Our very first encounter must have been in the late 2000s with a particularly bad traffic jam in Beijing. As it turned out, the cause was none other than Jay Chou, who was playing one of his, as always, sold-out concerts at the Worker’s Stadium. Over the past years, Mr. Chou has become much more than a musician, entertainer, actor, and Voice of China judge (and the list could go on). Today, he is not only recognized as one of Asia’s most acclaimed private art collectors, but he has also reached the status of a global cultural ambassador bridging art, the creative scene, and entertainment. When listening to him, it becomes very clear: Jay Chou is on an unstoppable trajectory in reaching new heights in the cultural sphere.
We are excited to speak to Jay Chou all about his private collection, the influence of his mother for shaping his passion as well as his latest Sotheby’s collab, which he has conceived with cultural entrepreneur Jazz Li.
There are many questions we could start with, but let us go back to the very beginning. You said previously that your mum had a big influence on your interest in art and that she was an art teacher. Can you tell us more about this?
I think my first contact with art probably goes all the way back to the moment I was born. Both my parents were teachers, and as you say, my mum was an art teacher, so I grew up around art. I think the biggest thing I learned early on was that with anything you do, you need to be open-minded. So with art, the true value isn’t in the price tag; it’s in the emotions and experience. One of the things I cherish most about collecting art is being able to exchange ideas about art with her.
When you were young, what type of art did you look at or what art were you introduced to by your family?
My mum developed in me an appreciation for the Old Masters, as well as for great artists, like van Gogh and Dali. We share a great love for Dali and his works.
Did your family recognise the creative energy in you from an early age?
Actually, yes, and I think you are correct to say they recognised my ‘energy’ because I don’t think that — at least at the beginning — there was a plan that it would become focused on popular culture. I was just focusing on piano lessons. All my creative energy when I was young was aimed at trying to achieve my ambition to become a pianist.
Being already so successful in your own field, the music industry, what is driving you to be so actively engaged in the contemporary art field?
I have always had a very strong desire to win (好勝心) from as far back as I can remember. In everything I do, I am not easily satisfied with the status quo. I’m always on the lookout for my next challenge — new things to do, new ways to do things differently.
When I was young, someone enlisted me to perform in a talent competition (I didn’t do it myself), and the phone call came from the organisers to let me know I’d been selected to perform. I wasn’t focused on the details – my only focus was on winning – and that when I won, I wanted to get a commitment from the organisers that I wouldn’t have to wear that stupid-looking crown that the winner had to wear. They still let me on the show. It was an elimination-style competition, and in the end, I came in second place. It was a really amazing experience, and the relationships and friendships I made are still central to my life. In fact, it was such a positive experience that the winner is now the music director of my concert tour.
How do you compare what contemporary art offers you with what you experience from music? How do the two fields influence or perhaps complement each other?
When you have immersed yourself in contemporary art for a long period, you will slowly start to feel yourself drawn to look further back in time at modern art. When you do that, you will have a new-found respect for modern art. Like Magritte or Dali — you’ll be very impressed that they had this kind of creativity in their time — it’s really unbelievable. It’s similar to when you listen to a lot of pop music, you can find yourself drawn to listen to classical. I think all contemporary artists need classical foundations to be compelling. Of course as a musician, to me music is the most powerful art because music creates visuals (畫面). It makes you want to laugh/cry. And when I see paintings, I will automatically feel melodies. Hence, they complement each other…. One is the grass, and the other is the flower. Which do you think is the flower and which is the grass? It’s up to each person’s interpretation.
On collecting
Looking back, was there a specific moment or art piece you can remember that started your interest in contemporary art?
A few years ago, I accompanied my wife (actress Hannah Quinlivan) on a business trip to Paris. I had an afternoon free, so I went exploring around the boulevards and allées until I found myself in front of a wonderful little gallery in the Marais district. When I walked through the door, it was like I was instantly transported back to my childhood, surrounded by art. That was the moment that I rediscovered my passion for art, which led to my interest in collecting. Some of my friends laughed at the art I brought home from that trip, but that didn’t faze me. What mattered was that I had a connection with the pieces, that they generated emotion, and most importantly I guess, that they rekindled my passion.
