The "On the Road - Nomination Exhibition for Contemporary Young Artists" at the Guan Shan Yue Art Museum has selected the works of over 30 contemporary young artists. For contemporary artists, having a deep emotional attachment to being on the road is also the most likely to resonate with viewers. "On the Road" reflects a state and an attitude. This is the collective youth memory of all artists, a reflection of their outlook on life and values.

During the Spring Festival, I had the privilege of providing a three-day guided tour service. Through sharing with my peers, communicating with the audience, and gradually pondering as the audience watched over and over again, I gained a rich feeling.

1、 Listen to the curator's interpretation

During the training provided by Teacher Zhang Xinying, we took careful notes and from the perspective of curation, we gained a preliminary understanding of the artists and their works by understanding "On the Road" and introducing each artist's works.

Some of them express anxiety and uncertainty after their comfortable life is disrupted by the times, conveying a sense of unease; Some reveal a survival state of young people, expressing what we want; Some reveal contemporary characteristics and are confused about the loss of individuality and uniformity after standardized production; Some express a feeling of losing time: what can I use to keep you, the years that have already passed and are currently passing; Some people do not draw based on the artist's own experience, but create in fantasy; Traditional patterns that express real-life themes but are ubiquitous; Some place their emotions on past objects, expressing their attitudes towards social development; Some express their opposition to nature by portraying artificial landscapes. When landscapes become artificial, it is inevitable for the development of consumer society. Should we cherish nature more; Some emphasize individuality and rebel against the previously uniform collectivist aesthetics, believing that my beauty is the standard and emphasizing extreme individualism; Some depict both indoor and outdoor elements in their paintings, expressing a surreal imagination; Some use form to express attitudes, although abstract, but give form meaning; Some express an attitude towards choice, not choosing when there is no choice, and artistic creation is a form of cultivation and focus; Some paintings depict a concept and reflect the process of thinking; Some express whether artists can still maintain their individuality under the influence of various external factors. Some are fragmented expressions that present multiple states of oneself.

2、 On My Understanding of Some Works

Due to leading the audience through multiple tours, I would like to briefly discuss my understanding of the works exhibited this time:

1. Wei Jia's "Scenery under the Illumination" and "City": innovative techniques, without too many traces of hand drawing, use oil paint to wet the canvas, allowing ink to flow. Whether it is the messy and invisible scenery, or the upward growing power that can be felt in the blur in "City", they create a special texture, creating a sense of fuzziness and mystery. Especially, whenever we move away from the painting, as long as we look back, we can find eye-catching and beautiful things that cannot be seen up close, which will attract me again, face them again, and repeat this process multiple times, but each time we have a new feeling.

2. Wang Xiaobo's "The World of Two People": From the perspective of the screen, three different states and relationships of two people's worlds are completely different:

Physical - one can feel the tension, disharmony, and awkwardness of relationships, the dominance and expansion of women, the insecurity and desire to escape of men, all of which make people more worried about their future. I am not worried about men who are at a disadvantage in relationships, but rather about women's future. It will be very difficult to find a partner that she can control based on her personality and image.

Masked - they have their own small space under the red cloth, mysterious, attached, and dislike being peeked at. But I feel that the man is strong and has a sense of control. Despite his seemingly intimate posture, I can feel the inequality between the two. The woman sits on the man's lap, tightly hugged by the man on his shoulder, with a strong sense of attachment. I don't know if this attachment can last forever. Without an independent and strong position, perhaps a woman's future is worrying.

Smiling - two people with missing limbs, but with the same smile on their faces, the woman holding the man's hand, and their bodies pressed against each other. The kind of harmony and happiness that can be felt, men are the big umbrella of women, women are the harbor of men, and from a smile, one can feel a longing and confidence for the future.

3. Zhao Xiaojia's "Lonely Factory": The melancholic and helpless darkness is an infinite sadness and sentimentality towards the glory that has already passed away; Remembering the years of burning passion with a strong red hue. We have witnessed the changes of the times and the pursuits of our ancestors. We understand the power of time and the regularity from peak to decline. Perhaps, this pain is the cost of development. As long as there is passion and hope, the future can be rewritten.

4. Kong Lingnan's "Gu Sheshan Xia": The starry sky is a long lost sight for us. How much we miss the beautiful moment when we once looked up at the vast starry sky. Perhaps, for those who love each other, under such beauty, vows and promises will become even more sacred. In their future, the beautiful starry sky will be a witness to beautiful love.

5. Lin Xin's "It Seems Like Sorrow Never Died" and three other works: a perfect robot, emitting a cold breath, two people sitting stiffly at a distance, unable to warm each other's hearts. Perhaps they are all similar heartless people, in order to have no emotions and no sadness. Standing alone in an open space, so quiet that it suffocates, so lonely, even if sad, who can feel it? From the virtual world, we can feel the reflection of the real society, both gaining and losing.

