当片刻成为艺术'Moments Are Monuments' Provokes Beauty And Wonder!

从17世纪起源于法国的复兴古希腊罗马艺术思潮，

到1917年杜尚用小便池狠狠拆毁艺术边界、震惊世人的观念艺术，艺术作品的媒介与形式随着人类文明的发展不断延伸，但都无法逃开 “艺术是什么”这一贯穿属于艺术创作的“哲学三问”。

在我们习惯的当代艺术符号系统的编码解码外，

BY ART MATTERS 天目里美术馆在他们的夏季展览

《片刻即纪念碑》中给出了一种解答。

Throughout the annals of history, art has always found a way to provoke and inspire us. From the revival of ancient Greek and Roman art that originated in France in the 17th century to  Duchamp's use of urinals to challenge artistic boundaries in 1917, the medium and form of artistic works have continued to evolve with the advancement of human civilization. 

However, none of these can escape the scrutiny of one of Socrates’s Three Philosophical Questions, which have challenged artists and creators throughout history, that being “What Is Art?” Beyond the encoding and decoding of the system of symbols that we are accustomed to in contemporary art, BY ART MATTERS has provided an answer in their summer exhibition titled 'Moments are Monuments'.

01/

一种艺术的解答

An Interpretation of 'Art'

纪念碑(monument)，源自拉丁语词根“monere”意为“提醒”指通过物质的方式留下记忆的行为用以追悼，崇拜，或者仅仅是留下标记。巴黎的凯旋门，德拉克洛瓦《自由引导人民》无不是为将某些人类业绩或事件保存于后人心中而留的物质，个体的片刻日常被这些宏大的历史叙事掩埋。《片刻即纪念碑》将寻常物件转化为艺术品，如天目里美术馆馆长弗朗切斯科·博纳米（Francesco Bonami）所说的那样：这次展览是一次让人们慢下来的机会，去注视在瞬息万变的生活中那些细小的瞬间，并体会其重要性。任何事物，只要敏锐感知，都有成为艺术作品的可能，成为生命中每个重要时刻的纪念碑。

Monument, derived from the Latin root 'monere' meaning 'reminder', refers to the act of leaving memories through material means to mourn, worship, or simply leave a mark. The Arc de Triomphe in Paris and Delacroix's 'Liberty Leading the People' are all materials left behind to preserve certain human achievements or events in the hearts of future generations, burying individual moments and daily lives in these grand historical narratives. 'Moments are Monuments' transforms ordinary objects into works of art. 

The exhibition invites people to slow down and reflect on the importance of small, individual moments within the relentless flow of life. With the right perspective, anything around us can become a work of art and a monument to the meaningful moments in life.

本次展出的作品分为“崇拜的映射” “凝视明月” “永恒的戏剧” “一抹暖意” “一笔轻逸” “沉默的独白” “沉重的鸟” “人性的回归”八个部分，呈现出由自然、信仰、社会，和个人体验织成的关系网络。

The exhibition centres on artistic creation using everyday objects as both materials and inspiration, presenting a network of relationships woven from nature, faith, society, and personal experience. It is organised into eight chapters, each corresponding to a different theme: 'A Reflection of Worship,' 'A Gaze at the Moon,' 'An Eternal Drama,' 'A Trace of Warmth,' 'A Touch of Lightness,' 'A Silent Monologue,' 'A Grave Bird,' and 'A Return to Human Scale.' These chapters offer audiences a starting point for independent reflection and thought as they explore each distinct section of the exhibition.

02/

几种片刻化为艺术的指引

Guidance on Transforming Moments into Artworks

  崇拜的映射 A Reflection of Worship  

步入展厅，便可透过玻璃看到背靠盛夏明亮外光的四座雕像作品，逆光勾勒之下四座雕塑映射着贯穿展览的指引，开始纪念碑的抽象含义的讨论。

Stepping into the exhibition hall, you can see through the glass the four statue works backed by the bright summer light. Under the backlighting, the four sculptures reflect the guiding principles that run through the exhibition, starting a discussion on the abstract meaning of the monument.

