What is behind The Red Memory?

The Red Memory series of Wenling Chen has a very strong visual impact, from which we can tell that he is an artist with an extraordinary open creative psychology, and the energy of one of a kind. On the occasion of describing this artwork, the word “magnificent” often came to my ears. “Magnificent” states the tension in both quantity and its great character, and also means there is an amazing sense of newness in this work, in this razzle-dazzle world, the public hardly ever find anything attractive without such newness. We’ve already lost our appetite to all kinds of fancy tricks unless there is something truly mindful in it. Its size and combination made The Red Memory an outstanding piece of artwork, since Wenling Chen upholds the creative principle of respecting the interflow and interaction between the environment and the artwork; and this is also a significant feature of contemporary art, especially in contemporary sculptures. Moving from a relatively closed exhibition space to a open space makes the artwork much more participatory to the public, thus, the sculptures are no longer a simple existence but an organic part of a holistic environment; an echo emerged between the artwork and the participators, creating a scene of “being-there” , and this scene could be poetical, or, conceptual. The Red Memory series stands in the junction of poetical and conceptual, Wenling Chen is not exactly the poetic temperament described by Walter Benjamin, or a philosophical artist referred by Milan Kundera, in my understanding, Chen is more like someone looking for inspirations in life and sublimes it into sources of artistic creation. In other words, what really behind Chen’s back, is a primal power of life, it doesn’t have much to do with the metaphysical thinking or abstract truth, he simply sticks to the experiences of feelings, or, the feelings of experiences. Just as he has declared, time and again, it is life taught him everything.
 
The “gate” did not cage Wenling Chen but poured the power and passion of resistance in him. It is clear that no artist can create a masterpiece without any information access and channel of communication, or either can one earn respects by drifting along with the current of fashion. Chen is at the “fringe”, where he keeps a distance from the main stream art circle while he appreciates that how artistic creation can be stimulated by the latest information. The diversification of contemporary art is consistent with the modernity required by the diversification; a capable and creative artist must stand on the platform of contemporary art in order to pursue further development. Wenling Chen uses the form of sculpture to deliver all his feelings in life, his understanding of sculpture language is “post-modern”, different from academism or realism, “language” slide back to the background here. The stimulating color of red, the repeated duplication, the combinations of various sizes and shapes and so on, they all demonstrate a strong expression in his work, he has broke the imperforation with actions. Maybe one red boy doesn’t stand out as one single separate piece of sculpture, which many artists could achieve this or do even better; however, it doesn’t mean anything. The Red Memory is a whole, a unity, a bigger picture, according to Aristotle: The whole is more than the sum of its parts. I would also want to point out that, Wenling Chen is standing at the junction of poetical and conceptual, The Red Memory is much more a visual form, there is an original vital spirit behind it, and as well, a summarized imaginary space.

During a conversation, Wenling Chen has expressed that The Red Memory is now his past, and he needs to dig deeper for feelings and experiences, in his own word: there are so many things tumbling and falling over each other in my head, which need to be properly released. The Red Memory is a mark for his present, though it is a very strong personal mark and has brought him a lot of attention, it is still a first footstep for him; it is hard to be an artist, but it is much harder to become an outstanding artist!.

By Li Xiaoshan(Critic)