Friday, January 24, 2020

水墨交游2020:林国忠与陈振文双人展(策展手記)


蔣才雄、蔡長璜



水墨交游2020:林国忠与陈振文双人展撮合了分别来自马来西亚和新加坡的一名水墨画家同场展出,也为本地观众提供了一个面对两位画家以及他们的创意想象的大好机会。在我们这里,本次策展的动机就是如此直截了当。除了观赏两名画家别具一格的创作成果之外,在一场专为展览而举行的公共推广项目中,出席者还可以从视觉图像和文本语言等面向一齐来追问现、当代艺术生产与消费等更加具体的议题。我们所期望的是,这项展出和讲座活动都会诱使跨世代、跨语际及不同教育背景的社会大众前来参与:大家或可一边品评画作,一边自我联想,间中或与他人交换意见。

身为策展人同时又集艺术家及艺评人身份于一身的我们,最想知道乃至深入探讨的一件事,无疑是这两名同侪会不会基于各自的养成条件不同,比方说,年代、地方、艺专、师从,等等,以致他们在艺术造诣上有了明显的区分。陈振文在新加坡南洋美术专科学校(现称“南洋艺术学院”)修习西洋绘画,1972年学成毕业;而1972年于槟城出生的林国忠,则就读吉隆坡马来西亚艺术学院纯美术系,并于1994年完成三年学程。虽说陈振文的金石篆刻和水墨作品近年来频频在新加坡画坛曝光亮相(并荣夺2018年度“陈之初博士美术奖”彩墨画组金奖),惟其创作实践,似乎还未曾置于一个相对严正的展示框架内赏鉴一番。相应来说,新加坡艺术界,对于在马来西亚乔治市工作和生活的林国忠其人认知相当有限,所以者番公开展示其画,可以权充水墨表现在当代语境下某个参考对象来看待。


 中国艺术史是一部大书。稍微对水墨绘画的演进与发展有所涉猎者,自然很清楚当中的奥理。这不单单是因时代嬗变使然,而导致其时间跨度非常大。就知识生产的意义来讲,譬如理论建构、形式创造和技法革新等经过标准化、建制化及经典化所形成的笔墨传统,既是十分丰富、庞杂,流派繁多,规矩又异常地严明,彷佛山一般很难逾越。循着历代名家的实践轨道回溯,纯粹讲绘画技法的关键字,例如,书画同源、文人意趣、悬笔中锋、如锥画沙、如屋漏痕、丹青设色、泼墨淋漓、白描人物、浅绛山水、写意花鸟,等等,其中玄妙之处,只要琢磨一下,便有文章可作。凡擅水墨者,至少要在笔法、墨法、章法上都能够融会贯通,并且据为己有,再由此自我探索出路。如果有人认为,既然前人留下的历史遗产那么多,随手一抓便有“返璞归真”、“澄怀观道”乃至“得意忘象”等概念充作凭借,何必耗费心思创新呢?在我们看来当然并不意味着我们本身没有盲点像这样不加批判的“依样葫芦”之举,莫不是拿石头砸自己的脚!

综观新马两地,水墨艺术“在地化”的路线图,看起来状似支离破碎的,社会大众对“中国画”、“山水画”或“彩墨画”等词义的把握,往往更甚于“水墨画”一词本身。由于环境因素之故,在视觉研究方法缺乏讲究和突破的窘境下,水墨画通常也被诠释为实现文人笔墨传统规范下意象造型和书法用笔一体化的常规套路,从吴道子、李思训、王维、倪瓒、董其昌、徐渭、朱耷、石涛、赵之谦、吴昌硕到黄宾虹等人,呈直线般承载着诗书画印完美结合的样式。林风眠、潘天寿、李可染、石鲁、吴冠中、陈庭诗、刘国松、庄喆等人均成功地创造出能够体现自我认同、文化表征与时代特色的水墨图式和语言,今天当人们都生活在一个信息快速流动的时代,本地画坛菁英对以上所述理应不会感到陌生的。然而我们却为此扪心自问:在诸如水墨性的视觉方式能否持续回应当代存在处境的问题上,如果把非艺文圈内人士的观点、需求和尺度等都排除在外,会不会因而错失了某些客观基础呢?


