张哲溢：左右手互搏术
Zhang Zheyi: The Contradictory Duality
文／段少锋
Article / Duan Shaofeng
一、 从“飘一代”出发
I. Starting from the“Drifting Generation”
让我们回到2000年，世纪末的恐慌和狂欢过去了。接下来的2001年北京申奥成功，同年中国加入世界贸易组织WTO，也是那一年中国足球队第一次闯入世界杯，这三个标志性事件奠定了整个中国新世纪后第一个十年的底色是开放昂扬的十年。而关于“北京奥运”这个名词甚至于贯穿了后来学者的研究中，申奥之后的中国社会和奥运之后的中国社会，其变迁的显著性使得“奥运”在中国成为了一个具有社会学学术分割的结点，有的学者甚至于提出了“后奥运时代”的说法。
Let’s go back to the year 2000 when the panic and celebration of the end of the century faded away. In 2001, Beijing successfully bided for the Olympic Games, China entered into the WTO, the Chinese football team played in the World Cup for the first time. These three landmark events have set a tone for China’s first decade of the new millennium to be open and high-spirited. The term “Beijing Olympics” can be wildly found in scholar’s research. The significant changes of the Chinese society before and after the Olympic bid and the Olympics, have made “Olympics” a sociological and academic division in China. Some scholars even brought forward the concept of the “post-Olympic era”.
正是2000年6月15日，中国大陆《新周刊》杂志在封面专题推出了“飘一代”的报道，宣告着新世纪到来之际新一代的诞生。在1999年千禧年来临之际，内地歌手朴树推出了《我去2000年》，这首歌现在回放大概就是“飘一代” 的写照，所谓的“飘一代”不仅仅是指漂泊者，“飘一代”总是在繁琐而巨大的日常生活场景中践行自己对于自由理念的执行，这一代富有激情和理想，这一代恰逢中国经济的起飞期和全民精神的昂扬期，他们对于自由的理念认识之深刻前所未有，于是在这一代人身上映射着开放、自由、消费、怀旧等诸多名词。《新周刊》甚至在2014年重新回访了“飘一代”最早受访的相关人员，而不同彼时，“飘一代”有的人依然年轻，有些人飘着飘着就老了，有的人继续追寻自由的脚步，有的人则飘零到了泥土里，有的拥抱体制，更多的人结婚生子。《新周刊》的“飘一代”和“飘一代” 的回访恰好对应了申奥时期和后奥运时代一代人的生活变迁。
It was on June 15th, 2000 that the Chinese mainland magazine “The New Weekly”published a cover featured report about the “drifting generation”, announcing the birth of the new generation on the arrival of the new century. In 1999, on the threshold of the new millennium, the mainland singer Pu Shu released his song “Already 2000”, which I recall is a portrayal of the “drifting generation”, who are more than roamers, but executors of their concept of freedom in the cumbersome and enormous daily life. This generation is full of passion and ideals, coinciding with the leaping of the Chinese economy and high spirit of the nation. Their profound understanding of the concept of freedom is unprecedented, with many features such as openness, freedom, consumption, nostalgia reflected on this generation. In 2014, “The New Weekly” magazine revisited the old interviewees of the “drifting generation”. Time passed by, some of them are still young, while others are getting old with the drifting life. Some people continue to pursue the footsteps of freedom, while others are already resting in peace. Some of them have embraced the system, and most of them have married and have had children. The “New Weekly”coverage and revisit of the “drifting generation” correspond to the life changes of a generation before and after the Olympic bidding and the post-Olympic era.
作为艺术家的张哲溢显然也是“飘一代”大时代背景中的典型代表，不同于“飘一代”的大多数，他依然年轻，依然敏锐而富有幽默感，依然坚持自由的生活理念。如果把今天的张哲溢和2000年的张哲溢对比，会发现一个在大时代的风雨中并没有太多改变的生命个体，这种不变很大的原因是基于他的工作——艺术。导演贾樟柯在描述电影的时候曾说电影是他寻找自由的方式，那么艺术对于“飘一代”的张哲溢来说也是他寻找自由的方式。显然，作为艺术家的张哲溢将艺术视作自己精神领域的保鲜剂，而变化的是2015年《红海》这件作品之后的张哲溢将自己的创作方式和创作视角更为多元化和宏观化了，相对于他“飘一代”的年轻，成熟的是他的艺术。首先创作方式从架上绘画为主生长成为架上绘画和公共艺术两个线索；其次在创作视角来讲，一方面从早期的艺术家“自娱”和情感抒发转变成为具有介入社会野心的公共性，另一方面则是时间上的宏观化，他把自己的创作放置在真正意义上的中国传统和当代社会的交汇处来处理，具体体现在他创作的架上绘画中关于中国书画历史中元素的研究时间上更往前推移了，与之相对应的是他介入性艺术的实践则越来越针对中国社会眼前的现实问题；最后是空间上的变化也在宏观化。如果说“飘一代”张哲溢早期的“飘”是介于桂林和北京的双城记，那么近些年他的“飘”是放在一个全球环境中的，从北京到柏林，到悉尼，到纽约，甚至于到耶路撒冷，“飘”是张哲溢不变的生活常态，而变化无外乎是这种空间范畴的扩大，甚至于热爱《Star Wars》的张哲溢在未来最大的愿望就是星际间的漂流。
As an artist, Zhang Zheyi is obviously a typical representative of the “drifting generation”. Unlike most of the generation, he keeps himself young with a keen and humorous sense and still holds the concept of embracing a life of freedom. If you compare Zhang Zheyi today with the one of 20 years ago, you would find an individual that did not change too much, even after the storms of the great era. This reason is mostly based on his work – art. Like the film director, Jia Zhangke regards to filming as his way to find freedom, Zhang Zheyi’s route to freedom is through art. Apparently, the artist Zhang Zheyi treats art as a preservative in his spiritual world. After the work “The Red Sea” created in 2015, Zhang Zheyi has diversified and macroscopicized his own ways of creation and creative perspectives. With a young heart of the “drifting generation”, his art has gotten mature. Firstly, his main art form of easel painting has incorporated with public art as two clues of his current creation. Secondly, from the creation perspective, his early “self-entertainment” and emotional release of an artist has been intervened by the publicity of social ambition. On the macroscopicalization of time, he positions the art creation on the intersection of real Chinese tradition and contemporary society. This is embodied in his paintings, the research of which has traced to older times. Correspondingly, his practice of interventional art is increasingly about real problems faced by Chinese society. Finally, spatial changes are also macroscopic. If Zhang’s early “drifting” as a member of the “drifting generation” was the tale of two cities between Guilin and Beijing, his “drifting” in recent years is in a global environment, from Beijing to Berlin, Sydney, and New York, even to Jerusalem. “Drifting” is the unchangeable and normal life state for Zhang. The change is nothing more than an expansion of the traveling space. As a fan of Star Wars, Zhang’s biggest wish is to experience the interstellar drifting.
