Tribute to Childhood
Works of Zhang Guangxian
2010.12.25 - 2011.01.20

I believe the fortune of artists is that their madness won’t be strictly defined and standardized by reality. Therefore, they can travel between their spirit and real world with extreme freedom and with no constraints. I praise the heaven for giving me such a wonderful role but worry about this would be eventually a destined tragedy. Since art represents freedom, it can either complement the life or run counter to it. Carrying the responsibility of life, my biggest puzzle is how to balance the reality and art. In order to keep well-functioning, I think my heart must be strong and board enough. I was already entangled by career, love, family, aging and many other practical problems, though I still try to gain an ideal leisureness. I feel the cruelty of life confused me and made me helpless. The lack of experience and capacity cornered me. Gradually, I suffered unnecessary anxiety in the struggle. Always worried about the end of the world, the burst of another economic crisis, the attack of earthquake or tsunami; worried about the power and problems that may never get controlled by human being. My struggle revels the fragile, tiny but endless selfish of human. I saw people expanded all their life chasing the so called knowledge and wealth; I saw the limited life form pursuing unlimited desire. We keep criticizing and pondering, in the hope of retaining the good and beauty. But the endless injustice and darkness are hurting us all the time. Virtue is covered up by evil, occult wars and viruses are flooding the world, the stupid dispute of benefit is becoming the fact and survival rule. Art was once called the shelter from the reality by antecessors, seems I also received the care from it. So I won't give up easily, fighting against the evil of reality is the theme of my life. Although I am not a radical householder who scarifies his life for the fortune, I would like to be a journalist who concerns about this phenomenon and tries to reveal the truth.

The writing above doesn't have much to do with my work. It only shows that I am a pessimist who playing with the ideal. Life is much more important than art, it teaches us how to think first, and then the art expression comes into being. In order to stick to the life that I comprehend, I use baby face as a symbol to construct an image of innocence, but unconsciously projected the cruel reality and pessimistic emotion from my own experience on it. This contrast exactly implemented my expression. I believe everyone have their path of life which doesn't need redundant strategy or rule. If life is the potential test ground for art, using a passive method may enable us to found its essence more efficiently. As we advocate a simple life, not to seek complex theme and continuous setting but cause massive negative effects, the contradictions and complexity just reflects the essence of life.

Youth was described as blooming flowers, but it is destined to wither slowly under the sun. We always miss our childhood, because its innocence is so beautiful. This makes me believe that growing up is a painful process of withering. When recollecting the old photos, I always feel that my essence and simpleness are whiled. The flawless flower truly can not survive the rolling of time. At last, we can only cherish the memory of the moment when it was tender and beautiful. The image of memory will fade out, but it represents an eternity which is more precious than anything in this age of vanity.

Honor to our lost childhood!