Say It Loud

because I had become fascinated by Xu Bing’s work. I had followed the progress of his Book from the Sky, and knew of course that he had graduated from the printmaking department. It seemed to me that the teachers in the printmaking department were producing extraordinarily interesting works that were experimental, different; certainly more progressive in approach than that evident on the oil painting department.

KS: Were you familiar with the work of any other staff from the department?
XJ: Tan Ping. He taught us rudimentary printmaking at the preparatory school. I was one of only four students from my class who applied. Tan Ping was sure that if anyone of us would succeed it would be me. I had done well in both drawing and painting at school, which were the areas to be tested during the examination. It was quite a shock to learn that I was the only one who didn’t pass the exam. First time round, I had just become aware of modern art. When I came to take the examination, I drew a particularly strange painting. At that time I really liked German Expressionism. The topic for the examination was ‘instant’. I painted a street where rain had just started to fall causing all the people to run for cover. It had a strong psychogenic dimension. It was not well received.

KS: What was your reaction when you learned you had failed the exam?
XJ: It took me aback. Out of all the students from the preparatory school, only a handful failed to get a place at the academy. I was proud to the point of being arrogant. I decided I would never study printmaking — certainly never apply to the department again. Next time round I chose sculpture. As with my choice of printmaking, I knew nothing about sculpture, which is what lent it appeal. Naturally, when I took in the examination the following year, I had lost a lot of confidence: more so when I failed to pass practical exam again. However, by the third year, I had become completely relaxed about it all. This time I succeeded.

KS: During the three years before you entered the academy, how did you spend your time everyday? Did