Interview 访问｜Wei Rongjia 韦蓉佳 Divine Intervention 神圣干预
Wei Rongjia is an artist currently based in Shanghai. She creates art as a means of exploring the concepts of spirituality and the divine. Her works are interesting as it unveils the relations between belief and otherworldly influences that affect human psychology. Recently we sat down with Wei Rongjia to get to know her in an exclusive interview. Let's take a look below:
韦蓉佳是一位现居上海的艺术家。她将艺术创作作为探索灵性和神圣概念的一种手段。她的作品充满趣味，其中揭示了信仰与人类心理受到的其它世俗影响之间的关系。最近我们有机会坐下来和韦蓉佳来一次独家采访，我们一起来看看采访内容。
Tell us about how you got into art
你从什么时候对艺术有兴趣？ 怎么开始？
I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. My parents, like many in China, would go to work in a factory every day. In their absence, I would draw, and I could do it all day. That’s when China was about to enter the “market economy” times, and my mother believed that girls should master certain skills, so they could support themselves in the future. So, she enrolled me in a hobby class when I was three. I was very lucky, and now it feels like fate since the teacher of that class was Mr. Xue Wenbiao. He is the last student of a Chinese painting master, and a Member of the China Creative Studies Institute and China Artists Association, Dean of Shanghai Modern Children Art Museum, and a famous children's art educator in China.
我从一出生就开始画画了。在过去中国的那个年代，父母白天都会去厂里去工作。而父母不在的时候，我就在家里拿纸涂鸦画画，我一画可以画一天。那是个中国即将步入市场化经济的格局动荡年代，我的母亲觉得女生应该要有一个一技之长，这样长大了可以至少养活自己。于是，在3岁的时候，母亲就帮我报名了兴趣班。机缘巧合，那时候我兴趣班的画画的老师，正是薛文彪。他是最后一位嫡传弟子，中国创造协会会员，上海美术家协会会员，上海现代儿童美术馆馆长，中国著名的儿童美术教育家。
I remember vividly that I was too little to write any Chinese characters. Therefore, Mr. Xue requested that the parents should accompany their children in the class, so they could help take notes. When he saw me draw in my first class, Mr. Xue asked my mother whether anybody in my family was an established painter. My mother answered there was not. Mr. Xue said to my mother, “your child is very talented. You could guide her to art.” That’s how I got into art.
我记得很清楚，那时候的我年龄还太小，不会写字，所以薛老师会要求家长陪同孩子一起上课。这样家长可以帮我们记笔记。而我们坐在旁边画画。薛老师在第一堂课看到我画画的时候，就问我母亲，“家里祖传上是否有画家？”我母亲回答并没有。于是，薛老师就告诉我妈妈，“这个孩子很有天赋，以后就把她往画家的道路上培养吧”。就这样，我的艺术之路就已经开始了。
What is the focus of your work and why do you think it is important?
你的创作重点是什么？ 为什么认为这很重要？
We have always lived in a world built by humans, and over time we have forgotten the fact that the earth existed long before there was a man. We are not the creators of the planet; rather, we are merely one of the many creatures living in this land, sharing the environment and growing to become a strong species. Our ancestors did not master such advanced technology, but they respected nature and understood our connection with other animals because they realized the importance of understanding and connecting to their surroundings in order to survive in the invisible but interactive ecological network. The growth of humankind and the development of technology have made us forget many of the perceptions, habits, and traditions of our ancestors. I understand why this happened, but I do not support it.
我们一直都活在人构建的世界中，久而久之，我们开始忘却了地球在人形成之前就已经存在了的现实。我们并不是地球的创造者，相反，我们只是后来居住在这片土地上共享这个环境之下，慢慢繁衍壮大出来的物种之一。我们的古人在科技没有那么发达的时候，他们会尊重自然他们会和动物有联结，因为他们明白为了现在这样的看不见的但又相互影响的生态大网之中，更好的生存下去，懂得和联结自己周遭的环境的重要性。我们人类的壮大与科技的发展让我们遗忘了之前祖辈们很多的认知、习惯与风俗。我明白这个结果形成的必然性，但我并不支持。
Growing up, I was always curious about temples, Buddha statues, and the traditions of different places as they are so different from what we talk about today - science, economy, technology. This curiosity has led me to study how these "non-scientific" customs came into being. Later, I started to study spirituality and began to understand the value of these customs. It came from a heart of awe of heaven and earth, and the quest for true harmony among people and those between people and other species in order to reduce the harm we do to the earth. Everything on earth is one community of life.
