Paul Riemann an die Redaktion: «Das ist schlechtes Berlin-Chinesisch-Englisch. Versuche nicht, die Grammatik zu korrigieren, es ist aussichtslos.»
Paul Riemann
Besides the China Central Academy of Fine Arts you studied at the Ecole superiore des Beaux Arts d‘Angers and in September you begin your studies at the Universität der Künste in Berlin. Do you consider yourself as a Chinese or as an international artist?
Xiaoer Liu
Let‘s say, I‘m an international artist who is Chinese. I want to put myself more into international, it‘s a challenge for me. I need this challenge, I need more experience, I need more things to discover and I think that helps for my art. And of course in my work there are some Chinese symbols.
PR
Is it possible to understand your art without any knowledge of the chinese culture?
XL
Yes, I think so. There are not too many poltical or historical things of China included. In case you dont know some Chinese symbols in it, you can still understand by your own way. I think in modern art the understanding is very open. Everybody could just use their phantasy.
PR
Last year you made the exhebition «She is more sexy than her work» where you presented your empty bedroom as an art instalation. Have you been inspired by Tracy Enims «My Bed» from 1995 where she shows her messy bed?
XL
Yes. Before I started this project I already saw some works of Tracy Enim and I really liked it. But however, the reason why I did the exhibition «She is more sexy than her work» is not just a copy of her, it‘s also not just an inspiration directly from her. The inspiration was spontanous from my life. But after I did it I thought «Oh, the bed» and I thought about Tracy Enims works.
PR
You complain that recipents find yourself more sexy than your work. Can you explain that?
XL
Before I did the exhibition, I‘ve read this quotation somewhere. Now I have to find something new, because in every single moment I have a new understanding about myself and about my art. So what is my opinion about this question now? When the arist is a woman and is sexy, people would pay more attention to her than to her works. And this is very upsetting.
PR
But you did some sexy works. Selfies where you dance alone naked and a video with a guy where you shave each others cubic hair.
XL
Yes, it‘s true. But I think my sexy projects have no link to the exhibition. The concept of the exhibition is just to express my disapointment about the situation that some people pay just more attention to the beauty, to the surface and not into the soul, into the artists art. That‘s especially for women artists I think. Especially in China. And it‘s also a social thing when the man has more power than the woman, when people just say: Oh she is beautiful. And they dont care about what she did and her art.
PR
Are you talking about the star cult with artists?
XL
Yes! I think the thing now is a lot of artists do great art on the one hand and on the other hand they build themselfes as an art princess.
PR
Art princess?
XL
Yes. And I have to explain the second thing. I did projects that look very sexy like you said, the shaving project with the guy and also the dancing alone in the flat photographing myself. And this comes from my «beobachten» in the life. I had a long period of a confused life. When I was in China, and also when I was in France. I had to ask myself again and again what I want to do with my art, what is my way in art and also what is my way in life. I had so many questions in mind, but I could not solve it. So asking myself everyday is my project. And this reflects to my body as well. So I use my body as a tool to express myself. And also why should this body should be mine and not others? It‘s about observing myself. The camera is me and I‘m also in front of the camera. It‘s me observing myself. I know a lot of people who take photographs of naked people and they use others as a model.
PR
But you just do it alone?
XL
Yes, my naked pictures I usually do them alone. When I‘m alone I have more freedom to do whatever I want and just enjoying the moment to stay alone.
PR
On these dancing pictures there is a paper on the wall with a chinese text. I was wondering, if that was important.
XL
(laughing): Yes. The flat I was dancing in was my flat in France. At this moment I just finished the chinese studies and I was in France for exchange and I put the paper and I wrote two words everyday. Today two words, tomorrow two words. Just everyday two words. And the same words.
PR
Everyday the same words?
XL
Yes, lay down. Or maybe translated as put down is better. (puts her cup on the table.) I think I was very depressed because – one reason –before I came to France I broke up with my boyfriend and I think I had to put down the memory.
PR
To calm down?
XL
To calm down my memory, to calm down my brain. And on the other hand it means that I say to myself that the new life is coming. I have to calm down to be open for the new life. So it‘s like a…
PR
Mantra?
XL
Courage (laughing) Oh my god, I really don‘t know how to say it in English.
PR
Ja, courage is interntional.
XL
Bon courage.
PR
Bon courage for a new life.
XL
Yes.
PR
You have two longterm projects, one where you collect voices of different languages. The people are totally free to say whatever they want. The other is «Speak to yourself» where people from all over the world are invited to send you a video in which they talk to themselves. Do you have a destiny for authenticity and true people in contrast to the superficial everyday life and the superficial art world?
