Gulistan Art 古丽·斯坦

My name is Gulistan. You may think it’s a strange name because it isn’t Chinese. My name is Uyghur.

I teach art (oil painting and design) at Capital Normal University Elementary Education Institute.

If you want to know more details about my professional life, please see my resume.

You can email me by visiting my contact page.

Mankind cannot escape from the restriction of time and space
But the soul can fly away
About time…
About space…
About the soul space of mankind
Standing side by side and forming a “series of notes”
And questioning deeply the essence of “existence”

-Gulistan

Journeys

When I travel, I have the goal and purpose to observe the place and look attentively at the life happening there. I use my eyes to observe, my ears to listen, and my soul to feel the connection with the history, the surroundings, and the people of that particular place.

When I go to a different place and see the art and architecture there, it makes the world come alive for me, with motion and action.

Music and Dancing

To travel
I move between painting, music, poetry and dance
I depict the restless heart of music
Staring at Giotto quietly
Collecting the peace of soul in the ancient fresco
The holy spirit of Bach’s music guides my soul
I’ve found quietness in the way of chaos

– Gulistan, from “The Shape of My Psyche”

Music is a very important part of my creative life, but it is important in my personal life as well. Music is a very vast landscape. It has the magic to take your soul to heaven in an instant. Duke Ellington once said, “What is music to you? What would you be without music? Music is everything. Nature is music (cicadas in the tropical night). The sea is music, the wind is music. The rain drumming on the roof and the storm raging in the sky are music. Music is the oldest entity. The scope of music is immense and infinite. It is the ‘esperanto’ of the world.”

Jazz music is my source of impromptu inspiration, because it is based on improvisation… Louis Armstrong, who opened the door for the art of solo performance during the early days of jazz, is known to have said, “Never play anything the same way twice.” Moreover, “Jazz is played from the heart. You can even live by it. Always love it.”

This impromptu performance conveys the feeling of blues through the music; it gives the chance for the musician to create spontaneously. This is in contrast to pop music, in which only the written notes are played.

Because of music, I want to dance. And because of Jazz music, I know Swing, which is an early form of Jazz. To get a feeling for this music, I want to share with you the songs “Minor Swing” by guitarist Django Reinhardt and “Ain’t Misbehavin‘” by Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra, available from archive.org.

Exhibitions

When a musician creates new music, he or she will present it to the public. Likewise, when an artist creates a new work, he or she will present it in a public exhibition.

In the image to the right, you will see me sitting beside an artist from France who has the question “qui?” or “who?” painted on his chest. This question is one always asked by artists: “Who are we?” The other questions that artists explore are: “Where did we come from?” and “Where are we going?”

This is the mission of artists in the world.

I try to give an exhibition of my work every year. This gives me the chance to review my work over the past year and to keep in contact with other artists in my community. It is important to hold these exhibitions in different places and different cities to give more exposure for my own work and to expand my ability to learn from a larger group of people.

For example, last summer, 13 artists including myself joined together in Qingdao for an event entitled the “Exhibition of Works from Excellent Established Artists”. We all came from different places such as Shandong, Beijing, Shanghai, Harbin, etc. Because of the exhibition, we had the chance to come together and talk about art, exchange ideas about trends in contemporary art, and discuss possible future collaborations. In a way, such a joint exhibition is like a scientific or trade conference that occurs in other fields of work.

The exhibitions aim to attract artists from around the world, to further spread the cooperation and exchange of ideas. Each year, several big events are held to invite international artists to come to China. There is typically a major exhibition at the National Art Gallery, and government- and private-sponsored programs for artist exchange. Last year was the year of France, and this year features Italy.

A solo exhibition is also important for an artist. It is more challenging, because it forces the artist to produce a large body of work, to create high-quality pieces, and to form a theme that ties all of the works together.

These days, I am working hard to prepare for a solo exhibition of my latest work in Shanghai at the end of April 2006. The paintings are already finished. Now is just the time to organize the event, to work out all the details with the gallery hosting the exhibition, and to publish a book of my paintings to go along with the exhibition.

