有趣的冒險 — 為類水墨拉開序幕

「類水墨」算不上是個首次被提出的新詞彙，但絕對是個新概念，怎麼說?因為這個概念在近幾年曾經有幾位評論家提過，但也不算是甚麼宣言、強烈的論述、抑或是大幅度地來說這件事，那就更別提有這樣的展覽了。其實還有一個類似的說法，以不同的、或另類的水墨來詮釋當代水墨的現象或現狀，是放棄傳統水墨媒材為唯一表現方式的創作，這就是「另水墨」;而「類水墨」的概念，看似與「另水墨」一樣，但在概念上他更強調「相同」與連結的部分，希望在水墨的架構下，拓展出新的觀點，突破水墨媒材所帶來的表現限制，換句話說，理想中的「類水墨」或「另水墨」都企圖將水墨視為媒材、工具，而以「水墨的精神」為至高無上的追求目標，是一種藝術「精神論」的辯證，這與「筆墨論」以筆墨為至高無上的水墨精神論述，形成強烈的對比，或許在不久的將來，將會有一場紙筆的論爭吧!

    「類水墨」是跨越所有媒材、跨越一切創作觀點、跨越一切美學和理論的表達方式，而以「水墨精神」為探討的核心。那麼問題來了，說了那麼多，有誰能告訴我們，什麼是水墨精神，這的確是一個大問題，沒人能說清楚，也沒人能說準，只能說這是一種理想、一種新的觀念，因為甲說的和乙說一定不一樣，丙或許也不贊同他們的觀點而自有看法，甚至於甲乙丙的看法會隨著時間的推移，思考的辯證，而前後不同，甚至於互相矛盾，就在這反反覆覆、人言人異、莫衷一是的論證中，「類水墨」的影響力將會與日俱增，正因為這看似荒謬的矛盾性，才能體現出創作的生命力與價值來，這就是藝術創作的有趣之處，當哪天，大家的看法一致、說法相同，也就預告了「類水墨」的時代既將結束，新的觀點，新的論述既將到來，藝術家將迎接新的時代的。其實「類水墨」將會是一個具有強烈爭論性的議題，我認為這也是時代脈動下必然需面對的課題，雖然藝術是時代的精神省思、是時代的一面鏡子，但依然逃脫不了水墨畫壇的猛烈批評，或是非議，可以說，這是立基於時間軸，在前後時間點，跨越時空的論爭，這將讓整個議題更有了戲劇性的張力，我們拭目以待吧!

    再來，必須談談〈湧動墨潮-類水墨的國際旅程〉了，感謝迪傑魔股份有限公司和台北市記者公會的大力支持、贊助與執行，這不僅是策展方的福氣，更是藝術界的福氣，在此先對他們至上萬分的謝忱。接下來我必須對這次的展覽內容說說幾件事，首先，這次的策展內容和以往的〈湧動墨潮系列〉比起來，並沒有太大的不同，或許也還無法完整體現「類水墨」的議題或價值性來，因為我們的確面臨了很多目前難以克服的問題，所以我們利用這次的展出，拋出「類水墨」的議題來，這因該是首次有「類水墨」為議題的展出，這也是這次展出的最重要目的，希望能對水墨畫壇有所貢獻。主辦方邀請了韓國、日本、中國大陸、香港、澳門、越南、泰國、馬來西亞、印尼、菲律賓等藝術家來共襄盛舉，就媒材而言，有水墨、絹畫、膠彩、版畫、油畫、布藝等，就風格而言，有趨於保守的，有趨於開放性的，也有莫衷一是的，或許有傳統水墨精神的表現，也有當代水墨精神的訴求，當然也有不被認為有水墨精神的作品，但這也是我策展的一個小小心機，我不想用策展來界定甚麼是「類水墨」，甚麼不是「類水墨」，而是希望拋出議題，就是可以引起觀者的批評和討論的一個展覽，這才是辛苦策展中最難人尋味，最有趣的事了。

Interesting Adventures —Prelude to the Ink-Like

"Ink-Like" is not a new term that was proposed for the first time, but it is definitely a new concept. How should I say it? Because this concept has been mentioned by several critics in recent years, but it is not a declaration or a strong discussion. , or in a big way, let alone such an exhibition. In fact, there is a similar saying that interpreting the phenomenon or status quo of contemporary ink wash with different or alternative ink wash is a creation that abandons traditional ink wash media as the only form of expression. This is "other ink wash"; and "Ink-like" The concept of "Other Ink" seems to be the same as that of "Another Ink", but in terms of concept, he puts more emphasis on the "sameness" and connection. He hopes to expand new perspectives under the framework of ink and wash, and break through the expressive limitations brought about by the medium of ink and wash. In other words, the ideal "like ink" or "other ink" all attempt to regard ink as a medium and a tool, and take "the spirit of ink" as the supreme pursuit goal, which is a dialectic of the "spiritualism" of art , which is in sharp contrast to the "Brush and Ink Theory", which regards brush and ink as the supreme spirit of ink and wash. Perhaps in the near future, there will be a debate between paper and pen!

     "Ink-Like" is a way of expression that transcends all media, creative ideas, and aesthetics and theories, and takes the "spirit of ink" as the core of the discussion. So here comes the question, after talking so much, who can tell us what is the spirit of ink painting? A new concept, because what A said is definitely different from what B said, and C may not agree with their point of view and have his own views, and even the views of A, B, and C will be different with the passage of time and dialectical thinking, and even Because of the contradictions, in this repeated, different and inconsistent arguments, the influence of "Ink-Like" will increase day by day. It is precisely because of this seemingly absurd contradiction that the vitality and value of creation can be reflected. Come on, this is the interesting thing about artistic creation. When everyone agrees and says the same thing, it also heralds that the era of "Ink-Like" will come to an end, new viewpoints and new discourses will come, and artists will To reach the new times. In fact, "Ink-Like" will be a highly controversial issue. I think this is also an issue that must be faced under the pulse of the times. Although art is the spiritual reflection of the times and a mirror of the times, it still cannot escape ink painting. It can be said that this is a debate based on the time axis, at the front and rear time points, across time and space, which will make the whole issue more dramatic, let's wait and see!

     Next, I have to talk about “Surging Wave - International Journey of Ink-like Exhibition ", thanks to Digital Muse Co., Ltd. and the Taipei Journalists Association for their strong support, sponsorship and execution. This is not only a blessing for the curator, but also for the art world Thanks to them for their blessings. Next, I have to say a few things about the content of this exhibition. First of all, compared with the previous " Surging Wave Series", the curated content of this time is not much different, and it may not be able to fully reflect the "class" The issue or value of "ink wash", because we are indeed facing many problems that are difficult to overcome at present, so we use this exhibition to raise the issue of "like ink wash", because this should be the first time that "Ink-Like" has been The exhibition of topics is also the most important purpose of this exhibition, hoping to contribute to the world of ink painting. The organizer invited artists from South Korea, Japan, mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and other artists to participate in the grand event. In terms of media, there are ink, silk painting, glue color, printmaking, oil painting, Cloth art, etc., in terms of styles, some tend to be conservative, some tend to be open, and some are inconsistent. Perhaps there are expressions of traditional ink painting spirit, and there are also demands for contemporary ink painting spirit. Of course, there are also works that are not considered to have the spirit of ink painting. But this is also a small trick of my curation. I don't want to use curation to define what is "Ink-Like" and what is not, but I hope to raise issues that can arouse criticism and discussion from viewers This is the hardest and most interesting thing in hard curating.