If he hadn't gotten up a little late, Chen Xing would have been in the gallery at this time.
But he was woken up by Hedwig's call after ten o'clock.
Ten o'clock is the time when Chen Xing's photography exhibition begins.
After hanging up the phone, Hedwig felt a little aggrieved.
She asked Chen Xing yesterday if he could bring her with him, but Chen Xing said that he would come to the gallery very early and let himself rest well until the exhibition started. As a result, Chen Xing is still sleeping in the hotel.
In other words, when I left the hotel, he was next door to me...
If I had known better, I would have knocked on the door.
Chen Xing didn't come, and Hedwig was too embarrassed to go find Seth, so she chose to buy a ticket and enter like an ordinary tourist.
The ticket price of ten euros is not expensive.
The photography exhibition had just started and not many people came, so there was no need to queue.
Perenna Gallery covers an area of more than 1,000 square meters. It is a first-class large gallery in the city of Arles. It originally contained oil paintings, watercolors, photography and many other works, but now they have all been taken off the shelves and put into warehouses. The entire gallery There are only works by Chen Xing.
After entering from the entrance, the beige walls of the gallery are so new that there are no stains at all.
Chen Xing's works are printed out and placed on the wall. The distance between each work is about 1.5 meters. The strong and thick colors almost pop out of the picture. When a large number of such works are put together, they become even more prominent. Magnificent colors.
Hedwig walked slowly and looked carefully.
Most of the tourists who came to visit were as serious as her, carefully observing each of Chen Xing's works. These people look like they are wearing suits and ties. Even the ladies are in well-fitting business attire. They are the kind who have money in their pockets.
Are these people collectors?
Hedwig was startled by her own thoughts. There were ten works by Chen Xing in the small corridor where she was, and there were seven or eight people here. It was impossible for all the collectors to be in the same corridor as herself, right?
In addition to the corridor, there is also a lobby.
Hedwig walked into the gallery's original lobby.
There is a huge skylight above this hall. Through the designers' hard work, the light transmission of this hall is as bright as the outdoors, and most of the time it is not exposed to direct sunlight.
The light required in the gallery is quite special. The skylight can be opened, but it must be opened with skill.
When she and Chen Xing came here before, they didn't pay attention to so many external details. It felt like this gallery alone was already a rare work of art.
There were more people in the hall.
There are reporters with microphones, and those with wireless microphones are basically self-media or Internet celebrities. Some tourists with cameras are also taking pictures with their cameras.
There is nothing secretive about this exhibition. You don’t have to worry about others taking photos and sending them out, and then they won’t come back.
Anyway, no matter how you restore it, it will never be as sharp as the original film.
When she saw a painting, the person in front of her seemed to be a YouTube anchor, introducing Chen Xing's works live, but there were just a few words over and over again - good-looking, interesting, this one is OK, this one is not OK.
What do you understand?
Just as she was working up the courage to explain, someone said behind her.
"Sorry, I'm late."
Hedwig forgot everything when she heard the sound and turned around with a smile.
Chen Xing did not wear a casual outfit today, but wore a black suit, which looked very formal. With his hair combed back, he looked like a boss, and he was much older than his actual age.
"It came very quickly. Did you get your hair done in such a short time?"
"Do you still need to do it? Just comb it, doesn't it look good?"
"It's beautiful," Hedwig said.
"That's alright." Chen Xing put down his thoughts of looking for a place to take a look and said with a smile.
As soon as he came in from the side door, he spotted Hedwig among the hundreds of people in the hall. This had to be said to be a kind of fate.
Many of the more than a hundred people in the hall are in pairs, plus some guests in the corridor, so there are about two hundred people in the gallery now? It has just opened, so there will definitely be more people in the afternoon.
There is a small terrace on one side of the hall, which provides guests with some drinks, drinks, etc.
Chen Xing went over to say hello and came back with two glasses of lemonade.
"Did you buy your own ticket?"
"kindness."
He was about to tell Hedwig that it wouldn't be a bad thing to ask more friends for help, but Seth, who knew that Chen Xing had arrived, had already called someone to come find him. The young assistant came up and said, "Chen Xing, the boss asked me to inform you to come over."
The boss she talks about is not Abbott, but Seth.
