Editor's Words

2016 Fuzhou International Lacquer Art Biennale lets us have an in-depth contact with Chinese lacquer, the culture of Chinese lacquer and the extended range of Chinese lacquer.The Chinese lacquer product refers to all artificial utensils made by natural lacquer.It begins with reaping lacquer from lacquer trees.And the form of works is all related to lacquer features.For example, one of lacquer features is that it can be made into waterproof and preservative coating.It is said that the best coating of underwater part of a large ship is also the natural Chinese lacquer.So all kinds of utensils after wrapping by lacquer not only can become elegant and luxurious daily supplies but also artworks for people to appreciate.The other feature of lacquer is that it can serve as paint.It can depict itself like Chinese watercolor painting.It also can be stacked, polished and carved layer by layer like oil paint, and even be made into cracked pictures.The lacquer is solidified and turns into the molding after drying.It can become a bowl or a Buddha statue by relying on a piece of linen.The lacquer is also a strong adhesive.It can glue eggshells and shells.It also can glue materials such as gold, silver, bronze, pottery, porcelain and so on.Inscribing,carved and fill-in skill,inlay,mother-of-pearl inlay and gilt ineised pattern…The features of lacquer provide an abundant malleability for creation.It is hard to set the extension of lacquer art, especially when we introduce the dimension of time.It becomes insignificant when we evaluate whether it is a piece of art works or whether the artistic standard of a piece of lacquer works is high or low.The Fuzhou International Lacquer Art Biennale shows various possibilities of lacquer art to the greatest extent, which not only introduces the dimension of time, but also implants these works in such an ancient dwelling as Furong Garden of Zhuzifang through the echoing between unique space environment and the works.

With 8,000 years of history, Chinese lacquer also can express modernity.Chinese lacquer comes from China and the East, but it is integrated into the subject, style and technique of western art.Nobody can say what Chinese lacquer products are when sticking to a single field.The reason why Chinese lacquer is alive is because it is a part of our lives.Lacquerers or lacquer artists regard Chinese lacquer products as parts of their daily lives.They who are in the company of a piece of works or several pieces of works in one year calmly accept the long creation course of one piece of works from bodiless to refining, in which creation and originality are integrated into every link.No matter in workshops and factories, it is difficult to let lacquer to have strong vitality without the spirit of the craftsman and the obsession for craft.We always pay attention to unusual ingenuity while ignoring the intention in one works, which not only because we pursue quick benefits in the great tide of commodity, but also because we regard the spirit of the craftsman as inferior “skill” for a long time.It seems that only the unique “art creation” is the highest pursuit. Happily, we see some works with great craftsmanship in this lacquer art exhibition. However, we also see a new wave of technology that may bring impact to the lacquer culture in this exhibition.Maybe the natural Chinese lacquer is always along with the impact and massacre brought by technical civilization such as machinery and chemical engineering.3D printing and artificial intelligence are coming on strong today.What we need is not simple refusal, but existing lacquer culture context and good preparation in all aspects.Sometimes, what hinder our development is not the limitation of technology, but is our greed and rush for quick results.As artificial intelligence expert Stuart Russell said in his speech: “We can produce robots more intelligent than human, but what we need to think is the purpose of doing it?”

The evergreen of lacquer art also comes from appreciators, players and users.Someone said that the lacquer is special goods for the noble.I think it needs enlightenment, transmission and promotion to know the value of lacquer.We not only need Xiushi Lu and Xiushi Lu Comment to know and understand lacquer language, but also more vivid lacquer stories, the stories behind lacquer as well as such abundant exhibition.

For the protection and transmission of intangible culture heritages, the Fuzhou Municipal Government's contribution cannot go unnoticed.The government gave full support to this lacquer art biennale so that the lacquer artists can bring out their best works.This model has a high promotional value for the development of lacquer culture and protection of lacquer artists.Today internet enterprises not only lead the new technology but also lead a new development model.For example, Tencent who only establishes a platform gives its peripheral business to its partners.We should learn from such mutually beneficial ecological value chain through partners' full engagement.Pony Ma said that “I will try my best to protect my half-life as other people combine their whole lives with my half-life”.In the future, Tencent will not establish a monopoly business empire, but try to establish an ecological platform that is coexisting and prospering.It is difficult to predict whether Fuzhou Municipal Government is intended to promote the ecological development simply by its huge support in this exhibition.But, rendering full support to build an ecological platform and giving the value chain of lacquer creation, production, etc.to lacquer artists can certainly bring infinite vitality to the development of lacquer culture.This Fuzhou International Lacquer Art Biennale is a good beginning, which allows us to expect a benign and healthy development of lacquer culture in the future.

The serial publications of “2016 Fuzhou International Lacquer Art Biennale——Era of Lacquer Language” record this exhibition and hard work of the staff of Fuzhou Lacquer Art Research Institute.Collected Papers on Era of Lacquer Language is published on the basis of outcome of Symposium on 2016 Fuzhou International Laquer Art Biennale, which collected outstanding articles written by many lacquer artists. It also records that the exploration and sorting of the history, culture and philosophy of lacquer art by the generation of lacquer artists.Meanwhile, it also carries the mission of enlightenment.I wish the culture of lacquer art has a long history and brings to a greater height of development.

Fei Xiaolin

August 9, 2016