In her latest documentary short film 14 Paintings, which premiered in the Documentary Short Films Program at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, award-winning director Dongnan Chen (The Trail From Xinjian 2013, Singing in the Wilderness 2022), invites her audience to not only look at the 14 paintings highlighted, but to think about the artists of the famed Dafen Village, who dedicated hours of painstaking effort to create them.
“Art is subjective” and “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” are two very old sayings used to describe situations where the creation of art in all its infinite variations and forms are either found wanting or complete.
Located in China’s Guangdong province is the suburb of Shenzen, and located within it is Dafen Oil Painting Village. Formed in 1989 by a businessman with a love for painting who wanted to create a collective for young artists to work, Dafen became home for thousands of painters from all across China.
Though you may have never heard of Dafen, you’ve more than likely seen at least one of the famous reproductions of oil painters like Van Gough, Rembrandt and many others of different eras and styles because at one point in time Dafen artists were responsible for producing up to 60% of all oil paintings sold globally. That’s over 6 million oil paintings sold to private entities such hotels, and major corporations like Walmart in the U.S.
In 14 Paintings, Chen touches on the history of Dafen, its’ artists – some of whom despite exhaustive research efforts remain anonymous – their impressions on their own work and how it’s perceived, and the ways in which their industry is changing with the involvement of the Chinese government, which seeks to rebrand this unique industry hub into a tourist attraction – which of course has benefits for the community, but also as an avenue of public messaging.
Following the film’s screening at Sundance, I spoke with Chen about her creative influences and style as a documentary filmmaker, how she was inspired to delve into the history of Dafen Village, and the importance of letting the art and artists speak for themselves amidst the hustle of busy city streets, or the unsettling quiet of an MRI lab. In our discussion we also touched on the pros and cons of commercialisation from the perspective of artist and consumer.
Carolyn Hinds
Freelance Critic, Journalist & Podcaster
African American Film Critics Association Member, Tomatometer-Approved Critic
Co-Host & Producer So Here’s What Happened! Podcast
Bylines at http://Authory.com/CarolynHinds
Twitter & Instagram: @CarrieCnh12
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