Belonging to the group of China’s most prolific young collectors, the restaurateur Chong Zhou primarily concerns himself with researching and unraveling the complex conditions of contemporary art today. With a major in art history from UCLA, Zhou returned back home to China wanting to transmit art, not as a necessary means to distract from daily existence, but rather by finding a way to integrate it into every aspect of modern society.
From 2014 until very recently, Zhou managed the (accidentally) self-initiated Art Project CZ which organized exhibitions and events at his restaurants and, well, basically anywhere besides the conventional white cube. Disrupting the traditional way of experiencing art, the Shanghai-based collector invents new worlds where art can be interacted with. Now under the new name of CZ Presents, Zhou furthers his ambitious universe by integrating visual art directly with different lifestyles. From collector dinners to TV programs, CZ Presents aims to break borders parallel to art and create a new language that seeks an agency of inspiration.
Young enough to embrace societal shifts due to the speed of technological advances, Zhou at once possesses empathy for art’s history and future. He engenders a new wave of publicly-invested collectors who intuitively recognize the ever-changing impact of art while acknowledging their very own cultural potential. Certain means of freedom shouldn’t become a solitary privilege; they can also conjure the resonance of new voices—a voice like Zhou’s—that brings us back to where we’ve been all along: in the instantaneous presence of our very own human history.
Your collection primarily supports young contemporary artists in China. Why has it become almost a personal matter to support art from your home country, and your generation?
There’s an old saying in China: “There are talented people in the mountains and rivers, and they have been leaders for centuries.” It only comes natural to me to work with artists from my generation. I want to support them, and grow together.
I’ve noticed that many young collectors worldwide feel similarly strong about supporting artists from their generation. A certain kind of new consciousness is in the air, things are changing. During these recent years, what’s been one of the most interesting and valuable changes within your country concerning the art world and beyond? What significant shifts have you felt personally?
I think the biggest change consists of two things; Firstly, the gaze of many Chinese collectors has expanded all over the world. They’re eager to follow the tide, and want to explore today’s contemporary art scene.
In addition to that, Chinese collectors began to act much more rationally and relaxed within these recent years. In the past, collecting art was done much more hastefully. Today, purchases of art are systematically integrated in a collector’s overall circumstances and focus.
Do you generally think that this type of rationalization of art is a positive change, or does it also bring along certain negative consequences?
Everything has two sides. On the one hand, collectors need to use rationalization in order to plan a seamless and confident system for their collection. Yet rationalization also turns the collection into homogeneity, which is definitely troublesome.
Do you feel a competition between collectors in order to acquire certain works, or maintain a better relationship with galleries that enable obtaining certain works?
The competition always exists. Certain works, like those of celebrated artists, are always difficult to get. Every collector wants them, so keeping a better relationship with their galleries is a smart strategy to possibly obtain them.
What would change in the art world if collectors were truly connected to and in contact with each other? Would they have more control over the market? Would this connection be beneficial for the art market itself?
Connecting with other collectors is a way to make friends, it’s good to exchange information and other connections. I don’t think that a firmly connected collector world necessarily means market control. However, it might result in some artists becoming big stars just because every top collector buys their work. So, is it good or not? I don’t know. Everything has two sides.
Do you think exhibitions will move online in the future? If so, what do you envision in particular?
In the future, when virtual reality and artificial intelligence technology can widely be applied in the art industry, some exhibitions will move entirely online. However, being offline and going to a museum or gallery will be an eternal tradition. Technology won’t be able to take over that part of our history.
Do you think it’s mainly our nostalgia of having acquired a habit that wishes to preserve certain traditions, like museum visits?
Physically experiencing exhibitions at museums or art fairs has become an indispensable part of my life. I think it’s a necessary trait in order to become a seasoned collector. I like to call it a ‘ritualistic process,’ a process of self-cultivation. That’s exactly what a serious collector must do and experience.
What are some of the outdated practices by players in the art world? Any ideas on how to change them?
Players that don’t explore or have a sense of concentration. You need to know what you want, and what you want to focus on. Never cast your net everywhere.
How have your interests changed over time? What do you do when a work or object no longer fits your collection?
Nothing has changed, yet sometimes the collection needs fixing in order to keep a certain level of satisfaction. Whenever that happens, I consider selling a work and buying something that’ll update my collection.
Do you think an emotional reaction necessarily needs to take place in order to appreciate an artwork? Or can attraction to art exist beyond emotional impulse?