从“飘一代”开始了解张哲溢其实是将这一典型的70后艺术家纳入到大时代背景中去观看，艺术家和时代的关系是一种相互塑造和相互映射的关系，艺术是面对社会表达的工作，而艺术家是被社会塑造的产物，由此可见通过艺术家去了解一个时代，同时也用一个时代的背景去研究一个艺术家，都是某种相互作用的角度。艺术家究竟是制造了假象还是还原了真实？当我们面对杜尚晚年最后一件作品《给予》时，观看的方式是透过小门洞去窥探，那么艺术家就是这个小门洞。
Starting from the “drifting generation” to understand Zhang Zheyi, we must actually also look from the time perspective and include him in the post-70’s art scene. The relationship between the artist and the time is both shaping and reflecting. Making art is a work to express facing the public, and the artist is shaped by society. Therefore, understanding an era by knowing an artist and researching the artist in the background of an era is interactive. Has the artist created an illusion or restored the truth? When looking at the last work by Duchamp “Étant donnés”, we peep through a small hole. The artist is just that hole on the door.
二、“70后”和“后89”
II. “The post 70’s” and “Post 89’s”
1994年崔健发行了《红旗下的蛋》，崔健唱到“我们的个性都是圆的，像红旗下的蛋”，而2001年许知远出版了《那些忧伤的年轻人》。这两个对于不同两代人的描述都是群体性的，“那些”和“我们”作为集体名词在后来逐渐走向了自我。
In 1994, Cui Jian released his album “Balls Under the Red Flag”, singing the lyrics “Our personality is all round, like balls under the red flag.” In 2001, Xu Zhiyuan published his book Born in the 1970s. The description of the two different generations is group based. The collective nouns “those” and “we” have gradually become the self.
当我们翻看中国当代艺术的文献材料不难发现，85新潮和1989年现代艺术大展的艺术家群体构成了2000年之前中国当代艺术的主导力量，关于这一代艺术家的文献材料堪称鸿篇巨制，1992年评论家和香港汉雅轩的张颂仁合作策划了“后89中国新艺术展”，1998年高名潞组织了90年代最大规模的中国现代艺术展“Inside Out”，这两次展览也基本是围绕着1989“现代艺术大展”的线索，这一阶段的中国当代艺术是全国性的，而表达上多是围绕着宏大叙事的历史问题和政治话语，围绕这个主线的也有其他诸如“新生代”和“都市文人画”等，当代艺术从全国性运动进入到中国美术馆，然后89之后走向分歧和边缘，星星美展从美术馆墙外到墙内不过一年的时间，八九现代艺术大展从墙内到墙外却经历了十年的时间，再后来当代艺术的中心的产生跨越了东村和圆明园之后成为了今天依然存在的798。
When we browse the Chinese contemporary art archives, it is not hard to find that the new generations of the 1985 and 1989 in the modern art exhibitions have formed the leading force of Chinese contemporary art ahead of the year 2000. The archives about this generation of artists are abundant. In 1992, the art critic and owner of Hanart TZ Gallery worked together to curate the “Chinese New Art – Post-1989” exhibition. In 1998, Gao Minglu organized the largest scale Chinese modern art exhibition “Inside Out”. The two exhibitions basically surrounded the clue of the “China/Avant-Grade Exhibition” in 1989. In this stage, Chinese contemporary art was national in scope and expressed the grand narrative of a historical issue and political discourse. There are also other art streams such as “New Generation” and “Urban Literati painting”. Contemporary art entered the National Art Museum following a national movement. After 1989, Chinese contemporary art became divergent and marginalized. The organizing of “The Stars Art Exhibition” takes no more than one year, while moving the “ 89 China/Avant-Grade Exhibition” outside the museum to the public takes ten years. The hub of the Chinese contemporary art has moved from the East Village and the Old Summer Palace to the 798 Art District of today.
