NONO related non-explanation

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Is NONO a double refusal and rejection, or is it the rejection of refusal? Is it saying no, or not saying no? Perhaps the phrase accurately presents the current contradiction in contemporary art, where minor issues are over done, and major issues over looked. The exhibition is curatorless and themeless, there is no overarching point to prove, the work will speak for itself.

Q: Why are there eleven artists?
A: Because 11 is my lucky number.

Q: Why these particular artists?
A: Because they are spontaneous, unaffiliated, they are familiar with each other and identify with one another.

Q: Then why did you agree to this show?
A: Because I believe that the time is right, and that we can make some real things happen.

Q: Why isn’t there a theme?
A: They [the artists] didn’t think it was necessary.

Q: Isn’t that just another Chinese “Pupu Platter” exhibition?
A: Ah, but those supposedly “curated” exhibitions are often rather forgettable because of their lofty ideas assigned and loose curating. Let’s just see if we’re lucky this time.

Q: I heard that you will be converting the courtyard into an exhibition space.
A: Yes, Xu Zhen is crazy, he created a 60 ton 10 meter long huge thing…we can only make space for it in the converted courtyard.

Q: Is this exhibition big?
A: Big, super-big. Artist Yang Zhenzhong and Xu Zhen are coming in from Shanghai, artist Chu Yun and Jiang Zhi from Guangdong, and the Beijing crew of He An, Kan Xuan, Liu Wei, Shi qing, Colin Chinnery, Wang Wei, and Zhu Yu. These guys don’t mess around, so we had to find more space.

Q: I heard that the works are all new, how do they embody the NONO concept?
A: Here we go again, NONO is not a concept, there is not a common thinking between these artists, or, they all think they are thinking individually. In our discussions, we must have thought of a hundred titles which didn’t produce anything suitable. That “NONO” surfaced at all seems to pertain to an idea or attitude. When Xu Zhen and I considering the poster image, we immediately thought of using one of the most stubborn “nail house” we have ever encountered. It was of a house on reclaimed land which simply refused to be torn down. Actually, if there is anything linking the works of these artists, it is that separation from reality.

Q: How large is that separation?
A: It’s NONO. One might never use the same scale to measure the distance between realities; in other words, what is reality?

Q: Isn’t three months a long time for an exhibition?
A: It’s not long, it’s not short, doing this exhibition has been a nightmare, so tiring it makes you want to die, but when you see it it’ll make you excited. It can be considered Beijing’s major exhibition of the year.

Q: If there is no curator, who will write the press releases?
A: I guess I will.

Q: How did NoNo come about?
A: Here we go again, but I’ll review for you. We thought of a hundred titles, including “as long as it’s in the exhibition space, then it’s ok,” “not bad enough,” “deal with,” “Powerful,” “Troublesome,” “There’s a problem with this exhibition title,” “leaving,” “secretions,” “tremors,” “pseudo-avant-garde,” “easy,” “first snow,” “of 2007,” “No. 8 Bus,” “Don't go,” “come back,” “not important,” “second,” “Haha,” “What now?,” “Dubious,” “Transparent,” “Because,” “Therefore,” “but,” “Certainly,” “Must,” “Absolutely,” “However,” “Not,” “as well as,” “overlook,” “overdone,” “panda shaking head,” “nononono,” NONO. This “NONO” was what kept surfacing as everyone was shooting down the title proposed by someone else. It soon became the title.