"My mind has been bad, or bad enough, I always tried to avoid them. My mind is always thinking about ethnic problems, ah! I’m going crazy. nothing can make me feel comforted, why don’t I always forgive myself? I was supposed to find relief in the art, but I fell into them. Cannibalistic ...... a big mouth is swallowing your youth, your time, your life, devouring your life of rebirth, I want to smash its teeth, but I could not find a hammer or something heavy. To overcome ignorance is not a very easy thing, in order to fight, I must be indomitable, the stupid city, when could I see it under the light of brilliant culture?" This is part of a letter which Zhao Dewei wrote to a friend in 1987, what I read is the scream from his heart.

In January 1988, as the chairman of Qingdao Young Artists Association, Zhao Dewei Started the "Rain or Shine - Sunday Open-air Art Action” of Four-year, which included performances, events, contemporary paintings, whether winter or summer, wind or rain, he always used a broken dray pulling his new oil paintings to show under the spire of the Catholic Church, until 1990 this action was stopped, the Sunday open-air exhibitions has been lasted for 75 times, later the Church Square won a reputation “Artist Square”.

Zhao Dewei groped constantly for a unique creative language. His 1980s works was influenced by Berlocq. There was a transition in his works in 2006 and from then on, there was no more early minimalism in his new works. He now concerns the most about ordinary people's living conditions: from the pedestrian street to breakfast shop, or the crowds and the traffic congestion. He uses his unique technique to illustrate the noisy era.

Image: © Zhao Dewei, Soemo Fine Arts