展览｜ Exhibition
孙逊
《枭雄与魔术师》
SUN Xun
<Heroes and Magicians>
展期｜Duration
2024年10月30日（周三） - 12月14日（周六）
地点 | VENUE
阿拉里奥画廊·首尔
ARARIO GALLERY SEOUL, B1F, 1F, 3F
阿拉里奥首尔于 2024 年 10 月 30 日（周三）至 12 月 14 日（周六），呈现艺术家孙逊（1980年生）个展《枭雄与魔术师》（Heroes and Magicians）。本次展览全面展示了孙逊的艺术创作，他对各种媒介和技术的探索形成了一以贯之的主题焦点。作为备受赞誉的中国当代艺术家之一，孙逊曾在中国、美国、欧洲和亚洲诸多重要美术馆举办个展，其动画电影曾于2016年在纽约古根海姆博物馆展出，并于2017年登上时代广场广告牌，赢得了国际性的广泛关注。目前，孙逊作品正参展巴黎蓬皮杜艺术中心（Centre Pompidou）举办的中国当代艺术群展“目 Chine: A new generation of artists（目：中国境象）”。本次展览是艺术家7年来首次在韩国举办个展，将在阿拉里奥首尔的三层空间中展出定格动画、油画、木刻浮雕等作品。
ARARIO GALLERY SEOUL presents SUN Xun’s (b. 1980) solo exhibition, entitled Heroes and Magicians, from October 30 (Wed) to December 14 (Sat), 2024. The exhibition offers a comprehensive view of SUN Xun’s artistic oeuvre, shaped by his exploration of various media and techniques, unified by a consistent thematic focus. As one of the most acclaimed contemporary Chinese artists, SUN Xun has held solo exhibitions at major museums across China, the United States, Europe, and Asia, solidifying his prominent presence on the international art scene. In recent years, his practice has centered on creating stop-motion animation films using hand-painted frames. SUN Xun meticulously paints dozens of frames per second to construct these animations. His animated films were featured in the 2016 exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and gained international attention when showcased on the billboard in Times Square in 2017. Currently, SUN Xun is participating in the group exhibition Chine: A New Generation of Artists (2024–2025) at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. This exhibition marks SUN Xun’s first solo show in Korea in 7 years. Spanning 3 floors of ARARIO GALLERY SEOUL, it will feature his stop-motion animation films alongside original oil paintings and woodblock reliefs.
展览现场，2024，阿拉里奥画廊首尔空间
在孙逊的作品中，猫头鹰被描绘成同时观察光明和黑暗的超验存在。猫头鹰的瞳孔能独立地放大或缩小，能精确地调节进入眼睛的光量。许多野生动物的视力比人类更好，听力和嗅觉也更灵敏。艺术家通过强调 “我们所感知到的只是现实的一小部分 ”这一观点，提升了非人类作为人类无法看到的真相的见证者的地位。画面中凝视观众的大型动物、逃离观众的渺小身影，以及空荡的剧院舞台上令人不安的场景，都颠覆了人类与非人类、观察者与被观察者之间惯常的动态关系。由此，也对人类中心主义作出了挑战与批判。
In SUN Xun's picture plane, the owl is depicted as a transcendent being that simultaneously observes both light and darkness. Known for its ability to independently dilate or contract each pupil, the owl is said to precisely regulate the amount of light entering its eyes. Many wild animals have better vision than humans, with more acute hearing and a heightened sense of smell. By focusing on the idea that what we perceive is only a tiny fraction of reality, the artist elevates the status of non-human beings as witnesses to truths that humans cannot see. The large animals gazing at the audience, the tiny figures fleeing from them, and the unsettling scenes of empty theater stages subvert the usual dynamics between human and non-human, observer and observed. In doing so, they pose a critical challenge to anthropocentric thinking.
深山里的故事 Tales from the Deep Forest
2023
布上油画、树脂 Oil on wood, resin
122 x 81 x 1 cm
ⓒ阿拉里奥画廊及艺术家
展览现场，2024，阿拉里奥画廊首尔空间
本次展览中的系列作品与孙逊自2019年起开始创作的电影《魔法星图》（2019-）的宇宙紧密相关。《魔法星图》是一个多章节的故事，讲述少年小之穿越六个奇幻国度的旅程。第一章 “螺刹 ”和第二章 “鲸邦 ”即将完成。每一章都描绘了各个国度的独特景观，结合了木刻浮雕、油画、画像砖和细密画等技法。本次展览特别展示了木刻浮雕所描绘的“螺刹 ”和油画所描绘的“鲸邦 ”。
The series of exhibited works is closely connected to the universe of the feature film Magic of Atlas (2019–), which SUN Xun has been working on since 2019. Magic of Atlas is conceived as a multi-chapter story that follows the protagonist, Xiao Zhi, as he embarks on a journey through six fantastical nations. The first chapter, Luocha (螺刹), and the second chapter, Jing Bang (鲸邦), are nearing completion. Each chapter depicts a unique landscape from one of the six nations, rendered in various techniques such as woodblock reliefs, oil paintings, brick paintings, and miniatures. This exhibition features vibrant displays of Luocha, depicted through woodblock reliefs, and Jing Bang, portrayed in oil paintings.
