LABA Interviews Designer Aris Qun and Artist Jie Geng

Joey Zhou, TV host and LABA founder, and Rachael Fisher, co-host, interview LABA Icon Award winner Aris Ai Qun, founder of the Aris A fashion brand

Los Angeles, California, USA. 17th October, 2023. Joey Zhou, TV host and LABA founder, and Rachael Fisher, co-host, interviewed LABA Icon Award winner Aris Ai Qun, founder of the Aris A fashion brand, and LABA Icon Award nominee, Jie Geng, a contemporary artist in China by international video conference. Aris Qun is also the President of Shennel Trading Group based in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Jie Geng specializes in Zen ink painting, oil painting, and sculpture creation. He has written many articles on art and published them in academic and professional publications internationally.

Here are some of the highlights of the interviews:

Aris Ai Qun, founder of the Aris A fashion brand by video conference

Qun began the interview and was asked, "How do you feel about winning a LABA Icon Award?

Qun responded, "Hello everyone! My name is Aris Ai Qun. On December 30th last year, I was honored to receive the LABA Icon Award - American Cultural Award that was presented to me by Princess Karen Cantrell, Honorary Chairman of LABA and Chairman of the Royal Society of St. George, California Branch. I would like to thank the LABA Icon Awards Committee for this award, and give my thanks to Joey Zhou, the founder of LABA. I feel very excited and honored to receive this award. I cherish this honor very much and will continue to work hard to design more and better clothes to decorate people's lives. I strive to bring the Aris A brand to life. Thank you all!"

Jie Geng, a contemporary artist in China being interviewed by international video conference

Jie Geng, who was nominated for a LABA Icon Award, was asked, "What did it mean to him to be nominated this year?

Geng responded, "As the only Chinese artist in the painting category in 2023, I was honored to be nominated for a LABA Icon Award. There are only ten heavyweight artists in the world who have been nominated. So, of course I am very happy and relieved, but to be honest, I wasn't surprised. As an art believer who has been engaged in art for 50 years, and regards art as his life, what could be more exciting than being able to compete in the fair and reasonable Art Olympics? Thanks to the artist Mr. Jiannan Huang and Mr. Zhou Zheng, the founding chairman of the world-famous art media LABA art organization for their enthusiastic recommendation of me! I would like to thank Mr. Harrison Engle, the senior co-chairman of the LABA Icon Award Committee, and all members of the LABA art jury committee for their unanimous recognition of my artistic attainments and their warm invitation. I am very grateful!"

TV host Joey Zhou asks artist Jie Geng a question during the interview with co-host Rachael Fisher

Mr. Geng, please tell us why you chose to be an artist, and what inspired you?

Geng replied, "I am blood type B, Capricorn, impatient and paranoid. Engaging in art is probably influenced by genetics, because my ancestors and fathers were artists who were engaged in the art of murals and Buddhist statues in Zen Buddhist temples. This is the result of being completely influenced by family art. I have a nickname called, the "Descendants of Temple Painters", and my eldest sister was an undergraduate student in the Printmaking Department of Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts in the 1950s and 1960s. These obviously had a huge impact on my lifelong pursuit of art. My irritable and paranoid character emerged in elementary school. When I was in elementary school, I would run home from school every day. The reason was simple, I was anxious to get home and draw. Therefore, art has been like a part of me, growing with me since I can remember. In other words, it has been fifty years since I got the launched on to art runway in my childhood! I have never regretted it, only felt lucky. I think creating art is the most beautiful and valuable thing in the world. Throughout the ages, there have been wars because of politics, wars because of religion, wars because of race... but there have been no wars because of art. Art should be the most beautiful barrier-free communication language for all mankind. That’s why I will always love art!"

Geng concluded, "Thank you very much for the interview - let's drink to art! Cheers to art and friendship!"

Artist Jie Geng

TV host Joey Zhou, artist Jie Geng by international video conference (iPad), and co-host Rachael Fisher

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