Chapter 26 Chapter Twenty Six

Liao Wen (1) My understanding of Chinese contemporary art was taught by Liao Wen. In my eyes, she, like Xiaoxue, is an exception among Chinese women.There is a department of women’s studies in American universities——Women’s Study. In China, the concept of women’s studies is often mixed with women’s rights, which makes many people think that women’s studies are women’s rights, which is very wrong.Liao Wen is the only female scientist I know who can communicate with her. She has a lot of research on the history of women, whether it is in China or abroad. I especially like her comparative research, and she always finds a reference point in the two cultures. Yes, I admire this learned woman very much.

In 1998, Liao Wen was not married yet, but had an old friend of more than ten years, Lao Li.I like Liao Wen's house very much.This is a small two-bedroom room. There is a dining table as soon as you enter the door. There are various transparent glass bottles on the bookshelf behind the dining table. There are various dried flowers in the bottles that can be used to make tea. The room is set aside as a study.A whole wall of her study was covered with books, which were probably an important part of her entire fortune, and in each of them there were little slips of paper which she had used.I also have a wall of books, but most of them I haven't read yet.

She is a freelance writer who makes a living by writing things, a woman writer who is not in a hurry, neither rich nor poor, knowledgeable and sentimental.Her state reminds me forever of a Lenard Cohen song called "Susan".The lyrics are as follows: Suzanne takes you / Where she's by the river / You can hear the boats / You can spend the night with her / You know she's goofy sometimes / But that's what you want / She'll feed Your tea and oranges / came all the way from China / and just when you want to tell her / you have no love for her / she will let you on her channel / she let the river answer you / you will always be her lover / You want to travel with her/You want to follow her blindly/You know she believes in you/Because of your thoughts/Have touched her perfect body I always have a feeling that Liao Wen is the Susan of her man, she A little fairy.When I am free, I tend to do things on a whim, but after chatting too much with Liao Wen, I have a sudden impulse to popularize Chinese contemporary art in China.It is a special coincidence that the general manager of Dadi Company, Ma Huidong, who I just met, has already started to collect works of Chinese contemporary art, and wants to make things bigger. Wen is the planner and I am the director.

We have held three art exhibitions, "Between the Sexes", "Fen Styrene" and "Gaudy".The main work is done by Liao Wen or Li Xianting, the money is paid by Dadi Company, and my role is the ugliest "Mr. Accountant". In fact, I am the least able to manage money. No one in our company dares to let me manage money.The roles the two of us played in the cooperation also laid the foundation for Liao Wen to ignore me for a year when he went to New York. In fact, I didn't quarrel with Liao Wen, but had a serious fight with her.Lao Li is a very talented art critic.I've read what he wrote, and it's a bit of a stream-of-consciousness feeling, but it's much clearer than other reviews I've read.He can analyze a Chinese art phenomenon from different angles, and summarize things that are not systematic at all into a genre.After reading his comments, people who don't understand art or China will know: "Oh, this is political POP, that's what Poppi is." Other comments are often confusing, and readers can only bow down. Admitted: "I'm vulgar, how can I understand art." A foreigner once described Lao Li as the godfather of Chinese artists. Both Liao Wen and Lao Li seemed to be disgusted with this title and didn't like to hear it. I personally think it is quite accurate.

People who are godfathers have the habits and temper of godfathers. I quarreled with Lao Li because I made some compromises when printing the album of "Fen", avoiding things that might be controversial, and then refused to pay even worse. Printing fee as some pictures are off in color. "Fen" has not slowed down, we started "Gaudy" again, this time I almost quarreled with people from Dadi, mainly because Dadi sent two cars to Beijing to attract people to participate in the opening ceremony of the exhibition, I asked them to recruit college students, especially It was from an art school, but Dadi finally decided to send only two big buses to pull prominent artists from Beijing there, and the opening ceremony turned into an artist party.

On the day of the opening ceremony, I was not in any mood. I was sitting at the entrance of the exhibition hall selling picture albums. A man came and said "I'm awesome, I'm awesome" with all the dynamics in his body.He walked up to me and took a picture album. I didn't know who he was, so I asked him to collect the money. He said a few words through his teeth: "Don't you know who I am? I am ×××, Do you still have to pay?" Then I found out that he is ×××, an artist participating in the exhibition, and there should be a free album.Of course I didn't dare to take money, so I gave him a picture album, and he turned around and left.The disrespect and arrogance I have never seen in China's biggest names.I suddenly realized that this painter sold himself as a singer, and the idealism I had just started to hold the art exhibition disappeared like a bubble.

After "Gordy", Liao Wen and Lao Li went to New York. I heard about them frequently from other friends, but she never contacted me directly.I don't know if it's because it's hard for me to quarrel with Lao Li for her.But after I came back, I went back and forth as before, but not so frequently, and I was too busy running magazines. Now when I think of the idle days, I miss them very much, I miss my friends, I think of this kind of days that follow my temperament, I hope there will be more in the future, I will cherish it even more.