My name is Sun Xun, and I’m an artist who makes animation
I came to Shanghai for my solo exhibition
Which was postponed due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Shanghai
The lockdown
5 days after 5 days
I was locked down for 2 months
Later
I found the period might become longer and longer
I couldn’t just sink into the deep mire
It was time for art to play its role
Artists must speak out
I had no computer. Only a cellphone.
The place was in poor condition
But we were determined to make something
Trying to utilize all things available
I painted on the mirror and the toilet
The more I created, the more freedom I own
I painted on my slippers
Water bottles, beer bottles
Fruits
And even my own body
When I just started to create animations
I had been intended to make a film
But I didn’t have enough money as a student
And I couldn’t get machines
But I had plenty of time
I painted frame by frame
In order to make an animation
At the age of 30
I wanted to make a thing that I thought should exist
And I invested all the money
I earned through art creation
Into the work 21 Grams
The money could afford two houses in Hangzhou
And during the process
I said the work was prepared for the Venice International Film Festival
No one believed me
And it really got exhibited in the Venice International Film Festival
“If I’m moving my paces following the will of God”
“I’m willing to go into another magical world”
Luocha combines a variety of elements of my hometown (the northeast)
Such as the Beiyang period
And the Manchurian government
All kinds of people
Luocha occupies 1/3 of the whole work
I spent 3 years on it
There’re mainly woodcut paintings
For a complex scene
36 woodcut paintings comprise one second
Paintings for one unit occupy 1/4 of the house
Now half of the house has been occupied
My hometown always makes me think of woodcut paintings
Rough and forceful
When I lived in my grandma’s as a child
It might because of the latitude
The sun looked huge
So big that you felt you could walk into it
The magic, huge, red sun
That experience helped me build the perception
That I came from the real world
The exhibition mainly shows some drafts of the Luocha part of the film
And the completed parts of the film
An Infinite Journey
The name is related to the plots
Because everyone of us is a river
But the moons that we reflect are different
I have been thinking like this since I started my art creation
The boy represents everyone
We are all like him
Everyone is searching for the moment
When we clearly understand our life
You come to this world with just a body
It’s like queuing up for nucleic acid tests
Now it’s your turn
You’re given a body and you can leave
If you don’t think
If you just eat and sleep everyday
That’s painful
Your body is your tool and you should utilize it
You need to think everyday
You have to do something
It’s hard
But your resolve shouldn’t be weakened
This is the only thing
That I will not regret doing on the day I die