Over the years， I’ve had the opportunity to preview each set of Dongfang Tuqin’s new work in his studio， and every time I couldn’t find words to express my overwhelmingly complicated feelings. When I saw his latest series， I’m Not Me， the situation was no different. Without his explanation， I would never guess that he had taken photos of his own shadow with a digital camera， transferred the images in pieces to giant canvases with a net， web and other technical means， then applied oil paint – culminating in innovation akin to what legendary Cang Jie did to invent Chinese characters. No doubt the work would be classified as a hybrid or assembled art， but the combination of many elements is one specific feature of modern art. This kind of amalgamation creates novel and unprecedented visual impact – it is not simply assembly or a montage， but an organic fusion under the guidance of certain clear philosophical ideas. Once they merge， they become a single piece of art with an individual life.
　　Dongfang’s “graffiti” was never as simple as random smears. The work was born of thorough contemplation， though improvisational elements are still injected into his creations. He is first a philosopher of life and humankind， and secondly an art creator. Patrons may get some ideas about his intentions after browsing the themes of the I and Me series. “Where am I from？” “Where will I go？” “Who am I？” “Who is ‘I’？” The same age-old questions to puzzle ancient people continue to confuse us today. No definite answers can be found in the past nor have authoritative answers been developed today. This series explores the relationship between humans and shadows as well as between light and shadow. This is an inseparable relationship， with subjects inextricably linked by a common fate. In many primitive tribes， shadow was considered an extension of the body， or one in the same. “Whip my shadow， I will feel pain； shoot my shadow， I will bleed to death.” Modern photography has finally peeled the shadow away to an existence independent of its caster. But can the shadow obtain independent essence through the divorce？ I guess this question was linger- ing on Dongfang Tuqin’s mind when he conceived the I’m Not Me series. To some extent， every shadow belongs to its caster and shares common attributes. But the objects that carry the shadows – for instance， land carpeted with falling leaves， a trail paved with pebbles， or a piece of wall with preserved slogans – differentiate them from one another. Various shapes of the caster also inject shadows with metaphors about the era as well as political symbolism. Therefore， writing and painting depicting such subjects become further extensions in metaphorical and symbolic expression.




　　Ultimately， the I’m Not Me series is Dongfang Tuqin’s signature work. It preserves his modern artistic characteristics， bizarre and unexpected artistic personality and bold utilization of scientific and technological tools， yet makes a breakthrough in his creation of patterns. This is a meaningful experiment in using a new art form to express philosophical ideas. It is peppered with childlike mischief and comes alive as a performance that eliminates the staleness of life， becoming just as eye-catching and splendid as a golden fish’s leap from water into the air.
　　 Bio
　　Dongfang Tuqin， artist and poet， was born in 1967 in Linyi City of eastern China’s Shandong Province. Dongfang graduated from Shandong University and now serves on the standing committee of the All-China Youth Federation. He was first drawn to modern wash painting before his attention turned to oils and then creations employing unusual techniques. He has held many exhibitions in China as well as in France， Japan， South Korea and a few other countries since 2002. His representative work includes I’m Not Me， the My Chinese Blues series， the Tang People Handwriting series and others. He was awarded the State Council Expert for Special Allowance in 2009 and has been frequently honored with cultural and artistic awards for his singularly creative style， artistic achievements and cultural influence. His poetry appears in university textbooks on the Chinese language.