而2000后开启的则是完全与以往不同的中国当代艺术主流表达线索，2002年罗伯特在798建立了“东八时区”，之后艺术家群体进入了798，而后东京画廊作为第一家画廊落户798，798逐渐成为了中国当代艺术新的中心。资本成为介入中国当代艺术的最大力量，这一时期中外资本对于当代艺术产生了前所未有的兴趣，这样的浪潮中，“70后”艺术登场了，事实上到今天艺术界并没有像85新潮那一代那样进行过极其系统化的对于“70后”的艺术家群体的梳理，我想其中很大的一个原因就是这种资本导向的原因，整个资本作为社会基础的力量也导致了90年代之后社会走向分歧，这种分歧不仅仅是艺术界，还包括思想界和学术界，不同的资本力量的影响造就了这种分歧。关于九十年代以来的分歧，无论是思想界的新左派和自由主义的分歧，还是艺术界的本土话语和西方观念的分歧，都是资本导向的分歧。
The year 2000 inaugurated the mainstream expression of Chinese contemporary art that is completely different from that of the past. In 2002, Robert Bernell established the “Time Zone 8 Book Club” at 798 before artists moved in groups. Tokyo Gallery is the first gallery opening in the 798 district, a district that gradually became the center of Chinese contemporary art. Capitals have been the biggest force to drive Chinese contemporary art. During this period, Chinese and foreign capitals had unprecedented interest in contemporary art. With this trend, the “post-70’s”arthad it’s first appearance. In fact, the artist group of the “70’s” have never been systematically documented like that of the “new era of the 85’s ”. I think that one of the reasons is capital oriented. Capitals as a whole are the driving force of social foundation and have led the 90’s society to diverge. Since the 90’s, there are disagreements between the new left wing of thinkers and liberalism, the local voice and the western concept in the art world. These disagreements are all capital-oriented.
如果说85新潮是艺术家群体对于文革后解禁的集体发声，那么“70后”群体则是在2000年以来开放中喧闹的资本导致的分歧的产物。某种程度上资本介入社会的各个方面宣告了寻求共识可能性的破产，这种无法寻求共识的局面延绵到今天。围绕着“70后”的艺术现象不再是群体性的，即便是“青春残酷绘画”和“卡通一代”这样尝试极其精准概括79后艺术的话语也是昙花一现，毕竟同时在70后艺术家身上还有“新工笔”和“新水墨”，甚至于观念艺术和新媒体艺术，表达方式和表达话题的多元性使得70后这一代艺术家难以归纳成为一个准确的名词。他们是走向分歧的开始，他们是多元化的开始，事实上在他们成长的九十年代是全球语境中寻求文化多元化的时代，“无法归类”和“无法定义”反倒成为了这一代艺术家身上的共性特点。从来没有哪一代人像70后一代人这样纠结矛盾。就好比写出了《那些忧伤的年轻人》的许知远尝试做网络视频节目时所引发的社会讨论，严肃思考和娱乐至死都发生在了这一代人身上，有的人拥抱现实，有的人依然保持距离，有的人在这两者之间纠缠。
If the “New Era of 85’s” is the collective voice of the artist group after the ban of the Culture Revolution was lifted, the “post-70’s” generation is the product of the clamor for capital that has divided China since 2000. To some extent, the involvement of capital into various aspects of the society has announced the failure of consensus, which has lasted to the present day. The “70’s”art phenomenon is no longer group oriented. Even the “brutal painting of the youth” and the “cartoon generation” who tried to accurately summarize the discourse of the post-79 generation are ephemeral. After all, there are post-70’s artists experimenting on the “new meticulous painting” and “new ink painting”. The diversified ways and themes of expression of the conceptual art and new media art have made it hard to recap the generation of the 70’s with one accurate word. They started the divergence. Actually, in the 90’s when they grow up, it was an era of diversified cultures in a global context. Being “unable to categorize” and “unable to define” has become a common feature of artists of this generation. No generation has been so entangled and contradictory like the 70’s. Xu Zhiyuan, who authored the book Born in the 1970s, tried online video programs, which triggered social discussion. Serious thinking and entertainment to death have both happened on this generation. Someone embrace the reality, some still keep a distance, and others are entangled between the two.
“走向分歧”现在看来是一个必然结果，是70后从集体主义出走走向自我之后的必然。分歧导致我们暂时无法准确的描述70后的艺术群体，但是如果结合上述去了解每一个个体，就会看的更为清晰。再回到70后这个提法，其实是源自于对80后这一概念的倒推，中国的代际划分往往是由某一代倒推，比如电影界第五代的提法最早产生然后后推产生第一代和第四代的划分，而70后也是基于对于韩寒这一代80后后推产生的。之所以大费周章的了解那个时代是因为去了解70后的艺术家必然要置身于他们生活的社会背景里，因为艺术和社会的关系，艺术与时代的关系完整的反应在当时的社会发展史中，70后就是生存于一个走向分歧的年代，他们看见了八十年代理想主义的余晖，接着又面向了九十年代以来的市场化，最终在2000年之后集体出发，进而走上不同的艺术道路。
“Move towards divergence” seems to be an inevitable result, which followed by the 70’s changing from collectivism to the self-orientation. This divergence makes it impossible to accurately describe the artist group of the 70’s. However, if we research the individual with the above method, we will have a clearer image. Returning to the post-70’s concept, it is actually derived from the reversal concept of the post-80’s. The intergenerational division in China is often defined based on the current generation. As an example, the fifth generation in the film industry is firstly named and we trace back to give names to the first and the fourth generation. In the same way, the term 70’s is from the 80’s, with the writer Han Han as a role model. The reason to research into that era is that learning the social background is necessary to know about an artist. The relation between art and society, art and an era are fully reflected in the social development of the time. The generation of the 70’s is living in a state of divergence. They saw the afterglow of the 80’s and faced the marketization since the 90’s. They finally set off collectively after 2000 and embarked on different artistic paths.
