10 Questions with Shouhui Lu

Al-Tiba9 Art Magazine ISSUE17 | Featured Artist

Shouhui Lu, born in 1990, is a self-taught artist. He was born in a poor peasant family on the Loess Plateau. He began to learn painting in 2006 and developed a strong interest in painting. Since then, he has taught himself to paint. In 2009, he gave up the national college entrance examination that determined his fate and resolutely devoted himself to the practice of artistic creation. He believes that the best teacher is nature. He has been committed to the exploration and innovation of paper painting language, creating works with a contemporary spirit on traditional rice paper. In 2018, his works were shortlisted for the 9th China New Star Art Award, and in 2020, his works were shortlisted for the John Moore Painting Award (China). To this day, he has been constantly breaking through himself and injecting new things into his works. In his opinion, the only opponent of an artist is himself. Only by constantly breaking through himself can new things be produced.

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ARTIST STATEMENT

From birth to death, an individual is returning and cycling. An individual's life is full of failures and repeated writing and erasure. Today's social environment is complex and changeable, and each individual is struggling to reach the end in today's era. In this process, the individual and the entire society have a subtle relationship, as well as various contradictions and conflicts at all times. The struggle and pain that individuals experience today have become an important part of life. Pain and happiness are companions. It can even be said that people spend most of their time in pain, with all kinds of fears, all kinds of difficult choices, all kinds of spiritual pain, all kinds of emotional changes, etc. Therefore, individuals are constantly in friction with everything around them, and many problems arise. The artist tries to express the problems that tiny individuals are experiencing and encountering in the current society through his works.

***Distant Sunflower Field***, mixed media on paper, 120×90cm, 2024 © Shouhui Lu

AL-TIBA9 ART MAGAZINE ISSUE17

INTERVIEW

Can you share more about your early life on the Loess Plateau and how it influenced your work?

I was born in a farmer's family and have lived on the Loess Plateau in northwest China since I was a child. The geographical environment here is special, with sparse vegetation, inconvenient transportation, and drought all year round. It is difficult for crops to grow. We all rely on God to provide food for us. Therefore, The plants and people growing here are tenacious and fighting against fate. Land is the lifeblood of farmers, and it is something that has been with me since I was born. I have followed my parents to work on our land since I was a child because the land contains things that we are too lazy to survive on. When we were children, we were isolated by layers of mountains. We never knew what the outside world was like. It wasn't until I was admitted to middle school that I really left the mountains to go to school in the county. The vastness of the Loess Plateau and the various tenacious lives on that land have been deeply engraved in my bones since I was a child, and they have subtly influenced the formation of my works.

When did you first realize you wanted to pursue art as your full-time career? And what was your initial reaction?

In 2009, I gave up taking the national college entrance examination and planned to devote myself wholeheartedly to my artistic creation. At that time, I was ready to make art my career. When I saw the Picasso album, I was attracted by this great 20th-century artist. I was shocked by the artist's works. That year was 2008. At that time, I made up my mind that I would be like him. In addition, I had no intention of studying at that time. I had been introverted since I was a child, and it was difficult to adapt to collective life. In high school, this trend was amplified. During the three years of high school, my scores in various subjects gradually dropped. I struggled to survive the three years of high school. When I was about to graduate, I chose to give up the exam and return to the countryside. , devote yourself to your own artistic creation.

***Sunflower***, mixed media on paper, 120×97 cm, 2024 © Shouhui Lu

You are a self-taught artist. How did you develop into the artist you are today? What training or experiences helped you along the way?

I have never had any teacher teach me how to draw, nor have I participated in any art training. I explore and practice everything by myself. This just takes time. Art does not need to be taught by others. It is important to maintain your nature. Some things are engraved in your bones, so you just need to dig out your own unique things. However, I will often read the works of masters and study their theories carefully. I think this will be of great help to me. Although I often read their works, I have never copied their works. Keeping your natural, original self is also helpful.