最左侧是安东尼·卡洛用生锈钢料制成的抽象主义雕塑《艾玛屏幕》，零散的几何与动态感结合在一起。与其相邻的是何塞·达维拉的作品《基本问题 XXVIII》，雕塑由原石与水泥相叠而成，在静止的状态下有着摇摇欲坠的趋势。这两件作品充分展现了凝固与流动之间的多重辩证。

On the far left is Anthony Caro's abstract sculpture ' Emma Screen ' made of rusted steel, which combines scattered geometry with a sense of dynamism. Adjacent to it is Jose Dávila's “ Fundamental Concern XXVIII ”, a sculpture made of raw stone and plaster stacked in a still state. The first two works fully demonstrate the multiple dialectics between solidification and flow. 

艺术家塔蒂安娜·杜薇的作品《雕塑笔记》对负空间这一概念进行了独特的探索与表达。在这件作品中，杜薇没有直接展示雕塑的成品，而是将雕塑制作过程中所使用的辅助材料——白色的石膏和木质脚手架，以氧化青铜的方式重新浇筑并呈现出来。这些原本在雕塑完成后会被移除或隐藏的材料，现在成为了作品的主角，占据了原本属于“负空间”的位置。空间不仅仅是物体之间的空白，它本身也是构成艺术作品不可或缺的一部分。

除负空间外，现成品也常被否认其所含艺术的可能性，玛丽安·维塔尔用铁轨间的接驳件构成的作品《普通辙叉(小宝贝)》将现成品重塑为具有拟人化特征的陌生而原始的图腾符号，从此辙叉诞生了新的艺术含义。

The artwork 'Sculpture Notes' by artist Tatiana Trouvé explores and expresses the concept of negative space in a unique way. In this work, Tatiana Trouvé did not directly display the finished sculpture, but instead re-poured and presented the auxiliary materials used in the sculpture production process, such as white plaster and wooden scaffolding, in the form of oxidized bronze. 

These materials, which were originally removed or hidden after the sculpture was completed, have now become the protagonists of the work, occupying the position that originally belonged to the ' Negative Space '. Space is not just a blank space between objects, it is also an indispensable part of the composition of an artwork.

In addition to ' negative space ', found objects are often denied the possibility of art. Marian Vital's work 'Ordinary Frog', which is composed of connecting pieces between railway tracks, reshapes ready-made products into unfamiliar and primitive totemic symbols with anthropomorphic features, giving birth to new meanings for frogs.

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他们的片刻纪念碑

Their Monuments

  凝视明月  A Gaze at the Moon  

随后，观者可踏足一隅静谧而深邃的空间，艺术家詹姆斯普拉姆的作品《斑驳之月》展现于此。詹姆斯普拉姆巧妙地选取并重塑了那些被岁月遗忘、覆盖着苔藓、地衣与尘埃的旧玻璃碎片，通过精细的切割与拼接，重塑出八个月相更迭的壮丽景象。借助光学投影技术，这些玻璃碎片仿佛被赋予了生命，展现出时间流转中层层叠叠的诗意画面，令人恍若穿梭于时空的缝隙之间。

Subsequently, the viewer can step into a quiet and profound space, where artist JAMESPLUMB's work ' Stained Moons' is displayed. JAMESPLUMB cleverly selected and reshaped the old glass fragments that have been forgotten by time, covered with moss, lichen, and dust, and through precise cutting and splicing, reshaped the magnificent scene of eight lunar phases changing. 

With the help of optical projection technology, these glass fragments seem to have been endowed with life, displaying poetic images layered on top of each other in the flow of time, making people feel as if they are shuttling between the gaps of time and space. 