Abbott has other businesses of his own, so if there's nothing special, he usually won't come here.
As for looking at Chen Xing’s works.
He has seen enough in the past few days and does not need to visit with these tourists.
Chen Xing nodded and said, "Okay, I understand."
Then she said to Hedwig: "You can go shopping by yourself for a while, I'll get busy first."
"You go ahead, I want to enjoy it."
This sentence made Chen Xing feel very comfortable. He nodded and followed the female assistant to the gallery's office.
In addition to Seth, there were three people here, one of whom was Dellin. He had said before that he would come to see Chen Xing's photography exhibition, but he didn't tell Chen Xing when he would come. The other two seemed to be together, a white woman in her forties, dressed quite fashionably, and the other should be her assistant.
Seeing Chen Xing come in, Dellin greeted loudly: "Hello! Chen, my good junior brother! You are now prosperous."
Chen Xing went over and hugged him.
Although they often chat online, they haven't seen each other for a long time.
Seth waited for them to finish their greetings before introducing to the woman on the side: "Ms. Buffett, this is Chen Xing. Chen, this lady is a reporter from "European Art" from the UK."
Chen Xing shook hands with her and said, "Hello."
When it comes to Buffett, many people will think of the stock god, but the two people should be related. Buffett is a relatively big surname in Europe and the United States, just like there are many people in China named Chen, but they have the same surname.
"Call me Shadi. I like your work very much. Compared with the last time I saw the Oriental Ancient Village, the Buddha's Light this time has made obvious progress. Your colors are the best among the photographers I have seen." The most natural."
"Thanks."
Chen Xing looked at Seth with doubts in his eyes.
What is the situation here? Please tell me a few more words. Is it an interview or something?
Before Seth could say anything, Sadie continued.
"Can you talk about your experiences? How did you and Mr. Dellin meet, and how did Mr. Seth find you. If possible, I would like to take a photo with you. Your girlfriend shouldn't mind. ?”
Chen Xing shook his head.
She might have seen herself chatting with Hedwig just now.
Dellin was wearing a denim jacket, hooking up with Chen Xing and saying in a tone of voice that we have a particularly good relationship:
"Chen Xing and I met in school. Although I have graduated a long time ago, I often go to school to meet my teacher. Chen Xing is a famous figure in our school. Many people know him..."
Chen Xing was shocked again, what's going on with you? You've gone too far!
Dellin was talking eloquently, and Sadie stood and looked at him with a smile. Chen Xing suddenly felt that he understood - does the senior like women who are much older than him? I knew before that he liked Sophie Marceau and Alijie, and now Sadie is about forty years old...
What he said is probably true, including the fact that he later took Chen Xing to shoot celebrities and received a lot of welcome.
Shadi smiled and said: "It turns out that Mr. Chen Xing is also very famous in commercial photography, and has already cooperated with so many French celebrities and fashion brands."
"It's a fluke." Chen Xing said modestly.
Seth’s story did not mention his boss Abbott’s name. He proudly said:
"Chen Xing is my biggest surprise this year. As soon as I saw his works at the Arles Photography Exhibition, there was only one voice in my heart, that is, I must sign him. His Chinese style must be It will lead the fashion trend in art in the next few years..."
How come I didn't know Seth's acting skills were so good before?
Our boss, Mr. Hercule Abbott, who owns half of the city of Arles, is the one who overcame all objections to sign him.
Among them, there is probably the connection between his teacher Nobel and others.
But when Seth first met him, didn't he think the Chinese style was a bit low?
While Shadi was interviewing others, Dellin whispered to Chen Xing: "Say some kind words to the seniors. If my name appears in European art, I will take you out to enjoy yourself for a few days."
"Is this European art famous?"
"Famous! Very famous!" Dellin looked at Shadi again and continued to lower his voice and said to Chen Xing, "She is from the art circle and has nothing to do with me, a person in the fashion industry, but if I If I can make a name for myself in the art world, does it mean that my job as a photographer is higher?"
He made a small gesture that Chen Xing taught him, rubbing money with his index finger and thumb.
"Oh~"
Chen Xing understood now.
Dellin is well-known in commercial photography, but the name only exists in a certain circle.
This is also the reason why Professor Nobile doesn't let Chen Xing do too many commercial shoots.
