Tan Yifan

    ceciliatan2011@gmail.com

    AFTER visiting 36 countries and experiencing different styles of art in locales including Greece and India, French artist Michel Bertrand finally made up his mind to settle in Shenzhen.

    An invitation 10 months ago to be an artist and associate at Bangsheng Yang Hotel Design Consulting Co. influenced that decision, but Bertrand also said he became deeply attracted to Chinese ethnic culture while visiting several minority groups on business trips across China, where he made discoveries that awoke childhood memories.

    “The minority groups have retained some primitive cultural traces which are similar to what I saw as a kid,” he said, recalling his childhood living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with his family. “Some cultural elements of (people in) the Congo and those belonging to ethnic people in China both reflect the roots of humanity and the greatness of nature, which make up the soul of my paintings.”

    After developing his style from realistic painting to abstract depictions of light and chaos, Bertrand now is confident in his career and his artistic abilities.

    That confidence has been years in the making.

    Bertrand decided to focus on art as a 17-year-old French high school student and began studying painting at the National School of Fine Arts in Paris. He then worked as an actor and stage decorator for a theater company in the French capital. An intermittent, 15-year career as an actor broadened his vision and reshaped his lifestyle as a self-proclaimed “gypsy.” Returning to art, he became a graphic designer and then a decorative painter while traveling around the world.

    “I realized that I couldn’t stay any longer in Paris, or elsewhere in France,” he said. “The country is so blocked to new ideas and now is narrow in art appreciation.”

    Now settled in Shenzhen, Bertrand said his work mainly focuses on researching ethnic cultures and reflecting cultural elements in designs with co-workers.

    Bertrand said he’s been reassured by art’s potential for growth in China.

    “Chinese people nowadays are very open to art. They tend to accept new things more easily and are willing to appreciate different art expressions,” he said. “Besides, there are many designers with world-level capacities. Many Westerners accuse Chinese artists of being imitators, which is very untrue. When I see their work in books or on display, I’m surprised by their creativity. But most of them are very humble, at least most of my colleagues.”

    Also a musician, Bertrand is a frequent percussionist at Xpats bar in Futian District. The artist regards the city as his home and also is working on a new project of collecting donations for local orphans through an art exhibition.