Artist Yan Lei Visits CSW
This week, artist Yan Lei visited CSW, joining us during our all-school assembly on Wednesday. He was accompanied by his wife, Qinghong Yang, who translated for him during the presentation. He shared insights into his creative process and the evolution of his work over the course of his nearly 30-year career.
During the assembly, Lei shared what art means to him. He believes art is deeply embedded in the artist's body, making it difficult to interpret to others. He also described art as being like a brain—about factual truths and driven by the artist's strong will. His views over the years have been influenced by classical artists like Goya, among other artists, and the Dada movement, which he encountered in high school.
During the assembly, Lei shared what art means to him. He believes art is deeply embedded in the artist's body, making it difficult to interpret to others. He also described art as being like a brain—about factual truths and driven by the artist's strong will. His views over the years have been influenced by classical artists like Goya, among other artists, and the Dada movement, which he encountered in high school.
In contemporary art, one major goal is to receive an official invitation from Documenta, a prestigious contemporary art exhibition. He spoke about one of his original pieces: a fake Documenta invitation was sent to 100 artists, which sparked a fascinating reaction: those who received it were excited at first but angry upon realizing it was fake, while those who didn't receive it were upset for not receiving even a fake invitation.
In 2012, Yan Lei was invited to participate in documenta X, where he created a large-scale project consisting of 400 works. The gallery designed a special room to display all of his original pieces and produced a video to showcase the project. When asked about his choice of visuals, Yan Lei explained that he did not select them directly but instead felt a connection to them.
On Thursday, he joined students, faculty and staff for a casual lunch, offering an opportunity for more personal conversation and exploration of his artistic journey.
On Thursday, he joined students, faculty and staff for a casual lunch, offering an opportunity for more personal conversation and exploration of his artistic journey.
CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.