Rong Bao, one of the most prominent emerging contemporary artists from China’s new generation, is a true ‘art hopper’ leaping between mediums with bold creativity. Her work spans sculpture, painting, video, and installation, where she transforms the everyday into something extraordinary. Bao reshapes familiar objects to expose the absurdities and contradictions hidden in daily life. With her playful and daring approach, she creates surreal visual stories that captivate and provoke, challenging viewers to confront cultural and societal tensions often left unspoken.
A graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Royal College of Art, where she earned her Master’s in Sculpture in 2023, Bao’s work has already earned international acclaim. Despite her youth, she has been honored with awards such as the Gilbert Bayes Award from the Royal Society of Sculptors. Her debut solo exhibition at London’s Saatchi Gallery marked a historic moment, as she became the first Chinese female artist to have a solo show at the Saatchi Gallery—a testament to her powerful voice and boundless creativity.
In this conversation with ART.ZIP, Rong Bao opens a window into her world of ideas, sharing the inspirations, challenges, and reflections that shape her work. Through her lens, we catch a glimpse of a generation’s struggle with contemporary culture, and her art becomes a space where the playful meets the profound, the whimsical meets the critical.
包蓉（Rong Bao），中國新一代當代藝術家中備受矚目的一員，作為一名「藝術蹦客」，她以大膽的創意在各種媒介間自由跳躍。她的創作橫跨雕塑、繪畫、影像與裝置等多種媒介，作品風格大膽且富有趣味，常以幽默和反叛的方式探討社會、文化與環境問題。包蓉擅長通過對日常物品和圖像的扭曲和重新詮釋，創造出充滿戲劇性與荒誕感的視覺體驗，揭示出隱藏在現代生活背後的社會矛盾和文化錯位。
包蓉在芝加哥藝術學院獲得純藝術學士學位，並於2023年從英國皇家藝術學院雕塑專業畢業。儘管年輕，她的作品已在國際範圍內受到廣泛認可，曾獲英國皇家雕塑家協會的Gilbert Bayes獎等多項榮譽，並在倫敦Saatchi Gallery舉辦了廣受好評的首次個展，成為該館首位舉辦個展的中國女性藝術家，更是獲得廣泛讚譽。
在這次與ART.ZIP的對話中，包蓉分享了她的創作靈感、過程，以及她對社會問題的深刻思考，展現了她作為新生代藝術家，對當代文化與社會現象的獨到洞察力。
AZ: What unexpected challenges or limitations have you faced in your artistic practice, and how do you think they will influence your future work?
BR: Honestly, technical and financial issues are always the biggest challenges. Ideas come to me all the time—whether I’m daydreaming, walking around, or scrolling on my phone while on the tube. Once, I was about to sleep, but I closed my eyes and suddenly ‘saw’ the entire layout of a particular gallery with a super detailed 3D model in my mind. I got up and sketched it out quickly, but by the next day, I had already forgotten it because new ideas had popped up. My brain is like a fireworks show of ideas, but my technical skills and budget can’t keep up with the speed of my thoughts.
I always joke that I need an engineering team—someone who can code, weld, build mechanical bearings, and model, and maybe even have a research background. For instance, I once saw Boston Dynamics’ robot dog online, and I really wanted to incorporate it into one of my pieces. There was also a brand that made a handbag out of the world’s lightest material—an aerogel. I actually had the idea of using aerogel for sculpture before they did. I even binge-watched tutorials on how to make it at home, feeling like I was prepping a chemistry lab, but in the end, the process was just too difficult, so I had to drop the idea.
My interests shift quickly, and every new project involves learning about a whole new field, technique, material, or medium. This constant learning is expensive, and it requires substantial financial resources, technology, and personnel support, but I don’t have any of that right now. That it is why, for now, I mostly modify ‘ready-made’ objects with a light touch, using cleverness instead of brute force when working with new materials.
AZ: What kind of feedback have you received about your work so far? Can you share any comments or viewpoints that have left a strong impression on you, or perhaps inspired you?
BR: A lot of people have said my work has healed them, that it’s their favorite exhibition in a long time and brought them joy and inspiration. That makes me really happy! Some people even traveled from Manchester just to see the show. One comment that really stuck with me was when a visitor said they had seen the Burtensky exhibition upstairs but preferred mine!
I’ve also received some long, thoughtful reviews that deeply moved me. Some of them analyzed my work even better than I could myself. I’m not a very patient person; when I go to exhibitions, I usually don’t spend more than a minute on video works—I never actually finish watching them. But one day, I went to my own gallery and saw a visitor pull up a chair and watch every single one of my videos, one after the other. I was touched.
