Artist's family thought he'd be a bus driver
WHEN Mu Yuming was 15 years-old he rode up the Himalayan mountainside near his home with the intention of killing himself.
Now he travels the world and creates art in public places wearing a silver space suit.
In Wellington he has been painting the portraits and videoing the decedents of early Chinese settlers. He has been the resident artist at Wellington’s Bolton Street Cottage for two months and has spent five months travelling the length of the country exploring Chinese identity.
But life wasn’t always this exciting.
Mu is of the ethnic minority Naxi and comes from Lijiang, a village in south-west China where his identity card marks him the one hundredth resident and his parents expected him to be a bus driver.
Contemplating the conservative life his family wanted for him led him to the mountains that day.
“It’s not because my family didn’t understand, they just thought you couldn’t have more than this, so I made the decision that I’d die, and my life was of no interest,” says Mu.
Cycling up a mountain to his final destination the young Mu was engulfed by the beauty of life around him.
“I heard everything in the world – music, water, birds; it was so wonderful for a minute. I asked myself, is there anything I want to do before I die? And yes, I’d like to make paintings.”
However, his family was worried about who would support them financially.
They were placated by Mu’s older sister who vowed to support her brother in times of need.
Now a youthful looking 39 year-old, Mu has made it and incorporates his philosophies into his painting.
“The artist should not be focused on the self for a long time. Once you find yourself then you need to give the experience to other people. It’s like a martial art, you have the sword in your hand but you don’t feel it, it’s like a dance when I paint,” he says.
Many of Mu’s portraits are done in less than three hours and short sketches, like one he did of Dunedin Mayor Peter Chin, take only a few minutes. His persona helps bring his paintings to life.
“It’s very important to talk to subjects while I’m painting, you have to bring out the figure’s personality and mix it with the work.”
During his tour of New Zealand Mu has painted in many locations; underwater in Queenstown, at Chinese New Year lantern festivals, and in halls full of school children.
Nearing the end of his Bolton Cottage experience, Mu is holding a Family Portrait show as part of his exploration of Chinese identity in New Zealand.
The Chinese poll tax captured his imagination, and the exhibition will include descendents of Chinese migrants who were subject to a poll tax because of their race.
The poll tax was a measure put in place to stem Chinese immigration after the gold rush ended in the 1870s.
In 2002 the New Zealand Government officially apologised for the tax and the suffering it caused.
“I like the fact New Zealand apologises. At this time in human history, we need to talk and understand each other, it makes things easier. New Zealand is a great place where people have very open minds,” Mu says.
He says historic transparency is important, and countries that hide shameful aspects of their past are more likely to repeats the mistakes.
Following the apology, the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Fund was set up to promote remembrance.
Mu has been assisted in his residency by the fund, and is currently putting the finishing touches on his Family Portrait project which explores similarities and differences between Chinese people and Chinese New Zealanders.
“[New Zealand Chinese] look more Chinese than Chinese. It’s because the Chinese people here care more about history and culture. But in China we have destroyed too much on the inside with this cultural and economic revolution.”
China has a long history of developing a philosophy of life around Buddhism and Confucianism, and he says people outside China have a better understanding of this.
After having spent over 10 years living in Europe, Mu now farms land near his home village at the base of the Himalayan Mountains.
Mu will hold a workshop at Te Aro School for Year three and above students, May 20. Family Portrait project, Michael Fowler Centre, May 28-June 1.
The China Facts:
• In the 2006 Census 22,800 people identified with an Asian ethnic group in Wellington City, of that 9,800 were Chinese. Wellington City Council has two sister city relationships with Beijing and Xiamen in China to encourage closer economic and cultural ties.
• The Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust distributes grants to help strengthen the identity of Chinese New Zealanders and their communities, earlier the trust funded The Beauty of Chinese, an easy listening radio programme, which includes Chinese literature, values and perspectives in Cantonese and Mandarin.
• The Bolton Street Cottage artist-in-residence programme is open to arts practitioners from Asian countries including visual arts, performance and literature. Residencies last between one and three months.
Chinese meeting places in Wellington include:
• The New Zealand China Friendship Society has a Wellington membership of about 170. It hosts weekly Mandarin Corner events for those wishing to improve or retain the Chinese language and mix with native speakers. Monthly meetings are held in Thorndon and there are two banquets a year at the Spring Festival and for China’s National Day.
• The Chinese Senior Community Incorporated works to help Chinese seniors settle and assimilate into NZ society. It encourages cultural exchanges, has meetings all over Wellington, and can be contacted at Anvil House on Wakefield Street.
Falun Dafa (the old name for Falun Gong) holds mediation exercises at the Botanic Garden Sound Shell, 11am, Sunday, and Aro Park, 5-6.30pm, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. It will host a large event on 20 July in remembrance of the day the Chinese Government banned the group. Members are often seen practicing on Cuba Street during the weekend.
• The Chinese Embassy in Wellington is located in Kelburn beside the Botanic Gardens.
