Interview｜Art Patrons: Wang Jinyuan (collector)

Wang Jinyuan: Oh, actually it’s like this, the Fosun Foundation’s collection is within the exhibition program, that is, we are a foundation, the Fosun Foundation is originally a collection. There is also the Shanghai Fosun Art Center, so why was this exhibition not held at the Fosun Art Center, but ran to Sanya to do it? Well, because we are actually the art consultant of Atlantis Hotel Sanya. That is to say, we are also selecting some artworks for the hotel. At that time when we were doing the proposals, we thought, how to do it will be more interesting, or the presentation of the effect is better. Then we came up with the idea of selecting this kind of artists in our collection. The artists in this category may be more oriented to young people, which is easier for people to understand. For example, the two works I presented at Qiao Space this time will also be exhibited at the Sanya collection. (Li Qi: Mm-hmm.) So, some new media, some interactive stuff, this is a type of art that young people will like very much. So we hope to put it in the most vibrant new resort hotel. Let more people, that is, he enjoy the hotel facilities at the same time can also receive some artistic inculcation, or can see more art works. This is one of our wishes, that’s why we put this exhibition in Sanya to do.

Li Qi: You just mentioned that you exhibited these two works in this space, can you tell us why you chose these two works?

Wang Jinyuan: Well, one is a work by Huang Bing, so when I saw this work, because Huang Bing is a Hong Kong artist, he has a strong taste of Hong Kong. He has, he has very strong characteristics of hell. But I think it’s also very necessary in terms of our collection, to know what the young people in Hong Kong are thinking. (Li Qi: Yes.) And then Bing Huang’s work is very humorous. Well, he has some humor and at the same time he has some, uh, he has some small, for example, erotic elements, some small naughty elements, but he handles it very well. He is not a very, is low, he makes people feel “Oh, life is like this.” And then there’s so many funny parts of life that are funny. There’s also something that you go after that you show in this video. Because Bing Huang is very young himself, I think we can understand more about what the young people in Hong Kong are thinking through the perspective of his, uh, his works, what kind of mentality they have in the face of the current Hong Kong society, what kind of attitude they have towards life, what their ideals are, and where they expect to be in the future. I think we can learn a lot about the current situation of Hong Kong’s socio-economic development through this short film of Bing Huang’s art.

Li Qi: Well, there’s one more thing.

Wang Jinyuan: There’s also a VR work by Jon Wolfmann. So, he’s a very insightful, very insightful artist about life. And he is currently at the forefront of VR work. He is a well-known artist in this field in the United States. So why did we collect his work from the perspective of the Renaissance Art Center, from the perspective of the Renaissance Foundation, is also because we wanted to go po…ah, more for something cutting edge. No, it’s not that the past is bad, but we still want to be more future-oriented. Then we want to try this VR work of this, what the effect will be. And we have more, there are more public space, for example, I may intend to put this VR work in the first floor of the Shanghai Renaissance Art Center cafe, we will open up an art corner in the cafe, to put, from time to time put such video work, that kind of VR work, is to come to drink coffee people can wear glasses to see a work. I think this, uh, maybe this way is more attractive to, uh, the general public, because this medium is more eye-catching, and they may be more likely to understand the art work. (Li Qi: Hmm.) And this artist’s work, I’ll tell you it’s very profound. It actually has a little bit, the picture has a little bit, the so-called darkness. But in this one, it also plays a little bit of black humor. It can make people, ah, is to think more with you, you can think more calmly, to think about the value and meaning of your life.

Li Qi: Well, then, um, how would you summarize, whether it’s your personal collection or the Renaissance Art Foundation’s collection, one of its characteristics, this temperament, (Wang Jinyuan: Uh, my…) what is its focus?

Wang Jinyuan: I, I started some personal collection before I had the Renaissance Art Foundation collection, and my starting point at that time was very simple: I thought it looked good and I liked it, and I thought I had a place to hang it, and then I bought some works. But now, since I’ve been an institutional collector, I’ve actually continued this lineage. Because our foundation places more emphasis on public art, such a vision, that happens to be the direction of the development of our group as a whole, or it has already done these industries, there is really so much space, it needs art, and it is also an opportunity for art to do a good exhibition. Because there are a lot of public, for example, there are office space, there are shopping mall space, and resort hotels, in fact, these are very easy for everyone to accept artwork, because he has, have this time, have this opportunity to see them. So I think it’s still, later on, the collection of institutions may be more from the direction of the public to consider. That is, how to, well, how to collect these works not only reflect the social reality, and then is able to have a very good impact on the public, the improvement of aesthetic education, so we are to collect works with this clue.

Li Qi: Then you see this exhibition, in fact, it has two layers of information, one layer is about Chinese contemporary collectors, then at the same time, this exhibition is also called art patrons, that is actually, I think there is a progressive relationship, because when we mention art patrons, it will involve a relationship between it and institutions. So what do you think the role of Chinese art collectors and Chinese art patrons is in the field of contemporary art in China?

Wang Jinyuan: Well, I think it’s, it’s not to be underestimated, that is, it’s definitely a very strong driving force, it’s a very strong support for Chinese contemporary art. Because my experience over the years is that contemporary art in China is still a niche category. It is not a necessity in people’s lives, or, how to say, a hobby for young literary artists, or a need for professionals to study, or a career for professional artists to work hard for, but it is not something in the eyes of the public. In fact, what we do is to be a medium, a bridge, between the public and art. In fact, we want to make this bridge better. Then you talk about this, art…uh, what is it called, art patrons and art collectors, then I found that many of my friends around me, including the ones in this exhibition, are all good friends and we all know each other before. These friends then, we met may be in some art [inaudible], we will also discuss what you buy what you buy, that is, there will be some communication in terms of collection. Uh…I think this process from art collectors to patrons is also the whole, that is, society’s attention to contemporary art, including contemporary art can be driven forward a kind of momentum lies. When he buys something to a certain extent, he really feels that I have a responsibility to society, or that I have a sense of responsibility to promote the development of art. Then he will go and sponsor some institutions, such as institutions that he trusts, some exhibitions that he himself really wants to do, or some art projects that he himself really wants to do. He is willing to go, ah, to do some sponsorship work, because he in this process, we say that buying art itself it is a kind of pleasure, but he in the process of sponsoring these art works, art projects, from scratch, such a project can be successful, I think this is also a sense of satisfaction. In a way, if more and more people like this, then this group of people is really a very important driving force for the development of Chinese contemporary art.

Li Qi: Yeah.
Wang Jinyuan: OK, okay, thank you.
Li Qi: Thank you, thank you, thank you.