Ding Yi
DY: Of course. What I mean is that even science generates controversy. This is inevitable. When history develops to a certain stage, one is not aware of things in the future. When something new is born, it will inevitably lead to controversy.
Hu Jieming
HJ: Art is essentially about an individual’s view of the world. Every individual has a different view, and this will definitely generate arguments, because there is no universal standard. During these arguments, you will naturally be able to identify whose vitality is stronger.
Li Lei
LL: Kandinsky in “On the Spiritual in Art” said that artistic creation and appreciation are a perpendicular triangle. Those who walk at the front are the extreme, and is a very small group of people. Those behind them are a big group of people with low artistic standards. And then those on top have high artistic standards. And then it moves forward. The group of people below it gets bigger and bigger. The extremes at the top also gradually gets bigger, and then those walking at the front are lonely and isolated….this is an objective fact.
Li Shan
LS: Art without conflict cannot be called art. If art does not open conflicts, it’s just like a cellphone, a broom, or a chair, which can be used by anyone. So art has to open conflicts, and it needs conflicts.
Li Xiangyang
LX: It should. All the things that are good, dynamic, and can be recorded in history, will arouse controversies.
Shen Fan
SF: It’s a good thing to generate conflicts, hence everybody should do this. That’s why I am not a good artist. My works did not generate that much conflict. (Laugh…)
Shi Yong
SY: How should I say this? In essence, artists are giving shows. Of course, they are seriously thinking about issues, but each of them thinks he will cause a sensation. It is inevitable. There is no artist – I don’t know, I cannot say for sure there is none, but I will say how I feel – there is no artist who does not crave fame and attention. If he just exhibits for nothing, it is self-abandonment.
Wang Xingwei
WX: In the past, controversies were often made up of criticisms, but they were usually beneficial to development. Now there are fewer controversies. If you create art for the sake of generating controversy, then it’s not right.
Yang Fudong
YF: I think it should open conflicts because when a new work or idea is introduced, it cannot be one hundredpercent accepted by everyone.
Yang Hui
YH: Yes, it can. But it does not necessarily need to.
Zhang Enli
ZE: For the fear you mentioned just now. It’s because of fear that many people go behind you. They follow. Those who follow have no sense of fear. Only people in the front confront fear, right? That is why there is only success and failure in art; there is nothing in the middle.
Zhu Julan
ZJ: The second possibility is that art may lead to some social controversies. I find this meaningless sometimes. Of course this sort of situation occurred less frequently in the past and more frequently these days. That is to say, lots of people which are unrelated to art start to engage in the discussion about art, not because they are interested in art or want to have an argument about some artistic issues. Those arguments might not have anything to do with art at all.
Zhang Peicheng
ZP: I think it’s necessary for art to arouse dispute. If it does to, then this art will not move forward at all. I said before that I wish to paint the beautiful things that others have not yet felt. But if people do not understand what you have painted, then it leads to controversy.
