Kuang Zai

Taking Lisel Mueller's poem above as the starting point, painter 匡再/ Kuang Zai has made ‘Girl and toy (2020)’ (Figure 1 above). Inspired by the poem and the themes of immortality and kindness, Kuang’s work is the central feature of the poster created for the project.

Kuang is a realist painter. And yet, unlike many realist artists, his paintings are never overworked. Instead, as the art critic Robert Nelson remarked, they demonstrate an “instinct for unfussy emphasis”.

It is this feature which grounds Kuang’s figures and objects in the real world, whilst also imbuing them with the sense of a private, inner world —vaguely reminiscent of Edward Hopper, but often (although not always) with a more subdued colour palette, like that of still-life painter Giorgio Morandi.

As Nelson writes: “Just as the brush invests no more or less attention than an object deserves, so the family life in Kuang’s picture makes no unnecessary claims for itself. It is restful, as if abstracted by suburban tranquillity, but with a kind of monumental concentration arising from the reflection that the painter gives to the moment”.

In all of Kuang’s works this carefully cultivated sense of tranquillity seems to suspend time and place. It provides a space for thinking about families and their symbols – not from intellect forward, but intuitively through the feelings evoked by the people and the everyday objects painted.

In Xiao and her son David (2009) (Figure 11), as in all of his works, there is a sense of the artist’s sleight of hand. Each object is suggestive of the drama (or humdrum) of the moment. The eggs are cracked and mum is hard at work, whilst David loiters around, bored with the everyday task of feeding a family. 

It is this touching exploration of family life, the everyday and the innocence and inner world of childhood across cultures, that Kuang’s painterly works explore. Girl and toy (2020) presented for this project continues the artist’s search.

The starting point and inspiration for the project was the poem ‘Immortality’ by the German-born American poet, translator and teacher Lisel Mueller, whose family fled the Nazi regime to create a new life in America in 1939.

At first, the poem seems startlingly simple. However, with closer attention, it is beautifully multilayered and intricate in its exploration of the human condition – how fleeting and precious life is, especially in the face of anger, fear or resentment. 

Through the association with the fairy-tale tradition, Mueller’s poem speaks across generations, to adults and young people. As a painter, whose oeuvre focuses upon the theme of childhood and the everyday, we could think of no more fitting painter than Kuang.

The poem, coupled with Kuang’s vision, has guided our conversation below; down the path of childhood, the potentiality of art-making and viewing, and the importance of imagination, as a space where new ideas and understandings can be shared.

Below is an interview with the artist, reflecting upon his artwork, creative process and his perspectives on our present socio-cultural circumstances. ‘Girl standing (2017)’ (Figure 12 below) is offered for sale by the artist. To express your interest, please inquire via the button provided.

ET—1) Zai, the starting point for this project was the poem ‘Immortality’ by Lisel Mueller, which was also your inspiration in part.

Would you tell us a little about how you began to make, starting perhaps with your feelings around the poem, the themes of immortality and kindness and recent events?

ET—2) In your early sketches and colour studies, your original work engaged more literally with the narrative of the poem. However, you then also presented Girl and toy (2020) (Figure 1) for consideration. The work’s composition was less literal in its engagement with the narrative of the poem. However, I immediately thought it was the most beautiful fit.

Can you tell us a little more about Girl and toy (2020)?

ET—Ever modest, Kuang’s work ‘The sisters - Celia and Julia, 2008’ (Figure 5 below) was selected as a finalist for the prize.

ET—3) In many of your works featuring children, you use their first names in your titles. However, in this work, you elected to use the title ‘Girl and toy’. I found this very fitting, perhaps in part due to the presence of that teddy. A symbol of childhood innocence across cultures, it signified a universal narrative. 

ET—4) In this work, as in all of your works, nothing is overdone. The colour is luminous but restrained and the composition is rigorous. There is the sense of the artist’s hand, helping us to focus on what is absolutely essential to the story.

I’m sure this is something that you don’t arrive at immediately. But, after many hours of careful thinking, working and re-working! We can see this by looking more closely at your earlier versions of Girl and toy (2020) (Figures 8-10 and 1 repeated below). 

It is very fascinating for the viewer to think about the painterly process i.e. how you have evolved your composition and colour to transform the way we experience the presence (and absence) of the figures in the space.

ET—5) In the original version, there is a sense of both girls being present, but there is also a sense of ‘aloneness’ – despite the girls being together (not so unusual for siblings perhaps) – which comes into sharper focus in Girl and toy (2020). 

In Girl and toy (2020), the change in the figurative composition shifts the narrative from exploring the sibling relationship and the dynamic between the girls, to focus on the girl and the connection she shares with the toy, the outside world and all this represents. 

And, although there is this sense of ‘aloneness’, the sunlit room and open window fills the space with a potentiality, a sense of hope – for childhood adventures and the day ahead – and perhaps even, a sense of wonderment.

Zai, firstly, could you comment on the sense of duality in presence and absence that you have created? Secondarily, when you make a painterly work like this, how do you generally proceed and when do you know that the work is complete?

ET—6) In addition to being a practising artist, you have been a teacher of art for 20 years, working with both children and adults.

Do you think art-making and viewing can be a way of exploring difficult topics like immortality, building connections and fostering a tolerant society? How do you think this is made possible through the language of art?

ET—7) When people see Girl and toy (2020), what do you hope that they will dream / imagine or think about and why?

ET—8-9) Why do you think it is important to make art that reminds us of our childhood experiences – the simple acts of imagining, questioning and playing, but also simply just the idea that we were all children once? What can it remind us of when going about our everyday lives as adults?

ET—10) In today’s fast paced world, where we have global pandemics, terrorism, massive climate change and several other terrifying human-made developments, is there a role for art to play – to help us to create a space in our days that allows us to imagine, question and embrace new ideas for change?

Kuang Zai is a realist painter based in Melbourne. His artworks are known for their “unfussy emphasis” – a feature which grounds his figures and objects in the real world, whilst also imbuing them with the sense of a private, inner world. Since making Australia his home in 1998, Kuang has been the recipient of and finalist in the Archibald Prize (2007, 2008), the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize (2007, 2009, 2010), the Sulman Prize (2012), the Fleurieu Art Prize (2008, 2011) and the Albany Art Prize (2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012), to name but a small few. He holds a Master degree in Fine Art from Tsinghua University (China) and Monash University (Melbourne). His works are held in various public and corporate collections including the Cowra Regional Art Gallery, BHP Billiton, Monash University, Macquarie University, as well as various private collections internationally.