Van Louii is arguably one of the most interesting and notable artists of our time. He was selected and exhibited as a participant in the ASYAAF (2020, 2021, 2022), the one of Power 9 artists of the 2022 K-Art Fair at the Intercontinental Seoul COEX Hotel, and the 2022 Gangnam Art Prize, respectively, and participated in a number of other group exhibitions in December last year, drawing deep sympathy and positive responses from participants through his second solo exhibition, Ordinary Art: The Third Wave. In this interview, Van Louii narrates his views on art with the words "The Third Wave."
VAN Louii(VL) : The first wave, in terms of Western art history, was the Renaissance in Italy. The second wave happened in Paris in the early 20th century. And now the third wave is coming.
Interviewer (IV): Can you elaborate on the third wave?
VL: So far, the main highlight spot in art has been the question of what and how to express something. But now the question that we have to ask seriously is who and where. What and How is something where non human beings have already outperforms humans. Now even the act of making a work has been taken away from our superiority. This phenomenon is going to be even clearer with the singularity of AGI.
IV: How is it affecting the your work?
VL: For a long time, art activities have been occupied by specific people in certain places. The third wave will break it down. I'm gaining insight from my work by focusing more on the question of who and where. For example, in a recent solo exhibition held in December 2023, works based on social media short-forms were displayed for the message 'creative activities that anyone can do anywhere.'
IV: Wouldn't the boundaries between what's art and what's not become too blurred if it's art that anyone can do anywhere?
VL: Art itself has been a very vague concept to define from the beginning. Even in the so-called pure art field, Larry Shiner called it “A system of specific ideals, concepts, practices, and institutions." In other words, it is a phenomenon that cannot be clearly defined. The question is ‘what do you define art in terms of the third wave?’. Before answering that question prematurely, it is helpful to ask the fundamental question of what art is to human beings. Humans are inseparable from painting by nature. Early human ancestors who live by hunting and gathering have also drawn paintings in caves and, in the case of young children, they almost instinctively draw something when pens are on their hands. It transcends time and space. I think you can get a hint if you carefully observe the backside of the many artworks that humanity has accumulated so far, starting with these primitive art activities. Humans have a desire for transcendence, whether consciously or unconsciously. And to visualize it vividly, they put up a special meaning to it. So, fundamentally, the definition of art may be in line with the definition of human beings.
IV: Does that mean you're pursuing art as a universal activity that anyone can do anywhere? But isn't the philosophy that anything can be art already advocated by many previous artists? In what way do you differentiate your philosophy?
VL: Maybe we're putting too much weight on differentiation. Most of artists are obsessed with creating something brand new, something that has never existed. It could be a testament to the fact that we're still stuck in the chronological paradigm of Western art. I think my ideas may not be entirely new, or they may not be a great deal of art history. In fact, conceptually, the messages from the philosophers of John Dewey, Robert Putnam, and Raymond Williams are in line with my philosophy. All I focus on is on gradually and continuously putting my philosophy into concrete action. Wouldn't that be enough?
IV: In what way are you acting?
VL: I have been holding small group meetings for a long time. It is a group where various people come together to talk about various topics and draw simple pictures. I believe that it was a meaningful step towards bigger picture. I am doing something similar through a group called DYA. In addition, I express and spread my thoughts through exhibitions and lectures.
Reference: [인터뷰] 반루이 새로운 시대, 새로운 미술
댓글