Commercial photography is a market with great demand for photographers, and there are many practitioners. Their school has sent countless talents to this area. If they want to develop in this area, there will be countless seniors and seniors to lead it.
But this is not art!
How can making money be an art?
So said the original billionaire Professor Nobel.
The art world thinks so too.
Of course Dellin makes money. He went to take a set of works for someone, and in two hours, he got tens of thousands of euros. He only needed to take photos for a few days to earn a house, but this can only be said that he is good. photographer, not artist.
What is an artist?
Chen Xing barely managed it.
In photography, you have your own style and ideas. There is no fixed price for a piece of work. If you take out this work, someone may buy it for 10,000 euros, or it may be bought for one million euros.
This is art, and this is the direction Professor Nobel hopes Chen Xing will take.
Seth's bragging continued.
"I'm very lucky that I was fast enough and signed Chen Xing before most people could react. Otherwise, when Chen Xing becomes as famous as he is now, maybe we won't be able to sign him. Our counterparts in Paris are comparable. We are much better."
Sadie laughed.
"Fate has attracted you to each other. I have always heard Chen Xing's name in the UK. I guess you have spared no effort in promoting Chen Xing. So Mr. Chen Xing, how did you get into photography? I I heard that you studied business management before?"
"You're right." Chen Xing recalled his experiences in the past two years and said.
“I first came into contact with a camera two years ago. At that time, my friend and I were dining in a very old restaurant. The boss accidentally saw a photo I took with my mobile phone and invited me warmly. Go take photos of their dishes.”
"Is this your first pot of gold?"
"Yes, I used the money they paid to buy the first camera in my life. Then I passed the Paris High Fashion Examination while traveling in Paris, and gradually got here. The teachers in the school, as well as senior Delin, are here They gave me a lot of help during this period.”
"Is this true? It only took two years from contact to now?"
"Yes."
Shadi was very surprised at this time, because now Chen Xing is already a well-known rising star in the photography world, and this time the Arles Newcomer Award is 99% certain to be him, and from a novice to this level, only Two years?
"You are so talented, this is all I can think of. Then how did you come up with your current style?"
Even Chinese photographers rarely have such a strong Chinese style as Chen Xing. Just like some of the works taken by the islanders, in the eyes of Europeans and Americans, they have a unique style that they can only shoot.
China actually has this style, but it’s called Hong Kong style.
It was popularized by Chen Xing some time ago, and many photographers who are good at shooting Hong Kong style have made a small fortune.
As for the local Chinese style.
Maybe they didn't before, but now they have found it with Chen Xing, and it's still at a time when China's international strength is getting higher and higher, and countless countries are starting to take it seriously.
"Maybe it's the history of our country." Chen Xing was silent for a moment, sorting out his words.
"From the ancient mythical age to the prosperity of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, from the contention of a hundred schools of thought in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, to the glory of the Qin, Han, Sui and Tang dynasties, from the glorious culture of the Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties to the end of the feudal monarchy of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, when When I was studying history, this kind of diversity came to me. It can be said that everything about our country has created the current Chinese people and also created my current style."
There are also some Chinese people in the gallery now.
When they appreciate Chen Xing's works, they have deeper cultural feelings than Europeans and Americans.
Especially when I see the foreigners around me making low noises when facing the buildings of their own countries in the photos. That kind of unspoken love gave them a lot of confidence in their own country's culture.
Shadi liked what Chen Xing said very much, and he quietly asked his assistant if he had recorded it.
When he returns home, he will put this paragraph in the first paragraph of his article, making it larger and bolder.
After looking at the time, she said: "Mr. Chen Xing, let my assistant take a group photo of us."
After finishing this interview, Chen Xing plans to go shopping in the exhibition hall to accompany Hedwig, or introduce his photos to some people who don't understand his works, and tell them the stories in the photos.
But Seth stopped him:
"Where are you going? There are several critics waiting for you to meet. They have been waiting for you for a long time."
With so many art exhibitions opening in Europe during this period, Sadie is not the only one who is curious about Chen Xing. Art journalists or critics from Northern Europe, Italy, and even Asia are all looking forward to meeting Chen Xing. Meet in person and ask some questions.
(End of chapter)
