展览名称：《阐释的需要》
策展人：江铭
主办单位：中国惠普有限公司
参展艺术家：刘丽杰、孟瑾、方二、曾翰、邱震、朱浩、阎实、黎朗、骆丹、朱岩
展览时间：2007年10月10日——10月25日
展览地点：北京雍和美术馆
地址：北京市东直门内北小街青龙胡同1号歌华大厦 13层
评论：
阐 释 的 需 要
文/江 铭
为一个已经设定了基本框架的展览撰写方案对我提出了挑战，但是面对这些参加展出的艺术家的作品，我还是很兴奋。当代艺术是一个正在发生的历史学概念。在这个历史时期，面对纷繁复杂、浩如烟海的作品，我们选择什么、保留什么、抛弃什么、阐释什么都会对未来的艺术史家、学者、社会学家提供我们难以判断的诱导，于是我们的确应该更加认真负责地面对我们今天的每一次与此有关的工作。我也妄想我的工作能够做到不带偏见、不打折扣，但是这种想法似乎离真理的距离更远。因为我们都是整体结构的一个很小的部分，我们每个人所做的工作有时候也真有点类似于盲人摸象，我们也许只能够说出其中的一部分感觉。
当代艺术作为一种文化现象，我们可能更多的想到阐释绘画，因为绘画有着作为艺术史正统脉络的演变历史，而影像只是到20世纪60、70年代之后才嫁接在观念艺术的概念之上融入当代艺术的大河中。在此之前的影像有着自然主义的，看似轻松自如的，独立的历史，但是它不属于艺术，因为它所呈现的结果宛如是用一台客观如实、不偏不倚的记录仪拍摄出来的，似乎根本不曾有过摄影家的存在。
然而影像是最需要阐释的艺术，无论是传统方式呈现的影像，还是观念方式呈现的影像，阐释之必要甚至超出了绘画。因为绘画者主观的情绪、想法能够从语言上一眼被捕获。而影像貌似纯真无邪的写实主义，其背后并不存在纯真无邪的眼睛，那么也就不存在纯真无邪的照相机。人的知识、信念、价值观和态度受到其文化背景的影响，而这些决定着每个影像艺术家作品的本质。
今日中国的当代摄影已经打破了传统与观念的限制，一切具有批判性价值的影像都成为当代艺术史资料库中的一个组成部分。这次参展的艺术家作品也是这个庞大的资料库中的一个部分，是当代艺术历史研究的一个补充。
这次展览是2006年由休斯顿摄影节（FotoFest）、《中国摄影》杂志社、北京高磊明室影像工作室（Q-Image Lab）和中国惠普有限公司联合主办的“2006北京·影像专家见面会”项目的一个延续。“2006年北京·影像专家见面会”为中国艺术家与世界交流提供了一个平等碰撞的平台，在这个平台上很多年轻的艺术家脱颖而出，逐渐走向国际舞台。这次参加展览的艺术家都来自“2006年北京·影像专家见面会”这个平台。“影像见面会”的成功搭建是中国艺术家平等走向国际艺术舞台的一种良好方式。这种方式对于我们探索中国当代艺术国际化交流与运作的模式具有重要的研究与借鉴意义。因为在当代艺术市场火暴的背后是画廊、拍卖行、收藏家等群体的共谋与合作。在这样一个严密的体系中很多年轻的艺术家，以及一些重要的艺术作品并没有一个平等参与和展示的机会。“影像见面会”的成功举办不仅为中国当代年轻的艺术家特别是摄影艺术家提供了一些重要的机会，也为中国当代艺术市场的良性发展提供了新的可能。这次的展览作为“2007北京当代艺术节”活动的一个独立项目得到了中国惠普有限公司的再一次支持，能够参与策划这次活动，我也感到很荣幸！
作品阐释
刘丽杰的作品属于叙事性的观念作品。这类作品注重作品的叙事性，以及其中被表达出来的故事性与文学性。她的作品是一种私人叙事，这种叙事为我们提供了个体经验：个人在遭遇偶然生存裂伤后如何继续生活？什么叫做一个女人孤零零的无奈？这些作品背后所阐述的其实是今日社会的伦理问题。每个人的性情都是一个在总的社会背景中随机形成的价值感觉秩序，它决定了个人的生命感觉和态度，决定了一个人只能够这样而不是那样生活。对一个人轻松自如的生活，对另外一个人可能生不如死！
孟瑾的作品是观念性的波普作品，这类作品是对于精英时代强大精神体系的消解。在一个商品化的时代，一切与商品规律相抵触的东西，无论它过去曾经是多么强大和坚不可摧，都将是这样的一个结果：要么被摧毁要么被贩卖。过去英雄主义时代的领袖形象、人民英雄、信仰偶像在一个追求商业利润最大化的时代里都无法逃脱这两种命运。它昔日所蕴涵的精神力量都被商品的日常化属性，实用性特征以及经济利润的有效性判断所取代。
方二的作品具有典型的设计性，她利用现实的图像构建出那些虚浮的空间，仿佛是儿童的游乐场。在这种现实与设计的空间中，我们作为主体的人陷入了一种不真实的境况。我们身处何处？我们的生活、我们的伦理、我们的秩序、我们的社会是如何被设计的？我们能够拥有真实的身份与真实的命运吗？我们真的不是上帝的玩偶吗？我们究竟是为谁而设计？我们又在设计谁？也许这些问题将永远困扰我们的精神与肉体。
曾翰的作品是现实的假象。那些纪实的场景被一种置换的想象所迷惑。现实变得模糊、荒诞、不祥。现实是如何被改变的？我们生活在一个复杂而艰难的时代，在中国任何事情都是一片混乱与模糊，没有人确切知道什么是对、什么是错，也没有人知道我们为什么还要继续生活下去，或许我们都在等待着一些什么。等待一些必然要发生的事情，也许那些事情能够教会我们如何生活，如何懂得最简单、最基本、最原始的生活原则。
邱震的作品无疑是观念性的行为摄影作品，行为与观念的合谋在某种意义上曾拯救了摄影。邱震的新娘是一个被贩卖的幽灵，这个幽灵被资本所选择，她一身“洁白”，没有“头脑”，它只有犹如僵尸般的本能欲望，它笑贫不笑娼的冷漠让我们浑身发抖。社会主义与资本主义的伦理意识形态的性质、功能和技术有着不同的本质，但是在一个隐瞒着的意图上却是同谋：让肉体没有差别。社会主义通过国家的意志，资本主义通过个体性漂泊的体验。两种方式都使个体偶在与灵魂的关系变得相当脆弱。这种脆弱的关系让生命丧失了时间。
朱浩的作品质疑了在一个城市化的时代，我们对未来的期待是美好的可能吗？在那些破败的图像中，我们捕捉到的不是美好的期待与慰籍，而是对于这个疯狂时代的恐惧与担忧。城市化真的是美好的吗？那些被迫搬迁的人民、那些被缩窄的街道、那些被污染的河流、那些人造的树木与草地、那些钢筋混凝土的冰冷的建筑，这些真的能够让我们感到幸福与快乐吗？我怀疑，许多的人都在怀疑，可是为什么还在继续呢？是什么力量在推动着这辆不准掉头的列车疯狂地走向深渊呢？
阎实的作品是残酷的象征主义作品。他将那些被剥皮的动物置于优美的自然环境中，人为制造了一个充满神秘的、让人触目惊心的诡异的世界。在这个世界中，人性的贪婪、伪善、残酷、嗜血的本性被揭露无遗。这些影像是关于中国社会现实图景的象征主义的隐语。在这些影像面前也许我们的良知会被瞬间触动，也许我们会被一种更强大的力量所震撼，这种力量会重新拯救我们的精神、信仰、未来。
