「生成主义 · 专访」艺术家何伟

He Wei's paintings are created with traditional oil paints and oil mediums. While studying at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, he began to realize his dissatisfaction with "oil painting": he found the interpretation of images tedious. In addition, he wanted to create a watercolor-like fluidity in his oil paintings, instead of endless blocky shaping. This attempt continued long after graduation. Eventually, concrete images were banished from his canvases and the increasingly thinner pigments began to blend on the canvas. It was at this point that his artistic direction gradually became clearer. These works are reminiscent of the tradition of "color field painting", but he adds to this tradition in two ways: first, he uses squeegees of various sizes to "push" and "scrape" the liquid pigments to create different textures on the canvas; second, with years of experience, he calculates the drying time of the canvas, allowing the pigments to further mix within layers at different stages of dryness.

He Wei grew up in Xinjiang, where wind-eroded landscapes and vast spaces formed the foundation of his perception. His starting point for initiating a painting is often impressions of nature, such as hazy sunlight and stacked clouds. These impressions are clear, yet holistic, and often do not correspond to a specific shape as in figurative painting. Intuitively, blocky shaping and carving are anti-integral, so in He Wei's case, they transform into flowing colors and dynamic gestures; light and matter on the canvas surface metamorphose into a "thin and ethereal" membrane. In his studio, all his canvases are placed horizontally on the floor. Impressions are fixed in their flow through the pouring of paints and the specific movements of the squeegee. As He Wei allows the toning oils to pile up on the canvas and pool towards the low spots, he finds that the drying times vary. In addition, the artist's creative process is subject to time: to modify or continue a piece of work, he must work when the paint is still wet, which in turn dictates the rhythm and timing of the artist's creation. While oil painting, based on “layering” techniques, typically embodies geological time, He Wei's works reflect a sense of "wholeness": time is measured not by thickness and depth, but by the extension and folds on the canvas surface.

Through the fluidity of paints, He Wei exploits the presence of uncertainty that almost permeates nearly every inch of the canvas. Processes of unclogging, channeling, and blocking continually trigger new connections and ruptures. Inspirations from vague impressions, anticipations of the result, different tools and actions, unpredictable drying time, and the intervention of new experiences all contribute to the final vibrant structure. Following this flux, the consequences remain uncertain. In He Wei's studio, there are many "unfinished" works piled up, not because they need further refinement, but surpassing the artist's experience and control, making it difficult for further progress. Therefore, they are suspended, waiting for a potential reconnection with the artist. Perhaps, in years to come, these suspended works can be picked up again. He Wei's case underscores the importance of "enactivism" in painting: the artist's experience is inherently fluid and uncertain, challenging definite methods and forms. Creations arising from experience and inspiration symbolize metaphoric reflections, which can only be achieved through the shaping and confrontation of time and matter.