Cinzia Cremona
一群來自不同國家文化背景下的藝術家，被邀請來到這座以展示中國傳統藝術為主的炎黃藝術館做一年一度的當代藝術展。中國傳統藝術與國際當代藝術的碰撞必然會帶來有趣的對話。
參與今年“正經的外鄉人”展覽的十八個藝術家無一不探討了關於人與人之間的關係的理解。無論從宏觀還是微觀來觀察任何一種文化，都會發現存在著一系列人際關係、社會交往與國際關係的內在規則。那麼如何以一個局外人的角度看待世界就有了一種必要性。對於自我與他人的意識的觀察和討論是當代藝術家的一個重要任務。由此，如何以自身的行動切入一個人或一個群體的的價值觀就成為了解其他文化背景並與之展開對話的關鍵所在。
誰是“他者”? 本質上來說, 一個人並不單單代表了他自己。作為人類，我們共同享有生物界，科學技術與這個星球上的一切。我們從來無法確定什麼對於這個世界來說是獨有或是共同享的。每一次新的發現都會改變人類對於他們自身的看法。他們現在所做的揭示了人們對於自我與他人的感觸。我們試圖去觀察與傾聽，去試著解譯不同的的價值觀、道德、習俗與信仰。
通常，我們根據年齡，性別，階級與種族特徵去評判一個人。這種在沒有經過充分了解之前就下定義的方式被稱之為偏見, 是與多元世界以及多重可能性背道而馳的。相反,藝術邀請我們每個人不流於表面而是去挖掘更多深層的事物。總體性的歸類方法在不斷變換的歷史與傳統中是無法奏效的。過去的很多概念會漸漸地在一代人與一代人之間形成隔閡, 甚至阻礙個體與不同的人群的交流。
我們的物理與社會環境要求我們學會適應並與他人和諧共處, 但是如果集體對於個體強加過多的干涉, 這種微妙的平衡就會被打破 。隨之而來的結果會破壞社會和個體共有的健康狀況。每一個個體都努力在歸屬感與獨一無二之間尋求平衡。有時一個人的平衡對於另一個人來說是巨大的犧牲。
這個項目邀請的每個人對於彼此來說都是一個異鄉人。他們從遙遠的地方來 ，有我們不熟悉的習慣和無法被理解的語言。他們的相貌、聲音、體味及感覺都與我們大不一樣。異鄉人可以引起人們的恐懼或者厭惡，因為他們做不一樣的動作，吃不一樣的事物和持有不一樣的道德標準。
我們該如何尋找一個共同點？我們甚至該如何開始一場對話？
這個展覽主張我們以聽、看、給予他人更多的時間與空間為開始。“正經的外鄉人”中的藝術家邀請彼此及參觀者去思考按照彼此的方式生活。展覽以一種分散的和不協調的形式出現，但是對許多人來講這樣的形式就是每天的生活。很多人離開他們所熟悉的環境，這種分離感把一個人與和他來自同一種族、同一班級、同一學校、同一村莊、同一家庭及同一朋友群體的人分離開來。與這些群體的分離喚起焦慮與悲傷的感覺。只有內心的強大力量才可以使一個被隔離的個體去繼續向外伸出他們強壯的雙手。
儘管孤立是一種艱難的處境，但是孤立也給人提供了一種獨特與珍貴的看事物的角度。為了成功舉辦“正經的外鄉人”這場展覽，來自不同國家的藝術家用各式各樣的藝術手法和語言去探討，交流。不像一個唱詩班裡每個成員唱同一首歌曲，而是像一幅鑲嵌畫各種顏色與成分組合在一起。沒有人清楚最終的畫面是什麼模樣，直到大家把它組合完整。
加拿大籍藝術家李澤民 Lei Chak Man收集了一組不同的藝術作品併為之命名“異域風景” ，由金色字母組成的巨大標識為參考介紹了不規則的地面和由不同的藝術元素所組成的屋內景象。Frederik Foert 的神秘生物; Filippo Cardella的彩色油畫; Celyn Bricker的銅版畫; Marina Moreno的視頻和參與式藝術（威尼斯自動售貨機 Venice Vending Machine) 這些作品以不同方式展現了每個人思想的交織所形成的錯雜的風景，是對我們身在大城市中的搖擺不定的處境的比喻。
北京，作為一個國際性的大都市吸引著人們去找尋他們志趣相同的群體。 他們想要根據自己的選擇去創建群體並且與那些使他們有歸屬感的人交流。這些想要重新認識他們自己，想要生活在一個多樣性的環境，以及在他們的家鄉無法找到歸屬感的人，在這個高度包容性的地方互相依偎。他們像星球一樣受引力作用吸引彼此並且通過擁抱相異性運行在不熟悉的時空中。
這個項目試圖獲得那些可以使陌生地域的人結合在一起的零碎感覺、想法、進行對話，彼此相遇。他們都是在不同語言中尋找相似之處的異鄉人。他們都處於迷失卻又因為彼此的存在不曾迷失過。 他們繪製使他們安居的領土。只要有些許希望他們就會一直尋找可以寄託的對象。他們想要歸屬又想要自由地漂流、想要到達又想要離去、想要聯繫又想要飄移、想要談話又想要孤寂、就這樣沉浸在一種近乎矛盾的張力裡面。
李心沫Li Xino 攝影劇場； Marina Moreno 玩具機器, 影像；Alan Skalaski 裝置
這次對話對於那些被認為是“當地人”的人尤其有衝擊力。許多人從中國的其他地方來到北京學習或工作，這些身居中國本土的“外鄉人”也對應了此次展覽的主題。一個國家的首都常常是實現野心與夢想的地方。因此，我們也可以認為北京這座城市中的絕大部分人對於彼此都是異鄉人------疏遠於他們的家鄉亦或是他們現在的鄰居。
所有這一切都可以改變，只要大家可以接受流動的生活環境，並且熱情地聯繫那些哪怕只是在很短的時間內闖入我們生活的人。這樣群體很快就會組成，但又會漸漸消散，就像天空不斷聚散的浮雲，但即使消散也總會留下一些的痕跡，並且或許哪天他們又會以碎片的形式重新聚起。 我們從某種程度上來講都是流浪的人，一旦我們在國外生活或者工作，我們永遠都將是外來者。
在這場展覽中的歐洲、美國、韓國和中國藝術家以某種無法用國家民族所框定的方式展現了他們的經歷。 王亞敏 Yamin Wang, 趙超 Zhao Chao, 子路Laura Zi, 李心沫 Li Xinmo和Jarek Balinski 使用攝影的方式記錄了與舞臺表演完全不同的舞臺情境圖像, 他們把關注點放在場景的設置上面。 王亞敏 Yamin的照片散落在地板上，如同照片中那些被人丟棄的黃色書包。還有將油畫材料和技巧與光感顏料組合在一起的Charlie Dutton; 用檀香和發光二極管創作的樸雄珪 Park Woongkyu; 以及一被塗上畫布就很難辨認各種材料的Martin Derbyshire 馬騰飛.
