For her latest Cultural Storytellers interview, Renee Liang caught up with Wellington artist Kerry Ann Lee in China.

Lee is the artist-in-residence at Island6, Shanghai, as part of the Wellington Asia Residency Exchange.

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We’ve mainly stuck to the tourist trail on our travels in China, but if what we’ve seen is true for the rest of the country, this is a very exciting place to be right now.  An American volunteer schoolteacher I met in Phoenix City summed it up: she said that even in the smallest cities, there’s a “real buzz” – something’s always being built. 

Indeed, even in seemingly middle-of-nowhere places there are grandiose villas being built in mud puddles, along with signboards showing what a great place to live it will be when it’s all done.  In most of the places we’ve visited, local Chinese tourists far outnumber foreigners. There’s a sense of affluence, shown by the usual predilection for designer goods (knockoff or not), along with disturbing new habits like ordering way too much food and then leaving most of it on the table. Optimism surges above the crowds, and even the poorest fruit seller wears a look of hope.

Along with the new, some old habits linger. I spent last night locked in a mobile coffin aka sleeper bus, which had poor suspension, a death-wish driver glued to his horn, and worst of all, was full of chain smokers all with a hacking pneumonic cough. I spent the night bumping along back country roads (which apparently, were still in the process of being built, judging by the quarry-like scenery and the diggers and trucks which the bus tried to navigate around), resolutely guarding my open window against any smokers who wanted to close it. (End of rant – the moral of the story is, avoid taking sleeper buses in China unless you already have sky-high exposure to carcinogens.)

One thing China has always had an abundance of is stories.  Everywhere we go there are poems carved into hillsides, quotes from poets enshrined on rocks (if only poets had the same status in NZ), legendary figures carved into door lintels or gateways.  If I am lucky there's a translation nearby - and terrible Chinglish is not nearly as prevalent as it used to be.  So I've become a bit of a magpie, grabbing screenshots with my camera, trying to embed tunes and feelings and tastes in my brain.
 

Passing through Shanghai, I had coffee with Kerry Ann Lee, a Wellingtonian. She is the artist-in-residence at Island6 (Shanghai) as part of the Wellington Asia Residency Exchange (WARE) Programme, an initiative developed by Asia New Zealand Foundation and Wellington City Council, New Zealand. Although the coffee was mediocre, the conversation was far from such and made me think a lot about where my own artistic tendencies come from.

Renee: What do you hope to do on your residency?

Kerry Ann:  Make artwork, make friends, find some normalcy living in such a radically changing city, get under the skin of Chinese people in a good way and let my experiences affect me and how I see the world. Put English and comfort aside and embrace the follies of being Chinese New Zealand artist who doesn't speak Chinese and sharpen my visual language.

Renee: How easy has it been to adapt to living in Shanghai? Have you encountered any problems?

Kerry Ann: There's superficial stuff that reminds you that you're in a city of 20 million, like the bad air, pollution, hyper consumerism, trash and people moving, honking or driving into you all the time. It's just part of the package with a super city and adds to its majesty. As expected, the biggie for me is the weirdness of being Chinese and not being able to speak Chinese. Some people look at me like I'm from outerspace and lament about how tragic it is that I've 'lost my mother tongue', but  I don't see it that way at all. This can get frustrating, but as I've been getting settled on my own here,  I've come to enjoy learning Mandarin and keep on trying to find strategies to get on with things. Some folks just won't understand. Others are just inquisitive, and are very helpful.

Renee: How have you found the "climate"  for artists in Shanghai? Is this much different to the way things work in NZ?

Kerry Ann: The contemporary art scene here in Shanghai is very young. It's about 10-15 years old. The M50 Art District where Island6 Gallery is located, was only developed over the past 8 or so years. You compare this with somewhere like New York (where I was earlier this year) and its history and many art scenes, it's remarkable. Shanghai has such an incredible energy from the fetishism of western brands, the fierce commerce that happens in high-rise malls and inside people's houses, and rapid rapid urban development. This gives rich fodder for artists to readily engage with, and I've been fortunate to meet some really talented young artists that have thoughtfully responded to what's been happening here on those issues. Climate wise, I think that although the scene is still young and developing outside of the made-for-tourist market, Shanghai offers a rich climate for inspiring new art that's engaging and responsive and can only get stronger.

Renee: How does this contrast with your previous residency in New York?

Kerry Ann: New Yorkers are spoiled. I keep muttering this under my breath whenever I'd spend time at the Met or MoMA, galleries in Chelsea or hang out on the street. New York is the contemporary art capital of the world. Shanghai is new and exciting in different ways. A lot of folks agree that due to a very different socio-political climate, China is still finding its 'critical voice' in art. The really effective art for me are what I'd consider the 'mold-breakers' – work that is brave, playful and engaging. I find this is somewhat subversive and therefore perhaps more special given the context. I hope to see more.

Renee: What ideas are you currently working on?

Kerry Ann: Reconciling past dreams with current realities of China, understanding why folks wear pyjamas as streetwear, interpreting the differences in generations from parents who grew up during the cultural revolution and their materialistic offspring, finding things that fit, being a misfit, communication, isolation, joy and wonder in the most unlikely banal things.

Renee: You're exploring some new and local materials. How do you decide on a project and approach? Is it opportunistic?

Kerry Ann: A shift in environment has meant a shift in materials for me. I enjoy working with found materials as it's a direct link to where I am and what I'd like to communicate. I do a lot of writing and research when I start a project and base my initial drawings and material investigations on a hunch. I guess it must be opportunistic as I let new information, facts, accidents and unexpected visual outcomes help direct where the work will go.

Renee: What's your cultural background (answer this however you like) and does it change much?

Kerry Ann: Cultural background is a broad brush. Bristles already mentioned are being Chinese, and hailing from New Zealand, but just as valuable are things like being an active letter-writer, zine maker, being a constant learner, being a academic, being a history nerd, a record nut, being into surrealist films and literature, being tuned into underground music and counter-culture,, vegetarian potlucks, being a list writer, a night owl amongst other things. Yes, these things are always here but obviously foreground or shadow depending on who I'm with and what's going on. I like how particular cultural dimensions are so important sometimes, and yet totally irrelevant at in other times.

Renee: Do you feel much sense of "returning to your roots" in China? Is this getting into your work?

Kerry Ann: Sure, I guess it's there in the larger subtext of my work. I'm wondering if other people in my situation feel the same way, but there's always been some anxiety about being displaced in a place where I should feel at home. There's always been a disconnection when people have asked me if I'd be interested to go 'back' to China  and then having to explain about my family history in New Zealand, etc, and then coming over here to China and having to rationalise to strangers who ask me why I can't speak Chinese about my long family history in New Zealand etc. The 'roots' I've found in China have more to do with furthering my appreciation for my Chineseness, chiefly being around people who are extremely hardworking, enterprising and honest. Other than that, this place is incredibly new, strange and stimulating for me. The constant evolution of the cityscape in front of my eyes, eradication of history and building of new histories, the drive to build, produce, sell and consume in rapid amounts in a rapidly short time – this is is the stuff that's really getting under my skin and into my work.

Further information:

Kerry Ann Lee’s show at Island6 in Shanghai opens on Sat 21st November and runs until 22nd December.