我从小就对庙宇、佛像、以及不同地域的风俗充满了好奇感，因为他们和现在社会倡导的科学也好、经济发展也好、科技进步也好是那么的格格不入。而这份好奇感促使了我去研究在当时的历史环境下，这些看似“非科学”类的风俗的形成。在后来当我开始学习灵修了之后，我明白了这些人文类的内容存在的意义。那份出发点来自于一种对于天地的敬畏之心，以及为了减少我们对地球的伤害，人与人之间、人与其他物种之间真正合一的追求。地球上所有的一切是一个生命共同体。
What is the inspiration behind your works?
你创作作品的灵感是什么？
Generally put, my inspiration is the “energy”. But you might ask what exactly energy refers to. For example, when a client comes to me for a painting, I always ask them the reason behind it... That is, why do you want a tailored painting? They will start to tell me some stories. As they describe their story to me, they show certain energies– some are sweet, some are sad, some are hard to let go of. Some painters capture these energies and show them delicately with a certain image they create with colors, brushwork, and techniques; others will filter these energies and only focus on the most striking one to display in a client’s portrait. My approach is that I tend to use imagination, and paint the energies in a story-telling way with dramatization and exaggeration. I feel these energies, and I also create these energies. To create the painting is like learning and rebuilding a story.
笼统得来说可以是能量，你可以能会问能量具体是什么？打个比方，比如当我的客户来找我为他们创造一幅画的时候，我会去问为什么你要做这件事，即你为什么想要为自己定制一幅画？他们会开始娓娓道来一些关于他们的故事。在他们跟我描述他们的故事的当下，他们是散发着能量的。有些是甜美的，有些是伤心的，有些是让他们难以释怀的。传统意义上的画家们，有些他们会把这些能量捕捉，并通过他们的用色、笔法和技巧把这样的能量暗藏在画面营造的环境之中；有些则可以把客户身上其他的能量过滤，只捕捉在画家的眼里最美的那缕能量以客户的肖像作为媒介，营造在他们创造的画面之中。而我的手法是，我愿意用想象化、剧场感、夸张的手段，把这个能量像讲故事方式画出来。对于我自己创作的作品也是这样的过程。而这个能量就是我自己感知，或者我自己创造出来的。捕捉、构建故事、并娓娓道来得画出来。
This year, when choosing the location of my studio, I chose a place in Sheshan, in the suburbs of Shanghai. It’s an hour’s drive from my home. My friends don’t understand why, but I always tell them that they will when they come to visit. My drive to the studio goes from the city center, towards the outside of the city. I feel closer to nature as I get closer to the studio. The sky is closer and I can look at it and feel the weather. The flowers and plants are busy with their own work like humans are. Sometimes butterflies will come briefly, and it’s like we have our interactions. Sometimes flowers or tree branches reach the road and I would go through and have my face close to them. It feels like the touch of Mother Earth. This drive is when I can better connect with nature, and it gives me inspiration. These inspirations have always been there, but I pass by, and I see them.
今年，我特地把自己工作室的选址，选在了上海佘山。它距离我的家有1小时的车程。很多朋友不明白，为什么不找一个离家更近的地方。我一直都告诉他们，你们来拜访之后，你就知道了。因为去工作室的这条路，是从城市中心，往城市外走。越靠近工作室，我感觉自己就像走回了自然。我离天更近，我可以看着天，知道今天的气候。路上的花草像人一样。它们都在忙着它们自己一天的工作。有时候蝴蝶会从花丛飞出来跟我稍稍互动。有时候会有花或者某根树干长到路中，走过去的时候我会把我的脸从它们周围掠过。好像是大地母亲在抚摸着我一样。每天这样的一段路是我可以更好联结自然的地方，这样灵感自然而然都来了。它们一直存在在这天地之间，只是我恰巧路过听到了。
Tell us about your creation process
请分享一下你的创作过程
Maybe it’s Mr. Xue’s influence on the Children Art Education classes, I have believed since young that anything in life can be used for art. There is no limitation to the media of art, and it’s only a matter of choice. The exploration of painting materials was exciting to me. I have a friend who is a healing practitioner. He gave me a crystal pyramid when we first met, and I was inspired watching him make the pyramid. The process of creating a crystal pyramid is a process of pouring crystal glue (i.e. resin) layer by layer. In each layer, the teacher would mix the energy of the color in the pyramid, for example, mandala or other elements. With this, I created my own painting approach, and I call it “crystal painting”.
