潜溢 罗晓冬作品展

陈小虎

A Move Within
Luo Xiaodong
GALLERIA DELL'ARCO, Shanghai
curated by Cecilia Freschini
Opening 20th June 2009, Saturday 5 p.m.

Almost half a century ago, Donald Judd issued the obituary of painting. Although Judd’s assertion never actualized, artists who have been carrying on the practice of painting have been striving to cross the boundaries of this thousand years old art form.
Quoting the curator Cecilia Freschini: “Time flows and single images stand out more clearly than our memories. Facing Luo Xiaodong’s work, we easily enter a timeless dimension, in which dwells a mortal silence, an enormous emptiness devoid of context… Art is a serious and deep matter, and the artists should respond to major social problems… (his images) are pieces of our time, that he aims to review, suggesting us to pay much attention and make a move within.”
Be it a bench breathing the lapse of time, Forbidden City appearing as desolate landscape of crumbling ruins, or simply a scene extracted from news events, Luo Xiaodong, by employing his peculiar technique – scraper full of paint leaving irregular triangles on the canvas, and monochromatic application, not only captures the spellbinding ‘silence’ and oppressive ‘emptiness’, but also caresses our common sentiments and questions our way of viewing the world outside.
In his most recent works Luo Xiaodong tries to involve the medium as a significant element of his visual grammar: new balance is achieved by varied proportions, separation and different angles of the canvas. Through these images, the artist endeavors to build a connection to reality, but by simplification of colour and abandoning the precision of shape, he also shuns allegorical or realistic implications.
Luo Xiaodong, born in northwest China, like many other artists, has a background of academic education. However, after graduating from Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts, he chose to part from the still influential socialistic realism. From the initial attempt in abstract expressionism to the increasingly established unique individual style, the artist compares his exploration in the realm of painting to an “adventure” and he will never stop. This solo exhibition will be his second in China, preceded by “My World” in Tokyo in 2007, and last year’s “The Empty City Trick” in Shanghai and Nanjing.

Opening: June 20th, 2009, Saturday at 5 pm.
Exhibition: June 21th, 2009 – August 10th, 2009
Opening hours: 10:00-18:00 Monday-Sunday,
Venue: Building 1, floor 2, No.50 Moganshan Road, Shanghai Tel: 021 52527164


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潜溢
罗晓冬
GALLERIA DELL'ARCO, Shanghai

策展人：Cecilia Freschini
开幕
20th June 2009, Saturday 5 p.m.
闭幕
10th August 2009

将近半个世纪之前，唐纳·贾德为绘画发了讣告。虽然贾德的断言从未成真，但坚持作画的艺术家们一直在试图穿越这个拥有千年历史的艺术形式的疆界。

“潜溢”的策展人——Cecilia Freschini写道：“时间流淌，其中显现的某几帧画面往往比我们的整个记忆还要清晰。面对罗晓冬的作品，我们很容易进入一个没有分秒的时空，其中，尘世无声，一个没有前文后义的恢宏空洞在此盘踞。……艺术是郑重的，艺术家需要对重大社会问题有所回应……（罗的画面）是我们时代的点滴，他审视这些点滴，也审视这个时代，要我们睁开眼睛，从心‘潜溢’。”

场景可以是一张长凳，吐纳时间流逝；可以是故宫，却似颓唐苍凉的废墟风景；或仅仅是新闻事件中撷取的一幅画面。用他独特的技艺——沾满颜料的刮刀在画布上留下不规则的三角形，以及黑白灰的着色，罗晓冬不仅仅抓住其中慑人的“无声”和逼人的“空洞”，也抚摩到了其中的普遍情愫，同时质疑我们体认外界事物的方式。

在罗晓冬最近的作品中，他还尝试引入画面的载体作为他视觉语法的重要一部分：通过画布的分割，或者画幅不同的比例和角度，谋取新的平衡。罗晓冬的意象往往剥离于它们的语境，艺术家以此建立与世界的联系，却又依靠设色的简化和细节的模糊，避免寓言式的或现实主义的暗示。

罗晓冬出生于大西北，和许多艺术家一样，有着学院派的背景。从西安美术学院毕业后，他选择与依然鼎盛的社会主义现实主义分道扬镳。从最初的抽象表现主义的尝试到今天他日益成熟的个人风格，罗晓冬将他在画国的探索称作“冒险”，他乐此不疲。此展是他在中国的第二个个展。他之前的个人展览包括2007年东京的“我的世界”和去年在上海和南京的“空城计”。

开幕时间: 2009年6月20日下午5点
展览时间: 2009年6月20日到2009年8月10日
开放时间: 10:00-18:00 星期一到星期日
地点: 上海市莫干山路50号1号楼2楼 电话: 021 52527164

陈小虎

Cecilia Freschini

“画面是打败时间的思想结晶。”(匿名)