此次展覽中的視頻作品以不同的感官效果和超出預料的組合方式展示出來–從 Cinzia Cremona放置在佈滿著紅色水果、紅酒以及盛宴之後的殘留物的桌子上的顯示器,到屋子左側的投影儀與安裝設施，在這裡展示著呂思佳 Jessica Lu, 孫珂 Coco和Martin Derbyshire 馬騰飛的精神世界的影像。
還有大大小小的雕塑，裝置作品散佈在空間中: Alan Skalaski用當代角度精湛地詮釋了屈原的作品“天問”; 唐代詩集激發Frederik Foert 創作了兩件低調且幽默的作品 《小手的人》和《卡西烏斯和黏土》, 它們與一隻大型充氣獅子一同出現。
總體上，“正經的外鄉人”這次展覽在歷史與當代之間、藝術與生活之間、個人與集體之間打開了新的思維向度，增加了更多的交流。關於展覽還在探索的路上，但這些藝術家每次相遇之後都會對自我以及他人有一個全新的認識。■
Alan Skalaski 裝置作品；Celyn Bricker繪畫作品；Frederik Forte繪畫作品
New Legal Aliens at Yan Huang Art Museum – dialogues and conversations
□Cinzia Cremona
In the context of a museum that has a great reputation for traditional art, once a year a group of artists from a variety of countries, backgrounds and cultures are invited to exhibit. This burst of international contemporary art creates a dialogue with the exquisite traditional artworks displayed on the first floor.
The 18 artists taking part in this year’s New Legal Aliensexhibition ask questions about the relative positions that very different people take in relation to each other. Any culture seen from the outside reveals layers of unwritten rules that shape small interactions, and large social and international relations. For an artist, seeing from the outside is an everyday practice. A developed awareness of oneself and others is the tool of the contemporary artist. Noticing gestures that embody the values of a person or a group becomes the key to reading a context and to starting a dialogue with “the other”.
Who is “the other”? Essentially, a person that is not one’s self. As human beings, we share biology, technology and this planet. Beyond these fundamental elements, we are never sure how much our perceptions of the world are unique or shared. Each new encounter asks that a person renews their sense of themselves. Their current choices reveal them to others. We watch and listen to decode the other’s values, ethics, habits, believes.
Often, we have already made a judgement on the other person based on their age, gender, class and ethnicity. Prejudice, the practice of judging before knowing, is the enemy of possibility. Instead, art invites everybody to look under the surface and ask more questions. Large categories are based on histories and traditions that are in constant flux. Yesterday’s definitions evaporate between generations and even within one life with the constant movement of people and information.
