消耗生命的自由表達-孟小為繪畫的「意象」解釋
孟小為
1962年出生甘肅禮縣, 82年畢業天水師範學院美術系,88年深造於中央工藝美院，隴南師專客坐教授，副研究員，一直從事繪畫與紀錄片拍攝；2002年在上海(浦東五蓮路畫家村)成立工作室,一直往來與北京上海,現主要生活工作在甘肅隴南市成縣。
楊衛：故意的陌生——關於孟小為和他的藝術
我一直認為，甘肅一帶的當代藝術家，就整體而言，都有一種與中原藝術家不同的氣質。也許是因為地處邊遠的緣故，受六盤山、秦嶺、祁連山和青泥嶺等群山圍繞的阻礙，使他們的性格里大都呈現出了某種執拗、倔強和不善迂迴。認識藝術家孟小為之後，我愈加強烈地感受到了這個特徵。正如孟小為多年來堅持當代藝術創作，以繪畫、影像，以及文字等為媒介，來表達自己對社會、對人生的理解與感受，卻長期蟄居於甘肅的隴南地區，以一個邊遠偏僻的小縣城成縣為工作基地一樣。如此這般觀念與生活的衝突與反差，也體現了孟小為身上的固執與卓乎不群。
孟小為2017油畫作品：
隔斷上的鳥 150x100cm 布面油畫 2017
知木林 150x100cm 布面油畫 2017
一朵關聯寺廟的白花（布面油畫）（2017）180x150cm
不需要音樂（布面油畫）（2017）180x150cm
藏不住人的綠（布面油畫）(2017)160x160cm
紅牆上的人（2017（布面油畫）180x150
四個妹妹 150x100cm 布面油畫 2017
重影 150x100cm 布面油畫 2017
創作中孟小為
孟小為2016油畫作品：
零點之後（布面油畫）2016）150x100cm
鎮山之寶（布面油畫）（2016）100x80cm
睡在盒子的子彈（布面油畫）（2016）100x80cm
籠頭與地漏（布面油畫）（2016）150x100cm
孟小為2015油畫作品：
第二件木箱（布面油畫）（2015）100x80cm
穿淺紫羽絨衣的你 （布面油畫）(2015) 60x60cm
孟小為2003灰層系列作品：
灰層系列 布面油畫(2003). 150x150 cm
灰層系列 布面油畫(2003). 130x130cm
灰層系列 布面油畫(2003). 130x150cm
灰層系列 布面油畫(2003). 130x150
灰層系列 布面油畫(2003). 130x150cm
灰層系列(2003). 130x150 cm
灰層系列 布面油畫(2003). 150x150 cm
孟小為早期作品：
無題（1990）資料（綜合料）
穿睡袍的新娘(1985)（布面油畫）145x86cm
小愛的肖像（1986）資料
消耗生命的自由表達
——孟小為繪畫的「意象」解釋
陳輝
用現代英美詩歌的一個重要流派——意象派——解釋孟小為近幾年的繪畫，是我好長時間的認識。然作品中自我情緒與世界的不對應，是對太多敘述的拒絕，註解的拒絕，剩下的大約就只有作品中的個人主觀情緒，這也是真正意義上後現代主義藝術家的公用標籤。其共同特點，就是用直覺把自己的主觀情緒、內心感受隱藏在繪畫具體呈現的意象之後，消解了知識精英分子的社會批判意識，達到意識開放的自覺狀態，而非局限於繪畫所指的事物本質與社會現實意義。
《零點之後》能簡單解釋為只是幾個人的翻越嗎？沒有人這樣膚淺。二十世紀的知識系統是不能觸及當代藝術的發生髮展的，膚淺的人也不看當代藝術。
「我曾夢到我一個人站在一個類似於火車但絕對不是火車的快速移動的物體上，我旁邊也站有人，不過都表情麻木，有廣播說：我們人類得到神靈的庇佑，自由自在，豐衣足食，而且，隨時可以從這裡走出去，然後我試圖跳下去，推開了旁邊類似於布簾的東西才發現，這根本就是一個無法逃離的所在，並且，我站的位置好像能看到我的企圖，居然我被卡住了，我內心很恐慌，然後，然後我發現了孟小為，終於我不那麼忐忑了，然後，有大屏幕出現，有一個看著很高深的學者在講一個看似很嚴肅的問題，頭頭是道……接著，孟小為說了不同於他的觀點，我也作死的做了補充，並且說著說著就說多了，然後，悲催就從這裡開始了。」
孟小為的繪畫歷程，就像你看著一個人從低地謹慎的起步，經過曠日持久的行走、經歷了形形色色、眼花繚亂的風景細節之後，不但步幅、速度、動靜、聲響都減緩慢了下來，人與思想也變得沉穩、厚重、內斂至緘默，甚至到滯留、停頓，作品的日常性，離散性，也既碎片性就成為新的冥想和新的對抗。
從甘肅到北京到上海再回到甘肅青山綠水大石頭的隴南，孟小為完成了需要追趕式行走得到的見聞與體悟，創作出一批看似漫不經心、信手隨意但卻意象極為複雜甚至是符號學的內涵。