 与其把水墨当做一种表现媒介或艺术门类看待,我们姑且勉为其难地做一个假设,即是,将之视为画家个人观照和思考其周遭环境(或曰世界)的取径之一。延用这种视觉手段的创作者,能够自觉到笔墨范式的局限性固然重要,而发掘同样由之延展开来的诸多可行性却也极其必要;一方面笔墨本身可以讲技巧,二方面还可以讲画人的修养、情性及行为表现。不可否认的是,艺术工作者经常都会受邀针对“何谓水墨”提出定义或阐发论点;这中间或也攸关书法、篆刻和诗词文学等其他元素能否在水墨画的当代转化中一再扮演激化及重要的角色。在一场配合画展专设的分享会中,我们会以策展人身份兼任主持人及与谈人;对话内容将紧扣着另外两名皆以水墨为经纬创作之同道的实践成果,并顺着前述脉络循序渐进地进行交流,众人的参与程度对深化讨论起着决定性因素,这是毫无疑问的。

 新加坡的艺术社群一般而言都是按照年龄、语言与创作取态等划清界限。黑土地乃是位于如切路和加东毗邻地区一个十分罕有的艺文空间。此次我们之所以看中黑土地、并将之定为展览场地的原因,无非是黑土地创立至今已逾10年,一整栋建筑由内至外显得格外的醒目;尽管如此,在这里举行的展演活动,一般上都会引来以讲华语为主的文艺爱好者,这中间包括了本地第二代画家、书法家及收藏家等。在我们的设想中,这一展览事件莫不是适逢其时的显示出从当代视角译介水墨语言的可能性,甚至还有意无意地突出了上述那种差异关系,以便在普罗大众及当地社群中召唤更多爱好艺术的新的观众。


同样是源自不同世代、身处不同环境的策展人,我们分别在各自的写作和创作实践中都非常看重、且不错过任何“学习的机会”(古人云学无止境也)。藉由这项策展计划,但愿我们能够逮到机会与新加坡艺术社群及同道们分享自我学习的经历。我们更希望可以打破自身对水墨绘画的桎梏或既有的认知,遂能转向议题本位的艺术生产、诠释及消费循环链中寻求开解,并充实一番。在当下目前像浑水般的世界里,有待正本清源的东西实在太多太多,我们一如既往地埋头涉入其中。而有一个问题是我们一直在思索的,即是,座落在如切路的黑土地这个艺文空间,说到底她应该建基于何种特殊构想和经营模式,始能既可贡献给当地社区民众,同时又能对一般艺术社群尽一份力?

我们谨此感谢二位参展画家,以及展览场地赞助者黄银田夫妇;尤其是后者,如果没有他们夫妇俩热心地全力支持,这项水墨画双人展恐怕也就无法顺利举行。从两个差异视角互补而成的双策展人眼中,所看见的水墨世界会不会令看官如堕五里雾中呢?谨此敬请有识之士不吝批评与赐教。


 后记:去年6月中旬,蒋才雄发给我一则手机短信,信中说他想凑合林国忠与陈振文在20201月份配合“新加坡艺术周”在黑土地举行一场联展;黑土地作为主办及赞助单位,而由我们俩联手充当策展人。这种机会当然是可遇不可求的!对我来讲,策划类似打擂台般“一对一”(one plus one)的展览, 其难就难在如何揭示出“呈现+对话”的深层意涵。蒋才雄从来没有见过国忠的原作。他之所以萌生邀请国忠到新加坡展出的想法,莫不是对我与国忠一直保持频繁的互动的合作关系感到好奇。刚好我也打算把国忠引介到马国之外(包括新加坡,台湾或香港等地)展出,遂二话没说一拍即合。 8月下旬,趁着独立日连假之际,我和国忠南下新加坡走一趟。除了视察场地之外,此行目的不外乎拜会黄先生;他毫不吝啬地分享其创建黑土地之宗旨,乃至营运模式及未来计划,使我们对这个艺文空间有了第一个印象。我们也约了陈振文在小坡大马路百胜楼食阁茶聚。虽然这是第一次见面,大家却畅所欲言,话题始终离不开水墨实践的得与失等等;早年振文兄在美专期间师从已故施香沱老师,按“辈份”来讲他应该是国忠和我二人的“师叔”吧。话说回来,这篇东西的主要内容,大体上由蒋才雄用英文拟就(下文)。就论述而言,有关水墨在新马两地演进情况的铺陈乃由我添上数笔充数,中间若有讹误之处,责任全部由我承担。至于两位画家的创作构思及实践成果,我们则打算利用各别的展览图录具体地予以呈现,让作品自己发声。希望我们为这项展览所预设的门槛不是太高:两位参展画家分别展出20件作品,以艺术方式为2020年揭开新的一幕!——长璜2019-11-28




