■ ■ 策展人前言 ■ ■
Curator’s Foreword
「七上八下」在重慶話中常指吃火鍋時涮毛肚的手法。「七上八下」既能保障食材原本的口感，也能讓火鍋中的辣油和香料完美沁入。而來自澳門的藝術家許嘉恩在重慶這個「大火鍋」中也恰好生活了十五天。
這次展覽起源於藝術家對日常生活中重複行為的反思。正如同作品中所引用的西西弗斯推動巨石的隱喻，藝術家以從飲茶時的禮儀到天際線的夕陽，從街巷邊的叫賣到無意義的拍攝等一系列日常行為為內容進行創作。本次展覽包含並延續了藝術家在澳門的創作，並使用相似的創作方法，將她在重慶的觀看與反思通過繪畫與影像展現出來。
「上下」可指空間、可指情緒、亦可指心境，無數個上上下下的總和便是生活。正如油鍋中翻滾的食材，看似重複卻時刻變化，也如生活看似日常卻相繼無常。「知和曰常，知常曰明」或許嘉恩作品中所展現的正是她從微小日常探索生命意義的一條道路。
“Ups and Downs” in Chongqing dialect often refers to the technique of instant-boil tripe when eating hot pot. “Seven ups and eight downs” can not only ensure the original taste of the ingredients but also allow the oil and spices to merge perfectly. Macau artist Hoi Ka Ian also happened to live in Chongqing, “the city of hot pot” for in total fifteen days.
This exhibition originated from the artist’s reflection on repetitive behaviors in daily life. Just like the metaphor of Sisyphus pushing the boulder cited in her work, artist works are inspired by a series of daily behaviors, from the etiquette of drinking tea to the sunset on the skyline, from the hawking in the streets to the meaningless shooting. This exhibition includes and continues the artist’s creation in Macau, and uses similar creative methods to show her observations and reflections in Chongqing through paintings and images.
“Up and Down” can also refer to space, emotions, or the state of mind. The sum of countless “Ups and Downs” is life itself. Just like the ingredients rolling in the hot pot, it seems repetitive but changes all the time, just like life seems daily but is impermanent. “Knowing harmony is constancy, knowing constancy is enlightenment.” Perhaps what Hoi Ka Ian’s works is showing is her path of exploring the meaning of life from the repetitive daily life.
I always look for light in rotation and revolution
The red oil keeps rolling before turning off the flame
We are all rotating and revolving
The sound of “Bang Bang” passes from top to bottom
Throw myself into the hotpot
If you let go, you will be sucked into the whirlpool
展覽開幕 Opening：2024.8.2 19:00
2024.8.2-8.18 14:00-18:00
（每週五至週日｜Every Fri. to Sun.）
Exhibition Hall B, Dimensions Art Center, Chongqing, China
Introduction To The Artist
許嘉恩，澳門創作者。她作品的核心關懷是當代社會對於「脆弱」的詮釋和表達，以及把人們情感深處赤裸表現的方法。她對藝術的對話性質深感興趣，常以「偶發」，獎勵的方式和觀者溝通，作品和觀者相互而生。
作品媒材多為繪畫，複合媒材，錄像及文字。
許嘉恩畢業於倫敦藝術大學切爾西藝術與設計學院美術碩士，以及臺北藝術大學美術學士。求學期間多次參與及策劃展覽，曾與多個國家藝術家合作。
Hoi Ka Ian is a Macau artist whose works are about the relationship of vulnerability within individuals and communities. With that she expresses her vision through different medium: paintings, installations, videos and texts.
In her works, key words “likeability”, “secret”, “identity”, “communicate appear repeatedly”. She tends to use her own methodology to interpret “vulnerability”, while struggling with white cube work standard, she would rather describe her work as “non-spectacular spectacle”. She wishes her work is a staged happening, rewarding to the audience, and create a feeling resonance platform of intimacy through interpretation and contemplation of nowadays society as a member of new generation and a Macau artist.
She holds a MA fine art degree from University of the Arts London (Chelsea College of arts) and a BA fine art degree from Taiwan National University of the Arts. During her study she has been participating and curating various exhibitions locating in Macau, Taiwan, Portugal and London.
以往作品介紹︱Introduction to Previous Works：
That Day I rolled a boulder Up a Mountain
《那天我推了一顆石頭上山》講述了一個永無止境的生活故事。
在希臘神話薛西弗斯（Sisyphus）的故事中，薛西弗斯犯錯被神懲罰，將一塊巨石推上一座陡峭的山坡，但每當他接近山頂時，巨石會滾落下來，迫使他重新開始推。這個無盡的、徒勞無功的任務成為了他永恆的懲罰。
藝術家反思生活中不斷重覆的事件：創造與毁滅、破壞與修補，從此出發，以寓言式的創作方式為主軸，配合影像、裝置形式發現生活中群像的薛西弗斯，以脫離生活再映照到個人生命經驗中: 宇宙的自我平衡中，個人的生活意義是什麼？
在此裝置作品中，斜坡上的鐵球會自行滾上「山頂」後再滾到底，不斷重複。在裝置中間投影有關日常重複的錄像作品（約16分鐘）。
“That Day I rolled a boulder Up a Mountain” tells a never-ending story of life.
