Rednet Moment, January 11 (Correspondent Zhou Zhibin) Countless pieces of old and mottled washboards, connected by fishing lines, are reflected by the undulating lights of the Ming Dynasty, like a sparkling river; the river meanders and twists, more like a chain that has been wrapped around the necks of Working Chinese women for thousands of years. The installation work "Woman River" by Tao Aimin, an artist from Shuangqing District of Shaoyang City, which has been exhibited many times at home and abroad, profoundly interprets the diligence and tenacity of Chinese working women with ordinary materials and novel expressions, and the visitors cannot help but be amazed. In December 2021, the film crew of The China News Center "Vientiane China" conducted a special interview on Tao Aimin's installation art.
In the eyes of ordinary people, an ordinary household washboard is just an ordinary object used to wash clothes, and it is not worth spending a lot of ink to publicize and remember. With the unique vision of the artist, Tao Aimin discovered a certain connection between washboards and the fate of traditional rural women, and used artistic techniques to create installations with anthropological significance and touching depths, which were widely praised by all walks of life as soon as they came out.
Tao Aimin collected thousands of washboards, each of which recorded the stories and faces of the owners. The first washboard she bought was owned by a 94-year-old little-footed old lady. Once, Tao Aimin inadvertently passed by her door and saw a washboard in the yard. When Tao Aimin said that she wanted to buy her family washboard, she insisted on not using Tao Aimin's support, and without saying a word, she found this washboard that had been used for more than 20 years and was very worn out from home and gave it to Tao Aimin. Because of the connection between this washboard, Tao Aimin and she actually became neighbors 3 years later, taking care of each other in life, like grandchildren. Another time, she met a poor old man in a remote mountain village, wearing clothes and pants that had been given to her. I heard that Tao Aimin wanted to buy her family's washboard, and she gave it to Tao Aimin, thinking that this was a great thing, and she didn't want any money. The old lady and Tao Aimin saw each other as they were, and the conversation between the two was very speculative, and they became friends for many years.
For Tao Aimin, each washboard is unique, recording the silent history of a woman. Although the various wear marks on these washboards have obvious similarities, they are more different. For decades, the traces of daily use and wear have witnessed the passage of time in the form of representations---- which is the quiet passage of life in casual labor. These women often do not have photographs, and because they do not have literacy skills, they do not have diaries or letters to witness their lives, and even have little opportunity to be recognized in the public sphere. Manual labor has continued for thousands of years, and these washboards bear witness to the daily labor that consumes most of their time and vividly remembers their contribution to human society.
Born in 1974, Tao Aimin graduated from the Mural Painting Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Department of Art, Fujian National Huaqiao University. Her works are a synthesis of readymade and folk art, involving painting, calligraphy, rubbing, video, installation and other categories, cruising between traditional and contemporary art, focusing on issues such as self-expression, labor, physical experience and collective memory, and proposing profound and delicate philosophies. Her works "Woman River", "Woman Sutra" and "Mountain Flowing Water" are the concrete manifestations of these memories and philosophies.
Tao Aimin's works have been exhibited in many museums, galleries and art institutions at home and abroad, and won the Newcomer Award of the "Chinese Contemporary Art Documenta Exhibition" in 2006, the Xiao Shufang Art Nomination Award of the Wu Zuoren International Art Foundation in 2008, and the nomination for the Multimedia Category of Artists of the Year in "Art China" in 2009. His works have been selected as the 30 most influential installation works in the "Thirty Years of Chinese Installation Art" in 2016, and have been collected by important museums and art institutions at home and abroad, such as Beijing Yanhuang Art Museum, Chengdu Modern Art Museum, and China Women's Museum.