Gallery Network

　　7 Questions for Chinese Artist Lu Junzhou on Freeing Contemporary Calligraphy From the ‘Shackles of Text’

　　Lu uses calligraphy as a starting point for new and expanded modes of artistic creation and self expression.

　　Artnet Gallery Network， April 24， 2023

Artist Lu Junzhou.

　　Chinese artist Lu Junzhou (b. 1974) has an artistic practice rooted in the traditions of calligraphy and ink painting. Over the course of his career， Lu has developed his own artistic vernacular， drawing from the history of both Eastern and Western artmaking traditions. These influences wed in his Chinese calligraphic works created through a distinctly contemporary lens.

　　Lu‘s work offers insight into the vast possibilities， both realized and potential， that calligraphy offers as a contemporary practice； though frequently working in two- dimensional mediums， the artist has also worked in installation. At the 2021 exhibition at the Liangzhu Culture and Arts Center in Zhejiang province， his work Stones with a thousand characters was comprised of hundreds of stones shown circularly. Ultimately， Lu’s employment of Chinese characters offers viewers-despite language barriers-the opportunity to experience and appreciate the logograms and their capacity for creative expression.

　　We recently caught up with Lu to learn more about his artistic journey， and what he aims to work with next within the genre.

Lu Junzhou， Saddened by Solitude (2020).

　　Though you began studying calligraphy as a child and were very active in the calligraphy scene as a teenager， it wasn‘t until 2010 that you started your own artistic practice. What led to this evolution in your work？

　　I grew up in the countryside of Yongjia， Zhejiang Province. At that time， handwriting was a skill， which may be because it is a tradition for people in Yongjia to attach the same importance to farming and the education of family members since ancient times. Calligraphy is closely related to life. People will be invited to write couplets for festivals， weddings， and funerals， as well as the inaugurations of new houses. Additionally， people will be invited to write the names of owners on items such as farmers’ household goods and farm tools. Government slogans need to be written. If you can write well in your local area， you will be respected and busy. My father always stressed to me， “handwriting is a person‘s other appearance.” After entering junior high school， the deepening of reform and opening of the country brought the prosperity of society as well as the craze for literature and art. The development of media gave me-although I lived in an isolated village at that time-the opportunity to participate in various national exhibitions and competitions. That’s when I began to enter the calligraphy circle. In the 1990s， when I was out of school， I was faced with a series of practical problems. During the following ten years， I lived a life of uncertainty， however， I never put down the brush. In 2003， I settled in Beijing and engaged in art-related jobs. With the rise of Chinese contemporary art， I felt that new things brought new thoughts. During my trip to Europe in 2007， I visited Kassel Documenta， Venice Biennale， Art Basel， etc. I also visited many art galleries and museums. Not knowing much about traditional Western and contemporary art， I had a feeling about art that I had never had before in a trance. In 2010， there were some changes in my life and work. I had some new thoughts on my work and life， especially on calligraphy. I also firmed up my understanding and perception and started a new practice.

Lu Junzhou， Bring In the Wine (2021).

　　What does your creative process look like？ Do you have a clear vision when you start or is it more organic and intuitive？

　　Some are planned， some are not planned. For example， in the two solo exhibitions I have held， I made some plans that took into consideration the space and scale of the museum， as well as the humanistic elements of the host place and the exhibition theme. But when you get into the creative state， it becomes unplanned again， and， ultimately， it‘s your intuition that determines everything. In my daily creation， I feel more in reading Chinese classical poetry. Chinese characters are symbols of wisdom， expressive， and can directly communicate with people. Poems and verses combined by excellent poets and writers will make Chinese characters more charming. I always have a strong impulse to write when reading.

　　What role does history or tradition play in your artistic practice？

　　Almost all of my works rely on history and tradition. The artistic conception and cultural atmosphere presented in traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting have impressed me greatly， and I especially hope that my works can have these feelings. Maybe history and tradition are more of a treasure trove for me. I can go to this treasure whenever I want to find what I want and solutions.

