Zheng Xuewu is no run-of-the-mill artist. He is exploring new ideas in printing to achieve rich multi-layered works. Drawing on ancient Chinese traditions such as calligraphy, Zheng's works are also abundant in symbolic and abstract shapes suggestive of modern pop art.

Zheng Xuewu said, "This print sticks to some traditions but also departs from the expected. I still have a traditional canvas, but I use lots of different things to make prints on the picture. This is a new concept. Some things with Chinese characters on them are for practical everyday use -- but I use them in an abstract way to create a piece of art. I bring lots of printed images together on one piece of paper -- a collage of multi-layered meanings -- that's what defines my work."

Moving beyond artistic categories, Zheng Xuewu's mature yet constantly evolving style combines traditional Chinese aesthetics with contemporary motifs.

Zheng takes his inspiration from the world around him -- and is highly aware of all the printed matter that surrounds us. From labels on food products to newspaper reports -- print defines the world we live in. To express the complexity of this world, Zheng uses varied materials, fonts and textural patterns.

Zheng Xuewu said, "I only concentrate on painting for two periods of the year. At other times, I relax by wandering around department stores and supermarkets. The dazzling colors and huge choice of products offer me visual refreshment. I also like to visit temples with ancient architecture."

Art cannot exist without a demand for it in society and the marketplace. As one of a growing number of full-time professional artists, Zheng has enough financial security to pursue innovative ideas.

And also, he said, "I'm one of the first professional artists under contract with a gallery. I don't have to produce just to feed myself. I'm very lucky. I can stick to my principles -- but I still try to strike a balance between artistic and commercial interests."

Since Zheng started printing in 1990, he has used Chinese characters as tools to create a truly global artistic language. His works have been displayed across the world in places such as the US, Australia, France and Japan. Communicating with his foreign counterparts has given him a lot of food for thought.

He proposed, "Print, oil, watercolors, sculpture...Many Chinese artists are still confined to their one specific medium. But foreign artists like to use all kinds of methods to express themselves in a fuller way. They have an inner desire to be innovative at all levels -- hence performance and video art. "

The artist is currently busy organizing a show that will include works by counterparts from France, South Korea and the UK, giving critics more fodder for their pens.

Innovation and difference is essential if art is to be kept alive -- and Zheng Xuewu is doing more than this -- he's out there carving new roads for modern art in China.

(CCTV.com April 28, 2004)