In the Greek myth of Sisyphus, Sisyphus was punished by the gods for making a mistake by pushing a boulder up a steep hill. However, whenever he approached the top of the mountain, the boulder would roll back, forcing him to start again. This endless, futile task became his eternal punishment.
The artist reflects on the recurring events in life: creation and demolition, destruction and repair. The artist uses the allegorical approach as the main axis, and uses video, and installation as medium to discover the ensemble portraits of Sisyphus in life. From breaking away from life and reflect it into personal life experience: What is the meaning of individual’s life in the self-balance of the universe?
In this installation, a metal ball rolls up the slope structure by itself, and when it reaches the top, it rolls down again, and the process repeats. There is a video work about repetition in daily life being project on the the slope surface.
畫中呈現出森林的場景， 其中有「理想生活」的字體形象， 以一種具反射性的材質出現， 表達出文字和概念的互認關係。每個人都有其理想中的生活， 但這個「理想生活」可能是家人、同儕、朋友、社會共同建構的概念， 但這種生活是我們真正想要、真正需要的嗎？在尋找的過程中， 可能會走進令人迷困的森林， 森林中光禿的樹枝， 在黑暗展現彩耀的水面， 現實和思想交錯， 哪裡才有正確的答案？
The painting presents a forest scene, with the font image of “Ideal Life” appearing in a reflective material, expressing the relationship between word and concept. Everyone has his or her ideal life, but this “ideal life” may be a concept construct by family, peers, friends, and society. But is this kind of life what we really want and need? In the process of searching, you may walk into a confusing forest, with bare branches in the forest, and the water surface shining brightly in the dark. Reality and thought are intertwined. Where is the correct answer?
概念化的理想生活，成為反映現實的鏡子：在疲憊的城市生活裏迷失了自己。他/她決定離開一切，尋找理想生活。來到一個神秘的森林，與大自然相處。他學會種植，捕魚，與動物和平共存。他建立了一個小屋，享受寧靜與自由。
The conceptualisation of “ideal life” becomes a mirror reflecting reality: living in a tiring city makes one lose oneself. He/She decided to leave everything and find an ideal life. Come to a mysterious forest and get along with nature. He/She learned to plant, fish, and coexist peacefully with animals. He/She built a cabin and enjoyed peace and freedom.
叩指禮是在飲茶時表達尊敬和感激的一種禮儀動作。它是一種獨特的手勢，通常在接受倒茶時進行。當賓客接過茶杯時，他們會視乎與倒茶人的關係以不同手勢用輕輕敲擊桌面。這個動作象徵著尊敬和感謝，表達對倒茶人的敬意。
這件作品在思考日常中的一些重複的「儀式」。在作品中，叩指禮中敬茶與被敬茶的手部動作被單獨抽出，以漂浮影像方式各自呈現在茶壺及茶杯之中。當我們從被剝離意義主體角度觀察手部動作， 它們只是不斷地重複自身；而在生活中，各種重複自身的行動、發現和相遇在賦予「儀式感」後就產生了和生命意義相扣的關係。
Finger knocking is a ceremonial gesture to express respect and gratitude while drinking tea. It is a unique gesture usually performed when receiving a tea pouring. When guests receive the tea, they will tap the table gently with different gestures depending on their relationship with the tea pourer. This action symbolises respect and gratitude, and expresses respect for the person who pours the tea.
This work tends to contemplate on some repeated “rituals” in daily life. In this work, the hand movements of serving tea and being served tea in the finger knocking ceremony are extracted separately and presented in the form of floating images in the teapot and teacup respectively. When we observe hand movements from the perspective of the subject who has been stripped of their meaning, they just keep repeating themselves; and in our daily lives, various actions, discoveries and encounters that repeat themselves become linked to the meaning of life after being given a “ritual sense” Relationship.
Make the boulder blooms before it gets heavier
轉石是一顆不停轉動的石頭，是觀眾進入展區的第一件作品， 它像一顆「指路石」，亦像一個不斷通過轉動吸引觀眾目光來闡述自身故事。轉石來自薛西佛斯故事中薛西佛斯推的石頭， 每個人心中都有不同的「石頭」：生活負擔、工作、人際關係、回憶、人生目標、未來……你可以相信它是負擔或是推動人不斷向前、向上的力量來源。不論是何種，人類在生命結束之前都不會有一刻停止， 而在轉動的石頭上我們可以嘗試開出奇異而閃耀的花，讓它轉得更加有意義。
Flower is a stone that keeps turning. It is the first work that the audience sees when entering the exhibition area. It is like a “guiding stone” and a stone that constantly turns to attract the attention of the audience to tell its own story. This stone comes from the boulder pushed by Sisyphus in the story. Everyone has different “stones” in their hearts: life burden, work, relationships, memories , life goals, future… You can believe it is a burden or motivation that pushes people forward, or “upward”. No matter what it is, human never stop for a moment before the end of their lives, and we can try to bloom a strange glowing flowers on the turning stone to make it turn more meaningfully.
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Website : chongqingdac.org
Email : info@chongqingdac.org
Facebook : Chongqing Dimensions Art Centre & Chongqing Artists In Residency
Address : Huangjueping GuanJiaLin 190, Jiulongpo, Chongqing, CN.