Lu Junzhou， Dream (2018).

　　I read that you aim for “de-textualization” in your calligraphic work despite frequently centering on text. Can you expand on this idea？

　　“De-textualization” is not my goal. I just think that calligraphy， as an independent art， should exist independently. Text is only one of its elements， and my creation is very dependent on text. I especially hope that when the viewer faces my works， they can feel my calligraphic language rather than the content of the text. Of course， I also think about whether calligraphy would have more freedom if it could get rid of the shackles of text. Maybe…

　　Where do you usually look for or find inspiration？ Are there any movements， events， or experiences that have influenced your work the most？

　　For me， inspiration is uncertain and fleeting. It may be the dribs and drabs of life， a poem， a work of art， a shot in a movie or television， or a picture imagined in a daze and wild imagination. Of course， anything that happens at the moment might get my attention.

　　What would you like viewers of your work to take away with them， or their experience to be like？

　　I hope that my works can give viewers a visual experience that they have never had before. I also hope that viewers can put down some formatted presuppositions on calligraphy， a traditional art， and feel and experience everything happening in the moment with an open and pure mind.

　　Can you tell us about what you are currently working on， or hope to work on next？

　　After holding the solo exhibition “Writing Liangzhu” in Hangzhou in 2021， I hardly felt like writing. At the beginning of last year， I set up my new studio near Songzhuang in Beijing and moved my home to the studio. I have a lot of imagination for my future creations， and my next job is to present these imaginations one by one. I’m really looking forward to my new works.

Lu Junzhou，  First Feeling (2010)

　　以下内容为中文版

　　1.虽然你从小就开始写书法，并且在十几岁时在书法界已经崭露头角，但直到2010年你才开始自己的艺术实践。请问是什么导致了你工作的这种变化？

　　我从小生活在浙江永嘉的农村，那时候，写字可以说是一门手艺，可能是永嘉自古以来就有耕读传家的传统。书写与生活是息息相关的，逢年过节、红白喜事、盖新房等都会请人来写对联、农民家的家什、农具等物件，也会请人来写上字号。还有招牌和政府的宣传标语等等。如果你在当地写字出众的话，会很受尊重也会很忙。父亲一直跟我强调，“字是一个人的门面”。上初中后，随着改革开放的深入，社会的繁荣带来了文艺热，也开始有传媒信息的传播，使得我在那时非常封闭的乡村也有机会参与到各种全国性的展览、比赛等。同时也开始接触到书法界。上世纪九十年代，我正式进入社会，就面临着一系列的现实问题。在随后的十几年里，我过着各种不确定的生活，当然期间从未放下毛笔。而2003年我正式定居北京，从事了艺术相关的工作。正值中国当代艺术的兴起，我感受到了新事物带来了新思潮。2007年的欧洲之行，参观了卡塞尔文献展，威尼斯双年展，巴塞尔艺术博览会等。也参观了很多所美术馆，博物馆。对西方传统艺术和当代艺术不甚了解的我，在那种恍恍惚惚的感觉中，对艺术产生了一些从未有过的一种感觉。2010年我的生活工作产生了一些变故，我对自己的工作，生活做了一些新的思考，特别是对自己一直以来极具钟爱的书法。我也更坚定了自己的理解和感悟，也开始了新的实践。

　　2.您的创作过程是怎样的？您在开始创作时是否有清晰的计划，还是更多的是随机的或者只是直觉？

　　有些是有计划，有些是没有计划的。比如我举办过的两次个展，我的创作会考虑美术馆的空间和尺度，还有举办地的人文元素，展览主题等做一些计划。但进入创作状态时，又会变得没有计划了，最终是直觉决定了一切。平时的日常创作，我更多的是在阅读中国古典诗词中产生感觉的。汉字本身就是智慧的符号，是有表情的，是能直接与人产生交流的而优秀的诗人，作家所组合的诗句，词篇会让汉字更具魅力，我总是在阅读中产生强烈的书写冲动。