而令人意外的是，这些玻璃原料来自英国郊外一座废弃小屋，艺术家历经一年的时光，以无比的耐心与热情，才说服主人将那些看似无用废弃、实则蕴含无限可能的斑驳窗玻璃赠予他们用于创作，于是才有了今天天目里美术馆的“斑驳之月”。透过“古老”的窗玻璃凝视“古老”的月亮，带着不同的“现在”，这样的视角，是超越时间的。比起艺术的创作者，詹姆斯普拉姆更是艺术的挖掘者，就像当代艺术家杰森·道奇认为：物品（艺术创作中选用的材料）可以来自无数的地方：发现它，使用它，不使用它。他根据直观的反应“从处境，地点或景观等方面”选择它们。 物体（艺术创作中选用的材料）具有一定的力量或能量，可通过干预进行激发。

Surprisingly, these glass materials came from an abandoned cottage on the outskirts of England. After a year of patience and enthusiasm, the artist convinced the owner to give them the seemingly useless and abandoned mottled window glass, which actually contained infinite possibilities, for their creation. That's why we have the 'Stained Moons' of the art museum today. Gazing at the 'ancient' moon through the 'ancient' window glass, with a different 'present', this perspective transcends time. 

Compared to the creators of art, JAMESPLUMB is more of an explorer of art, just as contemporary artist Jason Dodge believes that the materials used in object art creation can come from countless places: discover it, use it, and not use it. He selects them based on intuitive reactions from aspects such as situation, location, or landscape.The materials used in object art creation have a certain power or energy that can be stimulated through intervention.

  永恒的戏剧 An Eternal Drama  

该部分不仅仅是对圣物崇拜的现代表达，更是对原始艺术灵性精髓的再现与重塑。挂井五郎的一系列雕塑作品高低错落在数米长的展台之上，他在创作中期曾前往南美等地游历，南美洲的原始艺术很大程度上影响到了他后期的创作之中，他尝试放弃学院派美术规范，用日常材料来探索非规范的世界。

An Eternal Drama serves as a bridge to an ancient religious temple, embodying not only a modern interpretation of sacred worship but also a revival and reshaping of the spiritual essence of primitive art. A series of sculptures by Goro Kakei are arranged in a staggered manner on a several meter long exhibition stand. 

In the middle of his creation, he traveled to South America and other places, and the primitive art of Central and South America greatly influenced his later creations. He attempted to abandon the academic art norms and explore the non-standard world with everyday materials. 

艺术家盖茨出生于黑人家庭，复杂的成长环境下，对于种族宗教等问题的探讨他耳濡目染，他痴迷陶艺甚至一度去日本求学，随着学术的钻研上越走越深，纯粹做陶艺已不能完全满足盖茨，于是归国后他一口气进修了三个专业：陶艺、城市规划和宗教。泥巴成了盖茨探究后两个话题的基本方式。《一些成员生活在天堂》足以体现盖茨的日常，深受中日文化熏陶的盖茨作品表现形式很像日本枯山水，错落站立的10尊釉面粘土人像，风格或许源于西非穆木耶族木雕，在当地文化中被视为家宅守护者及通灵媒介。呈现主客之势、韵律之感的构图美，陶像实际原始童趣，蕴含着自然大地的生命力，展现了艺术家以当代视角重塑原始艺术灵性，让神圣与关怀在陶制艺术品中得以传承。

Artist Theaster Gates was born into a black family and grew up in a complex environment. He was deeply influenced by discussions on issues such as race and religion. He was obsessed with pottery and even went to Japan to study. As his academic research deepened, pure pottery could no longer fully satisfy Gates. Therefore, after returning to hometown, he studied three majors in one go: pottery, urban planning, and religion. Clay became the fundamental way for Gates to explore the latter two topics. 

'A Portion of the Team Lives in the Heavens' is enough to reflect Gates' daily life. The expression of Gates' works, which are deeply influenced by Chinese and Japanese culture, resembles the Japanese Kushiro style. The 10 glazed clay figures standing in a patchwork pattern have a style derived from the wood carvings of the Mumuyi tribe in West Africa, where they are regarded as guardians of homes and mediums for communication with spirits. The composition of the pottery image, which presents a sense of host and guest and rhythm, is actually primitive childlike fun. It contains the vitality of nature and shows that the artist has reshaped the spirituality of primitive art from a contemporary perspective, allowing sacredness and care to be passed down in ceramic works of art.