展览现场，2024，阿拉里奥画廊首尔空间
定格动画《 马戏团枭雄》（2022-2024）占满了画廊一楼的整面墙，它既是《魔法星图》第二章《鲸邦》的前传，也是一部独立叙事的短片。这部定格动画的每一帧都根据艺术家的油画精心制作而成。《马戏团枭雄》以一封来历不明的信开篇，这封信随风飘过不同的风景，作为将故事串联起来的媒介，疏阔地进行叙事。孙逊的电影世界并没有清晰地解释因果关系，它是开放的，就像一场梦，只提供模糊的线索，让观者以个人记忆和文化背景从中进行解读。
The stop-motion animation Shocking Dreams in the Circus (2022–2024), which fills an entire wall of the ground floor at ARARIO GALLERY SEOUL, serves both as a prequel to the 2nd chapter of Magic of Atlas, Jing Bang, and as an independent short film with its own narrative. The fictional world of Jing Bang, created by the artist, is depicted through oil paintings; each frame of this stop-motion animation is meticulously crafted from the artist’s oil works. The introduction of Shocking Dreams in the Circus opens with the image of a letter arriving from an unknown time and place. This letter, carried by the wind across various landscapes, loosely connects the broader narrative, acting as a medium that ties the story together. Rather than explaining clear causal relationships, SUN Xun's cinematic universe emphasizes open-ended interpretation, encouraging viewers to search for meaning by drawing on their personal memories and cultural contexts. Like a dream, the film offers only vague clues, leaving the audience to interpret the narrative.
天方夜谭 The Arabian Nights
2024
布上油画、树脂 Oil on wood, resin
45 x 60 cm
ⓒ阿拉里奥画廊及艺术家
在影片的后半部分，五个孙逊坐在五只猫头鹰面前，大声诵读有关记忆和遗忘的手稿。他们的声音回荡在耳边，就像巫师的咒语：“遗忘可分为暂时性遗忘和永久性遗忘。前者指的是在适当条件下可以恢复的遗忘，后者则指不重新学习就无法恢复的遗忘"。这两种形式的遗忘都属于健忘症，但同时又是 “留存的对应物，也是巩固记忆的前提”。如果不遗忘不必要的内容，那么记忆和检索必要的资料就会变得具有挑战性。这段独白让人留意到遗忘与记忆之间错综复杂的关系，暗示了在旧有信念崩塌的空间中生成新意识的可能性。
In the latter part of the film, 5 versions of SUN Xun sit before 5 owls, reading aloud a manuscript about memory and forgetting. Their voices echo like a shaman's incantation: “Forgetting can be categorised into temporary forgetting and permanent forgetting. The former refers to forgetting that may be recovered under suitable conditions, while the latter indicates forgetting that cannot be recovered without relearning.” Both forms of forgetting are types of amnesia, but at the same time, they are “counterpart of retention and also a prerequisite for consolidating memories. Without forgetting unnecessary content, it becomes challenging to remember and retrieve essential materials. This monologue draws attention to the intricate relationship between forgetting and remembering, suggesting the possibility of a new awareness in the space where old beliefs have crumbled.
展览现场，2024，阿拉里奥画廊首尔空间
在画廊地下一层展出的一系列油画作品是《马戏团枭雄》和《魔法星图》第二章的叙事基础。虚构国度 “鲸邦 ”是两部影片的共同主题，这个国家只能存在于鲸鱼跃出水面呼吸的瞬间。在这一瞬间，鲸鱼就像一个巫师，连接着两个不同的世界。 鲸邦的系列场景具有艺术家标志性的细腻笔触和鲜艳色彩，画作表面涂有高光树脂，增强了每幅作品的立体感。较小的画作以特写镜头展现了叙事中的零散元素。尤为引人注目的是书籍、宗教圣像和宝藏船等物品，它们象征着人类历史中累积的知识、文明、宗教和哲学，但燃烧和颠覆这段历史的火焰意象与之并存。大型作品反映的是由单一元素汇聚而成的宏观景观。动物、物体、人类和自然以陌异的方式联系在一起，构建起鲸邦的超现实景象。
The series of oil paintings displayed on the basement floor of ARARIO GALLERY SEOUL are the original works that serve as the foundation for the narratives in Shocking Dreams in the Circus and also the 2nd capter of Magic of Atlas. The fictional nation Jing Bang, a common theme in both films, is a country that can only exist during the moment when whales leap above the water to breathe. In this instant, the whale serves as a shaman-like figure, connecting two different worlds.
The scenes of Jing Bang are depicted through the artist’s signature delicate brushstrokes and vibrant colors. The surfaces are finished with a glossy resin, which enhances the three-dimensionality of each piece. The smaller paintings present close-up shots of fragmented elements of the narrative. Notable are the objects such as books, religious icons, and treasure ships, symbolizing the accumulated knowledge, civilization, religion, and philosophy of human history, as well as the imagery of flames that burn and overturn this history. The larger-scale works reflect a macroscopic landscape, created by the gathering of individual elements. Animals, objects, humans, and nature are connected in unfamiliar ways, constructing the surreal scenery of Jing Bang.
