Tan Yifan

    cicitan2011@gmail.com

    DAI YUN, local sculptor and artist with Shenzhen Sculpture Academy, has a humble workshop enclosed by several old-fashioned factories and located deep inside a Changyuan village alley, in Xili, Nanshan District. A six-year dweller of the village, 42-year-old Dai has lived a low-key life with his three assistants.

    Neither his apparel nor behavior shows off much artistic taste; the only things that make Dai’s place stand out from the village’s metal and stone structures along the path are the bricks and brick-made sculptures laid quietly around the gate of the workshop.

    Now a young figure among Chinese sculptors, Dai has been invited to numerous exhibitions and has works housed by several Chinese museums and private collections. To Dai, art is pristine and requires a lifetime of pursuit.

    Born in an artistic family, Dai was influenced by his father, who is a local painter in Xi’an City, capital of northwestern Shaanxi Province. As an expert in Chinese ink painting, Dai’s father taught his son the skills and essence of that art form and often took Dai to visit local museums.

    “I was so fond of painting in my childhood,” recalled Dai. “My pastime once was sitting in the playground near my house and making various drawings on the hard ground. My debut, if it would count, was the group of images on the ground that made several appreciated kids gather around.”

    Dai said he has never doubted his career path.

    “Having practiced painting for years even before schooling, it was easy to be enrolled in the Affiliated Middle School of Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts. It was a time in the late 80’s when oil painting was highly recognized. Thus, I had high hopes to be admitted by the painting studio of the Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts,” Dai said.

    But fate didn’t lead Dai straight on the path he once desired. The studio did not have an enrollment plan the year Dai graduated from the middle school. “Instead, the sculpture department happened to offer seats to students, and I thought I could practice painting while learning sculpture. Soon after I realized that sculpture was another way of expression. I was cultivated into a professional sculptor and a few years later I was wholeheartedly into sculpting,” Dai said.

    Like many artists, Dai has been through various trials in the process of finding his own style. He taught art at the academy immediately after graduation while attending various advanced classes. Dai said he was influenced by several schools, and one important influence comes from famed Chinese painter Situ Li on representational expression.

    Dai created sculptures based on common materials in the early years of his career, but a visit to a architectural biennial in Shenzhen — five years after he moved to the city — had enlightened him.

    “I saw some exhibits that were closely related to bricks. The dry and dusty material reminded me of the environment I once lived in,” Dai said. “I knew I had found the ideal medium for expressing my ideas.”

    “It is crucial for an artist to find the proper language,” Dai continued. “For me, such language has been deeply rooted in my childhood memories. The bricks, both gray-blue and red, which were easily found in my hometown, are so cheap but heavy, conveying the culture among certain people.”

    Dai said bricks can recall people’s memory of the old Xi’an, which has experienced eras of rising and falling at different times in Chinese history.

    “Also, the signs I saw on the walls, suggesting lingering thoughts from the Cultural Revolution time of my childhood, were very special to my generation. Bricks somehow have become a stinging reminder, which makes it a perfect carrier of art,” Dai added.

    In addition to those features, Dai believes bricks are the ideal combination of natural and industrial elements. He explained: “As a city that enjoys industrialization, Shenzhen is a place to find countless cheap bricks. It is natural for people to accept manufactured products, but what I want to present is the opposite — exquisitely handmade art work. Creating art on reusable bricks can give my audience some novel insights.”

    To Dai, bricks may be dull and hard but contain the charm of simplicity. But he does hope to create complicated, life-like replicas out of the simplistic medium.

    Dai’s first brick-made work was an uncompleted washing machine. “I failed due to many unsettled techniques, but when I made a Mercedes-Benz car by red bricks in 2007, I had made many breakthroughs. I also learned how to mold other miniatures, for example the pigtails and drapes,” said Dai.

    Dai said it takes two to three years to produce a fine work, and now he is able to make any objects he encountered in daily life.

    As more replicas have been created, Dai’s brick works have included the kind of products sold at IKEA, imaginary new species of animals, cars and other sophisticated products.

    “A few years ago I began to make replicas of historical relics that were exhibited in overseas museums. The visits to the museums in Paris, London and other cities inspired me to replicate the relics, especially some things that were once ‘stolen’ from China,” Dai said. “I was amazed by the beauty of the creations I saw and am eager to discuss the phenomenon of owning and sharing cultural relics among countries.”

    In recent years, Dai has explored more techniques for sculpting and tried to not limit himself to bricks. He said his scope will be expanded to include space installation art.

    “I want to have viewers participate in my art,” he said. “Because art is about the communication between artists and the audience, by involving both parties we will have a broader understanding of art and life.”

    Dai said he enjoys the distance between art and people’s understanding. “I never thought to woo my viewers by choosing such a special medium. Instead, I am well-prepared to receive criticism and misunderstandings,” Dai said. “Being an artist you need to have the courage to face that, while still enjoying the process of creation.”

    Sun Zhenhua, president of Shenzhen Sculpture Academy, commented: “Dai Yun has done well in expressing his experience on the changes of society and cultural collisions, by applying the unique code from bricks.”

    “He has brought much unexpected joy to us with his unique creations,” added Sun.

    Dai said he is expecting a personal exhibition in Germany this year and will continue to surprise the public with his various pieces.

    “For me, such language has been deeply rooted in my childhood memories. The bricks, both gray-blue and red, which were easily found in my hometown, are so cheap but heavy, conveying the culture among certain people.”

    — Dai Yun, a local-based sculptor and artist of Shenzhen Sculpture Academy