也许是因为薛老师从小的儿童美术教育的关系，我从小就有这样的认知，生活中任何一样东西都可以被用来创作。对于艺术的材质，没有局限性。只是选择上的舍取。相反探索自己创作手法上的材质这个过程我充满了兴趣。我有一位好朋友是一位疗愈老师，刚刚认识他的时候，他送了我一个水晶金字塔，看着他创作这个水晶金字塔的过程中，激发起了我的灵感。因为水晶金字塔创作过程是一层一层是用水晶胶（即树脂）浇灌的过程。在每一层，老师会把颜色的能量，有的时候是曼陀罗、或者是一些其他的能量元素藏在水晶金字塔中。于是我创造了自己的手法，我自称为“水晶画”。
With the pouring of each crystal glue, I created new styles on the painted base. I wish you could watch me paint it. Because only when you are there to watch with your own eyes, can you feel the subtle yet layered changes. You can spend a long time standing before my painting because the difference between the scene of the front and of the back will make you savor the story behind the work.
在用水晶胶浇筑的每一层，我通过自己的绘画基开创出来的新的画派。所以我会推荐大家有机会的化，一定要亲眼看我的话。因为这样微妙的一层一层的前后景别的效果只有肉眼才能够当下去捕捉。所以当你在我的画面前，你可以看很久，因为前后景内容的差异会引导你的视线让你慢慢享受这个作品背后更多的故事。
Beyond that, no matter the medium or content of my work, it always contains a great amount of energy and powerful visual impact. Now a lot of my works show light, so I made a new attempt by applying fluorescent pigment. This way, when the light in the room changes, the color of the picture changes as well. When I paint, I not only consider the effect of natural light, but also the effect of fluorescent paint in the dark or when using violet light. This new attempt has not given me any advantage in online promotion, because people cannot feel it with photos. But I know that everyone who has seen my works with naked eyes is touched. To me, this is the beauty of art, which is the sense of awe when you see the real thing.
除此之外，无论我的作品的媒介是什么，内容是什么，一幅作品包含着很大的能量从视觉上的冲击。现在我的很多的内容传递的是光，于是我做了新的尝试。结合了荧光颜料的成分。这样当室内光线变换了之后，画面的色彩也随之发生了改变。而作画的时候除了会考虑在自然灯光下画面的效果之外，还会有在黑暗之中或者在使用紫光灯的情景下，荧光颜料显现出来之后的光影效果。这些媒介的尝试，让我在线上媒体宣传上并没有什么特别的优势，因为光看照片无法捕捉这些内容。但我知道，每一位在线下见过我真画的人会为之心动。而也许这正是我眼里艺术品的奥义，当你真正亲眼见到它的时候所带来震撼感。
Materials and colors
材料和颜色
Material-wise, this is the second large painting I did with crystal glue. I have the experience from the first painting and added fluorescent pigment in the final closing stage. Since I structured the story based on thangka works, the main colors I used are also often seen on thangka – gold, blue, red, and white. Personally, I like the color peacock blue very much, which is not often seen in thangka, so it is a modern "pop" element that I added.
材料上，这是我第二幅用水晶胶创作的大幅作品。有了第一幅《永恒之路》的经验，只是在最终收尾的阶段还是使用了荧光的颜色的运用。由于成体故事构思来于唐卡的选题。所以颜色上主要使用的是唐卡的金、蓝、红和白。只是我个人非常喜欢使用孔雀蓝这个颜色。这个颜色在唐卡上并不多见，可能这是我为我个人的唐卡风补上的现代的“流行”。
Crystal painting is a new technique that I created myself. And there is a casting/glue pouring process in this technique. Therefore, there is no ready-made canvas on the market that can be used directly for crystal painting, as it needs a border that is higher than the picture to ensure that the glue will not be lost. For each of my paintings, whether they are on canvas, wood, or paper, I need to create a frame by myself. And this painting was originally created on a discarded piece of wood, so the frame needed to be built with wooden strips. However, when I was almost finished, I felt that I didn’t like the heavy wooden frame, because its presence deadened the energy of the painting. So I made a new breakthrough in the material. I used a lot of small crystals of various colors and set them one by one on the edge of the frame, and blended them with the colors of the painting, so the crystals became a new color of my work. The energy in the painting radiates outward infinitely along the frame.
