Xie Nanxing Untitled (Picture of Voice I)

NARRATOR:
This set of three gigantic paintings was created by Xie Nanxing over a period of more than half a year. At first glance, you may think the blurry paintings look like screenshots of video clips.

XIE NANXING:
The painting in the middle is the subject of the triptych. It highlights the critical moment when two cars are about to collide head-on. It’s an exploration of a specific moment of crisis. The painting on the left captures a scene in which two cars are passing in opposite directions, whereas the one on the right depicts a lake in a rural area, suggesting it takes place somewhere in the countryside.

NARRATOR:
The paintings, depicting different scenes on a highway, were created by the artist following a series of steps. He first shot videos of the road while travelling in a car. The videos were then played on a television as he took photographs of the screen to form what could be regarded as the basis of the work. Referencing these still images, Xie finally finished the three paintings displayed in front of you today.

XIE NANXING:
I’m obsessed with low-quality images. The blur or the ambiguity, I think, almost equates to an absence of reality, as if putting the viewer in a trance. Compared to images in which every little detail is clearly depicted, low-quality images evoke an even stronger sensation and are perhaps a much more vigorous representation of the mind.

NARRATOR:

Untitled (Picture of Voice Number One) is a set of three oil paintings on canvas created by Xie Nanxing in 2001. Each painting measures 220 centimetres high and 380 centimetres wide.

The three paintings are arranged in a row from left to right. All of them have the same blue-grey tone and are blurry impressions of scenery, resembling works made with indigo dyeing or printing techniques. Each painting captures a moment you may encounter when driving at night on a road lit only by streetlights and headlights.

The painting on the left depicts a riverbank, with the river running in the foreground at the bottom. In the middle ground is a patch of woodland, while the scenery towards the top appears to be a cityscape. A row of tall trees from the other side of the river is reflected on the water surface, their dim colours conveying a sense of melancholy. The distant and misty cityscape shimmers, reminding the viewer of buildings lit up after dark.

The middle painting depicts a scene on a road. Towards the centre-right of the picture, an oncoming vehicle, maybe a taxi or a private car, approaches at a close distance of one or two vehicle lengths. Its headlights are so bright, they create halos in the centre of the picture.

The road in the painting on the right looks much wider, like a four or five-lane highway. There is only one vehicle on the right lane, seemingly advancing with its rear lights on. Lamp posts flank the highway and recede in the far end. At a glance, they seem to form a horizontal line in the middle of the canvas. A few long light trails are scattered in the air. In the background, indiscernible objects lie in near darkness. It is difficult to tell whether they are hills, buildings, or clouds.

Overall, this set of paintings shows a hazy combination of light and shadow. Each painting has fine horizontal lines running across it, resembling a still image captured from a low-resolution video on a television screen.