  一抹暖意   A Trace of Warmth  

展厅内也有多位艺术家围绕人类居住空间创作的亲密而温柔的作品。美国艺术家大卫·阿达莫擅长运用简单元素创作出超越现实情景，而这一次他将利用瓷石膏和橡皮筋创作了如同迷你版暖气片的作品《无标题》，这件曾为他提供过温暖的物件，被剥离掉实际的功能，成为他私人回忆的载体。

This thought-provoking section showcases intimate and gentle works by various artists centred around human living spaces. American artist David Adamo uses porcelain plaster and rubber bands to create a miniature version of a radiator titled ' Untitled '. This object, once a source of warmth for him, is stripped of its functional purpose and transformed into a vessel for personal memories. 

类似于《雕塑笔记》的思考，英国艺术家瑞秋·怀特里德将目光聚焦在生活随处可见之物，用石膏取代空气，将热水袋和开关盒的内部空间奇异地呈现在我们面前。艺术家通过平常家用品的省思、改造和重现，艺术家提醒我们注意日常生活中那些不可见的“负空间”，以及我们对空间惯常感知方式的局限。换句话说，在美术馆中的一切展品会迫使观众以新的方式关注它们。艺术家使用自己发现的物品的目的不仅在于改变有关艺术的想法，而且还改变了如何看待它的方式：艺术观赏是关于作品迫使观者尝试新角度。

British artist Rachel Whiteread replaces air with plaster, revealing the interior spaces of hot water bottles and switch boxes in a peculiar and unexpected way. Through the contemplation, transformation, and reproduction of everyday household items, these artists remind us to notice the invisible 'negative spaces' in our daily lives and challenge the limitations of our habitual perception of space.  

In other words, all the exhibits in the art museum will force the audience to pay attention to them in a new way. The purpose of artists using objects they discover is not only to change their ideas about art, but also to change the way it is viewed: art appreciation is about works forcing viewers to try new perspectives.

  一笔轻逸  A Touch of Lightness   

路易斯·昂格尔，薇薇安·苏特两位艺术家从材质和观念层面出发将沉重转化为轻盈。

'A Touch of Lightness' explores the experience of confronting heaviness and the desire for lightness. Two artists transform heaviness into lightness through their materials and concepts. 

德国艺术家路易斯·昂格尔用不锈钢丝钩织出半透明的网状结构，以简单的材料制成复杂形制，在展厅隔断的幕布间，随光线和观看角度的变化，原本印象中沉重的钢铁展现出云朵般的轻盈，作品在空间中闪烁梦幻的光泽。

German artist Luise Unger weaves a semi-transparent mesh structure using stainless steel wire hooks, creating intricate forms from simple materials. As light and viewing angles shift, the work shimmers with a dreamy lustre in the space. 

薇薇安·苏特创作的系列作品记录了数段沉淀着自然痕迹的时光，她在南美洲危地马拉的热带雨林生活和创作 40 余年，仔细端详，你能在画布上发现动物留下的脚印，大地的泥泞，浓郁饱满的色块涂鸦下是她画面中融入的自然万物的能动关系。

Vivian Suter’s series captures moments in time through natural imprints. Having lived and created in the tropical rainforest of Guatemala in South America for over 40 years, she integrates the dynamic relationships of nature into her imagery.

  沉默的独白 A Silent Monologue   

“沉默的独白”中何翔宇和詹姆斯普拉姆所创作的椅子们让人不难联想起美国艺术家约瑟夫.科索斯《一把和三把椅子》的概念：艺术品之为艺术品，是因为它们超越了物质层面和具体的呈现方式，传达了艺术家的创意、情感和观念；同时，艺术品也通过再现和幻象等手法引导我们思考更普遍、更抽象的概念和观念。由是如此，这两位艺术家的椅子们开启了这一区域的两条线索，但不同的是，除了观念的共鸣之外，这些作品还蕴含和承载的私人情感与历史记忆穿插其中，就像是走进一个人丰富的内心，不同物件分别对应了人生的不同境遇，状态、情绪及不同阶段的理念。

The chairs by He Xiangyu and JAMESPLUMB in 'A Silent Monologue' are reminiscent of the concept embodied in American artist Joseph Kosuth's 'One and Three Chairs': artworks are considered as such because they transcend the material level and specific presentation methods, conveying the artist's creativity, emotions and concepts. Meanwhile, artworks also guide us to contemplate more universal and abstract concepts and ideas through techniques such as reproduction and illusion. 

