Xinyi Cheng
Xinyi Cheng came from Beijing, China. She studied arts in Maryland Institute College of Art. She moved to New York this October. She thinks NY is an amazing city and wants to be part of it. Here is her story.
Lovely: There are so many nails in your studio! What are they for?
Cheng: To put the paintings on the wall.
Lovely: Cool! Very convenient! Last time when we met, you told me you were going to some artist residency. Did you go?
Cheng: Oh I did. I went to three. One is in Maine, called Skowhegan. Another is in Vermont, called Vermont Studio Center. And another is in NY, called Wassaic.
Lovely: How long did you stay there?
Cheng: The time period of residency in Skowhegan is settled, 9 weeks every year. But the other two, you can choose yourself. I stayed 4 weeks in each.
Lovely: Was it difficult to apply for these residencies?
Cheng: Yes, esp. Skowhegan. It is a very famous artist residency and the competition is really tough. Every year there are about 1500 to 2000 applications for Skowhegan but only 65 applicants will be admitted.
Lovely: How was it?
Cheng: Well, it was really a very special experience for me. As for me, I grew up in city. When I first got to Skowhegan, I didn’t feel very comfortable, because there is no internet in the dormitory and the cell-phone signal is completely down there. We have to go to the library to check emails. And our studio is up in the mountain. We have to walk down the hill to the dormitory at night. At first, I felt very scared to walk back to the dorm alone at night so I would turn on the flashlight. And then I found it was actually even scarier with the flashlight on because made the darkness around the light more obvious. So then I stopped using the flashlight. And I found the road on the mountain was actually very clear. It feels like the road is shining by itself under the moon light. And the sky there is full of stars. It is really beautiful there!
Lovely: What’s the difference between an artist residency and an art school?
Cheng: In the residency, you don’t have homework or tests and they don’t give you any grades by the end of the program. They provide you a fellowship and there are some basic rules, like you can’t be loud in the dorm after 11 pm, but other than that, they don’t cast restraint on you. Some people do nothing there, don’t even paint. They just go there to have a vacation.
Lovely: Why did you decide to come to NY?
Cheng: Since I can’t drive, I feel it’s really hard for me to keep living in Maryland. But seriously, I have made up my mind to come to NY even before I came to the States. I had a chance to study in NY but I felt I wasn’t really ready to come to this city at that time. So finally I went to Maryland. Now when I look back, I think I made a right decision. There are many opportunities and temptations in New York City. Some young artists come here and see some exhibitions and then imitate the popular styles to gain fame for themselves. I think if I had come here earlier, I would have probably done the same thing. But then I would not be able to find my real art life.
Lovely: How did you establish your current painting style?
Cheng: That was from continues trying and exploring and practicing when I was in Maryland.
Lovely: Are there any artists that cast influence on your style?
Cheng: I like Sarah Oppenheimer and her works a lot. She was a lecturer in our school. I often think about her. And my teacher, Frances Barth, gave me inspirations too.
Lovely: What made you decide to study art in America? Why not in Europe?
Cheng: I just wanted to leave Beijing at that time and I didn’t want to learn another language. I can find English programs in Netherlands but if I can’t speak the local language I think I will just be an outsider forever. And I like the open attitude of America.
Lovely: What’s your plan for future? Will you stay, or you will go back?
Cheng: I have been thinking about this recently. I saw a Chinese painter’s solo exhibition in Guggenheim some time ago. I was really surprised. That was not a very famous painter in China honestly. I’m really curious how he could make it. Some say it might be from the manipulation of a second market. I was a little bit disheartened because I feel that no matter how hard I try I would probably never be able to get such an honor to have my works exhibited in such an awesome museum. And then I started to think that in China there are organizations that have an enthusiasm on artists with an oversea background. I don’t really have a clear thought about it, though.
Lovely: What do you think is the difference between Beijing and NY?
Cheng: I think Beijing is making all her efforts trying to be a cosmopolitan city, one of the cosmopolitan in the world. All its urban planning is towards this target. But NY has kept its own features. From Chinatown to the lower east side to Soho, I can see different cultures within a same city. It is so amazing! NY is such a unique city! There is only one NY in this world.
Lovely: What kind of signal or information you try to deliver in your paintings?
Cheng: I hope they can feel me and have resonance with the emotions transmitting in my paintings. There was a time that I didn’t feel like selling my paintings, maybe because I put too much time and energy into them. But there was a man who saw my works online and then he wrote to me. Without negotiating about the price, he transferred the money into my account. So I packed the painting and sent it to him. He wrote me an email saying that he got the painting but he would wait till his wife came home to open it. And then he wrote me another email telling me that his wife had come home and they opened it and they both liked it very much and they put it in a shining spot in the dining room. I was very touched by his emails. And from then on, I tell myself if my paintings can bring surprises to people’s life then it will be worth the efforts I put in it.
Lovely: How long does it usually take for you to paint one piece?
Cheng: Usually a month.
Lovely: That’s not that long!
Cheng: But my classmates usually finish a painting within one or two weeks.
Lovely: So how do you like NY?
Cheng: I like it a lot!
Lovely: What’s the most impressive thing NY has given you so far?
Cheng: Well, there are so many nice things to eat! Haha. I feel NY is an amazing city. And ever since I came here, many amazing things have happened to me too. For instance, when I first heard of studio, they told me that they didn’t have one with window but they had a bigger one. I told them I still wished to get a studio with a window. And soon the artist who took this studio decided to take that bigger one so this one is mine now. And my apartment too, an artist I came to know in Skowhegan told me that she had a spared room when she heard that I would move to NY. Me, the girl and the other roommate, we are all in the art field. So we decided to open a gallery in our dining room on the first floor. Last week was our first opening. Weeven built a website for it. You should come over sometime.
Lovely: I surely will! So how did you find this studio?
Cheng: A friend of mine referred it to me. He got an offer from the Studio Museum of Harlem. He is now an artist-in-residence there.
Lovely: Is it possible for you to paint at home?
Cheng: I don’t think it’s possible for me. There are so many things that will get me absent-minded at home. And I would have to spare a lot of attention not to make the apartment dirty if I paint at home. I don’t like that.
Lovely: How is a typical day of yours like?
Cheng: I usually come to the studio around 11; sometimes 12. And spend a whole day here and go back home around 10 pm.
Lovely: What do you usually do in the studio?
Cheng: I’ll paint but most of the time I would just sit and think. I also spend a lot of time browsing all kinds of paintings online. Sometimes I’ll watch some artists’ interviews too.
Lovely: If there is a dream that you can make true in this city, what will it be?
Cheng: My dream is to become a NY artist. Now I am in NY so I can say that my dream has come true!
Lovely: What kind of “NY Artist” would you like to be?
Cheng: I hope I can enjoy everything that the city offers, meanwhile, making the exact kind of painting that I wanna make.
Lovely: What kind of painting are you trying to make? Are you looking for a new style?
Cheng: I would like to continue what I have been painting and keep exploring. I’m not really looking for a new style, but I hope my work could be more complicated, in terms of feelings, emotions and colors but also be spontaneous.
Lovely: Thank you for talking with me.
If you would like to know more about Xinyi Cheng, you can check out the following websites:
Faces On Broadway 