There was another viewer who told me they watched my ‘walking home’ video for over half an hour. They said that as the landscape in the video got closer and closer to China, they felt really moved. Honestly, I’ve never even watched that video all the way through myself! And someone else said they were holding their breath while watching my apple video, following the instructions and feeling a sense of suffocation as the apple sank into the ocean, almost ‘dying’ along with it. That made me really happy.
It’s amazing that my little ideas are being noticed by people! I’ve had the best audience in the world—they really ‘play’ with my work. I’ve had kids come and draw my pieces, and workshop participants write poems about them. One person said that all the flashy things in my show felt like opening a childhood drawer filled with beautiful, useless little trinkets. That comment thrilled me. Another visitor said my exhibition brought a splash of color to a rainy London, which made me feel incredibly lucky.
AZ: Some of your work seems to critique consumerism. How do you view consumerism?
BR: My work is like candy-coated medicine—on the surface, it’s playful, but underneath, it’s sad, pessimistic, hopeless, and dark. I believe that this passive attitude may be seen in the future as lacking in sufficient critique or action against consumerism, especially in the increasingly polarized context of consumerism and environmentalism. Consumerism has become deeply ingrained in our society, making it an unavoidable reality. Instead of avoiding it, I think it’s better to address and reflect on this system with humor and criticism. Since it cannot be avoided, I currently choose to find joy amidst the struggle.
The Air in Rong’s Bedroom (2020) by Rong Bao
AZ: In the social media age, do you feel like your work has also become part of consumerism? How do you view that? We’ve also talked about your future plans—do you see yourself entering the art market? Will you accept it critically, avoid it, or try to find another way to coexist?
BR: If possible, I hope my work can exist independently outside of the market, free from the constraints of the traditional gallery system and the so-called commercial value of art. I believe that the internet and social media may offer a new path for artists, but I am still exploring this possibility.
AZ: What beliefs or philosophies guide your art or your life, and are there any you reject or doubt?
BR: I think the most important thing is sincerity, whether it’s toward your own work or anything else. Things that are hollow don’t stand the test of time.
AZ: Your exhibition has attracted a lot of attention. Why do you think that is? Is it a mood of the time or do you perceive other symptoms at play?
BR: In some ways, my work is a byproduct of the fast-paced, short-video information explosion of the internet age. It just manifests in art form. If that reflects ‘mood of the time’, then yeah, I’d say it does.
AZ: Do you think your work has an exact aesthetic register that is part of a tradition or sense or does it express a freedom from such modes of designation?
BR: I hope my work expresses a freedom from those predefined categories. But honestly, no one can completely escape history or tradition. My work will inevitably fall into some existing category.
AZ: There is a work that appears to register a different sense and that is the treadmill work which appears to have a darker resonance. Is this part of an earlier exploration within your development?
BR: Yes and no. In terms of visual language and the elements used, it’s more connected to my earlier explorations, but in terms of creation time, it’s actually one of my newer works.
I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of ‘failure’ or what it means for something to ‘work well’. Who gets to define what ‘well’ is? What makes something good, successful, or powerful? Why do we even have to think that way? The exploration of nihilism and absurdity may be seen in the future as a negative or escapist attitude, particularly in the context of cultural or social change.
For example, my 2022–2023 work, Good Luck, deals with similar themes. It asks people to repeatedly step over non-existent thresholds, poking fun at traditional beliefs around religion and feng shui. These pieces are about taking ready-made objects and putting them in a new context to explore fresh possibilities.
AZ: What is the work that you are looking at presently?
BR: I had this thought once—if human civilization were to disappear and aliens arrived on Earth, what would I leave behind for them to understand our civilization? It’s like when we unearth ancient ruins today, and we find artifacts that encapsulate the culture, technology, and spirit of that lost civilization.
Sometimes, I think about making a giant, towering piece—like a pyramid—or maybe planting a sculpture on Mars, leaving something behind that represents our human romance for the aliens. Oh, and I really love artists who create these fleeting, momentary ‘accidents’ in their work. I’m drawn to both massive, monumental works and the small, subtle, fleeting ones.
I’ve always been fascinated by land art. There’s something about the sheer size of it, the grandeur. It’s like a moth flying into the flame of the vast universe—there’s something tragically beautiful about that struggle.
AZ: How do you think about the relationship between being Chinese and working within a Contemporary Western context? Does it present more complex issues within cultural development for you?
BR: Many artists choose to focus on expressing the unique experiences of the communities they belong to, which is a highly valuable approach to creation. For example, a Chinese artist might incorporate traditional cultural elements while immigrant artists often explore issues of migration and identity.
But I’m more interested in universal, foundational human experiences and emotions—things that everyone can relate to. I hope my work can transcend the boundaries of identity and background, allowing audiences from any culture or group to find resonance in it.