CURATORS' NOTE

Shiu Mo Jiaoyou 2020: Lim Kok Teong and Tan Chin Boon, an exhibition of Chinese ink paintings by two artists who work mainly in Chinese ink painting, aims to create opportunities for public engagement with the work of these two artists, and also with the two curators who have collaborated on the conceptualisation and realisation of this project.
The two co-curators, Chai Chang Hwang and Cheo Chai-Hiang, set out to engage audiences with the work of these two Chinese ink painters who attended two different art colleges, at different times and in different places. Tan Chin Boon studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Art, Singapore, graduating in 1972. Guest artist Lim Kok Teong who was born in 1972, attended the Malaysian Institute of Art, Kuala Lumpur, graduating in 1994. The exhibition, artists’ talk and curators’ talk aim to attract audiences from both younger and older generations and from both English and Chinese language backgrounds.


Although Tan Chin Boon has exhibited his seal carving and Chinese ink painting (水墨) in numerous exhibitions in Singapore, his work has not previously been framed within a critical and speculative curatorial framework. The work of guest artist from Penang, Malaysia Lim Kok Teong has not been previously exhibited in Singapore. Their paintings will present an opportunity to discuss whether their works can be considered examples of ‘contemporary ink painting’.
The co-curators aim to engage the audience in the discussion on the subject of the visual and textual language employed in traditional, modern and contemporary art practices. They propose to look at Chinese ink painting (水墨) not merely as a medium or genre, but as a way of looking at, and thinking about the world. They suggest that artists should deal with the limitations and possibilities of the medium as part and parcel of Chinese ink painting (水墨). They also wish to encourage art practitioners to make an effort to define and redefine what is Chinese ink painting, to assess and reassess the role of calligraphy, seal carving and the literary aspects at play in contemporary ink painting. The two curators, who are themselves contemporary artists and art writers will discuss the art practice of these two artists, and also speculate how Chinese ink painting artists in these two neighbouring countries will develop in the future.


The BlackEarth at Joo Chiat is one of the few exhibition venues within the Joo Chiat and Katong areas. This venue has been selected because over the preceding 10 years this beautifully designed, well situated exhibition space has attracted a mainly Chinese speaking viewing public comprised mainly of local ‘second generation’ painters, calligraphers and collectors. The art community in Singapore tends to divided along trajectories of age, language and types of practice. This exhibition aims to address these divides and will attempt to offer a contemporary perspective on Chinese ink painting.
The co-curators Chai Chang Hwang and Cheo Chai-Hiang plan to discuss how an idiosyncratically conceived, privately funded and minimally managed art space like The BlackEarth at Joo Chiat can sustain and further develop in order to play a more important role in both the local and wider art community?
The curators thank the participating artists and the venue sponsors Mr. and Mrs. Ng Ngeng Hee for their generous support in making this event possible.

Cheo Chai-Hiang & Chai Chang Hwang


This essay was first published in the catalogue in conjunction with the exhibition
Shui-Mo Jiao-You 2020: Lim Kok Teong and Tan Chin Boon
At the BLACKEARTH
352 Joo Chiat Road
Singapore 427599
11-19 January 2020