“Zhī”, “Hū”, “Zhě”, “Yě” are all function words without actual meaning in ancient Chinese. However, what is interesting is that these four words which seems empty, illusory, redundant, mannered, meaningless and dispensable and have almost been abandoned in today’s Chinese used to be the most important rhetoric in ancient Chinese.

The rhetoric is just what makes expression itself become meaningful and thought-provoking and avoid being primitive, harsh, simple and direct. It is not limited to the function of information transferring, on the contrary, it creates rich context in interpersonal association and communication. Meanwhile, it is the rhetoric that makes the meaning, notion, thought and emotion hiding behind the words turn to be emphasized, prominent and obvious.

From this point, maybe art is like “Zhī Hū Zhě Yě”. It isn’t necessity in daily life and is far less influential than politics, economy or military. We can take the most famous Mona Lisa in the Louvre as an example. No matter how mysterious and admiring the smile of Mona Lisa is, it can never prevent a war nor save the economy from the desperate worldwide crisis. Art is exactly like unimportant rhetoric in real world and like “Zhī Hū Zhě Yě” spoken by pedantic ancient Chinese intellectuals and can be deleted at any time. However, just as the meaning of “Zhī Hū Zhě Yě” can’t be understood simply and literally but need to be placed into the whole development history of Chinese literature, the value of art need to be brought into cultural context so that its importance can be really realized and understood. As a way of creative expression, perhaps art is just playing an indispensable role in cultural progress.

Therefore, if “Zhī Hū Zhě Yě” was undoubtedly the most typical language, words and expression in our local culture, then contemporary art which seems to be pretentious, fictitious, polynary, superficial and obscure images and symbols are personal notion and emotional expression of artists who give comment and explanation for our times and daily life according to their own cultural background and inner world.

Probably, the adherence to art standard, the endless argument and chatter on art are all arduous but thankless job. After Joseph Beuys said “Everyone is artist” and after Andy Warhol declared “Everyone can be famous for 15 minutes in the future”, contemporary art have become more of less agravic. What is art? Maybe, art is rhetoric written for real world by those who creates in some way and is another kind of “Zhī Hū Zhě Yě”.

Artists: Wei Jia, Wang Mai, Liu Zhiyi, Sun Xiaofeng, Li Jikai, He Jun, Chen Bo, Yang Na, Fan Xiaoyan, Zhou Wenzhong, Zhao Yi, Qin Qi, Tang Yong, Xu Wentao, Cao Hui, Xiong Yu