Gao Xingjian
Novelist, playwright and painter Gao Xingjian lived through both the Cultural Revolution and the Down to the Countryside Movement in China. He relocated to France as a political refugee after one of his plays was banned by the Chinese government in 1986. The Nobel Laureate talks about his creative and life philosophies.
HK Magazine: What would you say is your greatest accomplishment?
Gao Xingjian: Freedom—the freedom to do what I want to do. And I finally did it.
HK: You write poetry, prose, scripts, and you also paint—what is the relationship between your writing and painting?
GX: My paintings reflect an inner mindscape that goes beyond literary expression. Literature is based on language, it’s the art of language, and therefore their ways of expression are greatly different. Nonetheless when I write or paint, I always listen to music. It arouses my imagination.
HK: You had to leave China for France as a political refugee, and your works were banned there. Has this had any bearing on your cultural identity or on the way you approach your work?
GX: Chinese tradition is in my mind, and it’s in my blood. Someone who engages in artistic creation should not be bounded by the notion of country, national boundary nor homeland. I now live in the West, and I deeply admire the art and literature in Europe—they have become one of my sources of inspiration. I believe we should be open to different cultures, and allow each to infuse into our creations.
HK: Can you tell us more about your thoughts on what you call “cold literature”, and a writer’s responsibility to detach themself from ideologies and politics? What should a writer’s goal be?
GX: “Cold literature” is a literary proposition I raised in the 1990s. I believe literature should transcend politics and ideologies—only then can it truly come face to face with the realities in life and touch our human nature. It should not be propaganda for promoting certain political ideas or ideologies. It should exceed geographical boundaries and languages and be translatable. One can find resonance in a good piece of literary work, even across centuries.
HK: What do you think of “Of Mountains and Seas,” that was performed at the Hong Kong Arts Festival last month and was based on your paintings?
GX: The director, Lin Zhaohua, is an old friend of mine for more than 30 years. To my surprise, this time he invited actors and actresses of the ancient Laoqiang shadow play from Shaanxi province and ballet dancers to perform, which is very classy and has imbued the play with a unique character.
Gao’s ink paintings will be available for private viewing upon request at iPreciation Gallery until the works are either sold or returned to the artist.