Profile 3
Sublimation, 2024, oil on canvas, 250 x 200 cm, courtesy of the artist and Galerie Oriane GmbH, Munich
Mouton en colère, 2023, oil on canvas, 162 x 130 cm, courtesy of the artist and Galerie Oriane GmbH, Munich
Désir éternel, 2022, oil on canvas, 250 x 200 cm, courtesy of the artist and Galerie Oriane GmbH, Munich
Chute, 2021, oil on canvas, 162 x 130 cm, courtesy of the artist and Galerie Oriane GmbH, Munich
completely stopped working between 2016 and 2022, except for a few rare paintings. Back then, I did not paint for the sake of painting, but rather to relieve the pain, completing oversized pieces in which I had to make very large strokes. Not being fond of any type of ongoing physical therapy, completing these large formats forced me to paint in a very gestural way, which was ultimately beneficial to my health. I started feeling much better around 2022, and although I could not use the computer for extended periods of time, I began to rely on it occasionally, to interact with AI (Artificial Intelligence) to give my paintings a new impulse and direction.
AAN: In China, you trained as a painter. Now reverting to the medium of painting seems like you are getting back to your roots. How do you see it? DZ: In painting, my background is based on classical academic training from the time I attended the School of Fine Arts in Shanghai. Before embarking on photography, I completed a few paintings in 2007, but I soon realised that the training I had received in China was so rigid that it felt like a prison from which I could not escape. Even though the art curriculum was excellent, its
Sens éternel”, 2021, oil on canvas, 250 x 200 cm, courtesy of the artist and Galerie Oriane GmbH, Munich
Cordes sur Ciel, 2024, oil on canvas, 250 x 200 cm, courtesy of the artist and Galerie Oriane GmbH, Munich
I am now in the process of painting my own mythology about how I see the world
principles were so strongly anchored that I hit a dead end, reaching the conclusion that painting was simply not for me anymore. My opinion radically changed the moment I discovered AI and how I could include it in my work. I could, of course, have completed wonderful paintings relying on academic Socialist Realism, echoing my training, but in my case, it was only synonymous with limitations and therefore repetition, depriving me of the freedom to express myself and present my view of the world. Tat is why I wanted to find a way to overcome these limitations – and this is precisely where a dialogue with AI proved to be extremely fruitful. As a result, and since 2021-22, I have taken up painting again, developing my practice in a new and meaningful way.
AAN: How did you feel about getting back to painting after all these years?
DZ: My return to painting was sheer coincidence, triggered by health issues, as I mentioned earlier. During the time I was creating the Tower of Babel, everyone in the art world was rdiscussing the end of painting, a view I shared since I felt that the times when one could properly innovate in the medium were over. Today, we may see ‘new’ paintings, but they are not breaking new ground conceptually or in the terms of creative process. Troughout art history, there have been innovations that were revolutionary, from Realism to Impressionism, or from Abstraction to Minimalism and Arte Povera, etc. Even though this is no longer the case, painting remains a fabulous medium to convey the feelings, or the internal conflicts, we experience as humans. In this sense, the medium of painting is more alive today than ever. We sometimes also see artists enriching their
practice by adding various materials, or objects onto the canvas to achieve unusual visual effects. In my opinion, such devices do not contribute to creating a breakthrough in the medium of painting. It is about creating a new device for the sake of creating a new device. I believe that what makes the medium of painting appealing is when it is based on what we artists experience in our own lives. As such, I am now in the process of painting my own mythology about how I see the world. Tat mythology also features aspects of my personal life, from my early days in China to my arrival in France, experiences that have enriched my approach considerably. We are now living in a different world, one with a new context where totalitarianism and democracy coexist.
AAN: You just used interesting terminology: legend and mythology.
Your recent paintings seem to reflect this rich narrative. Do you agree? DZ: It is a rendering of the world through my own lens. Looking at it from a certain distance, it carries in its essence a mythological dimension that brings the human and animal worlds together. I am at a stage in my career where, beyond being very eager to paint, I feel completely free and liberated in all aspects of my practice. Today, ironically, I find myself on the other side of the spectrum from the Tower of Babel photographs, which because of the nature of the work, were painstaking to create, meticulous work that had to be carefully planned.
AAN: Your new paintings depict a vision of the world where mankind is drifting. Are these paintings a continuation of the Tower of Babel photographs? DZ: Yes, these paintings continue the ideas I presented in the Tower of Babel, where I captured and presented my view of the state of the world. I relied on pictures taken from the internet, creating a composition where I criticise the way humans behave. Similarly, in my recent paintings, I include my personal views and beliefs. Basically, all the media I have worked with so
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