1975年出生的张哲溢作为中国70后艺术家的代表，身上混杂了70后这一群体的诸多典型特征，70后的中国作家余杰前往美国前所著的《压伤的芦苇》，《爱与痛的边缘》，《火与冰》，《铁屋中的呐喊》这一系列现在鲜为人提及的著作，都恰好是70后知识分子的心路写照，仅仅从这些著作的书名就可以管窥出70后这一代群体的矛盾和纠结所在，作为四川小城镇走入北京大学的余杰，其心路在某种程度上也可以看作是理解70后艺术家张哲溢的入门，他们都是极具人文主义关怀的思考者，直到今天当我和张哲溢触及艺术问题的讨论的时候，他总是能把艺术讨论引入到广阔的社会问题范畴中，他对于自由的理解，对于正义的坚持伴随他直到今天，艺术家的身份之外，我更觉得张哲溢其实是一个敏锐的、观察社会的、余杰式的思考者。
Born in 1975, Zhang Zheyi is a representative Chinese artist of the 70’s, who combines various typical features of the 70’s group. The Chinese writer Yu Jie has authored a series of books Crushed Reed, On the Edge of Love and Pain, Fire and Ice, Scream in an Iron House before moving to the United States. These works are rarely mentioned now but are a portrayal of the intellectuals of the 70’s. The titles reveal the contradiction and entanglement of the Chinese 70’s generation. Yu left his small town in Sichuan province and studied in Peking University. To some extent, his journey can be seen as an introduction to understand the post-70’s artist Zhang Yizhe. They are both highly humanistic thinkers. Until today, when I talk with ZhangZheyi about art issues, he always introduces art discussion into a broader social scope. His understanding of freedom and insistence on justice has accompanied him until today. Apart from being an artist, in my mind, ZhangZheyi is actually a keen, society observer, and a Yu Jie-style thinker.
2006年张哲溢告别了自己在桂林浪漫而闲适的生活，飘入北京成为了一名艺术家，这其中不得不说有八十年代末九十年代初理想主义的余晖影响，这样的选择预示着他告别了生活的舒适地带，而怀揣着对于艺术的信仰进入到北京的艺术生态中。在2006年的北京恰逢艺术市场制造神话的时期，而恰恰是2006年到2008年艺术市场繁荣期，张哲溢却在中心与这种繁荣保持了距离，他是中国艺术市场繁荣期的缺席者，这也印证了他并不是在那个时代前往北京艺术圈的淘金者，而彼时正是70后“卡通一代”大行其道的时候。2011年张哲溢举办了《惊蛰》个展，这也恰好呼应了这五年的蛰伏。不得不说的是在张哲溢的作品中也存在着卡通的元素，但是比较他与其他卡通一代艺术家的不同我们会发现，在张哲溢的绘画中，卡通的源头其实不是卡通本身，早期的卡通形象来自于他对于童年铁皮玩具的记忆，70后的艺术家张哲溢在2006年之后的北京描绘着80年代童年记忆中的玩具，这种穿越了时间和地点的情绪我反倒更愿意将其理解为一种遥远的乡愁，卡通的形式甜美温暖的外表之下是艺术家对于旧时光的触碰和再现，而那时的他不再是想念起青春的残酷和日新月异的奥运前后的北京，这些卡通形象包裹着的其实是一份严肃的乡愁和对于80年代桂林童年的畅想。我想正是这样的情愫在张哲溢的艺术中起到了保鲜剂的功效，他直到今天依然对于铁皮玩具保留着极大的兴趣。这也就验证了一个矛盾的艺术家的形象，他尝试幽默的去面对现实，试图用卡通和“玩”来消解抗拒现实的残酷性，但是总是会不经意间流露出他的悲观。正是因为如此，我们重新审视张哲溢绘画中的卡通属性时会发现，这些产生于艺术市场热之后的卡通因素本质上是伤感而矛盾的，这些包裹着旧时光的卡通玩具和当下我们面对的信息化和工业化痕迹无所不在的世界是一种温暖的抗拒。这一代的温暖抗拒以往是被艺术评论界所忽视的，而在电影界当我们谈论起70后导演贾樟柯的“故乡三部曲”，这种对于记忆的呈现恰恰所要针对的就是眼前的现实，我相信“乡愁”是对于巨变的一种抵抗。同样的，1972年出生的李海鹏用幽默而犀利的话语写作《佛祖在一号线》的时候，我想也可以总结为这种温暖的抗拒。
In 2006, Zhang Zheyi ended his romantic and leisure lifestyle in Guilin and moved to Beijing to become an artist. He was inevitably under the influence of the idealism afterglow of the late 80’s and early 90’s. The choice indicates that he bid farewell to his comfort zone and entered the Beijing art scene with his faith in art. However, during the period of the art market boom from 2006 to 2008, Zhang Zheyi kept a distance from prosperity. He is an absentee during the boom of China’s art market, which confirms that he is not a gold digger in the Beijing art circle when the post-70’s “cartoon generation” was in full swing. In 2011 Zhang Zheyi held a solo exhibition called “Insects Awaken”, which also echoes his five-year dormancy. I have to say that there is also a cartoon element in Zhang Zheyi’s works. Compared with other cartoon artists, Zhang’s cartoon characters originate from his memory about tin toys in his childhood, rather than the cartoon itself. After 2006, Post-70’s artist Zhang Zheyi was painting his childhood toys from the 80’s in Beijing, the emotion of which surpasses time and space and can be interpreted as a kind of distant nostalgic. The sweet and warm appearance of the cartoon character is a touch and representation of the old times. The old Zhang would not think about the cruelty of youth and the ever-changing Beijing before and after the Olympics. These cartoon characters embody his serious homesickness and imagination of his childhood in Guilin in the 1980s. I think this affection has played a role as a preservative in Zhang’s art, he still has great interest in tin toys to this day. This just proves his image as a contradictory artist. He tries to face the reality with humor, to dispel and resist the cruelty of the reality with cartoons and “playing”, but always reveals his pessimism inadvertently. Because of this, when we re-examine the cartoon quality in Zhang Zheyi’s painting after the market’s heat, the cartoon elements carry a sad and contradictory quality. Those cartoon toys wrapped in the old times are a kind of warm resistance of the omnipresent information and industrialized world we live today. This warm resistance of the 70’s has been neglected by the art critics in the past. In the “Hometown Trilogy” by the 70’s director Jia Zhangke, the presentation of this kind of memory is the reality. I believe that the “homesickness” is the resistance to great changes. In a similar way, the writing Buddha on Line One by Li Haipeng, born in 1972 also reflects a warm resistance.
