Interview with artist Jin Ruoxi

Luo: Only a small number of graduates from the Beaux-Arts truly become professional artists. Since your graduation exhibition in 2024, where you received "les félicitations du jury"（the Jury's Congratulations），you have had three important exhibitions in renowned Paris venues. For you, is this a particular indicator of success?

Jin: "Success," maybe. I'm very cautious about this word… An artist's career is very long, like a rollercoaster. I am just someone working, steadily, quietly, in the corner. After graduation, when I saw calls for projects, I applied. Perhaps because I was fully focused on my work, without much mental noise.

Luo: Have you established your personal artistic signature?

Jin: Yes and no. "Yes" means I can feel external feedback — my friends and mentors often say, "Your works seem different each time, but we feel it's you". I have received such feedback many times. "No" means it will still change; we are too young, I'm not even thirty yet — of course my creation will change; I am still experimenting. I don't actually pursue defining a personal signature; I even somewhat reject it, want to maintain distance, and I don't like repetition.

Luo: I don't know if this is a norm in the art market — that artists need a high recognizability, so that people know it's you at a glance. Of course, on one hand this path can be narrow, but on the other hand, it can amplify individuality, becoming a unique mark.

Jin: I don't really like it. I think, first of all, I want to make new things each time; I don't want to stick with something and repeat it constantly. I want to try many different things.