Here is an article about me in Xinmin Evening News:

从心灵走向心灵

——女画家古丽·斯坦讲述她画布上花之国度

古丽·斯坦在维吾尔语中是“花之国度”的意思，看着美丽娇小的她穿着中国红的长裙从绿荫掩映的春天画廊走出来，真让人有种见到花之精灵的错觉。温柔轻软的嗓音，诚恳动人的微笑，还有黑曜石般的眼睛中智慧的光芒，这便是笔者对这名女画家的最初印象。待她将我们引入画廊，看到她的画，我们又对她有了新的认识 ——

乐音，沉淀在画布上

古丽的画很素，无论是色彩还是线条。不像很多先锋画家用色彩的感官冲击震撼受众，她的画安静地摆在那里，似乎沉醉在自己的冥想中。然而那份淡定却能俘虏所有仔细品读这些画作的人。乍看之下的朴拙，其实深蕴着一层层复杂的色彩变化，引人入胜，欲罢不能。“我画画的时候一定会放古典乐，我的创作不能缺少音乐。”古丽深爱着音乐，还有自幼习得的舞蹈，这些都是激发她灵感的触媒，画中的每一笔都糅进了音乐的起伏和舞蹈的灵动，使她的每幅画都承载了厚厚的积淀。她的系列作品中也有很大一部分与音乐、乐器有关，古丽对这些符号特别敏感。如布面油画《海顿的钢琴》，是从一个朋友将要丢弃的照片上得到的灵感。古钢琴模糊的影像在古丽特有的构图和色彩渲染中似乎缓缓倾泻出巴洛克风格的旋律。

符号，凝固时空记忆

中世纪，是古丽神往的时代，黑暗中迸发出光明，狂乱中蕴藏着理性。那时的画家用虔诚的信仰创作，质朴而纯真。后来画者的技巧虽然越来越高超，但在古丽看来，反而缺失了先辈作品的动人气质。“好像一个人佩戴了太多首饰，别人看她，关注的往往是那些首饰而不是这个人本身。”古丽自己就很少修饰，穿着简单利落，她的画也是如此。在创作过程中，她会有意淡化技巧，让画面上的符号接近本真。古丽的《印迹系列》《记忆的性质系列》《行走系列》《有关时间的系列》《向中世纪致敬系列》中都有突出的绘画符号：钢琴、鞋子、手、书本……这些符号的描摹看起来很随意，但古丽却倾注了大量心力，它们是她的学识、她的哲学在画面上的反映，叙述了古丽的记忆和对时空的思考。

画路，修远并快乐着

具有维吾尔血统的女画家，有着自己的审美与创作原则。她随考古队来到人迹罕至的新疆丝路遗迹时，“比看敦煌时更加感动”。很多画家都说在她的画里很明显能体味到西域风情，还有画面和色彩处理上女性独有的细腻。她不愿被贴上单一的“标签”，也不会去追逐所谓的“流行”、“另类”。表面的，乃至符号化的“女性”之类的主题作品很少能给人共鸣与感动。“如果只是把画画作为宣泄或者游戏，那肯定无法表露真心。”古丽是一个用心画画的人。虽然知道艰辛，仍旧义无反顾地选择这条路，关注着心灵本质。她期望以时间为经，空间为纬，找到契合自己一贯风格又能让大家接受的那一点。“从心灵走向心灵……彼此透明。”

记者 黄伟明 实习生 姚伟嘉 文

Here is an another article my exhibition from CN Arts:

“古丽·斯坦2006上海个人展”

今天下午在上海春天画廊开幕

中国艺术品网2006年7月1日报道：“古丽·斯坦2006上海个人展”今天下午在上海春天画廊开幕。 上海美术家协会副主席王劼音、中国艺术品网总经理陈强以及来自各界的来宾参加了展览开幕。

古丽的绘画没有传统油画技法的束缚，没有流行题材的局限，亦没有视觉语言符号化的追求，她似乎是在一个无拘无束，完全自由的境界往来穿梭。这里，承载着她对生命的体验和感悟，在记忆的尘埃中时隐时现，它们是她心象的呈现。

古丽把自己融入画面，任由意念在流逝的时光中潆回，沉积为肌理与色彩的微妙变化，这变化最终蕴集为一个意念的时空。在这无限的时空里她捡拾着记忆的碎片，悉心拂去岁月的尘埃，倾听那无言的诉说，在心灵的最深处与之回应。于是她把时光制成记忆的印签珍藏在画面里，纤弱却不乏顽强，敏感而蕴涵丰富，真实而美好。古丽的画被赋予了生命一般，静静的停留在那里，似乎在等待着被发现……。

I am happy to announce that my book has been published! It contains many articles about me, my poetry, and of course, my artwork. 160 pages. ISBN: 988-98707-1-1. Copies are available for sale at the National Art Museum Bookstore (Beijing).

The book goes hand in hand with my upcoming solo exhibition. It will begin on Saturday, July 1, 2006 at 4 p.m. and will be held at Spring Hanmo Gallery in Shanghai until July 26.

I hope to see you at the exhibition’s opening in Shanghai. There will be a jazz party that night.

Update: The solo exhibition now begins on July 1st.

