10 Questions with Tina Lin

Tina Lin is an artist, creator, director, photographer, and booking agent. She entered the Chinese music record industry in 1997, holding positions at a major leading company at the time, including radio, event, and television publicity, record and production planning, media coordination, CEO special assistant, and artist manager. She has managed over 30 music albums.

In 2004, she founded a booking agency. Currently, her agency represents over 30 artists. Since 2018, she has served in various roles in multiple live concerts, including live stage production director, visual director, lighting director, editing director, and producer, etc.

In 2021, she released her personal collection of paintings, videos, directorial work, and visual artworks on her website and Instagram. In 2024, she joined forces with two other artists to establish The Weirds Plus.

www.shadow-force.com | @fattunes5

ARTIST STATEMENT

Art always reflects the inner world of the soul, and Tina is dedicated to capturing those fleeting emotions and thoughts. As an artist, creator, director, and photographer, she entered the music industry in 1997. This early experience allowed her to grasp the power of storytelling through sound and visuals. Every role she has played, managing artists, coordinating media, or directing live performances, has profoundly influenced, invigorated, and deepened her understanding of collaboration in her artistic practice.

In 2004, Tina founded a booking agency, now representing over 30 artists, demonstrating her continued commitment to creation. Her artistic journey truly flourished during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rare tranquility of that period allowed her to reconnect with her creative inspiration. During this time, she met a painting instructor who encouraged her to embrace spontaneity and freedom in her creative process. Through foundational lessons and abundant online resources, Tina discovered the joy of free expression.

For Tina, painting is not merely a technique, but a "free dialogue with herself," allowing her to express indescribable emotions and explore the invisible forces that shape her reality. She firmly believes that creativity should be illimitable, liberating imagination from the shackles of tradition. This philosophy has led her to develop a unique style: layers of paint and vibrant colors, with her most frequently used tool being a palette knife. The textures created by this method infuse her work with vitality, resonating with the inspiration and mystique that arise during her creative process.

Tina's artistic process does not strictly adhere to a predetermined framework; rather, it is guided by intuition. She often lets her hands and consciousness dance freely. This joyful exploration ultimately achieves a harmonious balance between intention and intuition. Although she may begin with a specific theme, what ultimately drives her creation is her inner world. She depicts not what she sees, but the essence of the world as she perceives it. For example, her "Eyes" artworks represent, with higher thought meaning, a conscious feeling of a body covered in countless tentacles. These tentacles symbolize different levels of consciousness, interpreting creativity in the real world through the five senses. Tina possesses a deeply ingrained rebellious spirit, daring to challenge the boundaries of art and resisting the constraints of traditional practices and external influences. This unconventional attitude empowers her to forge her own path, making her work both unpredictable and highly personal. Her artworks explore themes of perception and the interaction between the visible and invisible worlds, inviting viewers on their own imaginative journeys.

For Tina, art is not only a personal journey but also a collective experience. In 2024, she co-founded The Weirds Plus, a platform providing collaborative spaces for like-minded artists. Their mission is to create a space where unconventional creativity flourishes and unexpected discoveries bring exciting revelations.

Tina hopes that when viewers appreciate her paintings, they will be inspired to delve into their inner world and embark on a journey of exploration towards freedom and imagination. Her work reflects her profound insights into the complexities of life, capturing both the darker aspects of her inner world and revealing her yearning for the unknown. The eyes in her paintings are not merely visual elements but gateways to the realm of perception, inviting viewers to contemplate the mysteries of life with her.

Ultimately, art is a profound and universal form of communication. Tina is grateful for the opportunity to share her artistic vision with the world and to continue growing as an artist and a visual creator. Every artwork brings her to life; she is always committed to pushing boundaries, embracing inspiration, and engaging in genuine dialogue with herself, a journey, like life itself, where hardship and beauty coexist, and there is no end.

Untitled, #04-2105, Oil, 31.5x41x2 cm, 2021 © Tina Lin

INTERVIEW

Let’s start from the beginning. You began your career in the music industry in 1997. How has that early experience shaped the artist you are today?