由于水晶画是自创的新的做画手法。而且这个手法中有浇筑的过程。所以现在市面上没有现成的可以直接拿来当水晶画的画布。因为它需要有一个凸于画面的边界，这样水晶胶不会流失。所以我的每一幅画无论他们的底是画布、木板、还是纸张，我都需要自己打造一个凸出框。而这幅原来是在一块废弃的木板上创作的，所以他的框需要用木条打造。可在快完成的阶段，我开始不喜欢这个厚重的木框了，因为它的存在死死得把画中的能量给框住了。于是材料上我有了一个新的突破。我用了很多小的各色小水晶，一颗一颗把它们镶嵌在木框的边缘，并与画作的颜色融合在了一起，成为了我的新的“颜色”。让画中的能量沿着框无限向外散发出来。
The reason why I chose crystal is that it is a stone or substance from the earth, and it is not artificially synthesized. The use of crystal is also meant to signify that the painting came from the earth and was a product of heaven and earth. It’s the same reason that I named my studio "Wu Wei". “Wu” means “No" or "none” in Chinese, and “Wei” is my surname, which means there is no “me” in the creation. My creation is from heaven and earth, and I’m only the craftsman who puts everything together. There is another transliteration version of "Wu Wei” into “NONBEING”, which is from Tao Te Ching as in “Through eternal Nonbeing, one observes its mystery"
之所以会选水晶还有另外一层寓意，其实水晶就是来自于大地间的石头/物质，它并不是人为合成的。用水晶这个材质也是想寓意着这幅画来自于大地，是天地间的产物。正如我为我的工作室取名为“无韦”。我姓韦，但这一切创作产出于“无韦”即“无我”来自于天地之间。而我只是把所有的一切拼凑在一起的那位匠人，仅此而已。当然“无韦”还有其音译的另外一个版本“无为NON BEING”。“常无，欲以观其妙”道德经
What do you want to express through your works?
你想通过你的作品表达什么?
The modern science of quantum mechanics confirms the existence of energy from the perspective of science. And as an artist, I want to use my paintings to let people feel and see with their naked eyes that in this world, besides the physical level and spiritual level, there is a multi-layered and multi-dimensional energy field at the psychic level.
现代科学量子力学的探索，相当于从科学的角度去证实了能量的存在。而我作为艺术家，我想用我创造出的真实存在的、人们用肉眼看的到的画面去告知大家，我们存在的现实世界，除了身体层面、心灵层面还有我们可能看不到灵魂层面的多层次、多维度的能量环境。
Education nowadays emphasizes only what we can see. So we separate "mine" from "not-mine" and this separation makes us insecure, and people abuse, fight, and harm each other in exchange for the "sense of security". Gradually people are losing their ability to feel, to feel the existence of others, animals, plants, heaven, and the earth. Since painting is a gift and love given to me by heaven, and I would make use of this talent and passionately ask people to “see with your own eyes” and to “feel with your heart”.
现在我们的世界的发展的教条太限于我们执着于我们看得到的东西了。所以我们会分离“我的”和“非我的”，我们的分离心让我们自己为自己创造了“不安全”。于是我们会滥用、抢夺、伤害以此来换回我们缺失的那份“安全感”。
I hope people can see and feel the paintings in front of them, the people around, the animals they meet, the plants nearby, all the beautiful sceneries and life experiences they tend to neglect. So if you ask me what I want to express through my works, I would like to show people the existence of another reality beyond the reality we are in.
我们渐渐失去自己感知的本能，感知人、感知动物、感知植物、感知这片天和地，既然画画是天赐予我的天赋与热爱，那么请允许我用这份天赋与热爱，通过“用眼看”召唤我的观者“用心品”的过程。用心去品眼前的画、周遭的人、遇见的动物、身边的植物、当下的一切被自己忽略的美景和生活的经历。所以我想用我的作品表达什么？我想告诉大家，那个超越于现实的“现实”存在的可能性。
What is your favorite work and how does it resonate with you?
你最喜欢的作品是什么，它如何引起你的共鸣？
From Van Gogh's Water Lilies series
梵高《睡莲》系列的作品
My favorite work is Van Gogh's works because I think we are doing the same thing. It seems to me that he was born to break the perception of what art should look like and show new ways of capturing energy. I had the pleasure of seeing one of the original works from Van Gogh's Water Lilies series at the 2019 Setouchi International Art Festival in Japan. I looked at it for a long time, and it was as if each stroke of color he used could capture the energy of the moment into this painting. The energy does not need to be tangible, because it’s not a physical matter. I could feel the uncontrollable emotion he felt immersed in the energy of these beauties that cannot be described in words. His soul is so clear, without personal ego, with just clarity and purity.