　　3.历史或传统在您的艺术创作中扮演什么角色？

　　在我的创作中几乎都是依赖历史和传统，中国传统书画所呈现出来的意境和人文气息等使我赞叹不已，我也特别希望我的作品里能有这些感觉。可能历史和传统对我来说更像是个巨大的宝藏。我可以随时到这个宝藏里寻找我想要的东西和解决方案。

　　4.我读到你的目标是在你的书法作品中“去文本化”，尽管经常以文本为中心，你能扩展一下这个想法吗？

　　“去文本化”不是我的目标，我只是认为，书法作为独立的艺术，它应该是独立的存在。文本只是它的元素之一，而我的创作又是非常依赖文本，我特别希望观者面对我的作品时，感受的是我的书写语言，而不是文本的内容。当然，我也会思考，书写如果能摆脱文本的束缚是否会有更自由的空间，也许吧......

　　5，您通常在哪里寻找或找到灵感？是否有任何的瞬间、事件或经历对您的创作产生很大的影响？

　　对于我来说，灵感是不确定的，是稍纵即逝的，可能生活中的点点滴滴，可能是某一句诗词，可能是某件艺术作品，可能是影视中的某个镜头，也可能发呆和胡思乱想时所想象出来的某个画面。当然，当下发生的一切都可能会引起我的关注。

　　6.你希望你作品能够给观者带去什么？或者希望他体验到什么？

　　我希望自己的作品能给观者带去从未有过的视觉感受，也希望观者能放下对书法这门传统艺术的一些格式化的预设，以开放和纯粹的心态，去感受和体验当下发生的一切。

　　7.你能告诉我们你目前正在做什么，或者希望下一步做什么吗？

　　2021年在杭州举办“书写良渚”个展之后，我几乎没有动笔的感觉，去年年初，我在北京的宋庄边缘地带设立了自己新的工作室，同时把家也搬到工作室边上，对于今后的创作，我有非常非常多的想象，我接下来的工作就是要把这些想象一一呈现，我非常期待自己的新作品。

　　关于艺术家

　　卢俊舟，别署：芦庐、吾自斋等。1974年出生于浙江省永嘉县。曾任职于中国艺术研究院。现为独立艺术家，工作生活于北京。于2018年在苏州博物馆举办“平行”-卢俊舟个展；2021年在杭州良渚艺术中心举办“书写良渚”-卢俊舟艺术展。

　　艺术家卢俊舟，自幼研习书法。从传统出发，又着力跳脱传统法度的规则，融入富有创造性的自我表达。作品充斥着古典与现代交织的流动变化。卢俊舟坚持为自己书写，创造属于自己的艺术语言。在传统脉络和当代视野中探索东方笔墨精神。通过深刻的思考与艺术实践，让中国书法在世界艺术的当代格局中展现未来的可能性。

　　About the Artist

　　LU Junzhou， also known as Lulu， Wuzizhai， etc. Born in 1974 in Yongjia County， Zhejiang Province， he worked at Chinese National Academy of Arts， and now he works as an independent artist based in Beijing. In 2018， he held Parallel-LU Junzhou Art Exhibition at Suzhou Museum. In 2021 he held Liangzhu in Calligraphy-LU Junzhou Art Exhibition at Liangzhou Art Center， Hangzhou.

　　Mr. Lu， an artist with rigorous training in calligraphy in his early years， sets off his artistic journey from tradition while breaking away from traditional rules by incorporating self expressions with his own creativity. Therefore his works shimmer with interwoven motifs， classical and modern. When Mr. Lu creates， he has nobody else on his mind but he himself， giving rise to the unique art language that‘s naturally his own， which is the soul of the oriental art of ink in the intertwined fabric of traditional through-line and modern lenses. With his in-depth thoughts and practice， he tries to extend the possibilities of Chinese calligraphy to show the future within the contemporary art paradigm of the world.

　　新闻来源news.artnet.com

　　https://news.artnet.com/buyers-guide/7-questions-lu-junzhou-2290074​