Paper Boundaries
July 27, 2024 - Sep 15, 2024
Artists: 大卫·歌诗坦 David Gerstein、莉娜·雷文科 Lena Revenko、伊兰·盖利比 Ilan Garibi、阿泰·翰 Attai Chen、克劳迪娅·比恩 Claudia Biehne、诺曼· 穆尼 Norman Mooney
None of the art forms in this exhibition are avant - garde when it comes to genre. Pop art (by David Gerstein), collage (by Lena Revenko), Origami (by Ilan Garibi), mixed media and three dimensional mural sculptures (by Attai Chen), porcelain sculptures (by Claudia Biehne), drawing with unconventional material, such as smoke (by Norman Mooney) ... all of these have been invented and explored since the beginning of the 20th century. But there are many exciting distinctions between these works and their precedents, bringing paper art to a new stage.
The Qing Dynasty painter Shitao said art should follow the changing times, just like literature changes across ages( “笔墨当随时代,犹诗文风气所转” - 清 石涛 ). Art could not be expected to go untouched by social events. So what differentiates paper in our era from earlier times? From the beginning of the 20th century, artists have been experimenting constantly with new techniques and materials, stretching the boundaries of medium as we know it. Paper is no longer as dominant a medium as before, but one among artists’ many available choices. It seems at first glance that paper has lost its significance. But in fact, once paper is no longer a carrier that art must rely on, it becomes free, just like any other medium in contemporary art: metal, glass, plastic, et cetera... These have no fixed functionality – the artist can use them however they like.
However, paper is different from these materials in many ways, an important one being its origin. Paper was invented for documenting and spreading laws, knowledge, history, and ideas; for calculating, for communicating. All of these familiar functions create a strong emotional connection with paper, and a sense of nostalgia.
Paper had served human civilizations for two thousand years. Nowadays, paper is rapidly disappearing from our lives: books, documents, letters... who uses paper anymore? Human society is shifting to the digital stage.
The status of paper in art and society has changed tremendously. Each artist in this exhibition has made their unique and fascinating response to these changes, based on their individual lived experience, artistic pursuits, and personal connection to paper.
从流派角度来看,本次展览所展示的任何艺术形式皆非新创。大卫 · 歌诗坦的波普剪切作品、莲娜 · 雷文科的拼贴绘画、伊兰 · 盖利比的折纸装置、阿泰 · 翰的混合媒介与三维墙面雕塑、克罗地亚 · 比恩的瓷与多媒介混合雕塑、诺曼 · 穆尼的烟雾素描所有这些,自 20 世纪初就被全球艺术家们接连发明,并进行了持续探索。但此次展览的作品仍然与前辈作品存在很多令人兴奋的区别,它们为观者构建出纸艺术的一个新境界。
清代画家石涛称“笔墨当随时代,犹诗文风气所转”。艺术不可能指望不受社会事件的影响而发展。那么我们这个时代的纸与以前产生了什么不同呢? 在上世纪,新的艺术材料和技法不断涌现而演化成为一个无穷概念。纸不再是一种占主导地位的媒介,而是成为了艺术家无尽的选择之一。乍一看,纸似乎失去了战场。但换个角度,纸卸任了艺术绝对依赖的载体工作,于是便可自由地跨越边界,就像当代艺术中任何其他媒介一样自由:金属、玻璃、塑料……没有限定功能,艺术家可随心所欲运用它们。
但是,纸在很多方面又都与其他材料不同。例如,它是一种为了记录和传播法律、知识、历史、思想……为了计算、为了交流而发明的技术。因此,人们与纸的联系比任何其他材料都要多。
两千年来,纸一直是文明发展的重要支持。但到了我们这个时代,文字书写或印刷的纸:书籍、文件、信件……正在迅速从我们的生活中消失;谁还用纸?!人类社会正从纸转向另一种技术:数据科技。
纸在艺术和社会的变化,无疑对参展作品的创作产生了重要影响。每一个艺术家做出的反应是各辟蹊径,基于他们每个人的个人生活和经验、艺术追求,以及他们与纸的独特联系。
“新”不单单是区别于“旧”。当我们用“新”这个词时,必须考虑过去的“传统”,现在的“变化”,以及未来的“更好”。本展中所有艺术家无一例外地都在作品中对这三个问题进行了深刻地探讨。