三、假象制造者和真实揭示者
III. False Maker and True Revealer
绘画究竟是反映现实还是制造幻想中的幻象？绘画发展的过程我想和电影这种艺术形式在表达上有着类似的两个线索，一者还原现实，一者表现想象。艺术家认为内心的真实是另外一种真实，那么思想也成为了一种真实。张哲溢最近的作品中就有不少关于电影与光影的伏笔，例如将具象世界抽象化的《看电影》系列和中英文互译对应趣味的《撕皮儿薄革 It's pigs bug 》。
Is painting a reflection of the reality or an illusion of fantasy making? The development of painting and the art form of film share two similar clues. One is to restore the reality and the other is to present imagination. Artists believe that the inner reality is another reality, which transform thoughts into a kind of reality. Many of Zhang’s recent works have foreshadowed about film and light, including “Watching Films” series which turns the real world into an abstract and the “It’s Pigs Bug” series, which plays around Chinese and English translation and pronunciation.
在后卡通时代的创作之后，张哲溢的架上绘画作品进入了一个时间线上更为宽阔的时期。他所参照学习和研究的古典文化越来越深入到中国古代书画的传统中，一方面是样式上的研究，一方面是对于古诗词的研究，而作品所揭示的内容越来越针对当代社会正在发生的事情，这样两个反向深入使得他的作品具备了一种荒诞感。但是阅读张哲溢作品的荒诞感需要耐心，因为他总是将这种幽默和怪诞藏的很深，以至于没有些许传统书画的修为比较难领略到其中的韵味，再以其近期的几件作品为例可见一斑。
After the creation of post-cartoon era, Zhang Zheyi’s painting embraced an broader timeline. His reference and study of classical culture are increasingly deepened to the tradition of Chinese classical paintings and calligraphy. One aspect is about the research on forms, and the other is his study about ancient poetry. The content of his work is more pointing to what happens in contemporary society. Such two reversed depths of research have brought his work a sense of absurdity. But it takes patience to appreciate Zhang’s absurdity, as he always keeps the humor and the grotesque so high that it is difficult to discern its charm without the knowledge of Chinese traditional painting and calligraphy. His recent works are good examples of that.
首先是《红点是作品的一部分》这件作品，这件作品描绘了一个貌似孔子一般的古代贤士形象，他的左手指着作品的左下角，老者的背后是若隐若现宛如董源绘画中的小重山，而老者的眼睛似乎也有问题，仔细一看是两重眼睛，张哲溢阐述中说老者可能是造字的仓颉，而我觉得这样产生的错觉往往是用于一件当代艺术绘画和摄影中的办法，而作品中的书法题字就是“红点是作品的一部分”，于是当我们循着画中老者的眼神和手指看到了一个贴在作品左下角的一个红点，该红点或许正是老者长衫上胸口的缺失，而这个简单的红点置身于艺博会和画廊的语境中会显得特别幽默，因为红点在艺术交易中意味着“已售”。谜题在寻找到左下角的红点的一刻被揭示出来，这个时候幽默和艺术的情绪传达就产生了。在这件作品里足以体现张哲溢作品的诸多特征，首先是这件作品和观众的关系不再是一个简单的观看和被观看的关系，不仅仅作为一个图像的观看来完成，而是一种情绪互动或者挑逗，这个过程中产生了思想的交流和幽默感情绪的传递。第二，这件作品用传统的严肃的样式掩盖了一个荒诞的现实，这两者的反差预示着张哲溢对于“红点”这一行为的戏谑态度，艺术本质上是一种思想分享和交流，却在艺术市场中无法逃避这种赤裸裸的交易，这种物质和思想的矛盾在艺术市场中体现出来。第三，在这个作品的设置中，红点作为脱离于画面之外的一部分使得这件作品不是一个单纯的架上绘画，他考虑到了这件作品所展示的画廊和博览会空间，由此它面向公众的时候又颇具一些公共艺术的属性。
In the work “A Red Dot is Part of the Work”, the artist depicts an image of an ancient sage who looks like Confucius. He points to the lower left corner with his left finger. The background behind the old man is overlapping mountains partly hidden and partly visible as the mountain paintings by Dong Yuan (ca. 943). The old man’s eyes look strange. Taking a closer look, we find that he has four eyes. Zhang mentioned that the old man might be the inventor of Chinese characters Cang Jie. I think this illusion is often used in a contemporary painting or photo. The calligraphy inscription is the work title “A Red Dot is Part of the Work”. We follow the direction of the old man’s sight and finger, to find a red dot on the left corner of the work. The red dot might be the missing part of his red gown. This simple red dot in the context of art fairs and galleries will be particularly humorous since it means “sold” in art trading. The puzzle is revealed when the red dot is found and the transmission of a humorous and artistic emotion is completed. This piece is enough to reflect many features of Zhang Zheyi’s works. Firstly, the relation between the work and the audience is no longer simply of viewing and being viewed. It is more than watching an image, but an emotional interaction or tease. This process causes the exchange of ideas and the transmission of humor. Secondly, this work covers an absurd reality with traditional and serious styles. The contradiction indicates Zhang’s playful attitude to put on the “red dot”. Art is essentially the exchange of ideas and communication, but can’t evade being traded in the market. The contradiction between material and ideas is thus revealed in the art market. Thirdly, the setting of this work makes the red dot separated from the image, but part of the work. It is more than a painting on the easel. The artist also considered the exhibition space of the gallery and art fair where the piece is displayed, which makes the work take the quality of the public art.
