WW: The paintings seem to be more personal in this series. Are they?
LY: Yes. I think my art is always personal.
WW: Many of the works feature a solitary woman or man carrying luggage. Who are they? Where are they going?
LY: I feel the package is beautiful; it’s a beautiful form in painting and it’s a very beautiful composition. Of course there is some meaning but I do not mean travel, it’s more about maybe love, about what’s inside these people. The title deals with travel, but it’s not really about travel.
WW: Leave Me In the Dark is the focal point of the series. Tell me more about it and the woman featured.
LY: This painting starts from a woman going to another place. But it’s about a feeling, not really about distance between people, or whether she goes away or not. Distance for human beings now is not really very important. A flight from Beijing to America is only 12 hours. I come here more than I go to other Chinese cities. Many old Chinese poets wrote about that feeling, people not seeing each other for many years because men would leave to work. Distance is somehow petty with modern people. We’ve lost this feeling.
Liu Ye, Girl with Toy Bricks, 2007, acrylic on canvas, 31 1/2 x 23 5/8 inches.
WW: Is your only reference to Mondrian Toy Bricks and Composition with Toy Bricks?
LY: Yes, the Bauhaus or Mondrian. The blocks are a very basic form and color for people to begin with art. Yesterday I bought colored bricks at the MoMA for the Bauhaus exhibition. I think design from the Bauhaus movement is very beautiful in form, very basic. Children are fascinated with these forms and colors and me, too! I am always excited when I see form and color.
WW: Those are some of the brighter colors in this series because your use of color otherwise is pretty subdued.
LY: This year I made most colors darker, more dirty. I’m more and more interested in classic painting, like renaissance masters. Their paintings are very dark but very salient.
WW: The work “Ballet Lesson” comes to mind.
LY: I was thinking about Degas, about making a ballet dancer but it’s a bit different. I cut off the head and at the same time I cut out the feet, so it nearly becomes abstract.
WW: The bamboo paintings are the first time we see bamboo in your work. Tell us more about those.
LY: Bamboo is a traditional Chinese object for over 2000 years. I planted some bamboo near my studio and everyday I see it. One day I decided to make a painting about bamboo. But I work differently than Chinese old masters. They make bamboo and put many meanings into it. The character of it is like people, it’s soft and thin but very strong. Bamboo can grow almost everywhere. It’s an artist’s symbol for himself – I may look soft but inside I’m very strong. It’s a very simple symbol. For me, it is not this. I’m interested in the structure. I try with these bamboo works to make it structural like a building. It’s Bauhaus, this idea. It’s not about myself. If my outside and inside are soft it’s no problem [laughs].
WW: The Chinese art market has experienced a boom and slight retraction in the past year. Do you pay much attention to the contemporary art market?
LY: I think our generation in China, my generation, is a lucky generation. We are the first generation in China that has a relationship with the market. Older generations all worked for government, or were teachers, all part of the old system. But artists must be careful. We are all between 40 and 50 years old. Normally, if you are lucky, you can work 30 years more. I’ve only worked 20 years so far and I have still 30 years to work so I must be careful not only for money but to realize you have a lot of time left to work. So you must keep your love for art. I love to make paintings and I cannot forget this. So it’s a chance that’s dangerous at the same time.
Liu Ye, Banned Book 2, 2008, acrylic on canvas, 31 1/2 x 39 3/8 inches.
All images courtesy of Sperone Westwater, New York.