黎朗的作品运用纪实性的自然主义的手法拍摄了人类“方便之后没有檫干净屁股的地方”，这些地方美丽的风景被人类遗留下来的“屎屁味”所破坏。在这些作品面前，我们不禁要追问：人类真的是在为这个世界造福，还是在毁灭这个世界？看来答案不会是前者。黎朗的作品通过对美丽荒原、自然生态的细致描绘，表达的却是他对于家园毁损和生存危机的忧患意识，以及对于现代生活观念的历史性反思。
骆丹的作品是完全的纪实性作品，但是影像所捕捉到的场景却有着震撼人心的效果，在中国这个动荡的时代，物质主义的魔魇正困扰这片土地上的每一个人。于是疯狂的欲望、低级的趣味、蒙昧的巫术还有怪诞的当代艺术充斥大地。我们置身其中，会感到无奈、迷惑、痛苦又荒唐。在这样一种情状下，我们的知识分子情怀、我们的人文感觉是否还有一点价值？这的确是一个问题，但是没有答案。
朱岩的作品通过拍摄798的人物场景，首次向世人揭示了发生在中国当代文化艺术历史上的重要事件：798历史的开端。这段历史是中国当代艺术由国际舞台重新回归本土的转折，从此本土发生的历史受到更加广泛而重要的关注。这些影像对于当代艺术的历史文献价值超出了作品本身的意义。对其阐释不重要，重要的是它的历史文献意义。
策展人简历：江铭，又名王宝明，中国大陆当代艺术批评家、独立策展人、艺术家，著有《中国后现代艺术》一书出版。
Exhibition: " Necessity of the Explanation——The Exhibition of ten Artists from MPFB"
Curator: Jiang Ming
Organizer: HP China
Artist：Liu Lijie, Meng Jin, Fang Er, Zeng Han, Qiu Zhen, Zhu Hao, Yan Shi, Li Lang, Luo Dan, Zhu Yan
Duration: Oct 10 — Oct 25, 2007
Place: Yonghe Museum, Beijing
ADD: 13 Floor, Gehua Tower，No.1 Qinglong Bystreet, Dongcheng District, Beijing, PRC
Comment:
Necessity of the Explanation
By Jiang Ming
It is a challenge to me to compose the plan for the exhibition which has already established the basic frame, but facing these artist's works participating this display, I am very excited. Contemporary art is a historical concept which occurs. In this historical period, facing numerous and complicated works, what we choose, what we retain, what we discard, what we elucidation will provide a inducement, which we unknow, to the future artistic, historian, the scholar and the sociologist. Thereupon we indeed should be more earnest and responsible each time when we meet work related now. I also entertain an extravagant hope that my work can be the one with no prejudice or discount, but this idea has a farther distance to the truth as if. Because we all are a little part of the whole construction, the work we each person does sometimes like taking a part for the whole as well. Perhaps we only can say part of feelings.
Contemporary art by way of one kind cultural phenomenon, we possibly think of elucidating drawing more, because the drawing has the evolution history as the lineal branch of artistic history while the image entered into the river of the contemporary art only when it grafted onto the idea art concept after 20th century 60, the 70's. Before this image had the naturalistic, ease and free looked as if, independent history, but it did not belong to art, for it presented the result just like it was shot by a recording instrument with objective truthfully and without bias or favor, which seemed there was not any photographer existent at all.
However the image is an art which needs explaination mostly, regardless of the image which presented in the traditional way or presented in the idea way. Necessity of the explanation has even surpassed the drawing. Because the subjective mood and idea of a drawer can be catched from the language easily nevertheless the image resembles the innocent realism. Since its backside does not have the innocent eye, there will be no innocent photographic camera. Human's knowledge, the faith, the values and the attitude is affected by the cultural background, which determines the essence of each image artist’s work.
