Gaze at the Stars - A Message to Classmate Wang Qiaojun
 

In my memory, Classmate Qiaojun's best paintings are those created when she doesn’t take it seriously. Why is that? The only reason that I can think of is that, these paintings that she doesn’t review or look at are probably the most direct and authentic records of her, where she can release the pressure outside of school and it allows her to go back to the inherent characteristics of painting, and she can gaze at the stars freely, to daydream and weave her own dreams.

Classmate Qiaojun received her undergraduate and graduate study in the New Figurative Painting Studio. In the past six years, we have witnessed her growth. When I come to think about it, her painting of a bright landscape in the midday sunshine against a deep and gloomy sky would appear in my head. Perhaps, such a seemingly absurd and brilliant moment is the portrayal of her state of mind at this time, it is an authentic portrait of a youth girl. That is, among those beautiful reveries, there is always some growing pains of a youth. Wang Qiaojun is gifted in the use of colors, her interpretation of colors is rich and modest, her paintings give you the feeling that she is answering your questions with her affirmative smile, and behind her smile are her uncompromising ideas. She has her own perspective in paintings, once she renders the scene that she is concerned with into images, they always show an unexpected and moderate brilliance. She is not an extremely prolific painter but she is very diligent. In her own field, she would happily create a whole series. Even when she is caught in the struggle and confusion, you still will not see her frown. It’s like she is able to live every day the way she wants, she can pull through difficulties with a relaxed and calm attitude. What happens in her life is like her paintings - there is always a deep sky, where there are beautiful dreams as well as dark confusion, but it also must have the midday sun, that is to say, in the world of Wang Qiaojun, painting is like life, there is no best way to live but only the most suitable way to live.

Sun Jinggang

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Artist Statement

My paintings are a mixture of memories, truths and photographs that blur the past and the present, imagination and reality.

It is the memory of a period of time, a familiar landscape that can be found in the picture but it is not as real as it is. It is the transition between familiarity and strangeness, one can feel lonely or happy but you will probably experience the feeling of coming home.

My intention is to let the audience run through their own memories and imagination when they see my works. These are changed scenes, like deja vu, to regain the lost good. This is the reality of life.