2015.9.5 - 10.4
上海民生現代美術館榮幸帶來藝術家陳傳興的攝影展《未有燭而後至》，將展出藝術家於1973-1978年間在臺灣拍攝的149幅黑白與彩色照片，其中近一半的作品為首次展出。
「未有燭而後至」，引自《禮記·少儀》。原句為「其未有燭而後至者，則以在者告，道瞽亦然。」少年執燭立於暗夜長路等待未知陌生賓客，為遲到的赴宴者引路，指明位置，但不能指名。夜宴的主人向遲到的賓客介紹已在座者，少年默然傾聽等待賓客入座後，重複等待和引路；此即「少儀」，少年成長儀式，禮與倫理關係的學習和實踐：「少年尚未是迎納賓客的主人，他只是延遲的倫理關係見證者。」
展覽主要分為「蘆洲」、「荒場：林家花園」、「悼亡」、「艋舺」、「花蓮輪」、「蘭嶼：交通輪」、「蘭嶼」、「淡水」、「臺北車站」、「子弟戲」、「戲班」、「坤旦」、「午後流浪藝人」、「復像」及「色」等十五組作品。隨著這些作品，我們將回到四十年前，看到一位少年精神通過儀式的出發點。
1973-1974年的「蘆洲」，是本次展覽的序曲。當年，陳傳興以蘆洲這個小鎮的生活作為拍攝內容，呈現了小鎮的變化。在記錄那些日常情景時，藝術家已經體現出了其藝術實驗性，他在寫實照片上加蒙太奇拼貼，讓日常生活場景有了一種超現實的意境。這也是藝術家第一次個展的作品，大多數作品和負片後因各種狀況已被侵蝕棄置，本次展出的是當年殘存的少數。
廢耕田野/銀鹽紙基/61×76cm/1973-1974
1976-1978年的「艋舺」，與其說陳傳興呈現的是夜市攤位上的孤離之光、華西街老餐廳裡慘澹的光，不如說他更在意那圍繞著背景與攝影者置身的黑暗，那個在移動中、難以固定下來的凝視位置。
九連環藝人/銀鹽紙基/61×76cm/1978
1975-1978年的「子弟戲」、「坤旦」、「戲班」、「午後流浪藝人」系列，是藝術家記錄的野臺戲班與流浪藝人的生活。在作品裡，我們不會看到太多的戲劇性場景與人性溫馨的面孔，卻會看到前臺後臺不分、陽臺戲臺互換、荒野與野臺相互滲透的場所邏輯。這些照片中有著藝術家對戲班和流浪藝人等的關照。
白色女伶與側光/銀鹽紙基/61×76cm/1978
陳傳興自1975年舉辦個展《蘆洲浮生圖》後不曾再舉辦個展，這些底片自拍攝以後即封入黑箱。本次展覽所呈現的正是一場內在於時空跨域間的多重「觀望」，展場將變成一架特殊的「時空裝置」，取消了通常意義上的「攝影展」的位置。在這裡，觀眾可以看到四十年前藝術家已經在圖像中呈現出的對戲劇、電影、繪畫的美學審視，而藝術家則是個在暗夜長路上等待為陌生賓客照明的「執燭少年」。他並不言說，只在沉默中反身自照。這是一個少年的成長禮，也是一種隱而不發的倫理態度與哲學思考。
展覽期間還將定期放映由藝術家監製及執導的文學電影紀錄片《他們在島嶼寫作》，展覽將持續至10月4日。
藝術家
陳傳興 法國高等社會科學學院語言學博士，行人文化實驗室創辦人，臺灣清華大學副教授，2012年獲頒法國藝術與文學勳位（軍官勳章）。拍攝紀錄片包括有《移民》、《阿坤》、《鄭在東》、《姚一葦口述史》，除了擔任文學電影紀錄片《在島嶼寫作》第一系列總監製，並親自執導《如霧起時─鄭愁予》、《化城再來人─周夢蝶》。發表影像方面論文，其特出觀點及論述，每每引起學者熱烈迴響。曾於2009年廣州美術館「第三屆廣州國際攝影雙年展」舉辦攝影群展、1975年於臺北舉辦攝影個展《蘆洲浮生圖》。
Won't Somebody Bring the Light--Cheng Tsun-Shing5 September - 4 October, 2015
Shanghai Minsheng Art Museum is pleased to present Won’t SomebodyBring the Light, photography exhibition of Cheng Tsun-Shing on September 5th.The exhibition will feature 149 photos, in color or in black and white, the artist shot from1973 to 1978 while he traveled around Taiwan. About half of the works are puton display for the first time.