China Today's contemporary photography already has broken the limit of tradition and idea, all images have the value of animadverting have become part of contemporary art history date bank. The works participated this exhibition are also part of this huge date base and a supplement to the contemporary art history research.
This display is a persistence of "Meeting place, FotoFest Beijing 2006"(MPFB2006) , which was jointly organized by FotoFest International, "China Photographs" magazine, Beijing Q-Image Lab and China Hewlett-Packard Co. limited. MPFB2006 has provided an equal collision platform for the Chinese artists to communicate with the world. In this platform many young artists were talents showing themselves, gradually moved towards the international stage. This participated display artists all come from MPFB2006. The success of "Meeting place" is a good way for the Chinese artist equality moves towards the international artistic stage. This fashion has a important significance of research and reference for us to explores the pattern about Chinese contemporary art internationalization exchanges and operates. In respect that behind the prosperous of contemporary art market is the collusion and cooperation among galleries, auction houses, collectors and so on. In this kind of strict system many young artists as well as some important artistic works certainly do not have coequally participant and revealable opportunity. The success of "Meeting place" not only provided important opportunities for the Chinese young artists especially the photographers, but also has provided the new possibility of the development of Chinese contemporary art market. This exhibition qua a independent item of " DIAF2007" received the China HP’s support once again. To participate in planning this event, I am very honored!
Work explanation
Liu Lijie’s work belongs to the narrative conceptual work. This kind of work pays attention to the work’s narrative as well as which have been expressed in the narrative and literary. Her works is a private narrative, this narrative provides us with individual experience: How individuals survive after they occasionally encountered survival laceration? What is a woman's helpless lonely? Behind these works elaborated actually is today society's ethic question. Each person's personality is a value sense of orde which stochastically forms in the whole social background, it decides the personal life feeling and attitude to life, it also decides a person only can have a life like this but not like that. A life is relaxed and free to a person, may possibly made the other want to die!