What challenges did you face as a self-taught artist, and how did you overcome them?

As a self-taught artist, the biggest difficulty is the formation of personal language. This process is extremely long and painful. You need to constantly overthrow yourself and finally find your own way of expression. This is a gradual process. You don't need to overcome anything. Some problems will suddenly become clear over time. You just need to move forward. As for the pain of the process, it is inevitable. Accept it and turn it into part of the work.

***A Lifetime***, Mixed Media on Paper, 120×97 cm, 2024 © Shouhui Lu

***Above the Earth***, mixed media on paper, 106×76 cm, 2024 © Shouhui Lu

Are there any specific experiences or mentors that played a significant role in shaping your artistic journey?

Picasso's works deeply influenced me. He can be regarded as my enlightenment teacher on the road of art. Of course, some personal experiences also play an important role. As the saying goes, accumulation leads to success. Things that seem unrelated actually have an inherent, inevitable connection. I have experienced all kinds of evil in human nature since I was a child. In the five years when I returned home to paint alone, I felt the fickleness of human nature. All kinds of ridicule and cold eyes were often cast at me. That period was the darkest moment of my life. I think similar experiences have played a role in my artistic path.

Why did you choose rice paper as your primary medium, and how do you innovate within this traditional material?

Paper has existed in China for thousands of years. Papermaking is included in China's four great inventions, so paper is an ancient existence in China. From ancient times to the present, rice paper has been the main material used by Chinese painters and calligraphers. Some great artists have created many masterpieces using rice paper. I choose to use paper for creation. On the one hand, it is due to the influence of thousands of years of Chinese cultural tradition. Chinese rice paper has its unique attributes and charm, its flexibility and special response to ink. This is what attracts me. Secondly, most of China's paper paintings are traditional. Today, I want to use the most traditional materials to create a visual language that is in line with the present. Art needs to follow the times. I use color and shape, as well as a variety of painting materials, to present a picture that fits the current situation on rice paper. For example, the addition of oil pastels, markers, watercolors, and other materials can give more possibilities to the picture.

***Falling Petals***, mixed media on paper, 120×97 cm, 2024 © Shouhui Lu

Can you walk us through your creative process, from conceptualizing an idea to completing a piece?

Before creating a work, I will spend time conceiving the work to be created. I usually get a subject I want to express from daily life, either from the Internet or real life, and then draw a sketch with a pencil. I use smaller sketch paper so that I can better complete the work later. When I create, I must have a very clear idea of where the various elements in the picture are arranged. They are all conceived in advance, not Later, and were randomly arranged in a certain place.

Your work explores the tension between individuals and society. What drives you to focus on these themes, and how do you convey them in your art?

First of all, I think an artist's work must face society directly, raise questions, or focus on a specific field or issue. If it simply expresses personal emotions, I think it is not profound enough. Therefore, I gradually found the issues that I am concerned about. In my opinion, the relationship between the individual and society is that the life of an individual is a major event. The life of an individual is inseparable from society. The existence of this relationship will produce various contradictions and problems, and contradictions and various problems will arise. These problems will cause the individual to have various pains and struggles. The pain and struggle of an individual's life are caused by the relationship between the individual and society. When these are embodied in my works, I often use specific visual language and personal symbols, as well as concepts. to express them.

What new elements or directions are you exploring in your future projects, and how do you see your work evolving in the coming years?

In the new works, I have added thinking about the element of time, as well as light and shadow. All contradictions and conflicts occur under the action of time. Time runs through our lives. How to transform time and light and shadow into The language in my works is what I will do next. In the next few years, the works will become more mature, and the expression methods will become more diverse. Only by constantly breaking through themselves can artists better extend their artistic life.

Finally, what advice would you give to an emerging artist who hopes to follow a similar path to yours?

The road to art is difficult, but if you think art is an essential part of you, then do it with firm belief and overcome all difficulties. On the road of art, belief is very important.

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