Therefore, these  chairs open up two clues in this area, but what is different is that in addition to the resonance of ideas, these works also contain and carry personal emotions and historical memories interspersed within them, as if entering a person's rich inner world. Different objects correspond to different situations, states, emotions, and concepts at different stages of life.

04/

人类共同的片刻

Our Common Moments

  沉重的鸟和人性的回归  

 A Grave Bird and  A Return to Human Scale  

“沉重的鸟”及“人性的回归”则是对人、物与自然之间复杂关系的全新审视。安娜·博格伊根的《九只（立着的鸟）》指出人类与动物在现代化环境中的共同处境，人类与鸟类在城市的拓展下不停迁徙，生存空间日益狭窄有限的资源之下又该如何生存。这些状态各异的鸟儿仿佛隐喻着人类关系，位于长廊中埃托雷·索特萨斯的系列摄影作品《隐喻》，就好像是在回应刚刚九只小鸟向我们发出的提问。埃托雷•索特萨斯是意大利著名建筑设计师、后现代主义设计大师，喜欢以文化人类学的观点来对待设计活动，从本民族世俗文化和其它民族的不同文化中寻找创作灵感。《隐喻》可被视为后来孟菲斯设计浪潮的前奏，作品中的三个部分，“为人类命运而设计”、“为人的权利而设计”以及“为动物的生存需要而设计”，重新编织着索特萨斯关于命运、自由和欲望的设计之法。索特萨斯从根本层面探讨了设计的本源，他的《隐喻》于此处结束展览的旅程，既是结语，亦是重现。

'A Grave Bird' and 'A Return to Human Scale' are a new examination of the complex relationship between people, things, and nature. Anna Boghiguian’s 'Group of Nines (Standing Birds) ' highlights the shared conditions between humans and animals in contemporary environments.

Ettore Sottsass’ series of photographs, 'Metaphors', displayed in the long corridor, seems to respond to the inquiries posed by the nine birds. This work serves as a precursor to the Memphis design movement, presenting three segments—“Designed for Human Fate,” “Designed for Human Rights,” and “Designed for the Survival Needs of Animals”—which weave together Sottsass’ design philosophy of fate, freedom, and desire. Sottsass fundamentally explores the origins of design, and his Metaphors concludes the exhibition, offering both a summation and a reimagining of the journey.

05/

片刻即纪念碑

Moments are Monuments

本雅明曾深刻洞察到“灵韵”如何在传统艺术中消逝，又在新的艺术实践中以不同面貌重生，本次展览正是这一哲学思考的当代回响。在这里，日常与艺术的界限不再是不可逾越的鸿沟，而是被艺术家们以无尽的创意与匠心巧妙地模糊与融合。观众，作为这场视觉盛宴的主动探索者，被温柔地邀请踏上一场心灵之旅，共同见证那些原本平凡无奇的物件，在艺术家的妙手下被赋予了鲜活的灵魂，化身为生命中不可或缺的精神“纪念碑”。这些作品，让我们意识到，片刻即纪念碑。

Benjamin had a profound insight into how the ' Aura ' disappeared in traditional art and was reborn in a different form in new artistic practices. This exhibition is a contemporary echo of this philosophical thinking.

Here, the boundary between daily life and art is no longer an insurmountable gap, but is cleverly blurred and integrated by artists with endless creativity and ingenuity. As active explorers of this visual feast, the audience is gently invited to embark on a journey of the soul, witnessing together those originally ordinary and unremarkable objects that have been endowed with fresh souls by the artist's skillful hands, transforming into indispensable spiritual 'monuments' in life. This fascinating collection of works helps us to truly realize that moments can really be monumental!

展览信息

片刻即纪念碑

Moments are Monuments

展览时间

2024年8月15日—10月13日

展览地点

 杭州市天目山路398号

Exhibition Dates

The 15th of August to 13th October, 2024

Exhibition Venue

398 Tianmushan Road, Hangzhou