On "Follow the Object"
By Yin Chang Zhi
Xiong Yanjun’s works are derived from the "shallow processing" of ordinary objects. This involves not only a kind of misappropriation of ready-made products, but also a layer of transformation. In a sense, it is also a kind of "turning waste into treasure". This can be traced back to his early practice. The painting itself is regarded as a special object, on which it is covered repeatedly, so that the pure surface layer penetrates into impurities, and the physical feeling of the material is constantly emphasized. In recent years, he has tried to directly use all kinds of waste materials, from making "physical surface" to making "material" through assembling, inlaying, burning, waxing among other processes. Arguably it is more adventurous than before, but at the same time pointing to a kind of traditional core, with an emphasis on the sense of time and temperature.
And constant "working" (action), thinking and chewing the cud in "work", seemed to be the norm of his work. From his point of view, it’s all about choices and what one does afterwards. Echoing Pollock, he emphasized action over idea, putting himself into a random state of "doing something," following a subconscious intuition of the material his body touched. After avoiding the stylized path that may be brought by concept first, he has an equal, consultative and interactive relationship with materials. From a certain point of view, the material itself as the "master" of his creative motivation. He took part in the process as an "accessory".
These waste plates from living environment and even construction waste are chosen because they show old, damaged and fragile characteristics, in addition to the constant renewal and replacement of the world around them. These materials have a strong tactile quality and create a connection with his long thinking about the relationship between painting and object, surface and interior, new and old, It also led him to look back at a certain tradition.
Intuitive judgment comes not only from the observation and understanding of the real world but also from the accumulation of past experience. Xiong Yanjun has always been concerned about the reality and the unknown state of things, which makes him always keep a certain distance with the current fashion art in his creation, sometimes even in the opposite direction. These waste plates are derived from construction sites or construction dumps and become useless after various practical functions are exhausted. They can be seen as a "zombie thing," which has no personality and represents something chaotic that has lost its earthly memories. Undoubtedly, the unique quality and touch of them are very attractive to Xiong Yanjun, stimulating his imagination in creation. He is no longer bound by general aesthetics. And the recent work in the removal of color after the idiosyncrasies of the material itself gradually leaked out.
Xiong Yanjun’s new works are "old". On one hand, from the appearance, he used some simple and effective procedures to make "old things"; On the other hand, he temperamentally polished and waxed surface to restore the "luster", as if restoring a spirit that has been dissipated or faded since minimalism. It can also be viewed as an umbilical cord connected to tradition. It infuses chaos and mysterious "life" into the work, making it become a body pretending to be a "holy thing". Once the body is captured by the gaze, the zombie of the form moves to the real "zombie".