XL
I think before you asked this question I never thought about it. So I more or less think it‘s just a project of me. But the truth is, it is always a question I aks myself. It‘s important to film something true.
PR
No fiction, just the truth.
XL
Yes, the thing that is important in my life is important in my philosphy. And to say it very simple, if the truth is very important in my philosophy it should be very important in my art too, so I just do it.
PR
I especially liked the sound recording with the danish guy. That could be a song in the radio, in a good program.
XL
Which?
PR
The danish guy.
XL
(She sings the melody.) I have to tell something else about this project. My first idea was to collect videos from different people from all over the world. Why? It‘s because once I met a person and he asked to do a documentary about him. Then he gave me a lot of his videos when he was a child until now. But now that I watched all I feel even if I know almost every information about this person I still can not really know that person. So I started the idea to ask just one video from different people. Just one, not too much information. Observing yourself is so important in my art and I think that should also be the important thing in these videos. I ask everybody just to sit in front of the camera. That was the idea. But the problem is that people don‘t know what to say if I dont tell them and give them a topic. But anyway, a lot of them talk about this moment, what they are doing, what is their mood.
PR
The essence?
XL
Yes, they found it. But I found it difficult to do a project with it. It‘s more like a documentary. I have a lot of information about different people. I was not sure how I will do it into art. Because now it‘s just a collection – it‘s a project, but not my art.
PR
You still continue to collect voices and videos?
XL
Now not. Because I already finished the first part. I did the video already. I never showed it in Kino Loop or Sputnik Kino. But I did it: There are people‘s voices and a lot of windows. A lot of windows from a building is the image and I put each voice in one window. I use the window as a bridge to connect strangers.
PR
You also do projects with hidden cameras to document the reaction of strangers on certain situations. Is that also your destiny for truthness?
XL
Yes, by one hand. But by another hand its very enjoying to film with a hidden camera.
PR
It‘s funny.
XL
Yes, it‘s funny. And for me the process is much more important than the goal. It also makes me fully concentrated because I‘m afraid to show the camera.
PR
Can you tell us about your recent or upcoming plans and projects?
XL
Hmm.
PR
You did something in Dresden?
XL
Oh yes. I did something in Dresden. Actually I did two projects. First I picked up some flowers from a wild garden. And then I went to the river under bridge and I put those flowers in the water and I used a stone to keep them staying. So it‘s like rebuild, it‘s like she, the flower, was already there, but I changed her flat to a river.
PR
Landart?
XL
Yes. But actually this idea was very very spontanous. It was not my original idea. So finally the second project I did in the train from Dresden to Berlin. Two hours I did in a train that was completely what I wanted to do before because five days ago I bought these flowers and I was playing with these flowers and I thought oh my god, the outside of a flower is almost like the skin of a forty year old woman. The heart of the flower is still like a young girl – closed. I was very curious and I wanted to see what is inside and I opened it like this. And then I had the idea to make a video about it. I used my finger to open the flower.
PR
To see the young heart of the old woman.
XL
Yes, yes. But this not the idea. The idea is people grow up too quickly. I mean in the family in China the parents put too much pressure on the little child, you have to study, you have to pass a lot of tests, you have to, you have to, you have to… And the young flowers they naturally just open by themselves. If you use your finger to open it by your power the flower will die very soon.
PR
So that is also your experience?
XL
Hmm. Kind of. But it‘s more that I want to show that it‘s a common problem in the society. I‘m not sure if it‘s just in China or in a lot of other countries as well. I think it‘s the creation of problems in human, maybe not only in China. To come back to the project: I bought some flowers and put them in front of the camera and I used my finger to open this flower, I opened it and opened and opened it and opened. This project is still not finished because I still want to photograph the process how the flowers died. At the end. Because yesterday I opened them and now they are like this. Later in he afternoon I will film them again. I think they will die very soon.
PR
So you are the society and the flowers are the children and you kill them?
XL
Yes.
PR
I‘m curious about this film.
XL
Yes.
PR
You have some more upcoming projects in UdK?
XL
Yes, I have a lot of things in mind. Especially I want to use my new tool, the Super 8. It‘s something new to me. The point is it‘s unknown and the unknown things make the process more funny, more exciting.
PR
That‘s true. And thank you for the interview.
XL
You are welcome. And thank you for your interview. You asked me questions and you make me thinking.
PR
You are welcome.
Inteview von Paul Riemann