New Frontiers in Rural Art Scene

By HOU WENWEN

Life in the village enables artists to better cooperate with local residents and translate possibilities of rural art and cultural legacies into creative works of art.

IN recent years, a growing number of urban artists in China have been fixated on the countryside, drawing inspiration from the vast fields and rustic life for their artistic creations.While invigorating cultural resources in rural areas,they brought new vitality to the development of contemporary art, and expanded the frontier of art.

Artistic Innovation

With the implementation of strategies including development of a new countryside and rural revitalization in the 21st century,architects have been setting their eyes on how to integrate elements of tradition and youth into rural artistic creation.In the drive of building a new countryside, modern concrete buildings typical of the city should not be blindly copied.Instead, local cultural characteristics should become part of new art space in rural areas.

Xu Lang, based in Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, is one of the first youngarchitects who has dedicated himself to rural construction.He won several national and international architectural prizes, and his works were featured in numerous art and architecture exhibitions.In 2017, he launched an architecture studio in Chengdu, setting focus on modernizing the technology for building rammed earth structures.

An aerial view of Donglin Village in Chengdu showcases its artistic temperament of conforming to the modern aesthetic style.Yuan Yiming

Rural art installations have brought vitality to Donglin Village, which was originally dominated by traditional agriculture.

Adobe houses in China date back to the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 B.C.).Archaeological research shows that ancient builders mastered this method around 4,000 years ago.The traditional technique boasted easy accessibility to building materials, low cost and simple process in building, and minimal impacts on the environment.Many city walls, palaces, fortresses, and mausoleums in ancient times were built in this method.

However, with the progress of modernization and urbanization,the traditional building technique has been gradually abandoned by rural residents, and is now in danger of disappearing.

In the Qiong Kiln Archeological Ruins Park located more than 60 kilometers from downtown Chengdu, Xu’s team set up an architectural and artistic innovation laboratory.“The building is made of adobe, a traditional material, but we wanted the space to meet the demands of modern use: it is safe, comfortable,fully compatible with modern equipment, and above all, environmentally friendly.Our construction and research work are experimental, which is one of the reasons why we call this space a laboratory,” explained Xu.

Since the mechanical properties of the soil are changing, it is impossible to apply form structural calculations directly into the building of Xu’s project.All construction processes must be based on experimental data.Xu invited a research team on rammed earth from the Chinese University of Hong Kong to Chengdu, which brought the latest research achievements to Xu’s project.The research team also provided technical support throughout the project.

As this was based on an entirely new technique, the construction drawing is very elaborate, with the entire process modeled.After demolishing the old houses, digging the foundation pit, grouting the foundation, training masons, testing the ramming and improving the techniques, architects, artists, and the research team finally finished the project.

adobe

All the participants,inculding researchers, designers, and craftsmen,gain real experience of new adobe structural construction and the development of the countryside.

What is important, according to Xu, is that all the participants,including researchers, designers,and craftsmen, gain real experience of new adobe structural construction and the development of the countryside.

Bright Future

The countryside has traditions different from those of the city.It preserves ancient intangible cultural heritage from which artists can draw inspiration.The ancient crafts acquire a new meaning in artistic creation.They not only record a slice of the past, but also carry infinite potential waiting to be tapped.

The kiln in Mingyue Village of Chengdu is a case in point.Originating in the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties, it is one of the few still operational Qiong kilns in Sichuan.The kiln preserves techniques for making pottery ware from the Tang Dynasty.

Unfortunately, the kiln collapsed during the Wenchuan earthquake in May 2008.The local government decided to restore it, and the restoration was completed in May 2014.One month later, the Mingyue International Pottery Park was officially opened.Its purpose is to revitalize typical Sichuan ceramics and develop creative ceramics based on the Mingyue kiln.

In December 2014, Li Qing,deputy director of the ceramics committee of the Sichuan Artists Association, came to Mingyue Village and decided to stay to promote the development of the pottery park.In January 2015, he opened his workshop under the name, the “Kiln of Shushan,” in Mingyue Village.

Li delved into the history of traditional pottery making in the region, and came up with the idea of developing “agricultural pottery.”Putting the idea into action, he launched free training sessions for local residents and dedicated himself to commercializing local traditional technique.The participation of local people means a change of the profile of the creators, and diversifies the potential of creation.In 2018, ceramics created by villagers who attended Li Qing’s training sessions were sought after when they were exhibited in Seoul.

Li Qing has been working in the village for seven years.Over the years, his workshop has launched a series of souvenirs and ceramic products, and established partnerships with the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute and Jingdezhen Ceramics University for student training and internships.It also helped the village’s tourism cooperative set up a training center and develop three programs of pottery making experience as a source of income for local residents.

In addition, Li built a bridge connecting research institutes,businesses, and rural craftsmen,enabling them to cooperate in a productive manner and tap into the possibilities of rural art.

Leaving a Legacy

Artist-in-residence programs,popular around the world, aim to draw attention to issues of publicinterests through artistic creation.In China, early artist-in-residence programs were often a collaboration between foreign and Chinese artists.For example, in 2013, two French artists and two Chinese artists spent a month in Bailu Town in Pengzhou City around Chengdu.

Artworks outline a new landscape in rural areas, building a new scenery of diversified consumption.

A wax printing workshop in Mingyue Village,Chengdu, Sichuan Province.

Depending on the theme and scale of the program, artists spend a period ranging from a few days to several months at a place.Both the public and commercial values of the countryside are reflected in artists’ works.When the artists leave, their art installations are either dismantled or kept as works of public art.Thus, one question is often asked: what remains in the countryside once the artists have left? In a cost-to-output analysis,a wiser way is to keep artists in the village rather than pay them a handsome amount of money for a few days’ stay.Mingyue Village is undoubtedly an ideal place for artists to stay.

Ning Yuan moved to Mingyue in 2015, and was one of the first “new villagers” just like Li Qing.At first,she transformed an old courtyard into a dyeing workshop.Since then, she and her fellow artists have planned a larger life space.After five years of design and construction, the Mingyue Yuanjia art space was unveiled in 2021.

The 9,000-square-meter area is a space of poetic and scenic beauty.There are a dye house, a garden,an exhibition venue, and clothing and book stores.Ning saw many friends come to the village with their creative ideas, opening homestay facilities, cafes, workshops,and creative spaces.The village is now a dynamic artistic community,and people here, former residents or new comers, are of a family, said Ning.

By 2021, over 100 potters, artists, and designers had settled down in Mingyue Village.For them, the elements of rural intangible cultural heritage are creative materials.The experience of living in the village has enabled artists to better cooperate with local residents and translate possibilities of rural art and cultural legacies into creative works and products.

dynamic

The village is now a dynamic artistic community, and people here,former residents or new comers, are of a family.