未知的國度 文｜蕭佳佳
每一個人的記憶，因應著經驗與環境，組合出不同的樣貌，牢牢地影響人格發展，隱身成為潛意識，躲在我們的身體裡面，遙控每個人的外在行為。我十分好奇，全人類的天真無邪，究竟是如何在長大成人的過程中，一點一滴地消逝成麻木與仇恨，或是幸運地在漫漫時光中，保留住這股難能可貴的赤子之心，有機會帶給世界一份屬於純真的美好。
一九六〇年代之後出生的當代藝術家，不約而同地在作品中，描述各式各樣的孩子，為世界獻上他們的的藝術，作為彌補全人類提早逝去童年的補夢網。東方中國的張曉剛，以家庭肖像畫，捕捉文革時代中國的創傷。唐志岡繪出公會堂上身穿黨服的胖小孩正襟危坐在會議桌上，腳邊散亂的玩具汽車，直擊政治的幼稚。嚴培明藉由飄旗上的孤兒，希冀讓觀者正視孩子們應有的權力。日本的奈良美智以三歲小女孩的形象，表達孤寂與發自內在的生存力量。川島小鳥花費一年的時間，記錄四歲女孩未來在北海道的生活日常，鄉間大自然與家庭生活傳達出來的天真與活力，幾乎就是觀者內心所嚮往的童年。西方澳洲藝術家Ron Mueck的寫實雕塑，被等比例放大的嬰孩，確立了孩童內在力量理應如此龐大。義大利藝術家Gehard Demetz以受暴力傷害孩子的形象，逼視當代兒童所受的苦難。
孩子，是每個成人成長的初始，這些藝術家為何回歸童年，以孩子的形象，作為探討當代世界屬於全人類的疑問。一個能夠正視兒童基本人權的社會，才是一個真正步入文明的社會。女性藝術家如何為世界提供另一個視野？來自義大利翡冷翠的Sabina Feroci，以她細膩的作品，為這個世代提供另一個答案與方向，身為母親的女性藝術家在長時間與孩子相處之後所創作出來的作品，提醒著我們，是不是應該重新思考，練習以孩子長大的方式，向人類的最初與原始學習，不帶有偏見與恐懼的方式去認識世界，看清楚世界真正的模樣。在身邊日常的人們，是藝術家們最關懷的對象。這些創作出以孩子作為形象的藝術家們，彷彿在驗證，童年的力量，究竟能有多大。
Sabina Feroci的作品以溫暖和徐的溫度，吸引著人們目光，讓我們通過時光的任意門，進入那稍縱即逝的童年，回顧屬於每個人最珍貴的童年回憶與最純粹的人格特質。接觸過Sabina Feroci雕塑的人們，安心地回到自己的童年，述說著只有自己才懂得的童稚兒語。Sabina Feroci的作品如同星宿般，照映著世界，撫慰每一個不安的魂魄。幽默感在這位女性藝術家的作品中，能夠顯而易見，人體下意識中的摸屁股與挖鼻孔的作品，讓觀者會心一笑地體會到她細膩觀察日常生活中的肢體語言，Sabina Feroci不介意在藝術的殿堂中，讓人們最不經意的動作，成為她作品的一部份，因為她深諳，在周圍靜靜生活的尋常人們，才是建構這個世界重要的基礎，那才是她所關注的對象。
西蒙波娃在十九四九年寫出為女性重新確立地位的經典哲學著作『第二性』向世人宣告『女人不是天生命定的，而是後天塑造出來的。』如今，第二性再也不是女人的表徵，而是代表世界另一種獨特且值得探究的觀點。Sabina Feroci走出愛莉絲的夢遊仙境，以她作品的感染力，帶領著我們重新認清這個世界。作品中的幽默感回應世界一種每個人出生時，都帶有的純真，那樣的純粹，在現代卻越來越少見。當代藝術家，給予我們一個他們深深思考之後的答案。那份當代世界共通答案，永遠不是彼岸，而是一個通向未來的方向。
東漢的蔡倫於約莫西元一世紀間，在一場不斷地遭受失敗的科學實驗裡，或偶然或巧合地發明紙之後，人類的文明，開始有了著落，知識的傳播，因此得到最佳的媒介。人的一顆腦袋裝不下的事兒，極想記住的、或是很不想記得的、想寄予不知名的遠方的、想告訴他人卻說不出口的，都給謄在紙頭上。紙張們疊在一起，成為本，人們稱叫『書』。紙是文明知識最完美的載體，想像力和記憶力乘著紙而翱翔。在魯卡紙類藝術雙年展的行家們，發揮他們極致的想像力，無以倫比的耐心，和化無機的紙為神奇的雙手，將紙過渡成他們獨立於世的專屬語言，賦予人們從大自然的植物所萃取的材料，一種無以名狀的立體物，帶有溫度，具有反省心智的鏡面效果，看了之後甚至能夠會心一笑。由紙推出無法一頁頁翻閱的體，人們名為『雕塑』。
工藝超越表象後，將成為藝術，不過，再成為藝術的前提之下，得是卓越高超的工藝技巧。以紙為名，『紙』以和煦的溫度與溫潤的觸感，照亮了一代又一代的人心。正如義大利托斯卡尼地區的Chianti熟稔蒸餾葡萄成為讓人體飲用後放鬆的紅酒，蔡倫從植物提鍊出人類文明最不可或缺的知識載體。當代藝術家Sabina Feroci，以純熟的紙漿操作技巧，探討人體姿態的各種可能性，她展示作品的最新的演化過程，作品似乎可以串聯成一個故事，人生有如走鋼索的日常，在生活掉落下來的一剎那，這位以人體作為主題的當代藝術家，將失敗視為經常，正視失敗帶來的瞬間震撼。
回溯童年記憶的路徑，像是一場宮部美幸小說裡的奇案。Sabina Feroci為世界帶來的作品，顯現出一種每個人都曾經擁有的純真本性，提醒著世人，每個孩子都是一件由母親身體所孕育出來的珍貴藝術品，每個人，都曾經是那個孩子。孩子的成長給予我們一個重返天真的機會，拉扯著身為成人的我們，在內心與記憶中，還是被過去的黑暗所綑綁，或是有所選擇，和他們一同步向光明的未來。孩子，是通往未來的窗口。請試著追隨著孩子所帶來的靈光，將讓我們明瞭，如何去愛，是需要學習的。
孩子的定位與新生命真正價值的所在，一份我們在童年其間，都曾經擁有的新鮮。我們在這些帶著趣味，背後依然隱藏著對世界嚴肅思考的作品前面，反覆的向自己提問，究竟是什麼引起了我們的好奇，有什麼特質吸引著我們，一直往前讀下去。
我仍在追尋那份曾經在我身上的答案。
-2015未知的國度 蕭佳佳
Unknown Boundary Hsiao Chia-Chia
Every one of us, with our various experiences and surroundings, pieces up our memories in a different way. They become our subconsciousness hidden within our bodies, determining who we are and what we do. I have always been fascinated by how the natural innocence of humankind is dispersed and corrupted into apathy and hatred, or, if we are lucky, kept alive in our hearts to enlighten the world with its beauty.
Many of the contemporary artists born after the 1960s coincidently make “children” the subject of their works. Through the art they offer to the world, these various depictions of children become the dream catchers to seize the long-gone childhood for all of us. Zhang Xiaogang from China visualizes the wound of the country punctured by the Chinese Cultural Revolution in his family portraits series. The chubby kid dressed in Communist Uniform in Tang Zhigang’s painting sits at the conference table with toy cars scattered around his feet, symbolizing how childish politics can be. Yan Peiming highlights the flying flag with an image of an orphan, encouraging viewers to acknowledge children’s rights. Through the portraits of the three-year girl, the Japanese artist Nara Yoshitomo expresses one’s loneliness and the inner struggle to survive. Kotori Kawashima has spent one year to document the daily life of the four-year girl Mirai-chan living in Hokkaido, evoking the ideal childhood in viewers’ heart with the innocence of Nature and the energy of family life. The Australian artist Ron Mueck’s hyperrealist sculpture of a giant baby reassures that the inner power of a child should be as tremendous. The Italian artist Gehard Demetz portrays the kids victimized by violence to unveil the suffering of some contemporary kids.
Every adult used to be a child. These artists thus return to the childhood, adopting image of children to touch upon the question about all humankind in the contemporary world. Only when a society takes children’s right seriously can it be regarded as a fully civilized society. Meanwhile, how do female artists provide another perspective to the world? Sabina Feroci from Florence, Italy points out another direction to the present generation in her exquisite artistic practice. These female artists, who have spent a lot of time with their own children, remind us to reexamine the childhood experiences, to learn from kids – the purest origin where we all come from –, and to approach the world without bias and fear so that we can finally see the true face of the world. The people surrounding the artists become their artistic concern. They create images of children as if they were proving how powerful one’s childhood can be.
