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Art should bring beauty and joy

By June Cheong - Apr 23, 2007 AsiaOne
 

PAINTER Li Shuang believes in the power of love.

The Beijing-born artist was imprisoned for two years for living in a compound for foreigners with her boyfriend, a French diplomat named Emmanuel Bellefroid.

She was also the only female artist among the 12 founding members of Stars, a group of politically motivated experimental artists formed in 1979.

But her love for Bellefroid - now her husband of 23 years - kept her going through the two years of solitary confinement. Now 50, she recalls: "Although our time together was brief, my love for him was unconditional and I had absolute trust in him."

 Meanwhile, Bellefroid, forced to leave China, returned to France. Once there he lobbied the French government repeatedly to help free Li.

In 1983, then French President Francois Mitterrand visited China and brought the matter up with Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping. Li was released soon after.

Leaving China in 1983, she moved to Paris to be reunited with Bellefroid and the happy couple married a year later. They now have two sons aged 18 and 12.

She was in Singapore last week to open her first solo exhibition here, Shuang, at Linda Gallery in Dempsey Road.

1. Why did you join Stars in 1979?

Many young people were dissatisfied with the political situation then. The country only had the China Art Gallery in Beijing. We had hoped to paint something individualistic, not just political propaganda, and that the works could be exhibited. We applied to the Cultural Department for a permit but our request was turned down.

So we took a risk and displayed our paintings in the garden outside the China Art Gallery. It created controversy and many people came. But our works were cordoned off by the police the next morning.

2. What was it like being thrown into solitary confinement for two years?

Psychological torture is a cruel form of oppression even though it doesn"t leave marks on your body. But I have my own way of dealing with pain. During that time, I couldn"t draw so I used the two years to study Chinese history. As they refused to give me any foreign books, I requested for Chinese classics.

3. How did you survive that traumatic experience?

When I was in solitary confinement, I didn"t know what was happening outside. They made up lies and told me to write a letter stating that I would give up my relationship with Emmanuel.

They told me they"d send me to a fine arts institution if I did that. That had always been my dream but I didn"t believe them. I can"t exchange my soul for something external.

4. Why did you want to become an artist?

I was 13 when I started drawing. I wasn"t like most kids who didn"t know if they wanted to be a doctor or lawyer. My father taught at Tsinghua University and my mother at Peking University. They were very liberal.

5. What does art mean to you?

Art is my spiritual nourishment. It"s my second nature to paint. An image is powerful and can affect people. Artists have a responsibility to the viewer and should bring them a sense of beauty and happiness.

6. Do you think you have led an extraordinary life?

Yes. The big ups and downs are due to my character but also to the circumstances of my time. If you were born in that era, even if you were an ordinary person, you"d go through extraordinary events.

I"ve suffered a lot but I"m a happy person. I used to be rootless and had a lot of doubts about the world. Now I"ve found a more stable place.

7. Having seen and undergone so many things, what is your world view?

I see suffering as a form of motivation. Since I was a child, I"ve known that life is filled with bitterness and hardship so I"ve learnt to take things as they come. I see all things as important but also that nothing is impossible.

8. What would you change if you could live your life all over again?

I won"t change a thing. I live with my heart. All my sadnesses and happinesses are felt by my heart so I have no regrets. I don"t regret things as I find them useless. junec@sph.com.sg Shuang will be held at Linda Gallery at Blk 15 Dempsey Road #01-03 from today till next Monday. Opening hours are 11am to 7pm daily and admission is free.