Artist in conversation: Haotian Yang
Haotian Yang is currently a Chinese art student who served in the Chinese army for two years after his freshman year. His college major is film and television production. In addition to shooting and making films, he is interested in creating works of art using digital photography or collage of images.
Due to his family background and personal experience, he has his observations and reflections on China's political system and people's living conditions. In addition to depicting the impact of social systems on human nature, his works also keep records of China's urbanization process. He has been trying to expand the possibility of using photographic media to express and use more innovative ways to express when appropriate.
Website
How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you?
I am an art student in China, majoring in Cinematography. Aiming to have more experiences in life, I enlisted in the army during college and served for two years.
I like to use the medium of photography and create my work based on photo material, which is probably what makes it some kind of digital art.
I am very concerned about Chinese society and people's lives, and I hope to record what I see through visual art. My style tends to be documentary, but I will creatively transform part of it, because I think the documentary style connects people's visual experience and is a kind of psychological intuition, and the transformed part will strengthen the visual tension of the work and give it personal characteristics.
My favorite artist is Andreas Gursky, whose creative philosophy has always been an inspiration to me.
What is your art practice, and what inspires you as an artist?
I have always maintained the habit of taking pictures, taking a Sony portable camera to record my life. But because of China's special policies on COVID-19 these years, it is difficult to maintain this habit. So, I gradually began to shift my work enthusiasm online.
I started making collage art, which is a way to organize myself and review my memories.
During this phase, my imagination was unleashed to a greater extent and I really started to rethink questions about the nature of expressiveness in photography. I would like to say that the artist who inspired me the most at this stage was Andreas Gusky, whose biography and philosophy moved me and benefited me a lot.
I enjoy almost all of the humanities. Early years ago, my father wanted me to work in a bank like him, but I insisted and I chose art colleges. My choice might be driven by the fact that I believe life is short, human nature is complicated, and the world is mysterious. Survival is not everything in life. I hope to understand myself and the meaning of life better through art creation. If, in the process, something I create resonates with other people, or helps them in any way, then I think it's worth it. I'm an existentialist, that's also one reason why I try to make art, expressing myself can keep myself away from a kind of nothingness and collapse.
Your series “Chinese Mud-bricks” caught everyone’s attention at the “EPHEMERAL” exhibition show at The Holy Art Gallery in Athens. What is the story behind this work?
This series was created during the lockdown of Shanghai due to the Covid-19 this year. During this time, I have witnessed far too many tragedies caused by man-made chaos rather than viruses. Every official is in his post, and every department is running, but no one chooses the latter between fulfilling his duties to the system and fulfilling his responsibilities to the people. So, I began to reflect on such a numb and mechanical system and observed the alienation of "People" into "Bricks" after entering the system.
When countless patients in need of first aid were unable to be sent to the hospital, and when the officials were almost frantically controlling speech, I opened the official website of the Shanghai Municipal Government and stared at the ID photos of officials displayed in the "Leadership Window". I think they are very much like NPC who are bound by the rules of the game; I don't see any human appearances in their portraits and each regular rectangular ID photo is so "Brick".
In order to present their alienation, I used the concept of "decentralization" of blockchain NFT works to strip them from their original positions and observe what these "bricks" look like after they are separated from the collective. Undoubtedly, their appearance was forever changed by the glue called "Party Spirit".
This series of work refers visually but also conceptually to the “decentralization" of the blockchain NFT. How did you come up with this idea and how exactly have you adapted it to your work?
" Everydays: The First 5000 Days", this NFT work was auctioned at a sky-high price in March this year, which also sparked discussions around the world at the time. It was also, at that time, when Shanghai began to blockade due to the Covid-19. So, that was when I also became interested in the NFT artwork and the blockchain.
On Open Sea, we will see some very popular pixel art portraits, which are all preparing for the future identity system of the Metaverse. People's obsession with identity symbols is what drives them to pursue these NFT pixel portraits. So, I started thinking about the visual significance of pixel art. I think people like it, not just because of nostalgia for the retro style, but because it has its own unique expressiveness. It is not a style, but a medium.
"Chinese Mud-bricks" shows a group of people who were alienated after entering the system, and their self-personality was disintegrated under the transformation of the system. The system brings people new identities and powers, after that identities and powers bring people new illusions, and these people eventually lose themselves and become a mud-brick in a huge system building. The pixel face brings the texture of things being corroded, and a kind of absurdity like mechanical reproduction. Power and identity construct a metaverse for these people, and these are their portraits in that world.
