Guest: Yin Jiulong (Designer, Artist, Founder of Happy Creating)
Host: Tan Xiaozheng (Editor at BACKWALL)
Location: Jinyue Children’s Art Museum, Chengdu — At the Exhibition “ONE FAMILY”
# Program Introduction
In Chengdu, Yin Jiulong is synonymous with sophistication, fashion, and success. Yet, on April 3, 2026—a day where his 51st birthday coincided with the Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day)—he chose to “confess” everything at the Jinyue Children’s Art Museum.
This exhibition, titled “ONE FAMILY” (Sitting in the Garden), is Yin Jiulong’s most intimate self-dissection. He has stripped away all labels of “decency,” laying bare the ruptures, scars, and mists of his youth. This is not merely an artistic experiment; it is a profound act of self-redemption, carrying a blessing of peace thirty years after leaving home.
# Chapter Index
[Part 1: Rehearsal of Departure]
- [01:03] Why now? Having known each other for ten years, why choose his 51st birthday to open an exhibition about “childhood shadows”?
- [03:43] Claiming the Scars: 12 photographs documenting the “four seasons” of his body. The gilded severed finger—the most tragic “pre-departure confession” of a 14-year-old boy.
- [11:06] A 300-Yuan “Elegant Exit”: Fleeing the Daba Mountains with his mother’s life savings, wearing brand-new shoes. “I wanted to leave beautifully; it was my final shred of dignity.”
- [13:50] The Price of Class Migration: From rural life to the city, from film studies to a design degree—how a “displaced person” rewrites his fate through aesthetics.
[Part 2: Leap and Solitude]
- [02:25] The Pivot of 2006: Why abandon the “Golden Age” of the advertising industry to make ceramics in Jingdezhen? Exploring a designer’s “boundary anxiety.”
- [04:57] Emotional Substitution in IP: The trendy symbols of cats, mice, and pigs—a “psychological compensation” for the lack of childhood playmates.
- [06:46] The Philosophy of “Happy Creating”: Revealing the logic behind his design firm—how to maintain “optimistic negativism” within commercial negotiations.
- [09:14] The Dissolution of Identity: “I don’t mind being labeled as lonely. I care more about using my work to preserve my aging family members.”
[Part 3: Final Reckoning & The Art of Living]
- [00:35] Beyond Hard Work: Reflecting on his reputation as a “workaholic,” Yin discusses the difference between mindless labor and the high-level effort of “self-observation.” He emphasizes that knowing what to reject is far more critical than simply making choices.
- [02:15] The Power of Pausing: Revisiting his decision to halt a flourishing design career to pursue ceramics. He describes this pivot not just as an aesthetic shift, but as a necessary attempt at “self-viewing” to escape the void of commercial success.
- [04:20] Labels vs. Vulnerability: Addressing the public’s perception of him as “strong” or “stoic.” Yin reveals the hidden mental toll of being a high-achiever and how his “optimistic negativism” helps him navigate both praise and misunderstanding.
- [06:37] The Last Gatekeeper: As the youngest sibling in a massive family, Yin shares the profound sorrow of witnessing four major family deaths, including his parents and eldest sister. This section explores how he processes grief through the mantra “To hell with it” (Guan Qiu De Ta)—a defiant yet peaceful acceptance of fate.
- [09:45] Art Rooted in Life: Yin rejects the idea of seeking inspiration from books or external trends. He insists that his art must grow organically from his own life experiences, regardless of whether it fits the “contemporary” academic definition.
- [12:30] A Birthday Letter to 2055: Recorded on a day that is both his 51st birthday and a day of mourning, Yin looks toward the future with a “bleak yet hopeful” perspective on what it means to leave a lasting mark on the world.
# Core Content Breakdown
1. The “Ritual of Suffering” Beneath the Gold Leaf
In Section A, Scar, Yin Jiulong presents his severed finger as an obelisk-like black sculpture. Gilded leaf covers a blood-red wound, creating a deeply religious aura. “This is not just physical pain; it is the manifestation of internalized psychological trauma.” The ugliness he once fought to hide has now become his strongest armor.
2. A “Micro-Sample” of Eight Reunion Dinners
To complete Feast, Yin Jiulong returned to his massive family of over 40 immediate relatives. Amidst the chaos and clamor of eight family dinners, he documented a microscopic sample of a multi-child family in the mountains of Sichuan during the late 20th century. He seeks the commonality of blood within these faces where “expressions have vanished.”
3. An Optimistic Negativist
Yin Jiulong admits he doesn’t care if his work is “contemporary” enough. Within a cycle of self-denial and affirmation, he uses his past design experience as nutrients for creation. “Loneliness is a commonality in creation. I have simply learned how to live beautifully among the crowd while carrying that loneliness.”
# Program Quotes
“The world is everything that happens. And I simply want to use the medium of recording to keep them in my world.”
“I am an optimistic negativist. I constantly deny myself, while learning how to get along with the world through the trials and tribulations of society.”
“Sitting in the Garden is the whispering counsel of a bride’s family. As the youngest brother, watching them grow old one by one is a profound sorrow in itself.”
发表回复