Lin Hairong: A Quiet Commentary - Jade Franklin

Lin Hairong, Holding Hands Forever, 2007. Oil on Canvas, 150 x 150 cm.

“I want to stand and watch the world, that way I will see it more clearly.” - Lin Hairong


In looking at the works of Lin Hairong, one senses that the artist is seeking to capture life’s tranquil moments; those fleeting glimpses of halcyon clarity and peace that remain uncontaminated by the frenetic pace of daily existence. Moments such as these have become few and far between, however, in an age that the artist feels “is too quick to change.”
Lin Hairong is a great admirer of ancient Chinese culture and attempts in her work to evoke a sense of the contemplative calm that she feels whilst immersed in traditional literature and the arts. It is there that she finds refuge from the clamour of contemporary China where life is transforming at a pace that is difficult to comprehend.

Many features in Lin Hairong’s paintings are reminiscent of traditional Chinese art, such as her precise and restrained detailing, her muted colours and her two dimensional figures. We also see echoes of the past in the heavily stylized poses that she chooses for her characters, usually positioning them against a blank background that makes the whole scene suggestive of a still from traditional stage drama. Although referencing the past in this way, her works are unmistakably contemporary. She alludes to themes that are of concern to this day, but subtly integrates these into the acute femininity and playfulness of her compositions. The viewer is therefore required to look beyond the flat surface of her works in order to discover the nuances of meanings that lie beneath. It is a complex vision that she creates, one in which the proportions of her figures are distorted to give them a childlike appearance, and where the distinctions between memory, reality and fantasy are blurred. She attires these characters in a range of costumes that originate from widely disparate eras. Some appear in traditional Chinese apparel, a substantial number in military uniform and some, although fewer, in contemporary dress. Despite these indicators, it becomes difficult to differentiate between eras, as Lin Hairong’s muted palette lends a bleached, antiquated appearance to all of her paintings. As a result, the artist manages to transcend the definitive barriers of time, presenting instead an array of characters that belong to a single, timeless world.
This is a world filled with Lin Hairong’s gentle humour and delicate satire; her playfulness revealing itself through the staged countenance of her figures. These postures are influenced not only by ancient Chinese works, but also by cultural revolutionary imagery, theatrical photography and even the work of the Dutch masters. Lin Hairong recognises that, in the past, poses of this nature would have possessed a symbolism readily comprehensible to a wide audience. However, the ability to interpret such figuration has become lost with time, and so the images can no longer communicate with onlookers. Consequently, to the majority of a contemporary audience, such stylised posturing now appears contrived, even comical. A fine example of this can be seen in the work Holding Hands Forever in which Lin Hairong, in a humorous nod to Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Marriage depicts a man and woman mimicking the sober stance of the original couple. She has taken the pose completely out of context, both historically and culturally, so that the depth of symbolism in Van Eyck’s original portrait is nullified. In her representation, the pose of the infamous couple has become a parody of itself, with the childlike nature of her couple significantly reinforcing the farcical nature of the piece. These figures, with their distorted bodily proportions and tiny delicate hands and feet, populate all of the artist’s works, and whilst some of them are depicted in children’s dress, the majority of them appear to be playfully assuming the appearances of adulthood.

In most of the artist’s works this role-playing is fairly innocuous, but a more disquieting tone is created when the children are depicted wearing Chinese military uniform. It is through these images that the viewer is able to identify Lin Hairong’s subtle satirical edge; her admonishments gently, but firmly asserting themselves. This military iconography is informed by personal experience, as Lin Hairong was born into a large military family in 1975. Her childhood was strictly regulated, even more so than other children’s at the time. She grew up surrounded by the ubiquitous tedium of rigid routine and army uniform, with propaganda videos supplied as a form of entertainment. As she knew no other existence she did not question any of this until a later date. Today however she looks back on these experiences and at the schools where military influences still dominate and asks “How is it [the strict routine] effective or relevant to life?”. Prominent in her childhood routine was the regular screening of the afore-mentioned propaganda videos, some of which she recently managed to obtain and re-watch. In doing so, she found herself struck by the utterly contrived nature of stories that bore such little resemblance to reality. Seeing the video’s anew, the characters seem ridiculous; they are robotic caricatures whose compliance is completely unquestioning. The influence of this was paramount to Lin Hairong’s work. There remain obvious associations between the characters in the videos and the two-dimensional, dispassionate figures that pervade her paintings. What is of greater concern to the artist today however is that despite the modernisation of China and the great progresses that have been made, in some senses little has actually changed. Today, just as was the case in her childhood, people are still following orders, different orders certainly, but nevertheless a similar level of staunch obedience remains necessary. With this in mind, the emotional detachment demonstrated by many of Lin Hairong’s figures takes on an additional layer of meaning.

Although such criticisms are certainly implied by these works, the viewer is primarily struck by the gentle lyricism of her paintings, with their subtle humor, femininity and playfulness. This is precisely how Lin Hairong intends her works to be received. She does not intend to be brazenly critical as she feels this would not be a true reflection of her character. She prefers to indirectly suggest at the problems that exist in modern society; the issues that many people are similarly aware of. It is widely understood, for example, that there are many problems associated with China’s rural communities. Farmers struggle to make a living and are forced to migrate to the cities to find what work they can. Instead of displaying the brutal reality of this situation in a confrontational manner, Lin Hairong simply depicts a single farmer, clutching his hoe, his means of life, in both hands with his head bowed under the weight of his struggle and sorrow. In this way the artist hopes to connect with people on a level that reaches deeper than anger, thereby encouraging sincere and prolonged contemplation on these matters, rather than brief bursts of indignation.

With this we see the refreshing subtlety of Lin Hairong’s work. In a world where people continually seek attention; where buildings, cars, clothes and adverts all incessantly scream “look at me!”, Lin Hairong takes a step back and asks only for the attention of those who are genuinely interested. Through her minimalism of form and the subtle grays and blues with which she works, she manages to create paintings which possess a profound gentleness and unassuming allure. They reveal little and hide much but reward those who take the time to explore below their surface.

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