Meng Jin’s work is the conceptual pop work. Such work dispel the strong spirit system of the elite times. In a commercialized time, all the thing which conflict with the commodity rule, regardless of it once were very formidable and indestructible, all will be a such result: Being destroyed or traded. In the time that pursues commercial profit maximization, they are all inescapable from the fate of these two, the leaders image, the people's hero or beliefs idols in the past heroism era. Its spiritual strength it contained in former days are all substituted for the the daily attributes and usable characteristic of the commodity, as well as the effective judgement of economical profit.
Fang Er’s work has the typical character of design, she constructs these impractical spaces by using real pictures, which seem to be the children’s carnie. In this kind of space mixed with reality and design, we mankind as the main part fell into a condition of unreal. Where are we? How are our lives, our ethics, our orders, our society designed? Can we have the real status and real destiny? Are we really not the spuppet of God? Actually are we designed for who? Who are we designing? Perhaps these questions will puzzle us both spirit and soma forever.
Zeng Han’s work is the gloss of reality. Those scenes of on-the-spot record are confused by one kind of replacement imagination. The reality turns to be fuzzy, absurd and unlucky. How is the reality changed? We live in a complex and difficult time. Everything in China is disordered and fuzzy. Nobody know what is right , what is wrong exactly. Nobody know why should we continue to live as well. Perhaps we are all waiting for something which destined to happen. Perhaps those things can teach us how to live, how to understand the simplest, the most basic, the most primitive principles of life.
Qiu Zhen’s work is the conceptual behavior photography work without doubt, the cooperation of behavior and idea has once saved the photography in a manner. Qiu Zhen’s bride is a tradeed spirit, which is chosen by the capital. It is a body of "pure white" whiout "brain". It only has the corpse-like instinct desire. Its apartness which laughes at the poor in stead of the prostitute makes us tremble. The socialism and the capitalism are constitutionally different in nature, functionand and technology of ethics ideology. But they are accessaries to the concealed intention: Let the human body have no difference. The socialism made it through the national will while the capitalism through the experience which individual drifts. Both ways make the relation between physics and soul frailt. This frail relation lets life lose the time.
Zhu Hao’s work questiones that is it possible that we have a nice anticipation to the future in an urbanized time? In those ruined pictures, we catch not the happy anticipation with console, but the worry and fear about this crazy time. Is the urbanization really nice? Can they really let us feel happy and is joyful, those people compelled to move, narrowed streets, polluted rivers, artifical trees and lawn, ice-cold construction built by reinforced concrete? I suspecte that, many people are suspecting. But why does it continue? What strength is impelling the train which does not permit to turn around crazily to move towards abyss?
Yan Shi’s work belongs to brutal symbolism. He put the animals without skins on the beautiful natural environment so as to artificially make a world full of mystery and frightening people tricky. In this world, human nature of greedy, hypocritical, brutal and bloodthirsty is exposed with nothing left. These images are symbolistic argots about realistic prospect of Chinese society. In front of these images, perhaps our conscience is touched instantaneously or we may be shocked by a strength with more formidable, which will be able to save our spirit, belief, and future.
Li Lang’s work has photographed "the places like ass didn’t wipe cleanly after stool" in a naturalistic way. The beautiful sceneries of these places are destroyed by "the smell of excrement and fart" human left behind. In front of these works, we can not help to question closely: Dose human really benefit this world or ruin it? Former seems can not be the answer. Li Lang’s work expresses his sense of urgency about homestead damagea and survival crisis, as well as historic reconsideration about modern life idea, through exquisite description to the beautiful wilderness and natural ecology.
Luo Dan's work is on-the-spot record work completely. But the scene the images catched has a effect of heartquake. In this turbulent time of China, the nightmare of materialism is feazing each person on this land. Thereupon the earth is flooded with crazy desire, preliminary interest, ignorant witchcraft and weird contemporary art. We will feel helpless, confused, painful and absurd when we place ourselves in it. Under this situation, dose our intellectual feeloings, our humanistic sense have any value? This is a question indeed, but does not have answer.
Zhu Yan’s work through photographing characters scenes in 798 Art District, promulgates the important event has occurred in Chinese present age culture art history to the common people for the first time: the beginning of 798 Art District. This phase of history is the transition of Chinese present age art rereturns native place from international stage. From that time on, the history occurs in the native place receives more widespread and important attention. These images’ significance to the contemporary art historical literature value have surpassed work itself. The importantce is not in its explanation but in its historical literature significance.
The resume of the designer: Jiang Ming , also names Wang Baoming, who is a contemporary art critic of China mainland, independent designer and artist. He is having a book , Chinese Postmodern Art , published.
