2022
As a daughter of a country that claims to be under the regime of communism, I was deeply inspired when encountered Boris Groys’ work, The communist postscript, which laid out its key point that instead of relying on quantitative value, like capitalism, the authority of the mechanism of the first was built upon the language (instructions, rules, laws, etc) in a communist society, which was the core of the transformation from WEB2.0 to 3.0, where everyone becomes an emperor, ruling over a enclave online, with their specific value. Yet capitalism is infiltrating our ultimate democracy, ignoring the power of language, the power of humanity. This led to a contemplation of the almighty deities of modern art manufactured in specific timing and location: such as Jackson Pollock. In ‘Values,’ I brought these ‘outliers’ back to the merciless mathematical function, forcing them through the debating process between multiple roles and coming up with a final conclusion of what they truly stand for decades after. What are we actually looking at when standing in front of a Pollock? The incarnation of aesthetics and talent? The artist fought his way through all by himself. The golden era of creativity? The last bit of human glory hedging the spreading of digitalization? The legends neatly woven together by the art historian then and now? A universal formula for artistic success? Or the principal plus compound interest plus inflation of sixty years?
Naichen Pan
United States
Naichen Pan is a multimedia artist and curator who recently relocated to New York after graduation from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with an MFA in painting and drawing. Growing up in China, Naichen initiated their difficult relationship with art in 2014; since then, their practice has been driven by the untranslatable nature of languages. Naichen is a mute constantly working on appropriating languages.