Since childhood, music has always been an extension of my visual imagination, encompassing any emotion you can think of: anger, happiness, or even melancholy. This approach has never changed. However, when I reached a certain level in the music industry, imagination alone could no longer satisfy my desires. These overflowing imaginations within me needed to be released through some outlet, and I believe this is the source of my artistic creation.

What inspired your transition from working behind the scenes in music to expressing yourself through painting and visual art?

I think the two are related. It's about developing from music-related work to stage production, and then the visual content on stage needs to be combined with visual arts, which leads to painting, and that's all.

Untitled, #05-2105, Oil, 41x31.5x2 cm, 2021 © Tina Lin

Why did painting become your medium of choice after so many years in production and management?

When visual art is constrained by real-world conditions (whether it's characters, setting, budget, etc.), painting breaks out of the limitations and can be any imaginative creation. When words fail to describe it, I'll paint the scene or image I want to create. The freedom to create with imagination, without any limitations, is perhaps one of the magics of painting.

Your process is very intuitive and free-flowing. Can you describe what usually happens when you start a new piece?

Most of my paintings are created directly, without sketches, because I don't necessarily have to paint specific objects, scenes, or figures, and I believe sketches would restrict my creative freedom. Furthermore, I haven't received formal art education, so I usually decide which colors of paint to use before I begin painting. Of course, sometimes I feel like I'm about to fail during the painting process, but I always manage to find balance in those seemingly flawed lines; that's my creative process.

You often work with layers, vibrant colors, and a palette knife. What do you enjoy most about these materials and techniques?

This creative method is actually relatively easy to get out of control, and then finding the right balance of colors and lines on the verge of losing control is something I personally really enjoy. Because it's out of control, the image becomes unique; it has a kind of "an uncanny sense of life" which I really like. Finding new solutions in the frustration of losing control is probably related to my long-term work style.

Themes like perception, consciousness, and the invisible world appear throughout your work. How do these ideas emerge in your creative process?

Since they are unconscious communications, they happen randomly, and I cannot predict them.

The “Eyes” series is especially symbolic. What does this recurring motif represent for you?

When I reached a particular stage in my creative process and looked back at my work, I realized that the "eye" had unconsciously become an indispensable element of my paintings. Although I initially resisted and deliberately avoided depicting it, a friend told me that he felt the eye was the most representative symbol or emblem in my work, so I started repainting it. I believe that the "eye" represents the insight of the soul, not just my own visual perception. It expresses something I cannot define, and free creation, without needing to understand the meaning of painting, allows viewers to interpret it according to their own perception.

How do you balance intention and spontaneity in your artworks?

I don't need to balance them because everything is drawn spontaneously by my consciousness. I simply let my consciousness express what it wants to draw.

Untitled, #13-2110, Oil, 45.5x38x2 cm, 2021 © Tina Lin

In 2024, you co-founded The Weirds Plus. What role does collaboration play in your artistic practice today?

It's difficult for artists to create together. Artists are usually quite self-centered and highly autonomous, so it's crucial to define roles clearly and who will lead the work before collaborating. When roles are clearly assigned, and everyone understands their responsibilities, emotions won't interfere with the creative process. For me, compatibility is the most essential element in collaboration, not superior skill.

What new projects or directions are you excited to explore in the near future, whether in painting, directing, or collaborative platforms?

While I was giving this interview, I was creating an artwork related to a specific story and its characters. Although the figures were drawn unconsciously, I found it very interesting. Watching myself slowly and unconsciously create a symbolic work without any training was a surprising, exciting, and enjoyable experience.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a curated promotional platform that offers artists the opportunity to articulate their vision and engage with our diverse international readership through insightful, published dialogues. Conducted by Mohamed Benhadj, founder and curator of Al-Tiba9, these interviews spotlight the artists’ creative journeys and introduce their work to the global contemporary art scene.

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