我还是最喜欢梵高的作品。因为我觉得他在跟我做着相同的事情。在我看来他的诞生就是在打破人们对艺术该有的样子的认知，去展示捕捉能量的新的方式。我在2019年日本濑户内国际艺术节上有幸看过一幅梵高《睡莲》系列的其中一幅原作。我看了很久，他的每一笔用色就好像可以把当时的能量捕捉进这幅画作之中。能量不需要具象，因为来能量本就不是实体。我可以感受到他沉浸在这些美的无法用语言描述的能量之中的那份情不自禁。他的灵魂是那么透彻，没有个人的小我，只有纯与净。
Tell us about your first tailored artwork
请分享一下你的第一件定制艺术品的故事
WE FALL IN LOVE HERE (2021). 97 x 81cm. Mix Media acrylic & crystal glue
我们在这片土地上相爱了（2021）. 97 x 81cm. 综合材质丙烯&⽔晶胶
This is the first tailored painting I did for my client. She is also a mentor and friend who supports me on my way to becoming a great spiritual artist. When she came to me for a painting, she did not specify the content or the theme. She told me that she had postponed her wedding because her sister couldn’t travel back to China from the U.S. due to COVID. As her friend and given the chance, I wanted to make a painting of her wedding– not the actual wedding, but the one she described to me. That’s how I painted “a matchmaker made in heaven”.
这是一幅我的第一位客人向我来定制的画作。她也是一直支持着我成为优秀的灵修艺术家的亦师亦友。当她向我订画的时候，并没有说画的内容和主题。因为疫情的关系，她的妹妹无法从美国回到中国，所以她和她老公的婚礼一直被推迟着。作为好友，既然有了这样的机缘，我想为她和她老公创作一幅他们婚礼的画作。并不是他们现实生活中的婚礼，是他们告我的婚礼，一场被祝福的金玉良缘的喜结连理。
I realized that the work I was about to create was like a window to the world of imagination. So, I didn't have to do a lot of research, because the scenes in the painting didn’t really happen in real life. Firstly, I asked her for a photo taken during their engagement as the main image. In the process of painting this image, I thought about their story： Her husband is a native Shanghainese, and she is American-born Chinese that has received a western education. They met in the U.S. and fell in love in Shanghai. The man works in finance in Shanghai, and the girl inherited and manager her father's international school. When feeling the energy of their love story, I was reminded of another great Chinese story of Princess Wencheng who married far away to Tibet. Princess Wencheng took the culture of the Tang Dynasty with her and married a Tibetan for the peace of the two lands. So in this work, I studied many thangka artworks describing scenes of Princess Wencheng's marriage and built the foundation for my work.
我知道，我即将要创作的作品如一扇通往意象世界的窗口。所以创作的时候，我并不需要做大量的严谨研究，因为画里面的内容场景并不真实存在于现实生活中。首先我向她要了两位在订婚时候请摄影师拍摄的照片作为主素材。在画这张主素材的过程中，因为他们的故事，男生是土生土长的上海人。而女生虽然血统是中国人，但是她出生在美国，一直接受着西方的教育。两位是在美国结识，在上海相爱。男生这一世在上海从事着金融的行业，女生这一世在上海继承了父亲的衣钵，管理着一所国际学校。所以在联结他们的爱情故事的能量的时候，让我想到了中国的另一段佳话文成公主远嫁西域的故事。文城公主带着大唐的文化，为了西域与大唐和平的使命嫁去了西域换来了两地几十年的和平。于是在这幅创作作品中，我研究了很多唐卡艺术作品关于文成公主远嫁的场景构思而成。
Your works often reference divine concepts familiar to Buddhism, Taoism, and transcendence. What is your opinion on the psychological differences in spirituality in the west vs. the east? Do you think it is impactful to your work?
你的作品经常引用佛、道、超然所熟悉的神性概念。您对西方与东方在精神上的心理差异有何看法？你认为它对你的作品有影响吗？
First of all, I would like to clarify that my perception of Western culture is limited to my study of the English language, my experience of studying in the United States, and observing the work and daily life of my friends from abroad. In my perception, I feel that the spiritual senses of the West and the East are like the two forces of Yang and Yin. They certainly have an indelible influence on my works, because I as an individual have grown up under the influence of the cultural interplay of these two forces. Of course, the influence of the Eastern culture to me is deeper and longer-lasting, and more deeply rooted in my blood. Nevertheless, I’d like to quote Tao Te Ching:
首先先澄清一下，我个人对于西方文化的认知仅限于我对英语语种的学习，赴美留学的经历以及我周围接触的来自国外的朋友的工作、生活日常。那么在我认知的西方文化的感觉上，我觉得西方与东方精神上的感觉犹如阳和阴的两股力量。他们当然对我的作品有着不可磨灭的影响，因为我这个个体就是在这两股力量的文化交融影响之下成长形成的。当然我受到的东方的影响更加深厚而久远更加深入骨髓。还是用同样道德经里面的一句话:
“Through eternal Nonbeing, one observes its mystery; Through eternal Being, one observes its meditations."