Sabina Feroci’s artworks lure our gaze with its nourishing warmth, leading us to pass through the magical gate of time and to walk into the ephemeral childhood, where we are welcomed to embrace the most invaluable memories and the purest essence hidden within us. People in front of Sabina Feroci’s sculptures enjoy an assuring journey return to the childhood. They murmur like a baby and the whisper can only be deciphered by themselves. The artworks are also like stars lighting up the world and pacifying the restless souls. A sense of humor can be easily noticed in Feroci’s works, such as the unintentional butt-touching or nose-picking, as viewers are intrigued by the artist’s detailed observation on the daily-life physical gestures. Sabina Feroci allows the most unintentional gestures to be parts of her art because she is well aware of the fact that the ordinary people around us, no matter how quite they are, are the cornerstone of the world – they are what she really cares about.
Simone de Beauvoir has made her famous declaration to the world that is not born, but rather becomes, a woman” in her The Second Sex(1949), the philosophical classic which helps establish the modern role of women. Nowadays, women are no longer the “second sex.” Instead, women offer a unique perspective to the world which deserves our attention. Stepping out of Alice’s wonderland, Sabina Feroci lets us to take a new look at the world through her mesmerizing works. The humor in her art is her response to the world: the innocence and the absolute purity we are born with are disappearing nowadays. After the continuous speculation, the contemporary artist gives us an answer to be shared around the world. It is not a destination but the direction toward the future.
Cai Lun in Eastern Han dynasty (around the First Century AD) accidently, perhaps coincidently, invented “paper” after a serious of failed experiments. Since then, the human civilization has thus got its strongest and the spreading of knowledge has been made possible with this most appropriate medium. Those we want to remember, we want to forget, we want to deliver to someone faraway, we cannot stuff into our brains, or we want to tell someone but we do not know how are all written on paper. A pile of paper put together is called a “book.” Paper is the most perfect medium for knowledge and civilization, allowing imagination and memory to take off from it. The craft masters at LUCA, with the imagination released, incomparable patience, and the magic hands bringing life to the once lifeless paper, transform paper into their unique artistic expression. The materials extracted from plants in Nature are brought back to life to the three-dimensional world. It is warm, humorous, and has certain mirror effect to reflect our minds. The pile of paper, without a page to be turned over, now becomes a “sculpture.”
Sometimes, “craft” means more than appearance, and it becomes art. However, before it is recognized as art, a craftsman’s skill par excellence is necessary. The artwork Paper, as its title suggests, lights up the hearts of generation after generation with its warm soft touch. Like how the Chianti wine in Tuscany, Italy turns grapes into the relaxing beverage and Cai Lun transforms plant extracts into the most important medium in the history of human civilization , Sabina Feroci explores the various possibilities of human’s physical postures through her skillful practice of pulp. In the demonstration of the latest development of her works, it seems that the artworks can be pieced together into a story about our daily life and the risk of collapse like the sudden fall of the tightrope walker. With human bodies as her main artistic concern, the contemporary artist takes failure as routine and confronts the flashing shock caused by it.
The path return to the childhood is as intriguing as the detective novels by Miyuki Miyabe. The world of Sabina Feroci’s artworks reveals the innocence we are all born with, reminding us that every kid is the priceless work of art produced by the body of the mother. And, every one of us used to be that kid. Witnessing the growing of a child grants us a chance to return to our innocent nature as we adults, in our hearts and memories, are still struggling between the cage of darkness and the future of brightness, to make our own choice. Children are the window to the future. Let us follow the aura around the children, which will teach us that “love” is something to be learned.
Children bring us the real significance of new lives. It is the freshness we have all savored when we were children. Now, in front of the artworks with its profound speculation on the world in a humorous way, we keep asking ourselves – what is that evoking our curiosity and attracting our attention to read on?
I am still looking for the answer which I used to carry with me.
2015 Unknown Boundary – Hsiao Chia-Chia
Many of the contemporary artists born after the 1960s coincidently make “children” the subject of their works. Through the art they offer to the world, these various depictions of children become the dream catchers to seize the long-gone childhood for all of us. Zhang Xiaogang from China visualizes the wound of the country punctured by the Chinese Cultural Revolution in his family portraits series. The chubby kid dressed in Communist Uniform in Tang Zhigang’s painting sits at the conference table with toy cars scattered around his feet, symbolizing how childish politics can be. Yan Peiming highlights the flying flag with an image of an orphan, encouraging viewers to acknowledge children’s rights. Through the portraits of the three-year girl, the Japanese artist Nara Yoshitomo expresses one’s loneliness and the inner struggle to survive. Kotori Kawashima has spent one year to document the daily life of the four-year girl Mirai-chan living in Hokkaido, evoking the ideal childhood in viewers’ heart with the innocence of Nature and the energy of family life. The Australian artist Ron Mueck’s hyperrealist sculpture of a giant baby reassures that the inner power of a child should be as tremendous. The Italian artist Gehard Demetz portrays the kids victimized by violence to unveil the suffering of some contemporary kids.
