Exclusive Interview with “From Dunajec Valley to Qiantang River: The Mind and Journey of a Polish Cryptoartist”
Written by ArtGee
AG: Hi Baiwei, thank you for taking the time from your busy schedule to sit down and talk about your academic and creative experiences.
BW: Hello, I feel honored to share my past experiences and creative thoughts with you through ArtGee.
AG: You originate from Pieniny Mountains, Kroscienko nad Dunajcem, Poland. How is it over there?
BW: Yes, it’s a small town close to the country border. The Dunajec River drifts along the border between Poland and Slovakia, then flows into Vistula which finally enters the Baltic Sea. We have an old tradition of rafting through the beautiful Dunajec gorge — one of Polish most famous tourist attractions. The subtle beauty of mountain scenery has had quite an influence on my artistic journey.
AG: That sounds beautiful, how did this environment nurture your inspiration for artistic creation, and then stimulate your interest in China and its traditional art culture?
BW: Regarding China and its traditional art culture, I don’t seem to remember a specific source of interest. When I was a teenager, I was very interested in alternative music, including Asian Japanese rock, Canto rock, and mandarin music, as well as kung fu movies (Jackie Chan, Jet Li, etc.). But most of all, I had a strong fascination with the Chinese language and art — aesthetics. I think Chinese is very difficult, also the writing system is beautiful and very challenging. I love challenges.
AG: I understand, so based on your interest in Chinese culture, language and traditional aesthetics, you decided to major in Sinology at the Warsaw University, and also started to explore traditional Chinese calligraphy?
BW: Yes, in 2008, there were only few universities in Poland that I could apply for BA in Sinology. The requirements were very high and it was one of country’s most competitive subjects to get in. I chose Warsaw University. During my undergraduate degree there, I began to study and practice traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy with a master — Polish artist Stanislaw Tworzydlo, who has greatly influenced and helped me to solidify my artistic calling.
AG: So you applied and received a national scholarship in 2012, then came to the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou to study for your master’s degree in Chinese Painting. What was your experience while studying and living in Hangzhou, Zhejiang?
BW: At the beginning it was a little awkward, although I had already experience in ink and wash painting, but I had never practiced academic style life figure study drawing. Because my classmates were all very skilled, after a short period of enjoyable and hard practice, I was able to catch up with everyone’s high level. My tutor, professor Gu Yingqing has also made a great contribution to my growth. I am grateful for his continuous support and assistance for all my explorations in the artistic field. During this process, I realized that I didn’t want to become a traditional Chinese painter. Through the learning of the traditional painting methods, digesting and absorbing traditional culture’s deep essence, I was creating my own artistic style — the fusion of East and West.
AG: You won the Grand Prix at the Chinese Painting Department for your graduation work “A Dialogue Between Apsara and Angel”, 2015. Isn’t it a perfect interpretation and presentation of your self-exploration journey at CAA?
BW: Haha, I’m not sure if it’s perfect, but it’s a concluding expression of life and study in China over the past few years. This work earned me the honor of being the first foreign student in history of Chinese Painting Department to receive the Grand Prix. Thank you, alma mater!
AG: In recent years, you have been very active in developing VR art projects, holding solo exhibitions and participating in group exhibitions. A few to mention: your Australian artist-in-travel VR project “Kazik of Oz” (2020), “Influx” (2016) solo exhibition at Hangzhou Library Exhibition Space (the largest solo exhibition of a Polish artist in China), “The Affordable Art Fair” in New York etc. Would you like to introduce some interesting recent projects?
BW: Yes! So after graduating from the China Academy of Art, I met Nikk Mitchell and we became friends. He founded China’s first VR community — Oculus China in 2013, which was later acquired by Facebook. In 2017, Nikk invited me to start an art-tech company, which soon became the “FXG VR”. Since then, beside being a creator, I have become an artistic director. These two roles complement each other, many of my artworks are created in the process of making VR projects. I am managing and supervising art-related projects, also creating my own VR program: “Tripping With Baiwei” and “Baiwei’s Little World”. The recent “Baiwei’s Little World” intends to cooperate with local artists and create high-quality VR content with related artworks. Several of FXG’s projects involve social VR platforms, one of which will involve collectible digital fashion. In short, I hope all my future projects will be art-centric, carrying out visual technology innovation.
AG: The art curation led- NFT eco-system is also ArtGee’s intention. We plan to organize an offline group exhibition for pioneering NFT artists in the next few months. For holding a successful offline NFT group exhibition, what ideal suggestions and thoughts can you share with us?
BW: When it comes to physical spaces, I’m quite picky. It’s not necessarily about specific requirements, but a particular “feeling” of the space. For NFT art exhibitions, a space with a special temperament might be interesting — more of an abandoned magazine than a high-end gallery. Important thing to keep in mind is that the physical space will be occupied by the decentralized, independent and counter-mainstream spirits of crypto artists. In addition, curation is also very important, as most of the works will be displayed on screens and might come with sound. Managing space, positions and distances between the artworks could be challenging.
AG: The NFT artwork you created with a musical background, titled “Identity” has impressed me deeply. I was shocked after watching it repeatedly. A white ball jumps and bounces in a confined black space. It seems to be dancing calligraphically, fighting against the invisible wall. What is the background of this work and what inspired you to create?
BW: I started to draft “Identity” on iPad during a year-long artistic road trip through Australia. I continued the work this year completing the full animation with 250 frames. I was in Hainan at the time and had some time after work to think and introspect. I could identify with the white ball, reflecting my current status and my prospects for the future: first discovering environment and realizing that I’m enclosed in a limited space. After interaction, dancing and colliding with the outside world, I gradually become aware, calm down and examine my identity. Moment of discovering the balance brings enlightenment, but right after that everything starts over, again and again. This minimalist presentation of black and white also comes from my understanding of the yin and yang concept of Chinese Daoism, my expression of the endless cycle of life. The background music of this work was also created by me. It may have an exaggerated sense of drama to help immerse in the animation, resonate with my emotions and thoughts.
AG: As an NFT artist, how do you look forward to the current NFT art market and what is your experience so far?
BW: I think it’s going well at the moment, the NFT community is very supportive. My account at the Foundation has been hacked twice, so later I had to change it together with the wallet. In terms of the market, it seems a bit exaggerated. The celebrities are rushing to release their “master” NFT works to sell them at sky-high prices. In the short term, it is difficult to see how the market will change, although the change is happening, fast.
I am looking forward to the development of the industry in the future, and I am also actively participating. I am especially interested and involved in “cryptic” part of crypto. For example, hiding various content in my artworks, not only in the non-fungible part linked to the blockchain but also inside tangible works. Once discovered, I’m sure it will bring joy to the collector. Recently, a well-known NFT art collector Mr. Cao Yin collected my “CryptoPorcelain#1” piece, which has a lot of hidden content. Soon, I will send the tangible part of this NFT (ink and wash vertical scroll) to Mr. Cao, hoping that he will discover all the hidden surprises…
For the creation and discovery of cryptoart, everything has just began…
Artist’s Twitter:@baiweiart
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