留住个人的历史记忆
——谈刘骐鸣油画作品
王 林
在一个只推崇集体主义的社会中，即使是以人为本的思想也极易受到污染，当“人”变成“民”的时候，个人往往被排除在外。对中国封建主义文化传统而言，民和君相对，所谓“民为贵，君为轻，社稷次之”，民之重要在于它是君王统治的基础。这里有一个我们判断当今社会是否真正进入现代化的前提，即个人自由的优先权在社会体制和社会生活中的实现程度。宪法规定了每个公民的民主权利，而我们在现实生活中却根本无法实现。公民权名存实亡的现状，对中国人的精神心理产生了深刻的影响，大陆艺术家对于重大政治历史事件的集体失忆，就是一个显著的例证。众多艺术家在利用甚至滥用毛时代的文化资源，却几乎没有人对那样一个时代的历史灾难进行重述和反省。历史题材创作自伤痕美术浅尝辄止以来，至今仍然是官方意识形态全面主宰的领域，仍然是以政治倾向性取代历史真实性的所谓现实主义创作方法和叙事霸权肆虐的场地。
正因为如此，当我看到刘骐鸣把自己作品的关注点集结于历史记忆的时候，内心是充满感动的。
刘骐鸣从个人记忆的角度切入历史，无论是以年号为题，还是“革命样板”、“反恐精英”、“奥运畅想”等等以历史叙事为契机的作品，画家都没有对政治历史事件进行直接描绘。他总是用心理象征的手法，去叙说自己对于正在消逝的历史记忆的某种感触。比如《我的1989》系列作品，有的只是在天空中被悬置的稀微的人链，或者是在云水之上留下运动姿势的身影。这些已经被中国人在当今社会中集体遗忘的形象，在画面中显得那么渺小，那么虚幻。不仅是画家对于有意被抛弃的历史经历的哀戚，而且是艺术对于消费时代的精神现实的悲叹。正是在发自内心的哀戚与悲叹之中，艺术家希望留住个人的历史记忆。
这是诗意化的历史与历史化的诗意。
刘骐鸣的画面是空旷而寂寥、静谧而辽远的。他总是用灰暗的色彩——灰蓝、灰绿、或者是灰灰的淡红色——来构成朦胧的、含混的背景，甚至就是云水相接的画面本身。这中间有云水的波澜，有白日的晕辉，其间时隐时显的是典型的政治符号天安门。这种中国古典城楼出现在云水之间，有一种仙山琼廊的意象，为画家营造超现实情境增添了虚无飘渺的诗意。同时也以其政治象征，暗示出个人叙事的历史针对性。
画家对人的描绘是远距离的，空间的渺小与时间的消逝相互沟通。无论他们是在行走、在游弋，还是在做着运动的姿式、在树枝绳索上悬垂，画家有意利用透光的背景把他们画得如同剪影，轻薄、微小、飘浮，无根无源，无倚无靠，无始无终，无奈而又宿命。这是些被抛弃的人，被官方权利、被权利意识、被意识形态所抛弃、所遗忘的人。在市场经济、消费时代、集体社会混杂一体的当代中国，知识分子的整体坍塌、艺术创作的急功近利和历史意识的淡薄是互为表里的。刘骐鸣置身其中，对此深有所感。他在画面流露出深深的孤独和落寞，这种情绪是现场的也是真切的。唯其如此，艺术才能作为一种揭示，以其敏感、细微的心理反应揭示出精神现实的真实。
艺术创作并不一定要以对抗、对立的方式出现，才具有对于社会现实、精神现实和文化现实的批判性。艺术创作作为个人对生活的体验，其批判价值在于以个体化艺术语言去挑战既成、既定的集体话语。刘骐鸣作品执着于个人对历史事件的精神反应与心理追忆，本身就是对抹杀历史记忆的专制权利和集体意识的否定。在画面中刘骐鸣不断甚至是顽固地使用红色点线，不仅是在灰冷色调中提示视觉注意的形式需要，其红屋顶、红绳索、红领巾、红内裤等等，都是具有能指意义的政治符号或泛政治符号，只不过画家把它们异样化，抽离于现实生活而构置起超现实体验，通过历史的片断化、个别化、零散化，让历史还原成为个人的、心灵的、小写的历史。刘骐鸣以哀婉而凄楚的诗意去触摸历史，旨在证明历史是不能忘记的。其实，这句话本身就包含着对于历史的尊重，哪怕是曾经造成过巨大伤害的沉重的历史。也许这一点，正是刘骐鸣作品充满伤感诗意的原因。
谈刘骐鸣画作，令人想起当代德国画家基弗尔，他以泣血忏悔和入骨反省为德国民族二战以来的历史谱写了宏伟的哀歌。我总在想，中国画界开始有了如刘骐鸣这样低吟浅唱，流连于历史经历的作品，什么时候才能有如基弗尔一般为历史苦难发出道义强音的艺术家呢？
2008年6月15日
于四川美院桃花山侧
Retain the
Personal Historical Memory
-- On Liu Qiming’s paintings
Wang Lin
In a community only collectivism canonized,the
people-oriented thinking is even vulnerable to be polluted,and when
"people" becomes "citizen", individuals are often excluded.To the Chinese feudalism cultural tradition, monarch is the contrary
of citizen. The so-called " People are on the top of priority, with
monarch following, then the state", the
importance of citizen lies in that it is the basis of reign for the monarch. There is a premise for us to judge whether our current
society enters the real modernization or not,and that is the extent of
realization on priority for individual freedom in social structure and social
life.Constitution regulates democratic
rights for each citizen, which in life can’t be realized at all. The franchise
existing in name only has profound impact on the spirit of the Chinese people.