“常无，欲以观其妙; 常有，欲以观其徼”
The western culture is like the Yang (eternal Being), which is as direct and clear as the sun, just like the English language, where right and wrong are clearly defined, and love and hate are as clear. The Eastern culture is like the power of Yin (eternal Nonbeing), which is as subtle and inclusive as Mother Earth, just like an ancient Chinese character often contains multi-dimensional and multi-layered symbolic meaning. The depth of your perception determines how much you understand. In fact, the same is true for the painting. When I structure a painting, I am always choosing between the real and the imaginary worlds and between the figurative and abstract elements because my mission is to tell people the existence of another "reality" beyond reality. Then figurative and realistic elements are both essential parts for me. But where and how to make the balance is probably the work I have to do in my whole life of painting.
西方犹如阳的力量（常有）, 这种阳刚之气犹如太阳般直接、清晰，就好像英语这个语种般对错分明、爱恨分明。而东方犹如阴的力量（常无），这股阴柔之气犹如大地母亲般含蓄、包容，就好像中国古文一个字含有多维度、多层次的寓意。你认知的深浅，就决定了你看懂的多与少。其实画也是如此，在我感知这幅画的时候，在现实和意想世界的取材取舍之间；在具象和抽象成分的取舍之间，我一直都在思考。因为我的使命是我想告诉大家，那个超越于现实的“现实”存在的可能性。那么具象和现实是我必不可少的部分。但是取舍在哪里，如何去取舍，可能是我一辈子创作每一幅画的当下都要做的功课。
It is said that symmetry lives in all parts of life, whether it’s a religious ideology, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you", science (Newton’s third law: for every force, there is an equal opposite force) as well as the physical symmetry of nature and the cosmos (Planets, orbiting paths, etc.). Your works carry a lot of symmetry, is there any reason you focus on such compositions?
据说对称性存在于生活的方方面面，无论是宗教意识形态，“己所不欲勿施于人”，科学（牛顿第三定律：对于每一种力都有一个相等的相反力）作为以及自然和宇宙（行星、轨道等）的物理对称性。你的作品有很多对称性，你有什么理由专注于这样的构图吗？
In fact, the symmetrical works are all just digital artworks. They don't exist in real life but come from my second-time creation. At least for the moment, I haven’t been able to draw symmetrical works by hand. For example, the symmetrical works you see here. Originally it is from "JOURNEY TO ETERNITY". Since each of my paintings contains a huge amount of information, after finishing a large piece, I like to use my camera to select certain parts that resonate with me the most. Then I use these parts to make these digital symmetrical artworks by computer. I rarely post a secondary recreation of a painting because I only did it out of my personal love of symmetries. I love this process of creation because, in the process, it’s a kind of thinking and reflection.
其实对称性的作品都只是数字艺术作品。它们在现实生活中是不存在的，他们来自于我的二次创作过程。（至少目前我并没有把他们手绘出来）。例如你看到的对称性作品。原作来自于<JOURNEY TO ETERNITY永恒之路> | 100 (W) x 100 (H) cm | Mix Media acrylic & crystal glue 综合材质丙烯&⽔晶胶 | 2021 。由于我的每一幅画的都包含着巨大的信息量，所以我喜欢把每一幅大幅作品创作完之后，用相机选取触动我自己的某些细节。然后再用细节用电脑合成成为这些充满对称性的数字艺术作品。我很少发布每张画后期的二次创作，因为目前仅限于我个人对于这些对称性的热爱。我之所以热爱这样的构图，因为在这样二次创作的过程中，有一种思考和反思。
In Buddhism, it is said that "the appearance is born from the mind", which means that everything that happens is a reflection of your inner projection and every person who appears in your life is your mirror and your chance to change yourself. When you see this mirror clearly, this mirror will break itself, just like in Newton's third law the equal and opposite force will break itself. In my perspective, symmetry is really just an appearance. In essence, it is like the butterfly effect, where every step you decide to take will affect the final result. If I select a detailed part that is a few centimeters smaller or larger than the original, and once copied and mirrored, the final effect of the entire image will be completely different. The number of times of copying and mirroring will also affect the final result. The process of creation is just like Schrodinger's cat, where there are tens of millions of possibilities, but when you finish this action, the result becomes only one.