What was your original intention of also owning / collecting contemporary artworks?
I’m not really too keen on the label of “art collector” because it brings up visions of someone who just accumulates stuff for the sake of it. I think I’ve become so enthusiastic about art because it provides an opportunity for self-reflection and re-evaluating long-held ideas. Most importantly for me, I want to use my collection as an opportunity to share ideas with others, to inspire and motivate a new generation of art lovers. Particularly in these tough times we’re all facing together, I see art as a way of connecting people and bringing a bit of light and enjoyment into the everyday.
We have seen a number of artworks by well-known artists in your music videos, ranging from Gerhard Richter to Frank Stella. What is the idea behind incorporating them and showing the works to your audience? Are these pieces also part of your collection?
I’ve grown up surrounded by art since the time I was born really. That’s why I must have art such as paintings in my home. That’s why some of my friends say my home is decorated like a museum. So really, the fact that I live with art means that I need to show the artworks that inspire me while I’m at home playing the piano. And yes, sometimes I’ll feature works from my own collection.
Are your fans also asking you more information about the works shown in your videos?
Yes, I’m very pleased to see that a lot of my fans are being inspired to learn more about art, or to appreciate the art that surrounds us in everyday places and everyday things. Encouraging as much of that as I can will be my greatest achievement I think – that and being a great husband, and a nurturing dad to my kids.
We see that you collect established, ‘blue-chip’ artists, but we find it even more interesting how you engage with artists that are, or were at the time when you started to collect them, not so well-known, e.g., Yukimasa Ida. What influences your decision to collect such artists at that early stage?
I went to a dear friend’s house as a guest, and he recommended Yukimasa Ida’s work. Later, I went to visit his studio, and got interested in his art. That’s how it has always worked with me — whether it’s a well-known or an emerging artist, a Basquiat, Stash or Jahan Loh — I am drawn to works that strike a chord with me, and then, I want to share their work with my friends.
What a collector collects often reveals some of their inner thoughts and feelings. You are a very much in the public. How much can your fans get to know you better via looking at the artists you collect?
Most young fans who see my posts of paintings for the first time don’t know who the artists are behind those works. Sometimes when I post, I feel like I am my mother’s son — “Mr. Chou the art teacher.” Now many of my social media followers are able to tell if the work is by one of the artists that I like, which is really gratifying to me that they are starting to share my passion. But my posts are really about my mood. It’s all about whatever is touching my heart in the moment. How I feel at the time determines what works I post; it’s not about logic or promoting any particular artist.
From previous discussions, we know that you have a sweet spot for artists like Gerhard Richter and Frank Stella. Why is that?
It’s not driven by nationality, movements or any particular school of art — it really comes down to the feelings and emotional impact an artist has on me.
On the Sotheby’s sale
With your collaboration with Sotheby’s Auction just being announced, the excitement is already high. What can we expect from this collaboration? What will be unique?
With “Jay Chou x Sotheby’s Contemporary Curated : Asia”, we collaborated with Enviseam to create a first-ever concept and unique offering. Jazz Li (@consxive on Instagram) and I tried to have fun with the curation, collection and even to change up the format. It is an auction so we were looking to find a ‘commercial’ way to tell a story that would engage an audience that – both in terms of numbers and interests — significantly breaks out from the traditional boundaries of an auction to bring together the worlds of art and entertainment.
We have tried to look beyond traditional commercial considerations and fine art audiences to reach the public and influence popular culture. This auction is more than just a platform where things are being bid and sold, and even more than a platform where things are being showcased and displayed, we want it to be a ‘platform’ in the social media sense that reaches out to engage society, and by doing that, it influences culture.
Our goal for the collaboration with Sotheby’s was to provide a real-life example of how art and entertainment can come together for a higher purpose. Our objective is to help art to reach a massive public audience in order to create a positive influence on society. Sotheby’s have been supportive, and so I believe we were able to achieve something unlike any previous collaborations.