6. Yin Chaoyang's "Dizziness": Only when viewed from a distance can one feel the dizziness. The rotation and distortion of the face may be a reflection of inner struggle and anxiety. Perhaps this is the price of growth, a necessary stage towards maturity. Struggling is not necessarily a bad thing, searching in pain and finding direction in search.

7. Rodin's "Floating and Sinking", "Mirror Flower and Moon", "Wu Wei", and "Doing Everything": The images are colorful, sparkling with dazzling light, and the characters are full of vitality and infinite youth. Freedom is like the wind, showcasing fashion and personality. His favorite is the ubiquitous Chinese elements in clothing, cleverly connecting tradition with modernity. This is the choice of contemporary young people. They do not want to be constrained, yearn for freedom, pursue individuality, and hope to use a shining mark as a symbol of youth.

8. Yan Bing's "Hidden Knife" and "Divided Potatoes": Holding a knife with its back in hand, looking into the distance, endless dark clouds seem to make the audience feel sad and worried. This scene feels like a temporary rest after work. Hiding a knife, but exposing it to the audience's gaze, especially when combined with the next painting "Splitting Potatoes", is a continuation, and the knife is just a tool for dividing potatoes.

9. Zhong Qin's works such as "Jing Zhi", "Ran - The City of the Seaside", and "Yuan Jing": I like her delicacy, elegance, and the beauty generated by the simple composition, which makes people overlook its ideological nature. A picture that looks comfortable, but cannot be ignored. The artist has put in a lot of effort into it, and every small point, line, and circle is completed with religious piety and focus, expending energy and energy.

10. Liu Xia's "Traction": Traction is indispensable in life, and a kind of traction is everywhere affecting us. Sometimes, I hope someone can lead me and help me out of confusion; Sometimes, passively being pulled and at the mercy of others; Sometimes, I have to be pulled by someone, but I am constantly resisting this pulling force. This work is simply a highly condensed portrayal of real life.

11. Li Yijia's "Excavator": With thick ink, rich texture, rich green and bright yellow, the yellow becomes more prominent. The huge yellow is hidden by the green, and its huge body can still be felt. It lingers quietly in the bushes, like a brief rest after busyness. At this moment, it cannot bear to disturb such tranquility, because perhaps in the next moment, it may start roaring in busyness again.

12. Shen Liang's "Young Women": It looks like a movie star from a popular calendar painting back then, but it is covered with thick oil paint and then carved into squares, creating a feeling of blurriness when viewed up close and blurriness when viewed far away. Perhaps, this is the trace of time. Through the curtains of time, the beauty of the past remains in the memory, slowly passing by and getting further and further away from us.

13. Li Xi's "Scenery Without a Place", "Chasing Clouds in Mountains", and "Immortal": Using new techniques to depict water mills, the lines are like ropes, showing a floating charm in the dim yellow blank space, ethereal and floating, with faint traces of time, like a fairyland shrouded in clouds and mist, unreal. Perhaps it only exists in the past and belongs to the memory of history, but it is expressed in today's way.

4、 The rewards of guidance

Drawing is the process of creation, as well as the process of thinking. When we observe, on the one hand, we want to pay tribute to the artists and appreciate their works. On the other hand, we are in dialogue with the works, listening to the sounds in the paintings, and appreciating the beauty, meaning, emotions, contradictions, or power of the works. We are the guides that lead the audience. Lead the audience closer to the work, appreciate it together, and reap happiness through appreciation.

In guiding, there are three experiences:

1. Learn to communicate with the audience: Keyword - equality. We are not professionals, we are just ordinary viewers. It's just that we have the advantage of having a bit more advanced training than the audience, and we cannot show a haughty attitude and dominate the audience's thinking. Equal communication is the key to fulfilling the mission of cultural volunteers.

2. Learn to mobilize the audience: Keyword - Inspiration. Strive to stimulate and stimulate the audience's thinking and imagination, especially children, who are highly imaginative. Often, the audience can see information that we haven't seen, and they are sometimes more sensitive. We improve our interaction with the audience.

3. Intervention of background information at appropriate times: keywords - flexible. Try to flexibly grasp the timing of background information intervention as much as possible, not all at the beginning. Sometimes preconceptions can interfere with the audience's thinking. You can freely grasp according to the feedback of the on-site audience.

4. Bold reminder: The audience is unaware of the guide, and our entry can only be determined by the timing. Suggest setting up signage at the front desk to indicate the time of the tour and provide multiple options for viewers in need.

Inappropriate aspects, please advise

Guan Guan Volunteer: A group of Chen Xiaoqing

February 5, 2014