Interview with Gu Fangyuan
1.Many of your works revolve around experiences during journeys, whether in the villages of Sichuan and Yunnan or on the grasslands. Do you travel purely for the sake of creation? Or what is the relationship between creation and travel?
I don’t travel solely for creation; rather, travel, creation, and “seeking a genuine connection within myself” form a mutually supportive cycle. This is related to my belief in the spirituality of all things and my nature as a worshipper of the natural world. Compared to the complex interpersonal relationships and environments of daily life, I yearn for pure, egalitarian “spiritual interactions.” Therefore, I always choose to travel to natural places with historical depth, providing space for me to find comfortable connections. Consequently, images of plants and animals or scenes that evoke a sense of ritual often appear in my works. Creation helps me distill those parts of my travel experiences that truly resonate with my inner self and present them visually. For example, why do I drape the calm, slow black yak in bright orange, adorned with flowers, as it nimbly crosses the hillside? Why does the structure of a dim temple hidden in the mountains intertwine with the branches throughout the painting? I need to confirm these “right connections” through creation; this is also an important meaning of my travels.
2.Interestingly, after graduating from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, you went to Italy to study, but we haven’t seen works from that part of your journey. Why is that? What influence did your studies in Italy have on your creation?
During that time, I didn’t produce many complete works; instead, I created sketches and fragmentary notes in my notebook. My experience in Italy helped me transition naturally from “design creation” to “immediate resonance.” The unfamiliar environment abroad and the uncertainties brought by the pandemic temporarily detached me from the familiar evaluation system. In the daily struggle of survival and adaptation, I needed the most direct emotional outlet: quick sketches and draft-style records that didn’t need to be “perfect,” just capturing the feelings of the moment. This state of “expressing first, regardless of rules” helped my creation return to its most original function—being a tool for dialogue with the present, establishing genuine connections with myself and the world. I believe that “easy recording” can sometimes be more powerful than “deliberate completion.” This emphasis on “authentic feelings” resonates with my later search for connections in nature and using creation to affirm these feelings. It also influences my daily work, where my compositions often convey a sense of “casualness and relaxation,” with chaotic lines and imbalanced compositions. This stems from my experience in Italy, allowing myself to be imperfect and permitting creation to be merely a record and expression.
3.Your works often capture fleeting moments of life, from pedestrians crossing the street to business dinners and even parting with your dog. We experience moments continuously; why do these moments form the basis of your creation? Have you reflected on what you care about?
Moments carry a wealth of “unsaid information” for me, revealing “the unmasked truth.” The existence of natural objects requires no disguise, while the moments of eye contact between people often reveal their most genuine psychological states (such as vulnerability, sensitivity, and desire for connection). These “unvarnished truths” directly strike my perception of the “commonality of all things”—whether it’s the spirituality of plants and animals or the humanity of people, they are essentially different forms of “existence.” Through creation, I distill and embody this commonality that I perceive. In this process, I care not about “whether this is an animal or a person,” but about the shared energy, emotions, and connection needs behind them. I am not obsessed with “realistic logic”; I simply touch upon more essential states of life in these defenseless moments. This pursuit of “authentic connection” is both my way of perceiving the world and the core driving force of my creation.
4.Additionally, another significant source of your creation comes from your experiences with illness. Six years of illness and treatment seem to have led you to consciously introspect, resulting in many unconscious, intuitive paintings. Can you elaborate on this part of your work?
What you refer to as “intuitive painting” is an important practice of self-healing for me. In this type of painting, sometimes I draw the marks of physical and mental states or changes through self-reflection in real-time. At other times, I let my body lead the brush, forming images unconsciously. Surprisingly, during complex situations or moments of confusion for my body and mind, my body often plays a more active and honest role without always engaging in thought. Some of my works appear abstract, resembling symbols or chaotic lines, which relates to my painting style. For instance, when I feel irritable, I let my hand move rapidly and randomly on the paper, and the resulting image becomes a visible trace of that emotion.
Your works primarily utilize mixed media. Besides canvas, you frequently use oil-based pencils and handmade papers, especially types like Dongba paper and paper made from the bark of the paper mulberry, which have specific textures and origins. Why do you choose these materials for creation?
These different materials allow me to perceive with a foundation of “connection” rather than “control” in my creation. In this process, I feel more like a participant than a creator. I attempt to build a “cross-boundary dialogue” through materials—whether it’s Dongba paper carrying natural and cultural genes, industrially produced acrylics and canvases, or portable oil-based pencils. Natural and traditional materials (Dongba paper, paper mulberry bark) possess original “locality,” allowing me to touch upon “truths not cut by industry,” satisfying my perception of “the spirituality of all things.” More industrial materials, such as fast-drying acrylics and standardized canvases, also possess their own “language” as creations of modern society. I don’t reject them; sometimes, I actively dissolve the authority of the “creator,” preserving the genuine interactions generated by the collision of different materials in my works—such as the fibers of bark paper, textures left by the rejection of two materials, the graffiti feel of pencils, and the powerful absorbency of Dongba paper that can blur or engulf colors. My selection of mixed media also reflects my view of creation: it is not a one-way output from “nothing to something” but a process of “manifesting from connection.” Sometimes, rather than focusing on the “source” of materials, I care more about whether they can produce genuine connections, which aligns with my logic of perceiving the world.
This is your first solo exhibition. Do you have an overall concept or expression in mind? Or what slice of yourself do you want to present to the public?
I want to present the current me, making a sincere and natural appearance.