Passing Through The Gardens | CHI CHIEN
20 MAR - 23 MAY 2015
One central theme runs through Chi Chien’s work as he seeks to find the “Truth of Painting”. In “Passing Through the Gardens”, he explores the spatial relationship of the subjects through the separations of different dimensional planes on the same surface using visual artifice.
In this series, Chi replaces the traditional canvas with readymade printed fabrics of repeat floral patterns that extend throughout the whole piece of cloth.
He explains: “When a motif is repeated on a large surface, it becomes visually flattened and merges with the background… However when the same motif is isolated, it takes on a three-dimensional form, with the background set to the back and the motif floating at the front…”
To illustrate this concept, Chi paints over large stretches of the cloth, meticulously leaving selected parts unpainted allowing the remaining flowers or motifs to assume a tangible, spatial dimension on the fabric. As a result, this transforms the visual appearance of the flower pattern from being flat to spatial and for the overall work to resemble a landscape. Purposely disrupting the consistent flatness and accentuating certain elements has the interesting effect of interchanging the roles of the supporting canvas and the painted parts. The painted parts become the background while the unpainted parts, paradoxically, become the subject of the painting.
This visual play of reversed roles is embodied further by the hyper-realistic plane whose juxtaposition with the now prominent flowers highlights the initial levelness of the repetitive print. The plane flies on the painted parts, suggesting a passing of time. Here, the line between the perceived and the truth are increasingly blurred, inviting the viewer to ruminate on questions that intrigue Chi himself: “What is the subject and what is the background? What is painted and what is not?” and ultimately “What makes a painting, a painting? What makes art, art?”
“Facing flowers, I paint a picture.
So I said: "I painted a painting."
I then take this ‘painting’ and paint it on a canvas.
And I said: "I painted a painting."
Finally, I paint again on this painting and hang it on a wall.
I said again: "I painted a painting."
When these three sentences refer to the same thing,
I have the "Passing Through the Gardens series”.’
by Chi Chien, 2015
「穿越花園系列」
這個系列作品，主要是用花布替代畫布，就是由花布作為繪畫載體。所謂花布就是印有花色的布，通常圖案會被印製成連續紋樣，常為二方連續或四方連續， 反覆無限地擴張。
在這系列的作品中，藝術家使用顏料，將布面的連續紋樣大片覆蓋，僅保留部分圖案，讓花布重新回歸花在布上的空間，有別於布面的二維質地。這樣的轉化，使花布在作品中載體身分變為混淆，其實反而應該說是主體。因為此時布上花朵的安排，就像莫內的睡蓮還是中國花鳥畫，花本來就是一個典型繪畫題材，在東西方文化中都被賦予了特定的內涵。在中國傳統文化中，梅花象徵著民族之風骨，菊花象徵著文人之高潔，牡丹象徵著富人之華貴，蘭花象徵著君子之氣節。而在西方文化中，紅玫瑰象徵愛情、美麗和熱情，罌粟花象徵對死亡的悼唁，鳶尾和百合在葬禮中象徵著復活和生命。蓮花是佛教與印度教重要的精神象徵。此外，花是植物，嚴格說是植物的性器。在世界上的許多文化中，花是女性的象徵。
在齊簡的作品中，花布上的花朵，到底是「花」所開啟的意義？還是花布所承載的自身地域文化？花布透過「再印」的操作程序，讓我們感知一種類似風景題材的空間轉變，但因為寫實描繪飛機的出現，在強烈形式對比下，布的平面性質又再度被強調、喚回。這系列的作品如同藝術家一貫手法，總是將作畫程序切劃開來，並且讓其在觀看的過程中一一被閱讀。顏料刷印是飛機的「背景」，前景的花朵是「背景背後」。前後錯置、圖地互轉，在花布的物質條件裡，二戰飛機的「飛入」，讓眼前的「真實」被轉化為一種「想像」，而這種想像即是時間本身，這樣的時間理解存在於繪畫認識的過程中。「現在」總是透過「過去」才得以揭示，這裡的「過去」就是「想像」，是人類的歷史，是一場曾經帶來改變的戰爭歷史。人與人、人與自然的關係，因為對立我們才得以認識，也因為對立帶來了恐懼，恐懼帶來戰爭，戰爭牽動全球，改變世界。人類總是要在面對核戰、生態…等諸多毀滅性結局時，才可能看見寂然，看見一個小孩手捏著一架玩具飛機，讓它在空間中自由穿梭。我相信，遊戲是最原初的寫實劇場，在「那裡」，我們不是在飛機裡，就是在框架之外。
面對著花，我畫了一張畫。
於是，我說：「我畫了一張畫。」
後來，我將這張畫，畫在畫布上。
於是，我說：「我畫了一張畫。」
最後，我在這張畫上畫畫，掛回牆上。
於是，我說：「我畫了一張畫。」
當這三句話變成了同一件事， 於是有了「穿越花園系列」。
─ 齊簡