The title 「Won’t Somebody Bring the Light」 derives from 「Smaller Rules of Demeanor」(shao yi) of Book of Rites (li ji), originally meaning that 「If one came late and yet arrived before the torches were lighted, it was announced to him that the guests were all there」. A young man holding a candle stood in the darkness, waiting for the guests to the banquet. He would need to guide the latecomers to the right position but have to remain silent. The host of the banquet would introduce the latecomer to those who were already seated. The young man listened, quietly, and then went back to wait for other guests. Such is the 「rules of demeanor」 for the young man. It’s a learning and practicing process of rites and ethics. 「The young man is not yet the host but a witness of the ethical relations.」
The exhibition consists of 15 groups of photo works, namely 「Luzhou County」, 「The Lin Garden: Ruin Scenes」, 「Mourning」, 「Bangka Area」, 「Huanlien Ferry」, 「Lanyu Island: Commuter Ferry」, 「Lanyu Island」, 「Tamsui Township」, 「Taipei Main Station」, 「Zidi Opera」, 「Chinese Opera Troupe」, 「Kun Dan」, 「Vagabond Performers in the Afternoon」, 「Multiple Exposure」 and 「Color」. As if taking us back to forty years ago, these photos cast light on the point of departure of the rite of a young man’s spiritual journey.
「Luzhou County」(1973-1974)plays the role as a prelude. Back then Cheng Tsun-Shing probed into the changes in the life in this little county through his camera. While making a record of scenes of everyday life, the artist also tried something experimental. Realistic photos in combination with montage collage imbued scenes of daily life with a sense of surrealism. 「Luzhou County」 was also presented in the first solo exhibition of Cheng Tsun-Shing and due to the passing of time and other reasons, most of the works and negative films were eroded and damaged. Works to be put on display this time are among the few that remain intact.
In 「Bangka Area」 (1976-1978), it seems more appropriate to say the artist put more emphasis on the darkness that overwhelmed the photographer as well as the overall background - a gazing position that was constantly in the move and could hardly be fixed - than on the dim and somewhat lonely lights shone in the night markets and old restaurants on Huaxi Street.
「Zidi Opera」, 「KunDan」, 「Chinese Opera Troupe」, and 「Vagabond Performers in the Afternoon」(1975-1978) cast light on the life of grass-root opera troupes and vagabond performers. In these works viewers would not see too many dramatically cozy scenes and faces radiating glory of humanity. Instead, what featured in these series was an integration of front stage and back stage, real life and performed life, wildness and grass-root stages. A sense of humanistic care and concern for the troupes and the vagabond performers could be perceived from within.
This is the second solo exhibition of Cheng Tsun-Shing after his first one 「Scenes of the Floating World of Luzhou County」in 1975, and the negative films were sealed in black boxes after the pictures were shot. In this regard, the exhibition, by transforming the gallery space into a special 「time/space installation」, presents an angle of multiple 「viewing」 that goes beyond the boundaries of time and space. In other words, the general meaning of 「photography show」 is diluted, or even canceled in a way. From these photo works, viewers are able to probe into the artist’s aesthetic thinking of drama, film and painting some forty years ago; and as a matter of fact, the artist himself is that 「young man with a candle」 who 「stood in the darkness, waiting for the guests to the banquet」. Silent as he is, he reflects upon himself within such silence. It’s a rite for the growth of the young man and mirrors a kind of implicit ethical and philosophical attitudes.
Writing in an Island, a poetic documentary directed and produced by Cheng Tsun-Shing, will be screened on a regular basis during the exhibition. Won’t Somebody Bring the Light will run through October 4th.
Artist
Cheng Tsun-Shing, earned his Ph.D.at École des HautesÉtudes en Sciences Sociales, is the founder of Flaneur Cultural Lab. He taught at National TsingHua Universityand was the recipient of Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Officier) in 2012. Dr. Cheng is the director of several documentaries, including Migrant, A Kuen: An Actor, An Artist, Zhen Zai-tung, An Oral History of Yao Yi-wei. In addition to directing, he is also the producer of the documentary series, The Inspired Island: A Series of Eminent Writers from Taiwan, which include two of his own directorial works, The Coming of Tulku and Port of Mists. Dr. Cheng has written extensively on visual arts. The insights and perspectives he is able to raise continue to attract wide attention and deepening enthusiasm. His photographic works appear in exhibitions as diverse as Guangdong Photo Biennial 2009(Guangdong Museum of Art) and his own solo photo exhibition in 1975, Glimpses of Luzhou.
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