The “New Forces” article in this month’s L’Officiel features me and three other artists. My section is entitled “Gulistan: Dancing with Colour and Soul“. You can find it on pages 240–241. I hope you will check it out. 🙂

《敏感的琴弦》

2001年9月4日 郑州-敦煌

天晴了
星星来了
山睡了
沙漠，戈壁也睡了
石头也睡了
月亮西斜了一幅意兴阑珊的样子
爬在中铺看着风景
沉静的风景还给我陡现的天光
流动的视线
跳跃的喜悦
随着梦境中的火车闪现
饱满的山坡
是那么的全然
没有太多地东西
却毫不迟疑的向我心灵内移—内移—

乘着中巴，在静悄悄的路上
马路累了，疲倦了
在黑夜中静静地入睡了
一排排的小树手拉着手走进梦乡
我推开车窗深深地呼吸着
黑夜里，我的幻想的羽翼便从车窗飞出
去寻找那彩色的世界
戈壁滩—地平线—
地平线——戈壁滩——

–古丽·斯坦

Sensitive Chords

2001.9.4. On a trip from Zhengzhou to Dunhuang

It became sunny
There came stars
Mountains fall asleep
The desert and Gobi fall asleep too
Stones fall asleep
The moon turned to the west in a way of laziness
Beholding the scenery in the middle bench
The silent scene gives me back to the suddenly-appearing skylight
The floating eyesight
With the advent of a train in the dream
A full slope
Is so complete
With few attachments
Move straightly into my soul—inside my soul

On the mini bus, I traveled in the silent road
The road tired
Quietly falling asleep in the dark night
Little trees hand in hand come into the dreamland
I push open the window of the bus and breathe deeply
In the dark night, my dreaming wings flew out of the window
Looking for a color world
Gobi and the horizontal line—
Gobi and the horizontal line—

— Gulistan

《心象》

人类逃不出时间和空间所编结的轮回之花
但是心灵可以放飞
关于时间
关于空间
关于人类的心灵空间
并列在一起形成”音符系列”
然后进行对”存在”的追问
不仅仅是时间，还是空间，而是在可变的时间，空间环境中人的存在的心灵空间

对空间的渗透大大地有助于我的创作
我在寻找一种形态—寻找”自我”
空间还有神灵在环绕着我，我被包容在其中
我试图用我的绘画表达，但却不尽能够
需要音乐和诗歌注入它更多的灵魂旋律

我在自己的生活和艺术中寻找—寻找—
我在寻找驱使我进行的心灵旅行
我通过绘画、音乐、舞蹈、文字表达着
在这个变幻的空间里，用我的心灵去寻找着智慧
这是我力量的源泉，是我心灵的力量
我希望心灵的自由能走的更远— 更远—
延伸到空间—去呼吸—去寻找我创作的旋律

色彩是我的精神观念，它隶属于光
星星是我的眼睛，去为寻找圣洁的”光晕”
亨利·卢梭那古老的梦幻常常带我到上帝身边
我愿进入梦乡，去旅行—去旅行
游移于绘画、音乐、诗歌和舞蹈之间
我描绘着那不知疲倦的音乐的心
安静的望着乔托
在古老的壁画中收集着心灵的宁静
巴哈音乐圣洁的灵魂指引着我的心灵
我在喧哗的路途中找到了安静

画面的转换，打散的说话方式及被统帅的无意识带我进入状态去寻找方式
跳跃的喜悦向我心灵内移—内移—
石头睡了
记忆与憧憬交叉的路口，敏感的琴弦
被温暖地弹拨着—
灵感一片金黄

在每一个阳光灿烂的日子里
创作是一种愉悦
展示着它的面容，它的内在本质
和它神秘的灵魂
是我全部的激情和所有的理智去抓住那种艺术
它从自然中喷发出来
支撑我的心灵深处
我无法呼吸
我学会了控制这种创造力
我在下意识锻炼控制这种创造力
我用我心灵的眼睛看一切
使这种力量在我体内发生作用
并引导我

我靠的是热爱
对自己身心的放射
对能量的把握
与心灵共舞之后出现的”自由状态”
在感动，感性后在一定理性沉淀下出现的”自由状态”
透过一些符号，规则让我看到更多的明亮，更多的世界，更多的美丽
我在跳跃的音符上入睡，感觉，构思，推理，欢笑
天地间大气的精灵与我已同共舞飞翔
来自心灵的色彩经久不灭
去寻找天空中最优美的静静的云朵
那么细腻
我想画那些流动的、静止的、集合的、散落的、燃烧的以及沉思的云
但我怕都不能够准确

阳光是那么的眩目
它们是那么的纯粹
我真是不想走出这些”记忆的天空”
遥远的回忆弥漫着——
饱满的山坡
是那么的全然
没有太多的东西
却毫不迟疑地向我心灵内移，内移
历史悠久，但你和它之间没有距离，你可以随意触摸它

