Interview With
Honesty, truth, and the blunt reality: The documentation of social phenomenon through the art of humor.
6/8/21
FILE: 0018
Gao Hang
Archive00
Where did you grow up?
Gao Hang
China, more specifically Baoding and Beijing.
Archive00
What was childhood like?
Gao Hang
Happy, cry without worrying, and laugh without worrying. Nothing bad happened to me, which is great.
Archive00
Some of your work really reflects your background as a Chinese artist. Like "Proud to download for free 2". Were you a bit of a gamer back in the days?
Gao Hang
I like it when I first start a game with all other rookies, then I would be destroyed and humiliated by the pro-level gamers online, that’s when I would quit playing that game for good.
Archive00
The Chinese background is particularly interesting because some of the references are harder for westerners to pick up on. Like one of your paintings: "Oops, sh*t - Bakayaro". Probably the one Japanese phrase somehow all Chinese know.
Gao Hang
Yes, that’s why I also put “oops, shit” in the title so that everyone could understand. Also, identity is not part of my game so you don’t really need to understand the literal title to appreciate my works.
Archive00
Did you paint from a young age?
Gao Hang
Oh hell yes.
Archive00
Growing up in China, what's the best memory you have from your childhood?
Gao Hang
My friends and I would shoot each other with BB guns in our neighborhood without any protection.
Archive00
Some of your work plays with the idea of race and stereotype. "Proud to be an Asian", "We Always Pay Cash", "Please select your stereotype". What is it like being an Asian artist on the western side of the world?
Gao Hang
I think everyone has their own universe growing up. So given that everyone is different, being Asian or not Asian doesn’t really matter.
Archive00
What inspired you to do what you do?
Gao Hang
It was pretty natural when I was a kid because my parents are both really good at drawing and painting. So, it was my parents in the very beginning.
Archive00
Your parents are also artists?
Gao Hang
No, they're not. They just always enjoyed making art.
Archive00
What's your studio like now?
Gao Hang
A tiny working space because the airbrush will dust on everything badly. But I do have a home gallery space for a self-critic.
Archive00
Do you listen to music when you work?
Gao Hang
No.
Archive00
Before starting your day, do you have any daily routines or rituals you go through?
Gao Hang
I would pointlessly surf on social media and YouTube while making a lot of screenshots. Or read a few pages from the book of an artist I'm currently studying.
Archive00
What sort of role do would you say artists have in society?
Gao Hang
It depends on what media an artist is using. But overall, art is a subject that is being studied by an artist.
Archive00
So, similar to how a doctor studies medicine. Is there any artist you look up to? Inspired by?
Gao Hang
So many of them, I am recently studying Agnes Martin.
Archive00
Living through such a diverse, and somewhat strange era, are there any social or cultural phenomena that you find especially inspiring? or fascinated by?
Gao Hang
I don't think this era is stranger than any other eras in history or in the coming future. It is what it is, nobody is easier, and no era is better. What I do is embracing what’s happening now and finding my honest voice to document it.
Archive00
Fair enough. So your work is mirroring the society we live in?
Gao Hang
Absolutely.
Archive00
Your work references a diverse range of modern social phenomena. Sports, capitalism, consumerism, beauty standards, technology, and social expectations...the list goes on. What would you say you are trying to achieve as an artist?
Gao Hang
It’s like standup comedy, it talks about everything yet it is just a high-quality negotiation between the comedian and the feedback of the audience. What I want to achieve is offering good quality negotiation and conversation on given canvas surfaces.
Archive00
Your honest voice depicted in your work is often blunt, ironic, and packaged with humor. The negotiation between the artist and the viewer you mentioned, why is that important? Why is this conversation important to you?
Gao Hang
It is actually the negotiation between the artist and the materials one is working with, not the viewer.
Archive00
If honesty and the expression of opinion, and the documentation of reality are important, what sort of role does humor play in your work?
Gao Hang
Humor could help me deliver my opinions more effectively.
Archive00
Humor is often a painkiller to the problematic reality. We get this feeling from a few of your works. Like "A Very Green Card", "Please punch me in the face for my YouTube channel", and "I am so Pro-Liquify".
Gao Hang
Thanks. When honesty is developed with a certain intensity, it will look humorous, doesn't it?
Archive00
Certainly does. When you're working on a new piece, I'm sure there's time to time where you hit that wall, perhaps feeling stuck or unsure. What do you do to get back on track? or find Peace?
Gao Hang
I would keep working on the next piece. I accept the fact that every job could go downhill sometimes but it doesn’t mean I should stop doing what I like.
Archive00
Earlier you mentioned that you surf social media from time to time. Knowing that your opinion, sometimes a humorous criticism, on human behavior can be incredibly blunt and honest. What do you think of the social media-addicted generations of youngsters?
Gao Hang
I think it’s the power of anonymousness, and the right of speech that they think they had, versus the brutal reality. This conflict has generated a lot of side effects, social media addiction is a being one.
Archive00
Your recent solo's title 'Instant Gratification' is referencing this phenomenon?
Gao Hang
At some point, yes.
Archive00
Your honesty and bluntness can be interpreted as rebellious tio some extent. Perhaps because of how straight and dierectly it conveys the reality. Would you say that rebellion is a part of your intention?
Gao Hang
I am sorry you felt that way.
Archive00
Not rebellious in a way that it's offensive. Rebellious in a way that it shines the undeniable truth in a very direct and straight manner. Here's a random question. NBA comes up several times in your work. Favorite team?
Gao Hang
It use to be the Rockets, now the Lakers.
Archive00
Name your starting five (past players included).
Gao Hang
I love this question: T-Mac, Kidd, Garnet, Magic, Yao
Archive00
Man, that would be a beasty team. Your painting "Not on my motherf**king watch!" says a lot about your love for Yao Ming. What do you think of the current NBA?
Gao Hang
I think the way they kept practicing and expanding the 3-pointer range will finally destroy the fun of basketball.
Archive00
Totally agree. Your painting, "B31O1O4<<<" tells us that you lived through the gold era of Counter Strike. Did you enjoy planting the bomb or diffusing one?
Gao Hang
I thought the bomb thing is a bummer. I liked how players would just shoot at each other, the bomb thing is just all too sneaky.
Archive00
You mentioned the importance of documentation and honesty. This both reflects your experience of the material world. Do you ever wonder or fantasize about the future? What the future could or should be?
Gao Hang
Yes. I think immersive virtual, even simulated physical reality is the future and I cannot wait to witness it happening.
Archive00
One more thing, and our last question. Tell us a secret!
Gao Hang
I like turtles.