For more information visit www.asianz.org.nz
Now he travels the world and creates art in public places wearing a silver space suit.
In Wellington he has been painting the portraits and videoing the decedents of early Chinese settlers. He has been the resident artist at Wellington’s Bolton Street Cottage for two months and has spent five months travelling the length of the country exploring Chinese identity.
But life wasn’t always this exciting.
Mu is of the ethnic minority Naxi and comes from Lijiang, a village in south-west China where his identity card marks him the one hundredth resident and his parents expected him to be a bus driver.
Contemplating the conservative life his family wanted for him led him to the mountains that day.
“It’s not because my family didn’t understand, they just thought you couldn’t have more than this, so I made the decision that I’d die, and my life was of no interest,” says Mu.
Cycling up a mountain to his final destination the young Mu was engulfed by the beauty of life around him.
“I heard everything in the world – music, water, birds; it was so wonderful for a minute. I asked myself, is there anything I want to do before I die? And yes, I’d like to make paintings.”
However, his family was worried about who would support them financially.
They were placated by Mu’s older sister who vowed to support her brother in times of need.
Now a youthful looking 39 year-old, Mu has made it and incorporates his philosophies into his painting.
“The artist should not be focused on the self for a long time. Once you find yourself then you need to give the experience to other people. It’s like a martial art, you have the sword in your hand but you don’t feel it, it’s like a dance when I paint,” he says.
Many of Mu’s portraits are done in less than three hours and short sketches, like one he did of Dunedin Mayor Peter Chin, take only a few minutes. His persona helps bring his paintings to life.
“It’s very important to talk to subjects while I’m painting, you have to bring out the figure’s personality and mix it with the work.”
During his tour of New Zealand Mu has painted in many locations; underwater in Queenstown, at Chinese New Year lantern festivals, and in halls full of school children.
Nearing the end of his Bolton Cottage experience, Mu is holding a Family Portrait show as part of his exploration of Chinese identity in New Zealand.
The Chinese poll tax captured his imagination, and the exhibition will include descendents of Chinese migrants who were subject to a poll tax because of their race.
The poll tax was a measure put in place to stem Chinese immigration after the gold rush ended in the 1870s.
In 2002 the New Zealand Government officially apologised for the tax and the suffering it caused.
“I like the fact New Zealand apologises. At this time in human history, we need to talk and understand each other, it makes things easier. New Zealand is a great place where people have very open minds,” Mu says.
He says historic transparency is important, and countries that hide shameful aspects of their past are more likely to repeats the mistakes.
Following the apology, the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Fund was set up to promote remembrance.
Mu has been assisted in his residency by the fund, and is currently putting the finishing touches on his Family Portrait project which explores similarities and differences between Chinese people and Chinese New Zealanders.
“[New Zealand Chinese] look more Chinese than Chinese. It’s because the Chinese people here care more about history and culture. But in China we have destroyed too much on the inside with this cultural and economic revolution.”
China has a long history of developing a philosophy of life around Buddhism and Confucianism, and he says people outside China have a better understanding of this.
After having spent over 10 years living in Europe, Mu now farms land near his home village at the base of the Himalayan Mountains.
Mu will hold a workshop at Te Aro School for Year three and above students, May 20. Family Portrait project, Michael Fowler Centre, May 28-June 1.
The China Facts:
• In the 2006 Census 22,800 people identified with an Asian ethnic group in Wellington City, of that 9,800 were Chinese. Wellington City Council has two sister city relationships with Beijing and Xiamen in China to encourage closer economic and cultural ties.
• The Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust distributes grants to help strengthen the identity of Chinese New Zealanders and their communities, earlier the trust funded The Beauty of Chinese, an easy listening radio programme, which includes Chinese literature, values and perspectives in Cantonese and Mandarin.
• The Bolton Street Cottage artist-in-residence programme is open to arts practitioners from Asian countries including visual arts, performance and literature. Residencies last between one and three months.
Chinese meeting places in Wellington include:
• The New Zealand China Friendship Society has a Wellington membership of about 170. It hosts weekly Mandarin Corner events for those wishing to improve or retain the Chinese language and mix with native speakers. Monthly meetings are held in Thorndon and there are two banquets a year at the Spring Festival and for China’s National Day.
• The Chinese Senior Community Incorporated works to help Chinese seniors settle and assimilate into NZ society. It encourages cultural exchanges, has meetings all over Wellington, and can be contacted at Anvil House on Wakefield Street.
Falun Dafa (the old name for Falun Gong) holds mediation exercises at the Botanic Garden Sound Shell, 11am, Sunday, and Aro Park, 5-6.30pm, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. It will host a large event on 20 July in remembrance of the day the Chinese Government banned the group. Members are often seen practicing on Cuba Street during the weekend.
• The Chinese Embassy in Wellington is located in Kelburn beside the Botanic Gardens.
For more information visit www.asianz.org.nz
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