其次是《蔬瓜集》系列的作品，仅从这个系列的作品名称就可以看出张哲溢试图以一个文人画自娱的心态去创作这个系列，《蔬瓜集之天下一人》将宋徽宗赵佶的题签“天下一人”用摆韭菜的形式呈现出来，并且配有题诗：““东风却比西风烈，断玉随风碾作尘。祭酒台前谁弄印，画押天下第一人。”用日常之物的韭菜去带出自谓天子的风雅皇帝赵佶，这种反差就存在着一种对时事的微妙讽刺，毕竟赵佶和韭菜的关系在大众的理解中很难被建立起来，但是结合张哲溢的题诗以及历史中对于靖康之变被俘后宋徽宗的悲苦生活就不难理解这两者的关系了，堂堂风雅高贵的大宋皇帝在流放中依然会斯文扫地，落入泥土里。总体来讲，《蔬瓜集》在样式上仿佛传统文人画册页，内容表达则仿佛近代文学小品，这样的形式和内容所触发的情绪和思考都是从微小的思绪和趣味入手的，而与以往不同的则是张哲溢总尝试在绘画中加入对于中国当下现实的触碰，比如《黄瓜花》通过题跋中对于黄瓜小花的常识表现出当下人们对于转基因食品安全的紧张。
The next is a piece of the “Vegetables and Melons” series. From the title, we can see that the artist created this series out of a self-entertainment mood as a literati painter. The work “The Best Vegetables and Melons in All the Land” represents Emperor Huizong of Song (1082-1135) ’s concept of “the best in all the land” in the form of Chinese chives. The image is accompanied by a poem “The east wind is stronger than the Zephyr. The broken jade is grinded to dust, flowing the wind. Who is playing with the seal in front of the sacrifice stand? It is the one who has the best signature in all the land.” Using the daily food of chives, the artist introduced the elegant Emperor Zhao Ji (Huizong of Song). This contrast carries a subtle irony toward current events. After all, it is hard to relate Zhao Ji with chives in public understanding. But incorporating Zhang Zheyi’s poetic inscription and the miserable life of the imprisoned Emperor Huizong after the Jingkang incident, it will be easier to understand the relation between the two. The noble and elegant Emperor of Song lost his behavior and fell to the ground. Overall, the style of the “Vegetables and Melons” resembles modern literati piece. The expression of content is close to a modern literary essay. The emotion and content in this form and content are from subtle thought and interest. What is different from the past is that Zhang always tries to touch upon reality in contemporary China. For example, the inscription of “Cucumber Flowers” expresses people’s nervousness about genetically modified food through their common sense of cucumber flower.
除了《蔬瓜集》这类小品性质的闲情偶寄制作之外，张哲溢大幅油画作品更能体现他一直以来一以贯之的创作思路，《搜山》系列和《逆流图》都试图用油画材料制造出传统书画水墨意境的假象。之所以说是假象，当我们真正咀嚼画面发现那些水墨挥洒的山脉居然是飞机的尾烟和干扰弹等现代化高科技的结果，而这些飞机都被细微的隐匿在画面中而不易察觉，《逆流图》就是利用上述手法制造了马远《黄河逆流》的假象。这两个系列从山和水两个方面对应着中国山水画的两个重要形态，张哲溢皆以这样假象制造者的姿态呈现给观众，将当代风景极其隐晦的藏匿在传统的风景样式中，这种当代与传统的和谐，真实和假象的反差共存，反而构建成了张哲溢大件作品的特别之处。
Apart from the production of the literary “Vegetables and Melons” series, the large scale oil paintings by Zhang Yizhe reflect his consistent creative thinking. In the “Mounting Searching” and “Upstream” series, the artist tried to use oil painting materials to create an illusion of traditional calligraphy and ink painting. The reason why it is an illusion is that when we observe closely the ink-splashed mountains we discover they actually are the result of modern high technology such as the smoking tale of airplanes and jamming bombs. Those airplanes are hidden and hardly noticeable in the image. Using the above technique, “Upstream” creates the illusion of “The Upstream of Yellow River” by the painter Ma Yuan in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). These two series correspond to the two major forms of Chinese landscape painting – mountain and water. Zhang Zheyi as an illusion creator has presented to the audience the contemporary scenery hidden obscurely in the traditional landscape. The harmony of contemporary era and tradition and the contrast between reality and illusion coexist, which has formed a special feature of Zhang Zheyi’s artwork.
通过以上张哲溢近年来绘画的几件作品可以看出围绕着他创作的线索，他也毫不掩饰的认为自己学术上一直致力于传统和现代化的结合，这些当然是显而易见的，在我看来其可贵之处反倒是张哲溢一贯以来的的幽默感和画面所能呈现的荒诞感，正是因为这样使得他的作品中思想表达成为一个举重若轻的事情。当我们面对这些绘画作品的时候，凡是具备中国书画的基本学术功底和关注社会的中国人都会读懂张哲溢，更何况他的方式是轻松幽默的。
The above works created by Zhang Zheyi in recent years can present a clue of his creations. Apparently, in his art, Zhang doesn’t hide his academic belief of integrating tradition with modernity. What is more valuable, in my opinion, is Zhang’s consistent sense of humor and the absurdity in the image. It makes the expression of thought in his works weighs the most. When we look at these paintings, any Chinese who knows the academic basics of Chinese traditional art and cares for the society will understand, not to mention that the artist’s approach is easy and humorous.