真正属于我们的，只有时间和情感。组成我们的生命的，是一个个片段和触动，过去、现在和未来，在此失去含义。时间流淌，其中显现的某几帧画面往往比我们的整个记忆还要清晰。
面对罗晓冬的艺术，我们轻松踏入一个没有分秒的时空，其中，尘世无声，一个没有前文后义的恢宏空洞在此盘踞。可是，我们的感受到的却非迷惘或悲观，竟是一种普遍体验的亲切。
艺术家的中立为观者营造了一种暧昧的气氛，各种个人情绪从粗糙和斑驳的画面飞扬上升。有意味值得关注的，其实是意象和它背后信息之间的关系。
罗晓冬的艺术是从异常强大的激情中生发出来的。最近，这位艺术家开始用刮刀作画。这个创意绝对与艺术家激烈的态度相融洽；整个画布从近处看如同不规则三角的荒蛮丛林。艺术在他手中是表述思想的媒介，是他与整个社会沟通的语言。他现在在艾可画廊展出的作品比他之前的“灾难”系列更为成熟。这里，透漏的是“暴风雪前的平静”，能否听到弥漫其中的警示呼喊取决于我们自己。罗晓冬觉得，绘画应该生成一种新的领悟。“面对社会中发生的各种事件，我们还是会为之激动伤感，但实际上，我们什么都没有看到。散场之后，一切归零，而生活在继续。这里面隐藏着一个至关重要的问题，我们到底是不是在看，是不是以自己的方式看到了这个世界的真实面目？从某种意义上讲，如何去看这个世界，将会决定着我们如何在这个世界上生活，以什么样的方式存在。我们得想想了。”正如以上文字所表述的，罗晓冬真切意识到，做艺术意味着什么，以及一个艺术家该如何作为。艺术是郑重的，艺术家应该对重大社会问题有所回应。现代化进程中的都市和自然环境是罗晓冬关注的两个问题。
在罗晓冬最近的作品中，他还尝试引入画面的载体作为他视觉语法的重要一部分：通过画布的分割，或者画幅不同的比例和角度，谋取新的平衡。罗晓冬的意象往往剥离于它们的语境，艺术家以此建立与世界的联系，却又依靠设色的简化和细节的模糊，避免寓言式的或现实主义的暗示。
艺术家已经柔化了他早先主题中的戏剧张力，但他的心智依然无比清晰，而且他所传达的也更为有力：城市是颓败和无助的剧场；世界支离破碎，边界迷离；一张完美构图里的长凳，笼罩在令人怀旧怅惘的森林中……“明信片”“假山”“绳子”“纪念品”，都是这个时代的点滴，他审视这些点滴，也审视这个时代，要我们睁开眼睛，从心“潜溢”。

A Move Within

Cecilia Freschini

"Images are crystallized thoughts that overcome the test of time” (Anonymous)
All that really belongs to us is time and feelings. Our whole life is series of moments and sensations, where past, present and future lose their meanings. Time flows and the single images stand out more clearly than our memories.
Facing Luo Xiaodong’s work, we easily enter a timeless dimension, in which dwells a mortal silence, an enormous emptiness devoid of context. Nevertheless, is not disorientation or pessimism what we feel, but the familiarity of a common experience.
The eclectic attitudes lead the viewers to an ambiguous atmosphere where each our personal feelings can freely emerge from his unsmooth and mottled images. What is interesting to underline in fact, is the connection between the image and the information behind it.
Luo Xiaodong’s art comes from an extraordinary strong passion. Recently, the artist started to adopt a scraper to paint. This original technique is absolutely more congenial to the artist and his vehement behaviour; from a closer look, the whole canvas appears as savage jungle of irregular triangles and strips made by paint dropping down. Furthermore, now, his works are almost totally dominated by pure black and white. Luo said: “the adoption of monochrome, prevents wasting too much time in choosing colour .Its saves much energy”. Art in his hands is the media able to express his thoughts and the universal language through he can talk to the whole society with. The canvass now on display at “Galleria dell’ Arco” show a work more mature than the previous “disaster” series. Here, transpire the “calm after the storm”, a suffused cry of alarm that it’s up to us be able to listen to. According to the artist, painting should generate a new understanding. “We would still become quite emotional and sentimental when facing incidents happening in society, but as a matter of fact, we see nothing. After that, all will turn back to zero, with life going on. There’s a problem of paramount importance lying in this: are we really looking or are we seeing the reality of the world in our own way? To some extent, the way we view the world determines the way we lead our life and make a living. We do need to think about it.” As articulated by these words, Luo Xiaodong, is highly conscious of what it means to do art and what should be an artist’s behaviour. Art is a serious and deep matter, and the artists should respond to major social problems. The cities in the process of modernization and the natural environment are two of his main concerns.
In his most recent works Luo Xiaodong tries to involve the medium as a significant element of his visual grammar: new balance is achieved by varied proportions, separation and different angles of the canvas. Through these images, the artist endeavors to build a connection to reality, but by simplification of colour and abandoning the precision of shape, he also shuns allegorical or realistic implications.
The artist has softened the dramatic force of his early subjects, but his mind is still really clear and his message is even stronger: the cities are theatre left in a state of devastation and despair, the world appears smashed with confused borders and a bench lay down in a perfect composition, surrounded by a nostalgic forest…. Each painting works has an historical record: “Postcard”, “Mountain”, “Rope”, “Souvenir” are pieces of our time that he aims to review. Luo Xiaodong suggests us to pay much attention to these images which serve as a start for a move within.

