Literary Games, Art Strategies

Chang Tsong-zung

1.

As a contemporary artist, Ye Fang does not seem to be bothered much by the explosive concepts cast about by art critics. He goes his own way, step by step, to bring back into being “the good life” as it is preserved in the cultural memory of Suzhou and in his own childhood impressions, but reinventing it under present conditions. He paints, builds his “scholar's garden”, organises parties and holds private performances for the amusement of his friends and select visitors. Throughout, he seems to be engaged in painting an invisible picture, illustrating in full detail the good life we all look forward to but cannot quite realize or depict.

What makes Ye Fang different is that he not only understands the nature of this good life that Suzhou left behind a generation ago, he also knows that it is in fact hidden in the near future; and that it has always been so: just gone away and yet just a bit ahead of us. This is perhaps why he is not threatened by all the swift shifting of position of contemporary art; he knows what the good life means, and it is still ahead.

Contemporary art is interested in the present moment: it engages current issues and new concepts in order to move with the times. It looks forward to the future. For these reasons contemporary art does not have as its priority the creation of art for the reclusive soul. Traditional Chinese shuhua (“calligraphy-painting”) has not found an enthusiastic reception on the contemporary art platform partly because it has an alternative agenda for art, marked by the ideals of reclusion and transcendence. However, this agenda also can act as a trap for shuhua , as its tendency towards disengagement with the times makes it prone to stiff mannerist expressions and to becoming irrelevant for the contemporary audience.

Five years ago, Ye Fang started to build his own rock garden in Suzhou, filling it with architectural details and vegetation that refer to the grand tradition of literati culture. He not only applies his training in shuhua to creating a space, but also reviving the activities that befit a cultured literatus: poetry recitals and garden operas, art gatherings and tea parties. The rock garden is here revived as a micro-cosmos, a cultural eco-system that reinterprets the literati spirit. With this project Ye Fang has established a new link between contemporary life and shuhua , setting an example for a type of contemporary art that carries with it cultural memory and new inspiration. Ye Fang has achieved this not just through artwork alone, but by shedding light on a hidden world.

Issues of global concern—limited energy sources, nuclear proliferation, the environment--have diminished the pursuit of fine art and sophisticated cultural concerns into seeming insignificance. Yet in fact the strength of art is precisely in providing new angles of imagination, and breaking down barriers of specialised expertise. Critical reflection is of course expected of any conscientious artist, but he should be even more constructive in his contribution; he should be able to propose new ideas, and open up new vistas. Better yet, the artist should draw us into coherent worlds, and provide complete experiences. From this angle Ye Fang's work is particularly meaningful for contemporary art. He is not startled by sudden turns in cultural trends as he has an exit into an alternative world. For him as for others in the past, the classical Chinese garden is a fountain of inspiration, a refuge from worldly strife and a buffer against spiritual calamities. Here is contained a wealth of cultural resources that contemporary intellectuals have passed up, partly because the garden has been preserved as a “relic”, a rare antique. For Ye Fang, the garden constitutes his starting point. To build his garden he was compelled to call upon all his resources, and had to make use of every shard of lore and hint of inspiration. In mobilising the riches of the classical garden to test it against modern realities, Ye Fang has given it a new life and significance in contemporary art. His works such as “Roam the World”, “Sail” and “Sight and Sound” in the present installation space are all artworks that begin with tales from the garden.

Apart from its role as a paradigm for the good life of old China, the classical garden is a trove of wisdom for resolving current problems. As a micro-cosmos mirroring an aesthetic ecological world, the garden illustrates how, in context, a poetic touch may bring life to a particular situation, and how a philosophical twist in attitude may bring about a harmonious solution. The message is to make allowance for every type of life by balancing the forces, rather than building defensive walls. The artful distribution of plants for all seasons, enjoyed with proper diversion for each solar term, enriches our aesthetic senses while sharpening awareness of the cosmic cycle. These are lessons in strategic living for a chaotic world. Also, the physical design of the garden is both an exercise in stage design and game planning, aimed to delight the owner and surprise unsuspecting guests. It is to this cultural wealth that Ye Fang refers in times of crisis, and knows he will not be disappointed. In terms of engaging society, the art of the cultured man should provide inspiration drawn from his own cumulative experience, elevated to a form that can be shared by others.

Perhaps it is for all these reasons that Ye Fang's art does not exude the air of bewilderment and aggression found in so many contemporary artworks. He has a vision of civilised life refined by generations of cultured people; it is equipped to deal with changes and surprises, and is ultimately braced to face extreme calamities. As a contemporary artist, Ye Fang's creativity lies in his skilful merging of a complex cultural memory into the current context, harnessing fickle contemporary artistic strategies to a special world he understands with passion. This creative approach may rightly claim to be a Chinese contemporary artistic strategy. With this strategy Ye Fang is posed to revitalise a cultural vision that seems to have just gone away and yet remains hidden in the near future.

2.

The work in the present exhibition is titled “In the Manner of the Four Treasures of the Study”. Using the term shi for “manner” suggests it to be part of a developing series. Ye Fang confirms this is so; this is the first chapter of an elaborated project, with others to follow.

The work is contrived as a game-room set up to welcome visitors from all quarters. In the centre is a path channelling energy to the “Five Sacred Mountains” sculpture. A game-room is a suitable metaphor for Ye Fang's space because he is fond of entertaining, and the work would be incomplete without players. The installations are inspired by the traditional “four scholarly treasures”: brush, ink stone, ink stick and paper, each represented in one section of the space. The games prepared for visitors are all literary in nature. The entrance is the “Gate of Sight and Sound” (referring to earthly pleasures); spinning slowly above is the breeze from “Roam the World” (referring to the “breeze” of cultural influence). Visitors feel as though they are guests in Ye Fang's private garden; they are invited to experience in this space the gradual opening up of a literary world of imagination, with trusted scholar's tools anchoring the mind. This is a game-room catering to all who have direct and indirect experience of the traditional writing table and poetic literary games.

The gem of the artwork is its strategic positioning. Strategic positioning is a specialty of the military, yet here the garden expert shows how it can be subtly applied. The purpose of military formation is to create a situation from which the enemy cannot extricate himself, and this is what literary games also excel in. Ye Fang welcomes the visitor with an open central passage, and entertains him with sight and sound to lower his guard. As the visitor turns west he is suddenly confronted by glittering gold sails decorated with cryptic poetic riddles. The sails are supported by a pair of mountainous “paper-weights”. Here the visitor realises he needs to be on his guard; pulling himself together, he studies the “paper” exhibitions on either side with caution. The south end is the stronghold of the camp, and Ye Fang defends the site with three majestic peak-like rockeries. With these rockeries in position, the energy of the entire space converges; it is then able to bring together the soothing spirit and charm of the four seasons, drawing visitors of diverse nature.

Ye Fang's strategic formation is created for fine art. It is here to engage discourses of different creative styles and inclinations, hence it sets an intriguing example of an indigenous “installation art”. Compared with most installations, Ye Fang's work comes with a world-view more coherent and self-contained. If the contemporary artist's mission is to provide the audience with an integrated experience and a fountain of inspiration, then this installation sets a useful precedent. The strategic formation here suggests how life's chance encounters may be approached with trepidation, so one must enter its “game” being both prepared and open to surprises. This is a form of “interactive installation” with literary and cultural nuances; and it is a novel kind of open-ended artwork that brings historical tradition up to date. As yet this is only the beginning. With Ye Fang's experience in presenting literary parties and garden operas, the “game-room” promises to be the seat of a new type of “literary art”, and we may look forward to other unexpected “manners” of presentation which the artist intends to deliver in the future.