Red Gate Residency intern Christine has interviewed Zhao Xu, a selected artist who was chosen to participate in Red Gate Residency Exchange with HANGAR Residency in Portugal. Have a look at what kind of great experience Zhao Xu had in Portugal!

Q: Red Gate Residency   A: Zhao Xu

Q: Can you briefly speak about your exchange experience at Hangar?

A: It's a great experience to do the residency in Hangar. Lisbon has very interesting traditional culture and architectures that are different from Beijing. I got a new perspective to understand my own culture when I lived there. Also, in Hangar, I had the opportunity to communicate with different artists and curators and present my work to local people there.

Q: What can the Red Gate Residency exchange programs bring to Chinese artists?

A: Chinese artists can see more avant-garde, high-level exhibitions abroad. They can also encounter the art scenes of different countries. When the artists are deep in another cultural environment, it would be easier for them to jump out of the box and reflect upon the relationship between their culture and themselves.

Q: Why is it important for Chinese artists to spend time abroad?

A:  I think Chinese artists are often distamt from the international contest in China. Only through travelling to a foreign country can they realize international issues such as refugees, religion and race. These help the Chinese artists to think about the relationship between the society and their art.

Q: 红门驻地项目 A:赵煦

Q: 可不可以简单介绍一下你在Hangar驻地的经历？

A: 在Hangar驻地做交换项目是一次很棒的经验。里斯本的传统文化很有趣，建筑也跟北京有很大不同。我住在葡萄牙的时候，看待我自己文化的视角也有所不同了。在Hangar驻地我也得到了跟当地很多艺术家和策展人交流以及向当地人展示我的艺术作品的机会。

Q: 红门驻地与其他驻地的交换项目可以为中国艺术家提供什么？

A: 中国艺术家在国外可以看到更多具有先锋性的，高水准的展览，并且了不同国家的艺术生态。当深处一个不同的文化环境时，艺术家更容易跳出来去思考自己和自己本土文化的关系。

Q: 对中国艺术家来说，为什么去国外驻地的经历很重要？

A: 我觉得很重要的一点是艺术家在中国常常是与国际语境脱节的，只有身处不同国家才能体会到诸如难民问题，种族问题，宗教问题之类的国际性问题，这有助于艺术家思考自己的艺术与社会之间的关系。