Our physical and social environments are demanding that we adapt to be with others in harmony, but if the collective imposes too much sacrifice on the individual, this delicate balance is broken. The consequences can damage the health of society and of the individuals. Every life tries to strike a balance between belonging and being unique. What is a good balance for one person is too much of a sacrifice for another.
This project invites everyone to consider the possibility that we are all alien to each other. An alien is someone who comes from a far away place. A stranger (also, a strange person), is a foreigner with unfamiliar habits and an incomprehensible language. The alien looks, sounds, smells and feels different. Aliens can evoke fear or disgust because they move differently, they eat different things and they have a different set of morals.
How do we find a common ground? How do we even start a dialogue?
This exhibition suggests that we start by listening, looking and making space for the other. The artists in New Legal Aliensinvite each other and each visitor to consider an other’s experience as a possible way of being. The exhibition may appear fragmented and incongruous, but for many this is an everyday experience. Alienation affects those who feel different even in a place where they should feel at ease. It separates a person from others belonging to the same ethnicity, class, school, village, family or friends. The separation from these supporting communities can invoke feelings of anxiety and sadness. It takes an internal strength for an individual to continue to reach out from their alienation.
Although it is a difficult condition, alienation also offers a unique and precious perspective. To build the New Legal Aliens exhibition, artists from different countries and using different art languages discussed, negotiated and learned from each other to create a conversation with many voices. Not a choir where everybody sings the same song, but a mosaic of colours and sounds. We didn’t know what the final image would be until we saw it coming together.
The Chinese-Canadian artist 李澤民Lei Chak Man unified this collection of propositions by developing the artwork titled Alien Landscape. This enormous label composed in gold letters references both the uneven floor and the panorama created by the combinations of disparate elements that fill the room – Frederik Foert’s mythical creatures, Filippo Cardella’s colourful paintings, Celyn Bricker’s copper panels, Marina Moreno’s video and participatory art Venice Vending Machine. This emergent landscape filled with diverse manifestations of these ideas is a metaphor for our fluctuating presence in this great city.
A contemporary cosmopolitan capital like Beijing attracts people in search of elective communities. We want to create families and communities of our choice and be in dialogue with those we feel an affinity with. Those who want to renew themselves, those who want to live in a more varied environment, and those who feel out of place in their hometown, find themselves together in this welcoming place. We gravitate towards each other like planets and navigate the unfamiliar waters by embracing otherness.
This project wants to capture fragments of feelings, thoughts, conversations and encounters that bind those who live in a place where they don’t belong. We are all aliens looking for common points in our different languages. We are all lost and never lost because we have each other. We map territories with points that give us comfort. We look for those we can engage with for as long or as little as possible. We want to belong and drift free, arrive and depart, connect and float away, dialogue and be silent, be immersed and be self-contained in waves of desires.
The dialogue is especially powerful with those who can be considered ‘local’. This is a relative concept in Beijing, as people come from many regions of China for short periods to work or study. The capital of a country is often a place where there is hope of realizing high ambitions and dreams. Therefore, we could also say that in Beijing most people are aliens to each other – alienated from their own hometown or from their temporary neighbours.
All this can change if we simply accept this fluid situation and connect temporarily but intensely with those who enter our lives even for short periods. Communities form and dissolve like clouds, but leave deep traces and maybe they become alive again online and in fragments. We are all nomadic to some extent, and once we have lived and worked abroad, we are forever foreigners.
The European, American, Korean and Chinese artists in this exhibition, materialize these experiences in ways that cannot be gathered under national flags. 王亞敏Yamin Wang, 趙超Zhao Chao, 李心沫Li Xinmo and Jarek Balinski for example use photography to document staged situations that are not what they seem, paying attention to light, framing and placement (王亞敏Yamin Wang’s images are scattered on the floor as if discarded like the yellow bag within the photographs themselves). Painting materials and techniques are combined with light-sensitive pigment (Charlie Dutton), with incense and LEDs (樸雄珪Park Woongkyu), and with materials that become harder to identify once they are merged on canvas (Martin Derbyshire 馬騰飛).
Video too appears with different sensibilities and in unexpected combinations – from Cinzia Cremona’s monitor on table laden with red fruit, wine and the leftovers of a luscious banquet, to the projections and installations in the side room on the left, where the sensibilities of 呂思佳Jessica Lu, 孫珂Coco and Martin Derbyshire 馬騰飛.
Lastly, sculptures large and small punctuate the space: Alan Skalaski’s delicate contemporary translation of the Tian Wen, Han dynasty poetry dialogues with Frederik Foert’s two discreet humorous pieces – The Thin Man, 2013 and Cassius & Clay, 2017 – and negotiate their presence with the large inflatable lions.
Overall, the New Legal Aliens exhibition opens avenues and conversations between history and the present, between art and life, between the individual and the collective certain that identity is unstable and renewed with each encounter.■
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