I believe that a good piece of work should not be confined to a single interpretation merely due to the creator’s identity. This reference to personal experience might be interpreted as a ‘universalist’ attitude, and in the future, it may be seen as failing to fully consider cultural differences and diversity. But people do love putting labels on things, and they’ll always want to categorize you. That’s something I’ve been struggling with lately. It adds some complexity, but not too much.
AZ:在你的藝術實踐中遇到了哪些超出預期的挑戰或限制？這些經歷將如何影響你以後的創作？
BR:經費以及技術上的問題總是困擾我最多的。我每天光是坐在那裡發呆、走在路上、坐地鐵刷手機，腦子里都會不受控制地冒出新的點子。有一天晚上要睡覺時，我躺在床上閉上眼睛，腦子里就自動「看到」 一個特定的畫廊空間以及展廳里一個巨完整有細節的3D立體模型，我起來後畫了一個簡單的草圖，儘管第二天就忘了，因為新的想法又冒出來了。這些創意像煙花一樣不斷在我腦海中綻放。然而，目前的製作技術和資金完全跟不上我腦子往外冒想法的速度。
我常說我需要一個工程團隊，裡麵包括會編程、焊接、機械軸承建造、建模的，最好還有科研背景的成員。例如，我曾刷到波士頓動力公司的機械狗，就非常想將其用於一個作品中。還有一個品牌用世界上最輕的材料——氣凝膠製作了一個手提包。其實早在他們之前，我就想過用這種材料做雕塑。我那時在網上狂看如何在家製作氣凝膠，感覺自己像在準備化學實驗室，但最終因為難度太大，結果不了了之了。
因為我的興趣轉移非常快，每個作品都會涉及全新的領域，每次都要從頭學習新的技術、材料或媒介。這種學習成本非常高，同時要求大量的資金技術以及人員的支持，這些我目前都沒有。所以我現階段的作品大多採用「現成品」進行簡單改裝，使用一種巧勁兒而不是「蠻力」來介入新的材料。
AZ:到目前為止，你的作品收到了怎樣的反饋？能否分享幾個對你印象最深的評論或觀點？又或者是對你有所啓發的評論？
BR:很多人說我的作品治癒了他們，是他們近期最喜歡的展覽，給他們帶來了很多靈感和愉悅，這都讓我感到特別開心。甚至有人特意從曼徹斯特趕來看我的展覽。其中印象最深的是，有觀眾看完樓上 Burtensky 的展覽下來看到我的展覽後說她更喜歡我的作品！
我有收到好幾份寫得很長很認真的展評，每次讀到都很感動，而且分析得特別好，比我自己分析得還要透徹。我自認是一個沒有耐心的人，去看別的展覽時，視頻內容的作品我基本上不會停留超過一分鐘，從來沒有看完過。然而，有一天我去自己的展廳，看到有一位觀眾特意搬了一把椅子，在我的視頻作品前一個接一個地觀看。還有觀眾留言說，看我走路回家的視頻看了半個多小時，看到畫面上的風景越來越接近中國時，他們感到特別感動！說來慚愧，其實我自己都沒有完整地從頭到尾看下來過一整遍。還有人說，她在看我的蘋果視頻時，按照指令一直在憋氣，憋到最後伴隨著窒息感跟著我的蘋果墜入深海一起「死去」，這也讓我很開心。
我的所有小巧思都有被觀眾們發現，我真的遇到了世界上最棒的觀眾！他們「玩」得很開心，還有小朋友來畫我的作品！還有工作坊的觀眾來看我的作品並寫詩！有人說我這些花裡胡哨的東西放在一起就像打開了小時候的抽屜，裡面裝滿了好看但無用的小玩意兒，這種評論讓我感到特別興奮。還有人說我的展覽給濕漉漉的倫敦帶來了一抹色彩，這讓我覺得非常幸福！
AZ:你的部分作品顯然批判了消費主義。在你看來，你是如何看待消費主義的？
BR:我的作品有點像是包著糖衣的苦藥，表面上是雀躍的視覺語言，但底色是悲傷的、消極的、無望的、黑暗的。我認為這種消極的態度可能在未來被認為對消費主義的批判力度不足或缺乏行動力，尤其是在消費主義和環保主義日益對立的背景下。消費主義已經深深植根於我們的社會，成為一個難以迴避的現實。我認為，與其逃避，不如以幽默和批判的方式來應對和反思這個系統。因為無法逃避，目前我選擇苦中作樂。