[ 本帖最后由 陈小虎 于 2009-6-12 19:57 编辑 ]

李牧

晓冬又有个展了，大家一定来捧场啊！

李牧

去年看过晓冬的个展《空城计》，我写了篇观后感。这里，再拿出来读读，以便大家加深一下对他的了解。

  “空城”不空
  ——参观罗晓冬的个展《空城计》
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
罗晓冬在上海证大现代艺术馆的个展取名“空城计”，使我对这个展览充满了期待。这将会是怎样的一个“空城”，怎样的一次“计谋”？
在这个新媒介日益进入当代艺术视野的环境中，大多数人相继选择了影像、装置和行为表演等看似“前卫”的手段来表达自己的观念和思考。在经常交往的朋友中，他是少有的一个坚持以架上绘画作为表达手段的艺术家。在这个被认为绘画已经没有挖掘空间的时代里，他的对绘画的一厢情愿在某种程度上能看到他性格里那种偏执的力量，在别人看似不可能中寻找新的可能。随着和罗晓冬交往的时间的越长，越是能感觉到他表面温和的背后却深藏着一种巨大力量。其实早在2005年他曾以一系列大尺幅描写灾难现场的单色绘面得到朋友们的普遍认可，其画面的技术包括图像对观众都有很大的视觉震撼力。在2007年，他的画面的题材变得丰富起来,黑白的地球、世界地图、宇航员、建设中的鸟巢工地，造飞机地工厂、鸟瞰的故宫等。在绘画的技术上更是有些新的变化，他先前是用刷子画的潇洒有力量的笔触，在这时被油画刀所代替了，最后画面充斥着画刀堆砌的坚硬三角形和那些丝状的颜料。
几年来，他的画随着他的"偏执"在一天天增加，他的产量也在逐步提高，每次去他的工作室，都有很多惊喜，不过除了这些朋友，外界还没有多少人能看到他的作品，显然绘画的商业市场的异常活跃并没有对他造成干扰，他还是一门心思的在画室里劳作。在积累了几年以后，那些很少出现在美术馆展厅里的画构成了这次展览，它们会以怎样的姿态亮相呢？加上“空城计”这个题目传达出的诡秘气息，给我们留了一个无法预测的想象空间。
果然，整个展览呈现在我们面前依然是陌生的，哪怕是对于我们这些朝夕相处的朋友来说。进入展厅，首先面对的两件“作品”是陌生的：一面斑驳的空墙墙面，原先墙壁上的画和颜料已经被艺术家一刀刀的铲掉，地上厚厚的沾着颜料的层层墙皮成为艰辛工作后留下的唯一证据；一组大约上百张沾满指纹和颜料的照片反面组成的看似的“抽象”绘画，我知道，这些照片是他工作的参照物，在画画的时候被沾着颜料的手不经意的拿来拿去，照片背面却成了意料之外的“绘画”，这里有一个问题，照片不能同时展示正面和反面，只能取其一，罗晓冬选择了掩盖照片正面的图像而留下背面的“绘画”。接下来，他的那些大幅油画出现了，建设中的工地、造飞机地工厂、废弃的都城、空无一人的广场、死的鳄鱼、有老虎的丛林等，大幅的画面在诺大的展厅里更显的空寂，画面上远看是可辨识清晰图像，当你走进想看个究竟的时侯，发现那只是一堆画刀抹上去的三角或者方形颜料，颜料层层叠叠，似乎走进另一个没有尽头的空间，这些图像经过艺术家的画刀，都成为没有人烟、荒寂、静穆的、废墟般单色场景，似乎那里经历了一场战争，然后归于死一般的寂静，这时无尽的伤感油然而生，弥漫在心头，挥之不去。
再来留心作品标签上的题目：几个美国宇航员在月球上行走被称为“真实的谎言”；俯瞰的北京故宫是“明信片”；死的鳄鱼称为“陷阱”；一片树林被称作“有老虎的丛林”，这里，我对他的绘画有了新的理解：我们只是一个个很小的个体，生活在这样一个充斥着超出想象的荒诞和残酷所构建的环境里，我们身居斗室，唯一能做的是用画笔和颜料来咀嚼并消化这些由事件构成的时光，那些触动我们的诸多信息被隐藏在笔触和颜料之后。
展览中还有一座由颜料堆积而形成似太湖石的小山——罗晓冬在清理调色盘时无意中堆积的剩余颜料，时间长了便堆积而成了“山”。这也是一件不经意间完成的作品，可以看作是他多年勤奋工作的积累和艺术思考的凿证。
离开展厅时经过原来的那面“空”墙，再看看墙上斑驳的铲痕和地上的颜料墙灰,原来“空城”不空。
李牧2008-4-4

李牧

后天，布面油画，35×40cm，2009年
The day after tomorrow,Oil on Canvas,35×40cm,2009



长凳，布面油画，直径60cm/4，2008年
Bench ,Oil on Canvas,diameter:60cm/4,2008

[ 本帖最后由 李牧 于 2009-6-12 20:38 编辑 ]