“魔法星图”之螺刹——雪中狐
“Magic of Atlas” Scene Design of Luocha - Fox in Snow
2019
木刻浮雕 Colored woodblock relief
92 x 183 cm (Frame 117 x 208 x 9 cm)
ⓒ阿拉里奥画廊及艺术家
展览现场，2024，阿拉里奥画廊首尔空间
而在画廊三楼，则展出了《魔法星图》第一章 “螺刹”的原作，它生动地展示了构成“螺刹”叙事基础的动画原画和各种场景设计。螺刹是一个位于遥远北方的隐秘国度，终年极寒。这里没有历史和世界的概念，没有地图，也没有人谈论过去。每隔六十年，在一个名为“迷梦节”的盛大节日里，天空会落下遗忘的粉末，使人们失去所有记忆，历史由此一次次重写。螺刹由精雕细刻的木刻浮雕和油彩绘制而成，轮廓与色彩的强烈对比放大了作品独特的梦幻感。画面中的妖精形象主宰着这一异世界，某种神秘的恐惧感也从其中浮现。螺刹中的场景如此这般令人心绪复杂，既感到不安又令人兴奋。
On the 3rd floor of ARARIO GALLERY SEOUL, the original works from the 1st chapter of Magic of Atlas, entitled Luocha, are on display. This floor vividly showcases the original animation drawings and various scene designs that form the foundation of the Luocha narrative. Luocha is a secluded country located in the far north, where extreme cold persists year-round. With no concept of history or the world, there are no maps, and no one speaks of the past. Once every 60 years, during a grand festival called the "Sweet Dream Festival," a powder of forgetfulness falls from the sky, causing people to lose all their memories and allowing history to be rewritten.
The landscape of Luocha was created through intricately carved woodblock reliefs, colored with oil paint. The intricately carved scenes effectively highlight bold yet delicate strokes, while the sharp outlines and the striking contrast of vibrant colors amplify the work’s unique sense of fantasy. The display of goblin-like figures dominating this otherworldly realm evokes a mysterious sense of dread. The scenes from Luocha evoke a sense of mixed blessings, offering both unease and exhilaration.
展览现场，2024，阿拉里奥画廊首尔空间
孙逊的创作以隐喻的画面细节、奇幻叙事、细腻笔触与深具张力的手绘风格为特征，作品跨越多种材料和媒介，包括素描、油画、木刻浮雕和定格动画电影等，并由此探索与实验其观念及叙事。在孙逊的近期作品中，马戏团场景里的动物描绘令人联想到扎根于东亚传统的萨满教与民间信仰。这些拟人化的动物被放置在一个虚构的魔幻世界中，以强烈、生动的笔触与色彩栩栩如生。正如艺术家自己所说，“人类世界也像一个马戏团”。他将人类社会有条不紊、循规蹈矩的日常活动与马戏团相提并论，老虎在火焰圈中跳跃，也是对生活本身的暗喻。这一想法在疫情期间得到了进一步强化，人类生活已变得更加超现实和不可预测。
SUN Xun has developed a distinctive artistic oeuvre characterized by metaphorical imagery, fantastical narratives, and delicate yet bold brushstrokes. His work spans a wide range of materials and media, including intricately crafted drawings and paintings, woodblock reliefs, and stop-motion animation films, continuously experimenting across these forms. The animals depicted in the circus scenes of SUN Xun's recent works evoke shamanism and folk beliefs rooted in East Asian traditions. These anthropomorphized animals, set in a fictional, magical world, are brought to life through striking brushwork and vivid colors. As the artist himself notes, "The human world is also like a circus." He draws a parallel between the orderly, rule-bound routines of human society and the circus, where a tiger leaps through flaming hoops, suggesting that life itself mirrors the structured chaos of the circus. This idea was further reinforced during the pandemic, when life took on a more surreal and unpredictable quality.
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关于画廊 | ABOUT US
阿拉里奥画廊自1989年创立至今，分别于韩国天安、首尔和上海拥有其支点画廊。在过去的三十年间，阿拉里奥画廊始终致力于关注与推广亚洲与国际艺术家，丰富其艺术家名单，并长期培养支持年轻艺术家。其代理的五十余位艺术家来自韩、日、中、印和东南亚地区各国，涵盖自20世纪70年代至今的实验艺术先锋，创作门类包括视觉艺术、绘画、雕塑、影像以及装置等众多艺术类别，突出展现亚洲地区令人瞩目的社会历史文化。
自2005年入驻北京798艺术区起，阿拉里奥通过展示亚洲地区极具代表性的优秀艺术家，迅速成为中国当代艺术发展的重要枢纽。2014年8月，上海徐家汇衡山坊馆正式开馆，2017年7月迁址上海西岸，与来自中国和海外的艺术家一道为中国艺术舞台的多元性注入活力，继续作为中国当代艺术的先驱力量而存在。
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