An obviouse example is mainland artists’ collective amnesia to major events in
politics and history.Many artists use or even abuse the cultural resources of
the Mao times,however,people seldom restate or reflect on disasters in such an
era. Historical themes stops ever since Scar Art,and till now official ideology
still dominates that area,an area indulged with the so-called realistic
creating approach and narrative
hegemony,political inclination replacing the historical authenticity.
That is why,when I saw Liu Qiming’s artworks focusing on
the historical memory,I am deeply moved.
Liu Qiming involves history with his personal memory. His
artworks, some are with title marked by the year,and some record history such
as”Revolutionary Model" "Counter-Strike"and "Olympic Imagination",but,he doesn’t
dipict the political and historical events directly.He narrates his certain feeling
to the passing historical memeory with a psychological and symbolized way.For
example, in "My 1989" series,some are slim tiny chains of people
suspended in the sky,and some are figures leaving their postures of movement
in cloud or water.These images
collectively forgotten by the Chinese people in society,so small and illusory.This
is not only his grief to the abanded historical experiences, but also lament to
the reality in the consumption times.Because of the grief and lament,he wants
to retain his historical memory.
This is poetic history and historical poetry.
Liu Qiming’s paintings are open and lonely,quiet and
distant.He always use dark colors,grey blue,grey green,or grey light red,to
form hazy background,and even cloud
mixed with water is the image itself. In it,there are cloud and water waves,
splendor of the sun,and among them is the typical political symbol Tian’anmen.
This classical Chinese architecture appeares in between cloud and water,like
images in wonderland,adding untangible poetic colors for him to create
surrealistic atmosphere.Meanwhile,with its political symbol,he implies
historical pertinency of personal
narration.
He depicts people from far distance,small space
connecting with the passing away of time.Whether they are walking,cruising,or
in movement postures,suspended in branches or ropes,he intentionally paints
them as silhouettes,thin,tiny,floating,rootless,unreliable,without beginning
and ending,helplessness and fatalism.These are people being abandoned,forgotten
by the official rights,right awareness,and ideology.In contemporary China with market
economy,consumption era,collective society,intellectuals group collapse,eager
for quick success and instant benefit,lack of historical awareness,all these
are mutually related. Living in such a society, Liu Qiming understands this
deeply.In the painting he expresses deep solitude and loneliness,and this
sentiment is on the spot and true.Only in this way,art can reveal the truth of spiritual
reality with its sensitive,subtle psychological reaction.
Art creating doesn’t
need in an opposed and incompatible way to criticize social reality,spiritual
and cultural realities.Artistic creating is as personal experience to life,and
its value on criticism lies in challenging the established collective discourse
with individual artistic language.Liu Qiming’s artworks focusing on the
response and psychological recall to history events,which in itself is a denial
to authoritarian rights and collective awareness in kiling historical
memory.In his paintings Liu Qiming stubbornly continues to use red point and
line, reminding us of the need for using colors in grey tone,its red roof,red
rope,red scarf,red underwear and the like.All these are political symbols or
political-symbols-alike able to make sense,but he changes them,abstracting them
from real life and constructing surreal experience,with segments and odds
returning a personal,spiritual and lower history.Liu Qiming touching history in a sorrowful poetic
way aims to prove history can not be forgotten.In fact,this statement in itself
contains respect to history, even heavy history with great damage.Perhaps,this
point is the reason why Liu Qiming’s artworks is full of sadness and poetic
sense.
Liu Qiming’s
paintings remind me of a German contemporary artist Kieffer,who wrote a grand
Elegy for the German nation since World War II with introspection and
repentance.I always think, China art circle begins to have such paintings as
Liu Qiming’s, with low singing,related to historical experiences.When will
artist like Kieffer creating a strong moral ictus for history sufferings appear?
June 15,2008
in the Peach Blossom Hill Side of Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts