Marco: Race against time with creation.

When it comes to the history of contemporary art in China for nearly 20 years, Marco is definitely an artist who can't be missed. Marco (1955-2000), a native of Shanghai, was one of the earliest installation artists in China. He moved to Paris in 1980s and began to create installation works with daily necessities, such as canvas beds, mattresses and bowling. As a cross-cultural artist from China who is active in the west, he is good at asking questions about the world and human nature. Because of his deep reflection and understanding of local culture, he opened the local culture to foreign cultures in an all-round way and found his own way to cross the two. Marco's works are rich in knowledge and philosophical wisdom, strong in speculation, rich in content, wide in perspective, and not rigid in fixed patterns. His works are sensitive and prescient. In the early 1990s, he began to discuss the international political, social, cultural conflicts, urbanization and human nature problems that mankind encountered today after more than ten years. He is good at using the artistic language of metaphor and irony to raise the dialogue between Chinese and western cultures to the philosophical level for speculation.

Sometimes, fate often gives the strong more hardships and tests. At the age of 25, Chen Zhen got hemolytic anemia, and the doctor said he might only live for five years. This made Marco deeply understand and think about the value of life and time. He regarded illness as valuable experience and turned it into the motive force of artistic creation. In Marco's ideal, art is used to treat and improve the relationship between man and nature. Until the last moment of his life, he was deeply and wholeheartedly concerned about the situation and future of mankind.

Marco's works have made indelible contributions to the diversification of contemporary art, as Harald Szeemann, curator of Lyon Biennale, said. Marco is one of the two: he is * * *, with a short flowering period, which will wither quickly when picked; He is a sunflower, which nourishes and brightens people. ?

Marco is very happy and has a wife Min Xu who loves him deeply. When Min Xu was a teenager, she chose Marco wholeheartedly. She resolutely gave up her dream of becoming an artist and supported Marco wholeheartedly. Even when Marco suffered, she always cared for him. Min Xu is not only Marco's like-minded artistic partner, but also a husband and wife in distress. After Marco's death, Min Xu continued Marco's unfinished business, which further spread Marco's thoughts. In this collection column, we have an exclusive interview with Ms. Min Xu, telling the story of Marco's creation. The following is the interview: Q: Teacher Marco is a responsible artist. He believes that art can change the world. As his beloved wife and the person who knows his artistic ideas best, do you think his art has really changed the world?

A: Marco said that the meaning of his name was to give people good advice. I think he did. He left behind not only works of art, but also a life textbook, which contains profound philosophical thoughts, valuable social experience and valuable secrets. His influence is not limited to the field of contemporary art.

Q: Some critics question that overseas artists in China use China symbols too much or play China cards. As an Asian artist, Mr. Marco must have some China elements in his works. Is this the conscious choice of overseas artists like Marco in the multicultural background, or is it another reason?

A: Marco has been studying and advocating multiculturalism. He doesn't deliberately use China elements, but oriental philosophy often permeates his works. He used Chinese and western chairs to compare the eastern and western cultures, used toilets and bicycle tires to symbolize an era, used round tables to pray for peace, and used inverted Buddha statues to comment on spirit and material. At ordinary times, he is used to using some classic idioms of China and philosophical folk rumors to explain his views, which is easier for westerners to accept and understand. Later, he also directly and skillfully used them as the titles of his works to strengthen the theme of his works, such as rebirth? (complaining about throwing things away)? Flowers inserted in cow dung (artificial flowers instead of natural flowers)? 、? Money makes the mare go? A rotating warp wheel built with an abacus.

Q: Mr. Marco's thinking is not restricted, and his works do not form a fixed pattern or are easily marked. Does this have something to do with his efforts to dabble in different lives according to different backgrounds? The work "Farewell"? Fifty boards each is a work facing the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which was born in Israel. Everywhere Mr. Marco goes, he can sensitively discover the unique local history and background, and combine his unique experience to create works of art, right?

A: You're right. Is this his too? Beyond experience? . While constantly studying local culture, he looked for opportunities to learn and exchange other cultures. In the conflict-ridden Israeli state, Marco has found a way to talk to local residents through religious channels. His works adopt the form of ritual drumming, borrowing from China Buddhism? Fifty dollars each? Point out the theme. ? The swan song? The word "two" is the highest praise for the call for peace. Buddhists invited to attend the opening ceremony prayed for peace, thus opening the exhibition. The audience and the work are completely integrated. The spark of Marco's creation comes from the result of every communication with different cultures and regions. The form of each work is unpredictable in advance, but one thing he has always wanted is to create inspiring works.

