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Opinion / Raymond Zhou

Art is beyond ethnicity

By Raymond Zhou (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-08 06:22

Lei Yixin is not a household name in China. Even when he was selected as
the sculptor for a monument to Martin Luther King Jr to be erected at the
National Mall in Washington DC, it did not make the front pages of the
Chinese press.

But in the United States, the news has sparked controversy. To put it
mildly, a group of African American artists are questioning the wisdom of
choosing a an Asian - even a non-American - for such a high-profile
project. And to back up their argument, they have mixed politics with
personal sentiments.

I can understand why they are not happy with the selection, which, by the
way, was done by a 12-member committee, 10 of whom were African American.

When three Chinese actresses were selected for major roles in the
Hollywood movie Memoirs of a Geisha, some Japanese actresses were just as
upset. By the same token, when a French architect was chosen to design
China's National Theater, you can imagine how many of his Chinese
counterparts were displeased.

It is difficult to tell whether the reason is one of nationality.

The defense for picking someone ethnically unaligned with the subject of
portrayal is usually on technical grounds: the Chinese actors could speak
better English, or Lei the sculptor has a better grasp of realism.

I am sure there are myriad reasons for someone like Lei to have been
selected over African American artists who competed and who no doubt were
competent. Technical skill is just one consideration.

I am no expert on fine arts, but to illustrate my point here is an
example.

When Grace Bumbry was cast in a Wagner opera in Bayreuth in 1961, people
were stunned. Wieland Wagner, grandson of the composer, said it was "the
color of her vocal tone, not the color of her skin that counts". After
that, opera gradually became color-blind, to the extent that a singer of
African descent could play the role of Desdemona on the same stage with a
Caucusian singer - in blackface - in Othello.

I do not believe Wieland Wagner was oblivious to Bumbry's skin color. In
the early years when singers of African descent were cast in non-black
roles, it was more of a statement that people of color should not be
barred from this pantheon of European high culture. That they were
artistically brilliant was of secondary importance.

You may say, theater is make-believe. In 1989 Jessye Norman, another
great African American singer, was invited to sing La Marseillaise, the
French national anthem, in Paris during the celebration of the
bicentennial of the French Revolution. This would be tantamount to the
Beijing Olympics having a foreign vocalist to sing the theme song.

One possibility that can be ruled out is that the home country did not
have the right talent for the occasion. My assumption is, the French
wanted to imply that even though it was quintessentially a French
celebration, it was also something to be shared with the whole world.

We live in a global village, yet we also need to preserve our national
and ethnic identity. It could become a balancing act. What does an artist
stand for? His ethnicity? Nationality? Artistic merit? Political belief?
A different perspective?

To come back to the King statue, it would be equally valid to assign the
work to an African American artist or a non-black, non-American one. A
African American sculptor may understand King better, but an outsider may
provide a fresh look.

And Just imagine what extra good it could do if this project gets more
Chinese to know about Martin Luther King and what he stood for. Someone
like King who preached universal love and understanding should be for
everyone.

Email: raymondzhou@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/08/2007 page4)

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