Cool Shanshui 酷山水
(2005-2017)
酷山水系列,是我试图以中国传统山水画的观察和思考方式,但同时又用“摄影”这一西方科技文化的产物,来观看描绘当下中国的“山水”。
“山水”一词,在中国,不仅仅指存在于现实世界中的山和水,它更多是人们对于自然风景的一种想象和向往。山水画,是中国艺术史最重要的组成部分,山水在中国文人的眼中早已超越了它的物质性而成为理解宇宙的最好途径。“酷”,汉字的原意是指残酷,但经过英语COOL的音译之后,又有时髦、新潮的意思。用这个词来形容现今正在变化中的中国恰如其分,因为这种变化既表现出了令人兴奋的高速发展和繁荣表象,又无处不在地展示其残酷强大的破坏力。
通过对“山水”的重新审视,也促使我不得不思考传统东方文明与西方现代文明的结合究竟会诞生出怎样的结果?会否象科幻电影里经常描述的主题那样:将不同基因结合后,总会制造出能量超强,但破坏力超大的异形?与此同时,自然也并全都像人类一厢情愿地想象那样永远都是美好的,和谐的,它自身的残酷性甚至超出人类的预料,尤其是近年来,地震、海啸、洪水、雪灾、飓风等等特大自然灾害频发,在它的破坏力面前,人类的力量简直渺小得不值一提。在持续不断的人与自然的斗争中,两败俱伤是最终的结局,中国古人的至高理想——天人合一,现在就像个虚幻的,一触即破的肥皂泡。
从2006年拍摄蓄水后的死水微澜的三峡库区开始,我便将自己转换成一位被时光机器抛到当代中国的古代文人,睁大那渴望与宇宙自然沟通的眼睛,俯瞰这当下的种种山水,那被污染成稠绿的湖水,那被挖掉大半的青山,就是我的青绿山水吗?那被暴雪压断的烟雾弥漫的山林,就是我的云山图吗?那被地震震得粉碎坍塌的山脉峡谷,就是我的皴染山河吗?我拍摄着这一卷卷的“酷山水”图卷,欲悲愤,却无从而起,代之是一种巨大的幻灭和虚无,如果时间之流逝终究会带走一切,而我们又能做些什么呢?
The series of Cool Shanshui is my way of observation and consideration to Chinese traditional landscape painting, at the same time the outcome of my observing and describing the contemporary "Shanshui" while using the product of western science and culture--photography.
The word of SHANSHUI means mountain and water in China,not only means the real mountain and water in reality,it reflects more of people's imagination and yearn towards the natural landscape.Landscape Painting is the most important component part in Chinese art history.For the Chinese intelligentsia, Shanshui (the coexistence of mountain and water - a kind of ideal landscape) have long been considered the key to unlocking the mysteries of the universe and reconciling the life of the individual and of society.
Cool,its original meaning in Chinese is cruel,but with a direct translation of Cool,it also means fashionable and stylish. It is very appropriate to describe the present world in the process of change with this word,because the change not only represents the exciting high-speed development and prosperous phenomenon,but also reveals the ubiquitous and cruel breaking power.On the other hand, the natural also fought back, like earthquake,storm,tsunami,etc. the ideal
of the ancient Chinese intelligentsia, The "harmony of man with nature", is like a daydream now.
In China, the scholarly ideal of the Shanshui landscape blends with natural scenery in strange and interesting ways. Like the way in which the I-Ching describes fortune and misfortune intertwining to create a future that is always breaking in the present moment. To construct is to destroy, and the future becomes the past.It is a commonly-held belief in China that the transience of life and the passing of time are inevitable. Thus, taking hold of the present should be the objective of both idealist and materialist alike.