Q: In his work "Double Round Table", he juxtaposes Chinese and western tables in direct language, rather than in a relatively obscure way. Is he also a direct person in life?

A: Marco is generous and can pretend that his heart is very important. And you can make friends with people with different personalities. He is quite direct and can convince the other side when defending some principled issues. He treats people sincerely, from the heart, and it is hard for people who have talked with him to forget him. A: That is the result of his constant exploration and thinking. I remember one time he said excitedly: My accumulation began to blossom and bear fruit, and my mind was like a spider's web, connected vertically and horizontally from the inside out. The face is getting wider and wider, and the mind is also very active. Many things can be justified. ? But he is not satisfied with the status quo:? My thinking must develop in depth in order to have thickness. ? Marco likes thinking and logic. He will not only observe and think about some iconic themes in different fields, but also look for the relationship between them and predict the development of the situation. He also said:? We can only see the myopia of the tip of the nose. We can't do it. We should look as far away as possible and pay more attention to which angle to look at. What is that? Opinion? . He always thinks that contemporary art should be advanced, which can awaken people's consciousness and open people's soul. I have lived with Marco for more than ten years, and I am often shocked by his keen thinking. It can be said that he is a magician of thought. I witnessed how he photographed the urban changes in Shanghai from a unique perspective. How to explore the new lifestyle of Asian citizens from the evolution of urban contours to the change of citizens' lives? One day he spread a lot of photos on the ground and played poker like we did when we were children? Like a game, he arranged the photos in many different combinations. He added a sentence to each combination, such as? Three generations of architecture? ,? The disappearing Shanghai morning market? . In my opinion, these captured photos are very ordinary. They are not photographic works, but Chen Zhen has a well-thought-out plan. He can see the big from the small, from near to far, and the combined photos have been transformed into works of art with clear views and strong persuasiveness. Q: You just mentioned that he invented a word called? Beyond experience? Describe his specific experience in artistic creation as an artist and adjust himself according to the changing situation. Is that understandable? Beyond experience? Is it not only an artistic concept, but also the methodology of teacher Marco's internal creation?

A: You're right. We also talked about his working methods above. His core is continuous learning and accumulation, thus creating profound works. I think what is more valuable is that he can record these experiences. He usually has the habit of taking notes, and often urges himself to think by asking himself and answering himself. After living in the west for eight years, he hopes to organize his notes into chapters, which is also a summary of his life philosophy and artistic creation experience. At that time, did he think it was a bit arrogant for contemporary art to publish articles only five years later? I think he has concerns. He replied:? A little bit. Should such articles be written by critics? ? Then he said:? If I talk in the form of two people, I can use the topic to play. One day only you can explain to everyone. ? I feel a little sad after listening to it. I totally understand Marco. Time is so precious to him that life may end at any time. He said:? A person's life is short. If you can leave something for future generations, it will be worth it. ? Finally, he used four thoughtful words? Beyond experience? As a title. He was critically ill in 2000 and couldn't get up. He was anxious for his assistant to make him an iron shelf and fix the computer on the bed. He wanted to continue to write about his financial transcendence, but this time he didn't have enough time to fulfill his wish.

Q: When Mr. Marco is ill, his body needs to be maintained by medicine. Every day when he takes medicine, he says he is taking it? Poison? Even in this case, he still has full creative passion and can even plan several exhibitions at the same time. Where do you think Mr. Marco's inner creative motivation lies? How did he treat illness as a valuable experience and turn it into creative motivation? How did he persist in artistic creation after his illness?

A: It is the spirit that supports him. This spirit comes from his optimistic personality. He always has a beautiful vision for the future and will never give in to the current difficulties. He often said: There are no words difficult in Marco's dictionary. ? The spirit also comes from his pursuit of epistemology. From his love of solving mathematical problems in middle school to learning Chinese and western philosophy of life despite his illness, he created his rigorous and clear way of thinking and opened his broad mind. His spirit is inseparable from his love for artistic creation. Every time he faces a new plan, he will try a new leap. It can be said that in the spiritual world, Marco is always optimistic and always busy. Needless to say, I often forget that he works with illness. Sometimes I look back and ask myself, did he ever worry about his health and stay up all night? I had no answers. I only remember his smile and passion. Marco, like a war horse, ran forward and didn't stop until he fell down.