This year’s Chinese New Year period had all the promise of unbridled joy for family members across China and the rest of the world to reunite after long periods of separation. It was also a ‘cheat’ New Year for Westerners in China to re-evaluate their somewhat lofty New Year’s resolutions and adjust them down to more manageable standards.
For Johannes Nielson, the Chinese New Year was meant to bring these joys and more, as Nielson set off to Sweden leaving his family in Beijing with the intention of soon being reunited. It was in Sweden where the Beijing based dad and artist got the news of the Virus and its spread. Suddenly it seemed as though his reunion with his family was up in the air and their home in Beijing a pipe dream.
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Where were you and your family when you first realized just how serious the coronavirus threat and spread was?
I was in Sweden, just about to open my new exhibition at a gallery in Gothenburg. My family was in Beijing, about to make a trip to Japan that they had planned a few months in advance.
Did the information about the virus affect your travel plans during the Chinese New Year, or did it alter any of your plans around the same time?
I was supposed to return to Beijing on Jan 30. My family was to return a day later. However because of the situation and also because we were already abroad, we decided to stay for a few more days and observe it before deciding what to do. So instead of returning to Beijing I went to Kyoto, Japan from Sweden. My family was already in Kyoto; a country I had always dreamed of visiting.
How have you continued to ensure their safety?
Our bags were fully packed out with sanitizers and masks, both from Sweden and Japan. We were ready for our return to Beijing with all the supplies we needed to stay safe and healthy while we wait for the virus to blow over. Now that we’re back in Beijing, we are working from and entertaining ourselves, at home.
What has it been like trying to return to Beijing during this global crisis?
It was a difficult decision to return. Everyone told me not to. We had to discuss all options, from the very possible to the most unlikely before we decided on a way forward, but we also had to go with our gut instinct. The reality after arriving back in Beijing is somewhat scary. The village where I have my studio had been blocked off. After managing to pass the local guards I got notified that I should report my temperature each day and self-quarantine for the next two weeks.
What do you find most difficult about your attempts to return to Beijing?
Practically it was easy, at least with Air China. But all the fear, both within me and also around me made it difficult to make a decision whether to stay in Japan or to return to Beijing.
Did people outside of China treat you with suspicion or apprehension when they realized that you are based on the Mainland?
No, I did not notice that when I was in Sweden. Also, as more info came out about the virus and how contagious it was I simply stopped meeting with people for my few final days in Sweden. Also my phone became suspiciously silent as time went by.
What words of encouragement do you have for Beijing families?
I think the fear that I have noticed both within myself and around is such a powerful force. It seems it can be channeled to create something ugly, but also something very beautiful. Now, since we are home safe and sound, I would like to encourage families in Beijing and draw or sculpt that fear or worry that you may harbor. What color or shape does it have? Is it abstract or figurative and so forth? I would love to see such artwork, not because they are perfect but because they come from a feeling that I think we all can relate to in times like these.
Photos: Courtesy of Johannes Nielson, TripSavvy, Independent