We want to tell a story through the auction and combine some of our more creative ways of presenting ideas through social media, websites, and live-streaming. Our challenge was to find innovative ways to achieve our goals not just for the sake of doing the exceptional. So we re-looked at the traditional format of the art auction and thought how we could make it accessible to the public – even if they never had experienced an auction or would think about bidding on an item! Our goal was to bring together art and entertainment to bring art to the public – to do that we knew we would need to do something different!
We are assuming you are not selling your own collection, right?
Oh no! But as part of doing things differently, I have donated 3 sets of my costumes from my “The Invincible” world tour with the proceeds being donated to charity.
What is the charm of working with an auction house? Compared to a museum?
Historically, an auction house has been about private acquisition while museums were for public enjoyment. But I’ve always seen collecting art as being all about sharing — introducing the works and the artists to as many people as I can. Working with Enviseam and Sotheby’s, we are trying to revolutionise how auctions are presented. We want to move beyond traditional commercial considerations and fine art audiences to reach the wider public, and in so doing influence popular culture. The auction is no longer just a platform where things are being bid and sold, and not just a platform where things are being showcased and displayed; not just where stories are being told but actually the whole platform about reaching out to engage society and in so doing influence culture. So in the end, I guess my mission is to break down those traditional boundaries so that art, no matter where it is physically, can be enjoyed by as many people as possible.
On being on a cultural mission
What is truly fascinating is that you are actively taking on even more roles where art and entertainment overlap. In your Netflix show, you introduced your personal experiences, including a visit to the Centre Pompidou to the viewers. What motivates you to communicate about art/culture on these different levels?
Art is the perfect bridge for communicating a whole world of human views, values and experiences. Through my work, including this project with Enviseam and Sotheby’s, I am trying to expose more people around the world to art which conveys the very understanding of human values and experience. This is what we need to share if we are to do more than coexisting in this globalised world. There is an urgent need to transcend boundaries and to share the human experience as widely as possible.
You have also collaborated directly with artists, such as Xu Bing 徐冰 and Jacky Tsai. What does it offer you on a personal level to engage in discussions and projects with fine artists?
So for Xu Bing (徐冰), really, the value we wanted to talk about was Cross Culturalism (跨文化). There is a commonality between all cultures, which is emotions and communication. And, communication, is universal, because it is not limited to any word or language. It’s feelings. It’s music. It’s symbols. Xu Bing 徐冰 achieves that through his “Book from the Sky” (天書) and “Book from the Ground” (地書). For Jacky Tsai, it is the interplay between East and West. Whereas my medium is music. Music is universal, you don’t need a language to understand music. All cultures can understand music. In the end, these types of projects and discussions bring different perspectives to see and enjoy the world around us in different ways.
Taking the perspective of the larger picture, we can feel how important culture is to you, and not just creating it but also sharing it. How can we use contemporary art to embark on conversations across cultures and regions?
I am driven to use my creativity and music to promote fun and interesting interactions between cultures and regions. Like my recent Mojito video – while the lyrics are in Mandarin, we’ve managed to expose new audiences to the wonderful Cuban culture and the infectiousness of Latin music. I feel extremely privileged to be able to bridge those divides in both my music and art.
Looking ahead, what is your long-term plan for your career in the art world?
There are a number of really creative projects with Enviseam in the pipeline. Jazz Li and I are working with interesting art, commercial organisations, artists, and celebrities to design even more innovative and exciting ways to break down the boundaries between art and entertainment — so watch this space.
Final question
Would you be able to spontaneously rank these terms by how important they are to you: contemporary art, bubble milk tea, basketball matches, magic, acting?
I’m passionate for all of them and I can’t live without any of them. Life is full of too many hard choices!
Instagram: @jaychou
A selection of artists Jay collects:
Frank Stella
Gerhard Richter
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Mark Bradford
Peter Doig
