10 Questions with Dezheng Cao

Dz was born in a village in northeastern China in 2001 where Shamans are practised. Ancient stories; spiritual body; foggy glare; melancholic and icy blue; quiet and mysterious atmosphere; time; are frequent features in the work of Dz. Inspired by the cinematic atmospheres of movies such as Arrival, Dune, and Blade Runner 2049, Dz's work is characterized by a soothing storytelling style that employs the use of blue hues and low-contrast lighting.

Throughout the past four years, Dz has honed his skills in various art and design disciplines. After studying traditional painting in Beijing and fashion design in Shanghai, he went on to study illustration in Edinburgh before settling on animation as his primary focus. His explorations across multiple mediums have helped him to expand his creative language and avoid any limitations in his work.

@dzdzwai

ARTIST STATEMENT

In Dz's works, he strives to journal the feeling of dreams - the thick and quiet sounds, the noisy blur of memory, and the secret messages hidden within. New dreams continue to be created, but old dreams form timeless small houses in Dz's mind waiting for him to visit again. He uses unknown world-building as a way to tell stories, creating images that are both familiar and strange. Blue is a prominent colour in Dz's work, representing the loneliness and dark white emptiness that can occur when memories overlap with reality. Dz hopes to transport viewers to a dream world that is both familiar and mysterious, where they can explore the secrets hidden within their memories.

Ruined paradise orphanage 1/4, Digital, 7500x4000 px, 2022 © Dezheng Cao

INTERVIEW

First of all, introduce yourself to our readers. Who are you, and how did you start experimenting with images?

My name is Dezheng. I'm a designer and an artist. Probably because my mother showed me hundreds of colour plates made up of thousands of round blocks of colours since I was 5, I developed my own set of colour theory since I was a child. I experimented with paper until college, learning crayon painting like other kids at the age of five and experimenting with Chinese ink painting as a teenager. After four years without touching art, I was introduced to hyper-realistic drawing during college and became obsessed with impressionistic expression after copying 20 Monet paintings in colour. After college, I started to experiment with abstract paintings and began to depict feelings and atmospheres, and my works moved away from paper to screen.

How would you define yourself as an artist today? And how has this definition changed over the years?

I am a free creator, not limited by commercial or trendy art but by my own unique creative ideas and aesthetic concepts. I didn't want to call myself an artist in the past, I dreamed of becoming an artist, but I was waiting, and I didn't know what I was waiting for. I always felt that I didn't have enough experience and ability to become an artist. But the fact is that "everything is ready" cannot be waited for. Artists have different connotations and perspectives under different cultural histories and art concepts, so I am constructing my concept of a qualified artist as an observer in the process of reflection and creation.

As you mention in your statement, you were born in a northern region of China and the traditional culture and beliefs of the region seem to have a strong impact on your work. How do they influence your current practice?

I spent my childhood only in the place where I was born, and some memories still haven't dissipated after I left. As a child, I was surrounded by strange stories and sightings of spirits, and as I grew up, my childhood memories were filled with blue light and blurred shadows. The memories are brewing and forming a story; it's not easy to transport the story from a utopia to the real world and present it perfectly, but it's all my source and my inspiration. The more I create, the more I learn about myself.

You studied fashion design, painting, and illustration, before going into animation. What did all these different disciplines teach you? And how is it reflected in your current work?

These different professions are simply used as tools to present different forms of art. Learning to use different majors is like learning a new language. The language is different, but the idea is the same, the new language shapes the way the brain thinks. Some words in a language cannot be translated directly, and they require an understanding of the cultural context, a true understanding of the meaning behind the symbols, and a social experience to understand their meaning. The same goes for different artistic tools, trying to understand multiple forms of expression while trying to get something new in the overlap or misunderstanding.

Moon 2/3, Digital, 1920x1080 px, 2019 © Dezheng Cao

Moon 3/3, Digital, 1920x1080 px, 2019 © Dezheng Cao

Let's talk about your work. What is your main aim as an artist?

For me, creating art is an escape from the reality of life, which is not easy, and forming an "emotional liminal space" in my mind, putting something on the screen that cannot be conveyed by words. There is no familiar or popular element in my art to entertain the public, but my purpose as an artist is achieved by resonating with people who share the same frequency so that they do not feel alone.
An artist I respect passed away in April this year, and I was greatly inspired by a quote from his documentary film Ryuichi Sakamoto: CODA. "Because we don't know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well, yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that's so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more, perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless."- Ryuichi Sakamoto

What messages do you want to convey with your work? And where do you draw inspiration for your work?

The message I want to convey is simple, and my work is like a blue hut in the misty mountains, a safe limbo. In an age where every second needs to be entertained, one can stop at this blue hut in the gaps of solitude and silence, enjoy the quiet or face the loneliness and nothingness, can just for a few minutes (or longer if you want) without thinking about the next second. Most of my current inspiration comes from my inner self, fantasies, dreams, culture, movies, songs and poetry books that give me emotions. I currently live in a grey industrial city, so it's hard to be inspired by nature, but nature is the inspiration I desperately need, so I will be as close to it as possible in the future.

You primarily work with digital art, what is your creative process like?

For the digital art process, most of the compositions start with a sentence, which can be fragmented language or a story I wrote down when I just woke up, or a feeling that is hard to describe. Then I make some rough sketches, describe the mood with colours, and use music as a catalyst. The last step is to take some of the experimental languages and make them more mature in some drawing or 3D software.

What do you think about the art community and market?

Modern art communities and markets are too commercially painted, with market values and commercial interests too much-influencing art creation and presentation. The new generation of artists focuses too much on fame branding and hype, ignoring the intrinsic value of the artwork itself. Artworks are too commodity-painted and banal, art should return to pure artistic creation and aesthetic pursuit, not just commercial commodities. The art market focuses too much on mass aesthetics and caters too much to market demand, resulting in some artworks lacking uniqueness and depth. Artists should maintain an independent concept of what is, and should not be bound by the market and mass aesthetics, and should be used for innovation and breakthroughs. The value of artworks should be based on their artistic connotation and quality, not just the result of market supply and demand.

As a digital artist, what is your take on NFTs? And how did your perception change after the Crypto market crash?

I see NFTs as a promising technology for monetizing and distributing digital works. However, the recent crypto market crash has raised concerns about the speculative nature of NFTs. My perception became more cautious as I realized the potential benefits of NFTs while considering the risks and uncertainties associated with the cryptocurrency market. It is important for digital artists to thoroughly research and understand the impact of NFTs and make informed decisions. My stance is cautiously optimistic, emphasizing the need for critical thinking and careful consideration of market volatility when it comes to NFTs.

Finally, what are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future? Anything exciting you can tell us about?

AI-Tiba9 is my first submitted art project, and I am lucky to get this opportunity to start my art exploration more confidently. Currently starting to work on a music video and a new project, which will be a combination of graphic, 3D, and physical installations. I have never converted my work into physical objects, such as sculptures or installations, so I hope to meet more artists to collaborate on some projects. I hope I can find my general direction for the next five years in 2023.

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