每天似乎变得清晰
没有惊人的景象和声音
空气里要多安静有多安静
失去记忆的音乐
在偷偷的张望
躺在粉笔盒里的粉笔
发出星星般的叹息

音乐在运动
言词在运动
在时间中运动
然后慢慢进入寂静
古老的镜子
凝固
移动
旋转
晕眩
照片可以轻而易举地模仿这个混淆的世界
绘画找到了那被照亮的线索
作为艺术家将生活中的这些东西采集起来
这样艺术家就完成了他的作品

平淡的句子问世的日子里
我们在寻找”情节”背后的蕴涵
在寻找和我自己的生命息息相关的某种”真谛”性质的启迪
心灵的守护神
在灰色的空气中摇摆
旧的祈祷在飘落
更多的明亮和美丽弥漫在迷雾的空气里

–古丽·斯坦

The Shape of My Psyche

Humans cannot escape from the flower of transmigration woven by time and void.
But the soul can take off
Something about time
Something about void
About the void inside the soul of a human
Stay along side by side to construct “a series of musical notes”
Thus initiate the intensive quest of “existence”

Having bathed in the void helps me greatly to paint
I am seeking a state and a shape—seeking the very “ego”
The void and the gods surround me; I am in the middle of them—
I try to express with my painting, but the expression is not complete
Music and poetry are needed to fill the work more and more with the melody of the human psyche

I seek in the life and art of mine—I am seeking
Looking for the drive that makes the trip of the soul come true
I express through painting, music, dance, and words
My soul always pursues wisdom in the ever-changing world
It is the source of my power, the power of my soul
I hope that the freedom of my heart will travel further—
Extended to the vast space—to breathe—to find out the melody of my creation

Color is my spiritual concept. It belongs to the light
Stars are my eyes; they are looking for the “holy halo”
Henry Rousseau’s old dream often brings me to the side of god
I am willing to fall in the dreaming land, to travel—to travel
I move between painting, music, poetry and dance
I depict the restless heart of music
Staring at Giotto quietly
Collecting the peace of soul in the ancient fresco
The holy spirit of Bach’s music guides my soul
I’ve found quietness in the way of chaos

The shift of pictures, the sheltered way of speech and dominated unconsciousness bring me into the searching of the method
The happiness of jumping moves towards the inner side of my soul
Stones fall asleep
The crossroad of memory and longing, sensitive chords
Were flirted kindly—
Inspiration turns golden

During the days when the sunshine was bright
Creation equals happiness
Its facial appearance was shown, and the inner being
And the mysterious soul
They are a kind of art I grasped with all my passion and all my sense
It broke forth from nature
And supports my deep soul
I could not take a breath
I learned to control this kind of creative power
I watched around with the eyes of the psyche
Let the power come to work inside me
And guide me

I depend on my love
The love radiates through my body and my heart
The love that holds energy
The “state of freedom” comes after the dance with the soul
The freedom that comes under the touch, under the sensitivity and certain precipitation of reason
Though some signs, the rules cause me to find more brightness, more warmth, and more beauty
I fall asleep; I fall, compile, reason, and laugh on the bouncing musical notes—
The sprite of the sky and the vast land are flying with me
The color that comes from the soul lasts and lasts
In order to seek the most beautiful calm cloud in the sky
So delicate
I am thinking to paint the floating, stilled, congregating, sheltered, burning and contemplating clouds
But I am afraid of being imprecise

The sunlight is so brilliant
It is so pure
I am not willing to walk away from this “sky of memory”
The distant memories permeate—
Full slope
So complete
With few other things
But they move toward my inner heart without hesitation
History is long, but there is no distance between you and history; it can be touched at any time

Every day becomes vivid
There’s no surprising scene or voice
Enough quietness in the air, you may ask for more
The music that lost memories
Is watching discreetly to the outside
The chalk that lies in the box
Is sighing like stars

Music is moving
Letters are moving
Moving in the middle of time
Then they come into silence
Ancient mirror
Frozen
Move
Whirl
Dazzle
Photos easily imitate the chaotic world
Painting finds the enlightened clue
As an artist he collects these things from life
Then his work is complete

The days when plain words are published
We are seeking the meaning behind the “story”
Seeking the enlightenment of “essence”, related to my life
The patron saint of soul
Swing in the grey air
Old prayers are falling—
More brightness and beauty saturate the air with fog

— Gulistan

Welcome to my new website! I am very pleased that you have come to visit. Please feel free to have a look around at the gallery of my photos and artwork. Also, there’s an article about me as an artist that you can read.

– Gulistan