佛教里面说“相由心生”，即其实在你前面发生的每件事情是你内心反射投影出来的一个表相。而每一个出现在你生命里面的人就是你的镜子，也是你的可以改变自己的机缘。当你看清这面镜子的时候，这边镜子便会不攻自破，犹如牛顿第三定律里面的那个相等的反作用力会不攻自破。在我的视角里，对称性其实只是一个表象。其实质犹如一个美丽的蝴蝶效益，你创作的每一步得决定都会影响这最终的结果。如果我选取的细节图比原来的缩小或者放大了几厘米，一旦复制、镜像，整个画面最终的效果就会被完全改变。复制、镜像过程的次数也会影响最终的结果；而在创作这个过程中犹如薛丁克的猫一样，在你创作之前，其结果存在着几千万种的可能性，而你在做完这个动作时候，结果变成了只有一个。
Look... isn't the logic of this secondary creation just like our real life? It is just like the life of every person. And this digital processing of selection, copying, and mirroring is very much like the processing of all information in modern society. Such a process of secondary creation is as if I have presented my work in modern society with its logic and the way of processing information. In this way, I can be reminded that perhaps the difference between the original intention of all my works and what the audience sees is the same as the result of these two creations, and there is a gap that can never be solved. But it does not mean that each of them does not have its own beauty.
你看这个二次创作的逻辑不就像我们现实生活一样吗？就如我们每一个人的人生。而这种选取、复制、镜像的数字化处理又很像现代社会对所有信息的处理一样。这样的二次创作的过程犹如我把我的作品在现代社会用它的逻辑和处理信息的方式展现出来了。用这样的方式，其实也可以提醒着我，也许我所有的原作的初衷和观众眼中看到的内容之间的距离就如同这两次创作的结果般有着永远都不可解的鸿沟。但并不代表它们各自没有其各自的美感。
In “Journey to Eternity” you reference Rene Descartes’s philosophical statement “I think, therefore I am”, using the act of drawing as self-realization. With regard to this, you mention the 10 years of self-doubt about your uniqueness in your artistic statement. Tell us more about this.
在“永恒之路”中，您引用了勒内·笛卡尔的哲学陈述“我思故我在”，将绘画作为自我实现。对此，您提到了 10 年来对自己在艺术陈述中的独特性的自我怀疑。告诉我们更多关于这方面的信息。
I started drawing when I was three. For me at that age, painting is simply what it is, and it’s almost everything in my life. The world was pure and fair to me. As long as you like it, you love it, and work hard for it, you will definitely get something back. But the world suddenly changed when I grew up. I still felt the same passion and love, and still worked hard, but all I got is pity and discrimination from people. The people I met, whether they knew me or not, thought that I felt challenged with studies once they learned that I was learning painting. To them, I had no choice in life and no promises in the future, and I could only support myself as a painter, and painters could not earn a good life.
我从3岁就开始画画了，那时候的我，画画就是画画，画画也几乎是我生活的全部。那时候我感觉世界/生活是如此的纯洁与公平，你喜欢、你热爱了、你为此付之于努力了、你就一定会获得收获。可是渐渐长大之后，世界突然之间开始变了。我还是一样的喜欢、一样的热爱、一样的为之付出努力，可我收获的是别人的怜悯、同情以及歧视。我遇到的所有的人，认识我的、不认识我的，一听到我是一个画画的孩子，第一个反应是我是一个学习上出现了障碍的孩子，所以我才被逼无奈选择去画画的；其次更让他们面色担忧的是我的将来已经没有任何期盼了，因为我只能靠画画为生，而画家是一个无法照顾自己的职业。
The older I grew, the harsher those voices became. I was once rebellious, and when I applied to high school, I did not choose an art school; instead, I got admitted without examination to one of the top three high schools in Shanghai. I wanted to prove to others that they were wrong. But at that time, I didn't know that such a move would bring me three more years of mental and physical stress. Because I couldn't give up painting, I lived a double life. I studied normally in high school during the day, and at night I rushed to my art school teacher’s home to learn painting and went home to do my homework at midnight. I spent three years like this, tearing myself and my life into two halves, half of the time studying like an ordinary child, and half of the time painting like a student at the art school, without intersecting or interfering or influencing the other. That's how I entered the university. My major was animation. Although it was an art major, I no longer painted in college because the school paid more attention to the operation and application of various software. When I graduated from college, I told myself to give up painting. I had lived enough of such a double-sided life. No matter where I go, the world that once allowed you to like painting, love painting, work hard for painting and bring rewards as a result was really gone…
