Zheng Qiang’s Wild Boar Forest

　　By Zhang Li

　　In 2010, Zheng Qiang created the painting Wild Boar Forest. The painting represents a landscape of primeval forest which toned with a dull grayish-brown color. The title is written on the left corner of the painting. There’s a blank space on both upper and lower edge of the canvas. The story of Wild Boar Forest comes from Chapter 8 of The Outlaws of the Marsh, which describes after being framed, Lin Chong the hero was tattooed and exiled to Cangzhou, on the way, the escort guards were instigated secretly by Gao Qiu, a treacherous court officer, to kill Lin Chong in the desolated Wild Boar Forest. Fortunately Lin Chong was saved by his sworn brother Lu Zhishen (Sagacious Lu) at the very moment of danger and survived the crisis. In the novel, Wild Boar Forest is an isolated and dark place where tattooed and exiled heroes are being murdered. The Peking opera version of Wild Boar Forest is most widely known by public; it was presented on stage by screenwriter Pu Xu and Yang Xiaolou at 1930s and was first titled Mountain Spirit Temple. Later on, Li Shaochun made the transcription and brought it to completion, it became an outstanding play in the 1950s.

　　In this piece of work, Zheng Qiang did not recreate the story but represented a simple landscape. The original Wild Boar Forest stands for a dangerous location where crisis occurred everywhere; it is also a turning point of heroes’ unfortunate lot. In the story, the basic point of the savage Wild Boar Forest is the transition of one’s fate which revealed through literature and traditional opera imagery. Zheng Qiang imported this structure by inscription, therefore causes an unpredictable conflict between the skillfully painted pleasant scenery and the title. This structure investigates the nature of emotional colors in image which entitled with an event; it also inquires viewer’s visual acceptance through the process of transition, which is from a neutral image to a symbolic concept and then back to the image itself again. The blank space on the edge declares it is not only an image but a carrier of imagery manipulation.

　　There are a few other monotone landscapes painted by Zheng Qiang during this period. As same as the intention of using blank spaces in Wild Boar Forest, in Hinterland, some square door openings lies at the bottom of the painting; also a boundary appears within the canvas, these two elements form a substantial quality on a plane surface and alter the viewer’s knowledge of viewing a landscape. As same as viewing Wild Boar Forest, the first impact on viewer’s fixed mind of common landscapes is the dissociation of color, which is not a rigid gray but a rich grayish-brown tone; the viewer’s experience of airiness and depth of space is being interrupted by its monochrome appearance, then the doubt of landscape imagery turns into denial, and brings up a renewed deliberation towards the meaning of image. Without the blank space, the inscription or treating the paintings as a part of the wall, like many other works during this period, the tone, the skill or the texture of oil paint, even the signature at the corner would still change the viewer’s visual experience. The artist is not simply playing a visual game, he is trying to arouse the doubt and encourage the re-observation, enrich the viewer’s experience by returning to the significance of image. Every individual’s experience will be special and unique because the viewing is rather a lonely journey.

　　Zheng Qiang has been projecting various visual items in his work, in order to research on the transformation of image meanings. From the portray of vision test card and color palette to the use of poker symbols, which is to interfere the image; then apply the items such as football, tent or gem as symbols or theme of his work, the reality within image is being reconstructed, the boundaries of concept are being migrated. From late 2009, many of Zheng Qiang’s works are related to multiple spaces. He is not trying to maintain a certain painting style but is trying to seize an efficient method of image manipulation. In reality or images, the sense of ‘space’ does not only rely on visual experience but also common sense, this gives Zheng Qiang an opportunity to proceed, to lead people to reconsider their knowledge and the meaning of it. The space in his works is multiple and uncertain, therefore the contrast between the image and reality creates multiple inspiring ideas. His works are not simply a mirrored space of reality or a description of simulation courses; yet they do not construct space existence directly like absolute abstract paintings. He simulates, manages and manipulates multiple spaces, finds the bounds of people’s cognition before the establishment of each space still remains mystery, opens a new world full of viewer’s personal experience.

　　Since his works make an explicit introduction on the interaction with the viewers, they would eventually leads to receiver’s innermost being and emotion. The seemingly coldness, nonsense and boredom change. On this point, many titles of Zheng Qiang’s works are secondary meanings. Some titles are clear and straight while some others are obscure and implicit. Because of the participation of the viewer, the emotional directing is unpredictable. And this makes his works not appropriate to describe or sum up with conclusive words. In fact, Zheng Qiang created a unique system of discourse and a load mode of text through this method, the meaning of a work comes from viewer’s introspection of cognitive process rather than the direct effect of the image. As the artist put in his note:”Sometimes experience equates to imagination. Sometimes experience is based on imagination.”

　　Zheng Qiang is one of the passionate artists who are profound and sharp in perception, diligent and rational in willpower. His works offer an instructive revelation on the stage of development of contemporary art: the power of art works does not lie in new graphical presentation, it lies in the participation people pay to echo their background and experience, and the way to surpass and elevate it. Whether traditional or contemporary, in the basic techniques such as strokes, construction methods and color manipulations, artists had always tend to challenge or compromise the viewer’s cognition. In present time, people had changed a lot in cognition structures, the content, form and composition of images had transform into a multilevel trend of development; the way of image process needs to explore further into the unknown fields in this great transformation period. Only those who have the courage to take risk of failure, searching and experimenting constantly, can win the infective mutual energy among the viewer and his work.

　　June, 2010

【编辑：小红】