The particularity of the blockchain lies in decentralization, and "decentralization" has become a metaphorical symbol for me. This word symbolizes a new idea in a new era, and it is also an impact on the old system. When realizing that there is more than one answer to the question, people will start to reflect on the unchanging past and face the problem squarely. People who live under the grand narrative all year round will have a collective illusion of paralyzing themselves, so this kind of thinking is very important to most people in China right now. The place where these portraits in my works should exist is a special page on the government’s official website called “Leadership Window”. In that context, they are a symbol of power and status, and an unquestionable will. And what I do is break down the stereotypes, take them out of there and reinterpret them. To me, the concept of “decentralization” is more like a thought that leads me to look more logically and empathetically at those people who wield power but are swallowed by the system.
The colour you have chosen for the background of each piece of this series has a vital role. What do these colors indicate?
The three background colors that appear in the work are blue, white and red. These three colors are also the main ID photo colors of Chinese government officials. The blue in the system is usually light blue, similar to the color of the sky, which obviously has the implication of being clean and close to the people. And the red in the system is usually pure red, which implies loyalty and strength. Blue and red are used by administrative officials, while white is the exclusive color of the police system.
I did a lot of research before creating, and I found that officials in big cities usually prefer to use red and wear suits, while officials in some remote small cities use blue and wear casual clothes. There is no absolute standard to regulate their attire and the background color of the photos, but it is clear that these ID photos have a connection with officials’ recognition of power and identity. It is also worth mentioning that the public photos of leaders at the top of the system usually use blue rather than red, that is to say, the most striking red users are often middle-level people rather than high-level people. I think this is a very interesting phenomenon. Perhaps because low-level officials think they are not suitable for using red, middle-level officials are unwilling to use blue because it does not make them look more special than the common staff, and high-level officials think they already have substantial " Red " and prefer to create a more modest image.
I made certain adjustments to the hues of these three colors when creating the artworks. On the basis of presenting the original appearance, I made the color more modern, like some colors in cyberpunk works. On the one hand, because the composition of the entire series has strict standards, more vibrant colors can also make the picture less heavy to some extent. On the other hand, because the whole work is to reinterpret old things in a new context.
In one of the series pieces is a portrait of you, wearing the army’s uniform, with a big red flower in the centre. This is a very powerful image. What is the story behind it, what is the connection with the rest of the works and what does this specific piece mean to you?
This is one of my reflections on myself after finishing the whole series. The material source of this work is my own military uniform photo. In China, being a soldier is considered a very honorable thing by the public, so, on the first day you enlist in the army, you will wear big red flowers to create a festive atmosphere.
My entire series of works is a reflection and criticism of the Chinese system, but there is no doubt that I am also a member of the system. I had the option of continuing to serve in the army, or leaving the army to pursue art, and I chose the latter. If I choose to stay in the system, maybe one day I will become one of the mud-bricks.
So, at the end of the whole series, I also included myself as the object of criticism, as a kind of prayer for a possibly fallen me in some parallel world, and also as a wake-up call for myself at the moment.
What do you hope that the public takes away from your art?
When I posted my work on Instagram, I got many private messages and comments from people. Many of them are my compatriots in China and they have all experienced the pain I previously described. I was touched by the way they described how they felt the same and expressed their support. At that time, I thought my work must have had an impact on them.
The particularity of a work of art can use its characteristics to strengthen an expression and catch people's attention. I think any artistic expression will be connected with a certain motif of human nature, which means it is shared by everyone.
Today is an era of popular entertainment, and everyone is surrounded by various forms of commercial entertainment, which is concerning. I think people need to pay more attention to the real world and provide power to change the status quo. If my work can convey to the public a way of thinking about the living environment, a way of disdainful pursuit of self-worth, and a way of bravery in expression, then I think all the efforts are worthwhile.
Are there any projects you are currently working on and you would like to speak about?
There are two works that I hope to have the opportunity to share in the future. One of the series is a photographic work, which I named "Kite In The Heart". The photo depicts the scene of children flying kites with their families in a Chinese mountain village, which is an acronym for parent-child relationship caused by Chinese education. By recording their kite-flying process, the work expresses the distance between them who seem close but actually distant, and the children in the mountains themselves are confused about the future.
Another series of works is a digital artwork. The main body of the work is composed of the fossils of Keichousaurus, a characteristic dinosaur in China. This is quite imaginative work. I try to use the remains of an ancient creature as a material to construct a mysterious historical illusion. This series of works still maintains my creative concept, which is to create a real atmosphere to describe an unreal thing.
My Instagram account is azureyang724, where I will update some of my art works, and also hope to communicate with friends all over the world here.
Finally, how would you describe your experience working with us and exhibiting in our physical, yet completely digital gallery, in Athens?
The cooperation with The Holy Art Gallery is my first overseas art exhibition, which is very meaningful to me. I was very moved by the friendliness, enthusiasm and responsibility of the gallery. From the exhibition to the interview, we communicate with each other through emails, and every feedback I have will be answered seriously. At the same time, the gallery also provides precious opportunities for new artists like me, giving me a platform to show myself. Here I would like to say thank you to the entire team at the gallery, it has been a pleasure to meet you all and it has been an honor working with you.