四、大时代与小个体
IV. The Great Era and Small Individual
2017年是张哲溢真正意义上形成自己公共艺术发展脉络的开端，那就是在北京市二环内方家胡同46号院“一个美术馆”公共艺术项目中实施了《红海》这件作品，这件作品恰逢那时北京掀起了治理“穿墙打洞”的浪潮，作为北京文艺青年聚集地的方家胡同也受到了这场治理运动的影响，于是由此第一个颇具纪念性意义的“一个美术馆”艺术项目产生了，作为首次进行纯粹意义上公共艺术实践的张哲溢借此实现了从绘画艺术拓展到公共艺术领域的契机，正是因为他以往作品在建立和观众思考交流的优势之上，《红海》恰如其分地建立起了一种介入社会性质的公共艺术典范。张哲溢使用建筑废料拼接成为一个形式如同葛饰北斋《神奈川巨浪》一样的砖块巨浪，这巨浪象征着当代中国迅猛发展的浪潮，而每个砖块又像是我们这些被眼前生活裹挟的个体，预示着这些个体如同被拆和被修筑的建筑一样的命运。我们颠沛流离，我们漂泊，我们残缺，我们也在这场巨浪中最为普通和容易被忽视，然而正是这些往日我们所不容易关注的每一个砖块个体构成了一个巨浪，巨浪雄浑而壮观，而这种动荡的背后却又是每一个个体的沉默和平静。这件作品依然如其它作品一样，制造了一个美丽的假象，而当我们仔细阅读假象却发现了残酷而贴近自己生活的现实。《红海》在方家胡同46号院的特殊时期的语境中像是一座无名者共建的纪念碑，述说着那里曾经的光荣和梦想。而如今这件作品的另一版本又进入了二环内中粮·置地广场的大楼内成为了永久陈列，紧挨着地坛，北京城传统建筑和当代建筑的交汇处的大型装置在这里具有了更深层次的含义，这个作品与办公楼构成的反差加剧了这种荒诞的效果。
The year 2017 marks the beginning of Zhang Zheyi’s actual development of his public art, with the work “The Red Sea” for the public art project “A Museum” inaugurated at No. 46 Fangjia Hutong, 2ndRing of Beijing. This work was created when the wave of “hole through the wall” governance emerged in Beijing. Fangjia Hutong, being a gathering place of the literary youth in Beijing, was impacted by this governance movement. This gives birth to the first monumental art project “A Museum”. It is the first time for Zhang Yizhe to conduct pure public art practices, to expand from painting to public art. His old works were created on the advantage of communicating with the audience. “The Red Sea” is a good example of public art to invite social participation. Zhang Zheyi used construction waste to create a brick wave which is similar to “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” by Katsushika Hokusai. This wave symbolizes the rapid development of contemporary China. Each brick looks like an individual is caught up by life, predicting that they’ll have the same fate as building being built and demolished. We are displaced, drifting from place to place, and we are broken. We are the most common people and easily overlooked. However, these individual bricks constitute a huge wave, which is spectacular and forceful. Behind the turmoil are each individual’s silence and calm. This work still carries features of other works, to create a beautiful illusion. But when we look carefully, we will notice the cruel reality close to our life. In the special context at No. 46, Fangjia Hutong, “The Red Sea” is like a monument built by the unknown, narrating the past glories and dreams. Now another version of this work has entered the permanent exhibition at the COFCO Landmark plaza, which is next to the Temple of Earth. The large installation sits at the junction of Beijing’s traditional and contemporary buildings, which has deepened its meaning. The contrast of this work and the office building has also strengthened the absurd effect.
从《红海》开始，张哲溢真正意义上对于公共艺术有了越来越多的思考。他的公共艺术实践更像是一种介入社会性艺术的实践，一方面他组建了公共艺术方向的桌面艺术小组，另外一个线索则完全是一人作战，这两者穿插了近些年他的公共艺术创作。小组的实践更像是一个协作的结果，除了张哲溢本人之外，其余四人都具备雕塑专业背景，这样一来小组的公共艺术更像是一个年青艺术家的自我组织实践，而回归到张哲溢自己的公共艺术探索，其实是对于他绘画思路的延伸，本质上来讲依然是传统和当代的转化。
Starting from “The Red Sea”, Zhang Zheyi has had more thoughts on public art in its true sense. His public art practice is more like society intervened art practice. He has formed a public art group and also worked alone for his public art creation in the past years. The group practice tends to be a result of collaboration. Apart from Zhang Zheyi, all the other four members have a professional background in sculpture. This makes the group’s public art is more like a self-organized practice by a young artist. Zhang Zheyi’s public art exploration is actually an extension of his creative thought, which is essentially a transformation between tradition and modernity.