越长大，这两股声音就越刺耳。我曾一度叛逆，报考高中的时候我并没有选择美校，而是以保送生的身份提前被上海排名前三的高中录取了。我曾想证明给其他人看他们错了。可那时候的我并不知道这样的举动，会为我换来精神和身体上更加痛苦的三年。因为我放弃不了画画，于是我过上了双面人的生活，白天在高中我正常学习，到了晚上我赶去美院老师的家里补习画画，凌晨回家做作业。就这样周而复始的过了三年，我把自己和生活撕成了两半，一半时间如普通孩子一样学习；一半时间如美院学生一样画画，两者互不交集、互不干预和影响。就这样我进入了大学。我的专业是动画专业。虽然是艺术专业，但在大学里已经不画画了，因为学校更重视的是各种软件的学习、操作和运用。大学毕业的时候我告诉自己，放弃画画吧。这样的双面生活我已经活够了。无论我走到哪里，那个曾经允许你喜欢画画、热爱画画、努力画画并因此带来收获的世界真的已经不在了……
When I started work, I hid my talent. No one knew that I could paint. I lived the life of ordinary people, with similar happiness and troubles. In this way, I spent 10 years until I went hiking with my friends, and I fell off the mountain. I could have died in that incident, but luckily I didn't. I was completely unharmed. From that time on, I knew that I had started my second life. The first choice I made was to sign up for the summer program at Rhode Island College of Art and Design. The teacher there told me, "Alicia, you are a born artist. You can't give up painting. " It was the first time I picked up a pen after 10 years, and it was also the place where I finally found my original self. The world hasn't changed, but I have. I draw, therefore I am.
工作之后，我雪藏了我的天赋。再也没有人知道我会画画了，我过上了普通人的生活，有着普通人的快乐与烦恼。就这样我过了10年直到我和朋友出去徒步爬山，我从山上摔了下来。那次事件我是应该丧命的，但很幸运我并没有。不仅没有我还毫发无伤。从那个时候开始我知道了现在是我的第2条生命。我做的第一个选择是去美国罗德岛艺术设计学院报名了暑假项目。那里的老师告诉我，“Alicia，你是天生的艺术家。你不可以放弃画画。” 那是我10年之后第一次拿起了笔，也是我最终找回最初的自己的地方。世界没有变，可是我变了。我画故我在。
What are your future plans? Do you have any shows or upcoming works?
你以后有什么计划？有在准备的作品或者展览吗？
This is already a second life for me. In fact, every day I am alive is now a bonus. I want to be Van Gogh, but I don't want to end up like Van Gogh. I don't have clear plans now; I just know that I will paint every painting well and explore every "impossibility" of the moment. I'm trying to position myself as much as possible.
这已经是我的第二条生命了，其实现在活着的每一天都是对我的额外的奖励。我想成为梵高，但我不想要梵高的结局。现在的我并不清楚应该去怎么做，只知道画好眼前每一张画、探索当下的每一个“不可能”。我在努力尽可能曝光自己。
I now edit my own videos of my painting routines and introduce myself via social media. The art market is divided into academic types and commercial types (or the "wild ways" as the academy-trained painters call it) and this split is even more serious now. I am from the “wild way", and I think this division is unhealthy and not beneficial to a deeper exploration of the possibilities of art. Therefore, I still want to try my best to participate in academic exhibitions. At the same time, I am looking for a gallery to meet my new fate.
现在我会自己剪辑画画的小日常的视频，通过社交媒体的形式来传播介绍自己。艺术市场分成了学院派和商业派（或者说从学院派的口中的“野路子”）现在这种分裂格外的严重。我是“野路子”出生的，我觉得这样的分裂不健康，也不有利于对艺术的可能性的更深入得探讨。所以接下去我还是想努力尝试参加学院派的展，同时现阶段我在开始物色有缘的画廊了。
Now you can find my paintings online. I'm selling my new works on the e-commerce platform POIZON（Dewu得物）. If you want to visit me in person, you can come to my studio.
现在大家还是可以在线上找到我的画作。我在得物平台上销售我新的作品。如果想要线下直接来参观的话，可以来我的工作室参观。
A special thank you to Wei Rongjia for the interview.
特别感谢韦蓉佳接受我们的采访。
Translation 翻译 Rona Xia
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