Every adult used to be a child. These artists thus return to the childhood, adopting image of children to touch upon the question about all humankind in the contemporary world. Only when a society takes children’s right seriously can it be regarded as a fully civilized society. Meanwhile, how do female artists provide another perspective to the world? Sabina Feroci from Florence, Italy points out another direction to the present generation in her exquisite artistic practice. These female artists, who have spent a lot of time with their own children, remind us to reexamine the childhood experiences, to learn from kids – the purest origin where we all come from –, and to approach the world without bias and fear so that we can finally see the true face of the world. The people surrounding the artists become their artistic concern. They create images of children as if they were proving how powerful one’s childhood can be.
Sabina Feroci’s artworks lure our gaze with its nourishing warmth, leading us to pass through the magical gate of time and to walk into the ephemeral childhood, where we are welcomed to embrace the most invaluable memories and the purest essence hidden within us. People in front of Sabina Feroci’s sculptures enjoy an assuring journey return to the childhood. They murmur like a baby and the whisper can only be deciphered by themselves. The artworks are also like stars lighting up the world and pacifying the restless souls. A sense of humor can be easily noticed in Feroci’s works, such as the unintentional butt-touching or nose-picking, as viewers are intrigued by the artist’s detailed observation on the daily-life physical gestures. Sabina Feroci allows the most unintentional gestures to be parts of her art because she is well aware of the fact that the ordinary people around us, no matter how quite they are, are the cornerstone of the world – they are what she really cares about.
Simone de Beauvoir has made her famous declaration to the world that is not born, but rather becomes, a woman” in her The Second Sex(1949), the philosophical classic which helps establish the modern role of women. Nowadays, women are no longer the “second sex.” Instead, women offer a unique perspective to the world which deserves our attention. Stepping out of Alice’s wonderland, Sabina Feroci lets us to take a new look at the world through her mesmerizing works. The humor in her art is her response to the world: the innocence and the absolute purity we are born with are disappearing nowadays. After the continuous speculation, the contemporary artist gives us an answer to be shared around the world. It is not a destination but the direction toward the future.
Cai Lun in Eastern Han dynasty (around the First Century AD) accidently, perhaps coincidently, invented “paper” after a serious of failed experiments. Since then, the human civilization has thus got its strongest and the spreading of knowledge has been made possible with this most appropriate medium. Those we want to remember, we want to forget, we want to deliver to someone faraway, we cannot stuff into our brains, or we want to tell someone but we do not know how are all written on paper. A pile of paper put together is called a “book.” Paper is the most perfect medium for knowledge and civilization, allowing imagination and memory to take off from it. The craft masters at LUCA, with the imagination released, incomparable patience, and the magic hands bringing life to the once lifeless paper, transform paper into their unique artistic expression. The materials extracted from plants in Nature are brought back to life to the three-dimensional world. It is warm, humorous, and has certain mirror effect to reflect our minds. The pile of paper, without a page to be turned over, now becomes a “sculpture.”
Sometimes, “craft” means more than appearance, and it becomes art. However, before it is recognized as art, a craftsman’s skill par excellence is necessary. The artwork Paper, as its title suggests, lights up the hearts of generation after generation with its warm soft touch. Like how the Chianti wine in Tuscany, Italy turns grapes into the relaxing beverage and Cai Lun transforms plant extracts into the most important medium in the history of human civilization , Sabina Feroci explores the various possibilities of human’s physical postures through her skillful practice of pulp. In the demonstration of the latest development of her works, it seems that the artworks can be pieced together into a story about our daily life and the risk of collapse like the sudden fall of the tightrope walker. With human bodies as her main artistic concern, the contemporary artist takes failure as routine and confronts the flashing shock caused by it.
The path return to the childhood is as intriguing as the detective novels by Miyuki Miyabe. The world of Sabina Feroci’s artworks reveals the innocence we are all born with, reminding us that every kid is the priceless work of art produced by the body of the mother. And, every one of us used to be that kid. Witnessing the growing of a child grants us a chance to return to our innocent nature as we adults, in our hearts and memories, are still struggling between the cage of darkness and the future of brightness, to make our own choice. Children are the window to the future. Let us follow the aura around the children, which will teach us that “love” is something to be learned.
Children bring us the real significance of new lives. It is the freshness we have all savored when we were children. Now, in front of the artworks with its profound speculation on the world in a humorous way, we keep asking ourselves – what is that evoking our curiosity and attracting our attention to read on?
I am still looking for the answer which I used to carry with me.
2015 Unknown Boundary – Hsiao Chia-Chia