2016年年底由我发起的花家地单元房的艺术项目邀请张哲溢参与制作一个春节期间的艺术项目。张哲溢于农历新年到来之际实施了花家地“灯光寄养所”的艺术项目，他邀请身边的艺术家提供平时创作的灯具，他将数十位艺术家的“艺术家之光”在除夕到来之际在花家地的灯光寄养所集体发光，这一间公寓瞬间成为了整个花家地小区最为耀眼的房间。透过农历除夕的夜晚，这个房间的强烈灯光透过窗户制造了一个颇为不真实的场景。这个艺术项目现在看来依然延续着他在《红海》中的人文关怀，北京的艺术家群体大多春节期间回到了家乡，而张哲溢为他们在除夕之夜托养了这些孤独的灯光。这样一个荒诞而具有童真的艺术项目不正是他的架上绘画一直以来所散发的气质吗？“灯光寄养所”计划到了2018年有了进一步的发展，这一年张哲溢将这个项目带入到了日本“大地艺术祭——越后妻有三年展”，如果说2016年的“灯光寄养所”是用艺术家之光的场景寄养了那些孤独的灯光，那么在越后妻有张哲溢把这个命题拓展到了社会大众的层面，用日本之光映照了空巢农村的孤独。人类的发展历程中，光和人的关系是一种相互映照的关系，张哲溢把人和光的关系拟人化处理使得这个项目延续了这种温暖的关怀。人类的历史与光紧密相关，有人的地方就有灯光，而有灯光的地方终归也会有人。
At the end of 2016, I initiated the Huajiadi Unit House art project and invited Zhang Zheyi to participate in the production of an art project during the Spring Festival. On the arrival of the Chinese Lunar New Year, Zhang Zheyi implemented the art project Huajiadi “Lighting Fostering Place” and invited his artist friends to provide with lamps of their own creation. He used the “artist lights” from more than ten artists to shine collectively at the lighting fostering place, creating the most dazzling place in the entire Huajiadi community. On the Chinese New Years Eve, the intense light through the window created an unreal scene. This art project seems to coninue his humanistic care in “The Red Sea”. Most artists in Beijing returned to their hometown for the Spring Festival, but Zhang Zheyi cared for those lonely lights on the New Year’s Eve. Is such an absurd and childlike art project not carrying the temperament and consistency that we’ve seen on his painting works? The “Lighting Fostering Place” project was taken a step further in 2018. This year, Zhang Zheyi brought the art project to Japan’s “Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial”. If the “Lighting Fostering Place” in 2016 was meant to foster the artist’s lonely lights, in Japan, Zhang Zheyi extended the proposal to a public level, using the lights to shine over the loneliness of the empty nests in the rural areas. In the history of human development, the relation between humans and light is a mutual reflection. With this project, Zhang Zheyi personifies this relationship between humans and light, continuing through time with warm care. The history of mankind is closely related to light. Where there are people, there will be lights, and where there are lights, there will eventually be people.
从《红海》到《灯光寄养所》项目，作为张哲溢个人公共艺术实践的代表，我们可以不难看出他这种直接的人文关怀的独特性，而当我们回味这种独特的人文关怀，透过作品本身抽丝剥茧不难发现，这种一直以来的温暖抗拒可以追溯到他早期的那些铁皮玩具的绘画，在张哲溢的公共艺术实践中他依然用这样的方式将作品当做一个人去看待处理，如何让作品充满感情和散发温度可能正是他公共艺术实践的秘诀之一。
From “The Red Sea” to the “Lighting Fostering Place” project, Zhang Zheyi is a representative of individual public art practice. It is not hard to notice the uniqueness of his direct humanistic care. When we recall the humanistic care and make a painstaking examination of the painting itself, the warm resistance can be traced back to his early tin toy paintings. In his public art practice, he has kept this approach to treat the work as an individual. How to make work full of emotion and warmth is perhaps one of the secrets of his public art practice.
五、回到“飘一代”
Back to the “Drifting Generation”
从前文所述可见张哲溢的矛盾和混合通过他的艺术一览无余，一方面，他左手马远，右手现实，这样的结果就是他的绘画，另一方面，他左手中国传统的研习兴趣，右手却又是对于现代化文明的深刻认同，这样的结果造就了他作品中特有的荒诞感和幽默感，最终这两方面形成的左手和右手互相搏斗的关系让我想起了金庸武侠中的老顽童周伯通的左右手互搏之术，老顽童乃生性好玩有趣之人，张哲溢也是如此。其互搏并非左右手你强我弱的较量，而是两种不同观念切磋与交融的自我乐趣。
From this text , we can find that Zhang Zheyi’s contradiction and duality are fully presented in his art. His left hand copied the master painter Ma Yuan and the right hand painted the reality, which led to the uniqueness of his paintings. He researches into Chinese traditional techniques and also has a profound recognition of modern civilization. As a result, his works contains a peculiar sense of absurdity and humor. In the end, the contradictory duality between his left and right hands reminds us of the fighting technique of the old urchin Zhou Botong in Jinyong’s Wuxia fiction. Zhou Botong is a fun and interesting person, and so is Zhang Zheyi. His contradictory duality is not a struggle for victory, but a kind of self-enjoyment during the communication and integration of two different concepts.
1975年生人的张哲溢按照古人所说进入了不惑之年，在他面前依然是“飘一代“的生活，如果《新周刊》“飘一代”的回访中有对于张哲溢的采访会是什么样呢？我想我会这样来问他：
Born in 1975, Zhang Zheyi has reached an age in which one has no doubts (ancient saying for people of over 40 years old). He still leads a life of the “drifting generation”. What the interview will be if the “ New Weekly” magazine interviewsZhang Zheyi? I would like to raise the following questions.
2006年的漂和十三年后现在的漂对你来讲有什么不同？
What is the difference between “your drifting life” in 2006 and now,13 years later?
如果说艺术是你寻找自由生活和“飘一代”生活理念的方式，你觉得你找到了自由没有？
If art is your way to pursue freedom and the life concept of the “drifting generation”, have you found your freedom?
是什么让你在十几年的过程中依然相信艺术？并且为之奋斗？
What has made you believe in art over the decades? And what are the struggles?
如果2006年不来北京成为艺术家，而是继续在桂林，你会成为一个什么样的人？
If you didn’t move to Beijing to become an artist in 2006, and stayed in Guilin instead, what kind of person you would be?
在下一个十年，你可否描述一下你理想的生活？你理想的艺术会发展到什么样的程度呢？
How do you describe your ideal life in the next decade? What level of art development would you like to reach?
原文刊登于《今艺术》Taipei 2019年8月刊 "ARTCO" Taipei Aug 2019 issue