我的很多作品批判了整個社會系統中可笑或者不合理的地方，消費主義只是這個大系統中的一部分。我並沒有完全針對消費主義做出很多振聾發聵的批判，我從來不指望或者認為藝術可以改變什麼，也不希望自己的作品淪為政治和意識形態發聲的宣傳工具（我也知道這是不可能的）。我只能戲謔地調侃一下，說：「嘿，看看在消費主義盛行下的大家有多可笑。」
AZ:在社交媒體的環境下，你認為你的作品是否也成為了消費主義的一部分？你是怎麼看待的？之前我們談到了一些你的未來計劃，你現在是否有考慮向進軍藝術市場？在這個過程中，你是選擇批判地接受、逃避還是尋求其他方式共處？
BR:如果有可能，我希望我的作品能夠在市場之外獨立存在，不被傳統的畫廊系統以及所謂的藝術商業價值所束縛。我認為互聯網和社交媒體也許可以給藝術家提供一條新的路徑，但我也還在摸索中。
AZ:在你的藝術哲學或人生哲學中，有哪些信念是你堅持的，又有哪些是你反對或懷疑的？
BR:我覺得最重要的是真誠，無論是對待自己的作品還是對待其他，虛妄的東西經不住時間的考驗。
AZ:你的展覽引起了很多關注。你認為這是為什麼？這是時代的情緒，還是你覺得有其他因素在起作用？
BR:我的作品在某種程度上也可以說是互聯網短視頻快速信息爆炸時代下衍生的副產物，只不過將這種類似的現象投射到了藝術上。如果說這反映了所謂的「時代情緒」，那麼我覺得確實如此。
AZ:你認為你的作品有一個確切的審美範疇，屬於某種傳統或感覺，還是它表達了一種擺脫這些指定模式的自由？
BR:我認為，或者我希望，它表達了一種擺脫這些指定模式的自由，然而沒有人是可以跳脫出歷史或者傳統的，我的作品也一定是可以被囊括到某個現有的類別里。
AZ:有一件作品似乎呈現了不同的感覺，那就是跑步機作品，它似乎具有更深的共鳴。這是你發展過程中較早探索的一部分嗎？
BR:是也不是。從視覺語言和元素運用上來看，它與我早期探索的系列更接近，但從創作時間上來說，這是一件較新的作品。「失敗」或者說「doesn’t work well」一直是我非常感興趣的主題，或者說什麼是「work well」，誰來定義這個「well」。什麼是好，什麼是成功，什麼是厲害，什麼是幸福，什麼是信仰，什麼是權力，為什麼一定要這樣？對虛無主義和荒誕的探討可能在未來被認為是消極或避世的態度，尤其在文化或社會變革的背景下。比如我在2022-2023年的作品《Good Luck》，也是類似的主題。通過要求人們一次又一次地跨越不存在的門檻來調侃宗教、風水等一系列傳統觀念的合理性。這些作品都是通過將現成品放置到另一個語境中來探討新的可能性。
AZ:你目前在關注什麼作品？
BR:本來想列舉一些具體的名字，但每隔一段時間我喜歡的藝術家又會改變。我一直很喜歡大地藝術，這種極其宏大、崇高的藝術形式，那種用渺小的肉身與浩瀚天地一搏的飛蛾撲火般的荒唐感覺讓我著迷。
之前有想過一個事情：如果人類文明滅絕之後，外星人到了地球，想要瞭解我們曾經的文明，我可以給他們留下什麼。就好比現在人們挖出來上萬年前失落文明的古遺址時，看到了它們留下的屬於當時語境下的「藝術品」，這個藝術品會囊括當時所有的一切，會體現當時的技術水平、經濟水平和人們的精神面貌，是那個文明的濃縮體現。有時候我想，如果我能做一個遮天蔽日的巨大作品，金字塔之類的，或者去火星上立一個雕塑什麼的，讓人類文明給外星人留下一些屬於我們的浪漫。
哦，我還很喜歡有些藝術家製造一些瞬間消失的「意外」現場，我喜歡及其宏大同時也喜歡及其細微、微妙和易逝的作品。
AZ:你如何看待作為中國人在當代西方語境中工作的關係？這是否為你的文化發展帶來了更複雜的問題？
BR:有許多藝術家選擇專注於表達他們所處群體的獨特經驗，這是一種非常有價值的創作方式。比如，一個藝術家是中國人，他們的作品中會有很多傳統文化元素。如果這個藝術家是移民，他們的作品會探討移民和身份認同問題。然而，我渴望關注的是更宏大的、所有人類共有的底層議題和感受。我希望我的作品能夠超越身份和背景的界限，不論觀眾是來自何種文化或群體，都能從中找到共鳴。
我相信，好的作品不應該僅僅因為創作者的身份被侷限在某一種解讀方式之中。這種對個人經歷的提及可能被解讀為「普世主義」的態度，未來可能被認為未能充分考慮到文化差異和多元性。但是人們總是很喜歡貼標籤，想要把你歸到某個類別里。這也是我最近苦惱的地方，它確實帶來了一些複雜性，但並不多。
Click to read more about Rong Bao’s solo show: Saatchi Gallery: RONG BAO IS ME
Interviewed by Jonathan Miles and Michelle Yu
Edited by Rinka Fan
