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

杜菁蘭於台北當代藝術館實驗空間發表的【綑體：曖魅之身】個展，反映多年旅居國外，飽受文化衝擊也吸收異國環境的養分，從中孕育出的生命獨特觀察。展場入口第一展間和走廊的【綑體】系列，是結合模特兒肢體表演與布繩編結，展現人類身心與外物互動的即興攝影及錄像作品，其中有的人物受繩索纒繞，表情沉默、被動；有的欲求掙脫，放聲吶喊；更有人掙脫綑綁，反過來讓繩子隨著人體舞動－人與物之間如此的曖昧多樣狀態，只因杜菁蘭不以導演角色指揮舞者動作或操控情境，而偏好以生命觀察者的角度切入。於此，她讓被拍攝者自行選擇出身／發聲的位置，自行表現他們對於生命中各種綑綁／困境的感受與反應；這些作品曖昧地混合了抵抗、臣服、共存、共舞等正反情境，也啓現了因應人生困局的各種可能。縱覽【綑體】系列，觀者不免自問，若人生中出現這類紅繩般纒人難解的課題或挑戰，自己身心又將如何反應？至此觀看者與被觀看者的位置，也因這種鏡射對換，而賦予這批影像作品另一層的意涵。 相對於【綑體】系列透過人／物互動和影像媒材捕捉生命的觀想，同一展間中的【巫娃】系列，則是有意將無形情感具象化的編織雕塑。在此，杜菁蘭以台灣常見的紅色塑膠繩為媒材，進行自我對話、想像書寫。巫娃原本是非洲常民風俗儀式中，巫醫用來替人消災解厄的小型芻偶，但杜菁蘭這次完成的近60件巫娃，尺寸從50公分到2.5公尺不等，在她的想像中，每一位巫娃從無影到有形的編塑過程，都訴說著各自的身世故事，牠們因綑綁方式的變換而成就獨特造形，如同每個人因生命的不同境遇，而形塑出獨特個性。這些巫娃有的是單體作品，有的以情侶、母子狀態呈現，在展間中形成了不同的聚落，牠們被觀看也同時觀察著來訪的遊人，這是杜菁蘭特別為此展構設的一種對話情境。 本次展覽前，杜菁蘭在草山行館駐村二個月，享受陽明山明媚晚春，同時也在草山森林中進行創作，第二展間中的攝影作品，以較輕鬆、自在的基調，反映了創作者悠遊融入台灣山林的另一種自然心境。其中五件【草山魅影】系列，讓紅繩意象飄然掠過觀者眼前，但見精靈曖昧身影，而沒有一絲令人驚恐氣息。另外十四件【繩戲】系列作品，藉由人物與繩索的自然互動，呈現掙脫了外物綑繞的主體，營造出生命的另一種逸趣。總觀，【綑體：曖魅之身】呼應了東方哲學的中庸思維，以綑綁＞掙脫＞舞繩的三部曲式演出和主題攝影手法，詮釋了生命平衡及失衡的思辨，同時表現了從逆境到順境的生命舞動。。 Encorpsdages: Embodying Ambiguity reflects the artist’s experience of living abroad, and represents her unique observations of life, nurtured by cultural differences and exotic environment. The Encorpsdages series in the first room and the hallway combines body performances of the models with a braided rope. This series shows diverse interactions between human body, mind and the red rope, creating a space of ambiguity because the artist captures the models’ spontaneous reactions like an observer. In other words, she allows the models to speak with their own bodies and demonstrate their feelings and reactions towards the restricting adversities. Her work mixes ambiguous circumstances such as resistance, submissiveness, co-existence and collaboration, and reveals diverse possibilities of facing the vicissitudes in life. Viewing the series, audiences might as well ask themselves: if in their lives, there were difficulties or dilemmas like the red rope in the artworks has symbolized, how would they react physically and psychologically? As they ask themselves this question, the audiences’ and the models’ positions would switch and enrich the meaning of this series. The Fetishes series is a group of sculptures that manifests intangible emotions. The artist uses a type of red plastic string extremely common in Taiwan, and conducts a conversation with herself. Traditionally speaking, fetishes are used as tools in African rituals by shamans to resolve misfortunes for people. The artist has made 60 fetishes, of which the sizes range from 50 centimeters to 2.5 meters. For her, each fetish tells a story of his or her own since the beginning of the binding process, just like each person is molded into individual being through different circumstances in life. Together, all the fetishes form a special community in the exhibition, observing the visitors while being watched at the same time, enabling a dialogue particularly designed for this exhibition. In her two-month residency at Grass Mountain Chateau, the artist created many artworks in the mountains. The photos in the second room mirror her relaxing and carefree state of mind in the woods of Taiwan. The five pieces of the Ghost in Grass Mountain series foreground the blurry image of a flying red rope like a forestry spirit. The fourteen pieces in the Play with My Rope series capture the spontaneous interaction between the models and the rope. Overall, the exhibition echoes the concept of the Golden Mean. Presenting the three states of binding, struggling and dancing with the rope, the artist shows her interpretation of the rhythm and dynamics between the balance and imbalance in life.