I try to balance these two aspects as much as possible.
How did Art Project CZ come about? Why did you feel it was necessary to start organizing exhibitions? Was there an intention to break certain models of curating/exhibition projects?
The birth of Art Project CZ was actually an accident. When I opened the former restaurant Mingo, I suddenly realized that the walls had a lot of gaps, I didn’t know how to solve it. So then a good friend of mine, who was also a well-known local curator, suggested that I try different works on the wall, and replace them seasonally.
During the 3 years of Art Project CZ, I had ten exhibitions with different galleries and their artists. Before, I had always thought that every exhibition must be shown inside a gallery, a ‘white box’ setting. In China there’s a serious gap between contemporary art and public living. It’s a big problem that comes from the lack of education in art and aesthetic. The public’s overall awareness in regards to art is at a relatively basic stage. Here in China, you’ll often hear a confused voice saying, “I don’t understand contemporary art.” By questioning certain traditions and rules of the art world, I think of Art Project CZ as an experimental site for exhibitions, even a new answer.
Art Project CZ, however, will soon no longer exist since it’s being replaced by my new brand, called CZ Presents. I’ve always wanted to break the tradition of exhibiting and collecting art, somehow it relates to a kind of sentimental way of being. All my artistic activities and projects will be conducted via this new brand, wanting to explore toward a direction of lifestyle.
How will CZ Presents differ from Art Project CZ? When you say “it’s a kind of sentimental way of being,” what do you hope to manifest?
The biggest difference between CZ Presents and Art Project CZ derives from a recently-obtained belief that art should be boundless. In the past, I only paid attention to galleries, art institutions, and artists. I used my own platform to push my personal observations and choices in art onto others.
After more than 3 years of experimenting with Art Project CZ, though, I realized that I didn’t want to limit myself just to that. Art Project CZ sometimes gave the viewer the illusion that I worked as a gallery and artist agent, which wasn’t exactly something I wanted.
I can be more experimental with CZ Presents; it could be like a platform where I play the role of a producer. I don’t want to be constrained by the rules of the art world.
With CZ Presents, you can cross-borders with art. This doesn’t mean I won’t do art projects in the future. They’ll just transform into different realms, like a party or a collectors dinner. Or a joint venture between an artist and a brand which turns into a television program that communicates the importance and beauty of art. It can even present a thematic tour that follows track of some well-known artists. CZ Presents is a platform and ‘laboratory’ that offers every possibility around art and lifestyle.
What do you hope to obtain by interconnecting art and lifestyle?
Shanghai’s art scene praises me as a ‘hardworking young collector.’ As long as there is a good exhibition in Shanghai, I will attend the opening. I’ve become very used to this type of life. Look closely, though; there are actually many people like me in Shanghai. Maybe not collectors, but art enthusiasts. They have their own community, circle of friends, a tireless enthusiasm and interest in art. This has already formed a trend in Shanghai. Isn’t this already a connection between art and lifestyle? What I hope is that more people join! Especially China’s millennials.
I know you’ve just recently become interested in virtual artworks. How do you feel about owning things virtually versus physically? Do you think we’re mostly still rejecting the idea of virtual assets due to the matter of wanting to possess things physically, thinking that otherwise it wouldn’t count?
Yes, I’ve recently started to include some new media art in my collection. But I still consider myself a ‘traditional’ collector. Most of my collection still consists of paintings. I don’t deny the idea of virtual assets. But I’m afraid they’ll eventually fall behind or get erased if they don’t keep up with technology’s fast advances. No collector would ever like their collection to be erased…
Why do you think they will fall behind, or even be erased?
Technology is great, but the speed of it is frightening. If art places too much emphasis on science and technology, yet ignores the existence of human spirit and its core values, I think ‘humanness’ will eventually be replaced by science and technology. And this isn’t what collectors want to see.
Why do you think we’re willing, at certain times even glad, to give up so many human endeavors, yet viewing art and what it means still needs to be as physical and humanly-obtainable as possible?
That’s a good question, but I don’t know how to answer it. We all know that the era of artificial intelligence will arrive very soon, and it’ll be unstoppable; many human behaviors will be replaced by the ruthless era of artificial intelligence, and art will probably come in last. I really believe that artificial intelligence won’t replace the role of artists that easily, and that’s just because of its inherent humanness. Therefore, the best way to respect and understand human nature in the future, is to go see art!
End.
Text by Lara Konrad
Photography: Bruce Qian for Collecteurs