We are so proud of announcing that our first interview was released at the end of the last month. As you could see, we interviewed Li, a Henanese painter Beijing-based. This interview was a challenge due to different reasons such as spatial and linguistic barriers. Nevertheless, it has also been the proof that working together with great people nice things happen. The list of acknowledgments is long and (I hope) it will increase in the following months. It is difficult to name all the people who in a way or another have contributed to this project, either through their contacts, translations, conversations, lessons, contributions, moral support or simply smiling at the right time. To all of you, thank you so so much.
Art East Road (AER), our name, is made of four words that are representative of what we care in this online magazine. First of all, the words Art and East, pronounced together, sound like artist. Artists are our main source and the raison d’être of this blog. In addition, art is what artists do and it is directly linked to our mission: preserve traditions through their documentation. East is the part of the world that inspires us. Nevertheless, it is important to highlight that depending on the point of reference, the East refers to a different part of the world. East has historically been used to oppose the West in a paternalistic way: western values, there in the east, here in the west, the oriental style… In AER when we speak about East we mean the countries of the different Silk Roads that have been crossing Asia since immemorial times. Here the word “east” will be used as a synonym of “Asia”, without any pretensions.
In AER we put our emphasis on young or, what has been called lately, millennial artists. This generation that has been born in the middle of the globalization, which generation hasn’t?, and that is living in an interconnected world that pushes us to be creative at all costs. This generation is concerned with their traditions, patrimony, heritage, food… And we want to show all this to the world.
There are many people that inspired us to begin this project. I still remember the first time when I saw the travel reports recorded in Asia of Natascha Lusenti in Quanto Basta or the recent discover of Parts Unknown from Anthony Bourdain, as well as the publications artasiapacific, Art Radar, Tapas or the blog Why on White. Daughter or son of these inputs, Art East Road is eager to be at the height of its sources of inspiration.