Painting with fire

Below the painting of mouse, there was a small card that stated the years of the mouse, and their common character traits. Upon reading this information, the local visitors’ interests were stirred.

To date, he has held three exhibitions, each attached with introductory texts. After viewing the works, a lot of people decided on their favorite painting and went to his house to buy one of his works.

In Zhang’s eyes, it is difficult for German-based Chinese artists to promote their works in their local area. “We can’t compete with the local people by painting western works. Your works could stir the local interest only if you graduate from some local arts school or were taught by some local teacher. It is not very likely to organize a scalable exhibition for Chinese artists, since the Germans may not become interested in the Chinese works without fully understanding them.”

According to Zhang, many Chinese artists try to participate in the Sino-German cultural exchange exhibitions. Many of them have strong artistic aptitudes but become street entertainers to make a living. “They are in Germany, France, Italy, everywhere.”

Zhang thinks Chinese culture is not promoted enough abroad. “Quite a few Chinese exhibitions held overseas are mere formalities. Because you do not allow foreigners to truly understand the meaning of the paintings, you just let them think ‘Ah, this painting is beautiful!’ Their appreciation stays on the surface because they are not given the cultural knowledge to go deeper.”