台北當代藝術館 官方網站 Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei

【喚‧魅─吳天章個展】是吳天章不斷推衍自我藝術生涯的又一次公開展示；早在80年代後期，他以充滿新本土意象的平面繪畫系列崛起藝壇，2000年初他毫不戀棧、重起爐灶似的快速轉進到數位平面影像這個新興的創作領域，從中完成了許多膾炙人口的作品，之後他又再度挑戰自我，開闢了目前結合「動態影像」和空間劇場概念的一條創作新路線。 本次當代藝術館的【喚‧魅─吳天章個展】，充分展現了吳天章偏好拼裝/複合兩極對立事物/意象的藝術思維和創作特質。以作品的生產為例，他一面訴諸原始的手工和勞動的精神，自行設計生產演出所需的服裝和道具，另一面卻又精心結合了新科技的「電控液晶玻璃」素材和機械投影技術，蓄意將展出現場營造出一種魔幻劇場的聲光氛圍和視覺體驗。再以本展所有動態影像作品的拍攝為例，他以極低限的態度運用數位影像媒材，放棄採用時下相當方便的電腦編修及後製軟體，而堅持了現場演出、一鏡到底的攝製手法，雖然因此增加了創作的難度，並降低了讓作品更完整無瑕的機率，但也因此，我們看到這些作品在利用數位科技的同時，其實隱藏了反思與審視當代科技文明的一道人文機制。 就創作意念而言，吳天章長期關注普存於台灣生活環境中，藉由「假假的視覺」而呈現的集體潛意識，以及充斥於社會文化中的一種「僞造」性格；在實作上，他刻意將真/假、虛/實以及生/死等相對立的題材和概念同時擺置於臨界點上，並透過虛實交替的「光學魔術」和「道具特技」，創造出詭異驚悚的動態視覺風格，同時演繹一場狡黠的辨證美學。「魔術」的本質就是假，卻讓觀者無法否認他所看到的真實；「特技」剛好顛倒，一切都是真功夫的，但因讓人捏把冷汗而寧願其中有假。吳天章的作品和展覽呈現，有意在這視覺的錯亂和知覺的動念之間著墨，召喚隱存在於吾人心靈意識中，對這種不可名狀之魅力的一種期待！ 歷史的真實往往被隱藏，以一種「偽裝」的樣貌續存且被看見，長久處於殖民與被殖民的歷史幽魂拉鋸，塑造了台灣的一種掠奪心態、失序社會和集體焦慮。身為一個從歷史與文化批判意識起家的創作者，吳天章秉持著「去菁英」的姿態，極力跳脫「議題式」的創作窠臼，而回歸到社會美學層面的觀照，將台灣「聳、俗」的常民文化及生命信仰符碼，轉譯為具當代性的視覺元素，以黑色幽默的氣質，和「返璞」的精神來召喚一種無法「歸真」的歷史記憶、以及仍然斷裂中的主體認同，希望以此重新連結台灣的土地倫理和人文情感。 Magical Limbo – Solo Exhibition of Wu Tienchang is yet another public demonstration of Wu Tienchang’s continuous effort at expanding his own artistic horizons. The late 80s saw his rise in the Taiwanese art scene with paintings of neo-localist imagery; at the beginning of 2000, seemingly without a backward glance, he shifted to the burgeoning medium of digital imaging, and created prominent artworks. Since then, he has once again challenged himself, developing a new creative path by integrating moving image and theatrical space. The exhibition at MoCA, Taipei showcases Wu’s penchant for the artistic through-line/creative style of remixing and juxtaposing material and images. Take the production of his artworks as an example: on the one hand, the artist singlehandedly designed and created the costumes and props needed for the performances, adhering to the tradition of handmade craftsmanship and pre-technological labor; on the other hand, he also incorporated such new technologies as liquid crystal glass and mechanical projection into the pieces in order to foster a sense of fantastical theatricality in the audience’s audio-visual experience. Another example can be seen in the filming process of all the video content in the exhibition. Wu took a minimalistic approach in the use of digital imaging media, discarding commonly used conveniences such as computerized editing and postproduction programs in favor of live performances and one-take recordings. As the creative process became more difficult, the chances for completeness and perfection in the end product were low. The approach highlighted the fact that while incorporating digital technology, the artworks also conceal a cultural mechanism with which to examine the modern tech-heavy civilization. In terms of general creative impetus, Wu’s long-term focus is on the Taiwanese collective subconscious as presented through “fake-y visuals,” as well as a certain counterfeit-prone mentality common in Taiwanese culture. Applied to his works, the artist deliberately places such opposing subjects and concepts as real/fake, illusion/reality and life/death at their tipping point, and creates a bizarre and chilling visual style through optical magic tricks and prop-based acrobatics. The result is a demonstration of contrasting discourses in sly artistic debate. Artificiality is at the core of magic tricks, but viewers usually cannot easily deny the reality they see; acrobatics is the exact opposite, because while the performance is built out of real training and work, the tremendous perceived risk often makes viewers hope for some unseen falsity. Wu’s works and overall presentation deliberately tap into the space between the visual confusion and cognitive dissonance, conjuring the viewer’s own hidden craving for this kind of unknowable charm. The realness of history is often hidden, only seen and existing as a kind of disguise. The Taiwanese, long caught in a tug-of-war between the haunted histories of the colonial and the post-colonial, has developed a predatorial instinct, a chaotic society and a collective anxiety. As an artist whose roots are in historical and cultural critique, here Wu takes a non-elitist stance and strives to bypass the pitfalls of issue-oriented art. Instead, he returns to socio-aesthetic observations and reflections, translating the lowbrow Taiwanese popular culture and religious codes into contemporary visual elements. With a dark sense of humor and the spirit of “going back to basics”, the artist summons an unreconstructable historical memory and an as-yet crumbling identity, hoping thus to reconnect with the cultural feelings and land ethics of Taiwan.