"STANDARD" ME ART

In fluenced by the culture of consumerism, my artistic sensibility has evolved to a "standard" which springs from the joint forces of commercial and media my "standard" either consumes or creates. In fact, as far as consumerism is concerned, the choice of my art only lies in consumerism itself or in the consumerism of history.

To me, the tranquility of my childhood has already flown away like the river, leaving almost no sedimentary of that history.

When I turn on the TV, its as though I have entered some kind of TV game with endless repetitive programs of Hong Kong soap operas, ancient costume plays, city romances……

Searching through my memory, I discovered that the standard of ones healthy teeth has suddenly changed from "Zhonghua" to "Crest"…the standard of his/her bright hair has turned to "Rejoice", "pantine" or "sassoon" from the former "Beeflower" and "seagull"…and a lady is no longer regarded as pretty with "small lips and body and quiet personality", instead, her"thick lips, tall height and cheerful disposition" will make her most charming…

Walking in the street, you will definitely feel disappointed if you still believe that a "standard" Chinese should have yellow skin and black hair, because a fashionable lady will almost always possess a white face; and, the hair color of nearly all the people in the street has turned to light brown, light yellow, light purple…

Driving along the road, you will notice that what you pass by on in either side of the road is green grass instead of the normal "standard" rosebay trees you willsee buildings of " white glazed tiles and blue glass" which have replaced the "red bricks and yellow tiles, white walls and green bricks", the symbols of the traditional Chinese architectural standard…

We are constantly pursuing the ever-changing circulation of different "standards", willing to tolerate the tender (temporary) existence of such "standards" like the brand of shampoo we see in a TV advertisement, we are fully aware that the effect of one's hair after using the shampoo is too perfect to be true, yet, we are still going to choose the new brand in the shopping center because this is the current "standard".

Growing up in this atmosphere of consumer culture and standardization, I am overwhemed by this culture, especially when we find the same youth and beauty, the same attractiveness, the same commercial smiles and warmth of all those spokes people in TV advertisements……; I will also taste the same happiness when moving into a year-2,000-standard building. Bit by bit, one by one, with endless repetitiveness all is melting in my memory, to an absolutely cozy and simultaneously dubious standard.

I recorded, by way of my art, such standards of our consumer culture, which were not clear at the beginning, and then became increasingly indistinguishable, probably, you may not remember those "standards" in my work; and perhaps now, you are not sure if you knew them or not. The only thing you are certain about and can remember is that bright slash of color I've made in my work, which clearly states my attitude towards culture.

YANG MIAN