Interview with Yuchu Gao
May 2019
1. How important is the absurd in your practice?
Some of my works refer to dreams, especially to childhood dreams.They often have strange narrative content. I think this is where the absurdity and weirdness come from. Cartoon-like figures often appear in my painting. The figures I create are usually inspired by cartoons and animations. As a child, I used to watch many animations and read comic books. These stories and visual experiences played an indispensable role in my early life experiences. I want my painting to be playful, and I will keep working on something with absurdity and weirdness.
2. What are you currently working on?
Currently I am working on some new paintings. I want my paintings to be a window that offers a view of an imaginary world — a world where humans, animals and all absurd stuff exist in harmony. I also work on some sculptures, because I want to bring something out from the window to the actual world.
3. Do you listen to music while working?
Yes, I like listen to different genres of music while working. Recently I listen to Laurie Anderson quite often.
In her album Homeland , there is a song called The Beginning of memories. It’s the song that I response to very emotionally. It has a strong narrative content of an ancient greek play called The Birds. I like the motifs and metaphors in her works, such as, life, death ,memory, birds and lands.
4. Which artists (or other people) are you inspired by?
I like stories, so I am really inspired by writers who collect tales and write stories, such as …
Angela Carter <Angela Carter’s Book of Fairy Tales > and Zhuang Zhou <Zhuangzi>
5. What is your favourite place to see art?
There are so many great place to see art, so it is hard to say which one is my favourite place.
6. What is the best part of being an artist?
I really like creating things, and being an artist allows me to express my emotions, ideas, thoughts, even questions in an artistic way. I think the role which an artist plays in the society today, can be both craftsman and thinker. An artist can offer a different perspective of seeing things, which can bring important values in today's life.
7. Are there any ongoing projects or upcoming exhibitions where we can see your works?
You can always check my website, I will always keep the information updated.