孟小為把藝術創作作為自我救贖的途徑，藝術作品就成了孟小為個人宗教的外化物，或者說也是他的一種生活方式，現今，這個意識多元、權利分化的時代，他想要保持精神的獨立，不被同質化，也就只能偏安一隅，才能達到相對的純潔。
孟小為這批作品不再是表現主義風格明顯的——80年代成名作品——《小愛的肖像》《穿睡袍的新娘》那一類；構圖更是顛覆了有過被同行稱作：「他們都不知道怎麼畫的」《灰層系列》；畫幅也更大或更小……沒有明確主體或者有主題但不明確，表現是模糊的、多義的，更似是潛意識中的任何一時一剎的隱喻，他有意迴避事物的熟知度，他似乎對用毛筆像抹塗皮膚一樣輕柔的畫油畫情有獨尊，孟小為有時甚至遊戲繪畫語言，但這都不是他繪畫的終極目的。藝術語言的遊戲對一個獨立的藝術家往往是一個陷阱，如果這遊戲背後不能傳達通常難以表達的情感，即使玩得再聰明、再漂亮，也只能是某種空洞的形式。孟小為之所以變換新的表述方式，因為常規的語言限制了他，他說：若言畫在筆峰上，何以筆峰不自行。若言畫在墨色中，何不墨池做畫屏。想像現實的荒誕，一頭大象會慢慢中毒死去，他筆下的雲朵能不接近宗教壁畫的雲朵嗎？一個女性身體和一個花斑紋的動物是肉感的、美麗的，但她們都被時光的槍聲驚嚇過，因此，她們對生活是膽怯的、行動是小心翼翼的，像是被俘後的尊嚴喪失，唯有普通日常物品，諸如石頭眼鏡、煙斗、條凳、一箱子彈、一個木箱等靜物是具像的，但仍不具世俗審美特點與具象寫實唯美的繪畫形式，這些晦澀、表意含糊的作品很難用語詞給予準確的藝術歸類和界定，孟小為以當代藝術理論為前提，拆析、重組、解構當下現實並形成自省內斂的風格圖式，確立著自己的藝術意趣，選擇意象繪畫大概也只是權宜之用。這些特點使孟小為的作品具備了獨特的個性，他憑直覺又有著大精神理念支撐的繪畫，使一般人難以和他齊行，他簡潔、繁瑣，抽象、精細，虛幻、現實等交織畫成的作品，是屬於他自己和少數精神世界富裕人的。
「為什麼不畫所有人都喜歡的油畫？」
「住相即眾生，見性便是佛。畫人人喜歡的畫，我早年畫過，現在不畫了。」
「為什麼？」
「我對生活與生命不是過去那種認識了。」
「能說的明確、具體些嗎？」
「我試試說吧。你比較一下我的《灰層》系列，那一張畫有多少筆觸線條，現在給減的很少了，過去我是為生活幸福在竭盡全力的辛苦，忘記了精神層面，有房有車有一定名聲後，我說名聲是指對要我畫、收藏我畫的人而言，我並沒有感到愉悅和滿足，反倒懷疑和空虛，我問我為啥會這樣？我想表達這種思考，於是我的作品不能是被獲取的知識包裹起來，那樣只是對前人繪畫技能的一種淺層次的實踐，也不是能夠完成一幅好的繪畫、一件好的作品，而要成為藝術家，首先你是獨立自由的人。有自己思想的人。」
「和你十年前北京個展的《灰層系列》比較，十年後你覺得你超越了那些？」
「我什麼都沒有超越，甚至我不知道至今沒有超越灰層系列作品，但問題不是超越的問題，我目前的關注點變了，我關注的問題不是停留在原來灰層系列上的問題，這樣
我不知道超越了沒有。我想藝術作品本身不重要，它只是藝術家本人訴求的媒介信道，所以，沒有藝術作品，只有藝術家。」
「你認為這是進步嗎？」
「是。要用比進步更誇張的詞來說明，我認為我是走到前面了，只是還不是最前面，但我還會更前一些的，會的，你看著。」
「你的作品不完全是觀念性的，不是符號性的，也不是敘事性的，而是一種日常的情緒化表達，我會從詩歌的角度理解你的藝術有歐美詩歌重要流派——意象派的鮮明特徵，你認為呢？」
「批評家的評論更象鐘聲，隨時有喚醒我沉睡的能力，但我想說，我什麼流派都不關心，我不想屬於任何主義、任何流派，我只畫，僅此而已。我有我不成熟的生活見解和對生命的理解，現今這個時代，個人想要保持精神上的獨立，確立態度立場，我一直心存懷疑，也正因為如此，我認為藝術是無奈下的蛋，下蛋就要寧靜，寧靜宛若冬眠，這與其說是雕刻時光，不如說是消耗生命，反正生命就是一個消耗到乾淨的過程，我只想消耗中產生光亮或光芒。」
孟小為1982年用朝聖的心情去北京看過哈默藏畫展，讚賞、模仿過俄羅斯巡迴畫派、崇拜過夏加爾、蒙克、德·孔寧、莫迪瑞安尼等等，能背誦《渴望生活》里梵高朝自己開槍後倒下「一種急速還原泥土的感覺」和描述加歇醫生在梵高墳地種植向日葵的文字，但現在他只是他自己。
把同一種感情都說成是：我很傷心。他毫無興趣。
把同一種文字寫成：一夜之間，花就開了。他厭惡太老套。
他就想把這種普世、樸實的情感畫成給心上扔顆炸彈；樹肩膀一抖，花就絕世燦爛。
這是他的野心。
互聯網顛覆了傳統世界，交通工具縮短了距離，孟小為現在常住甘肅南部，在他的大門藝術空間里，像那些美術史上的畫家一樣，寓居一地，沉浸在自己的精神園地、繪畫，思考、探索繪畫表達的可能與邊界，在這種背景下的畫作，它能不是個性自由表達、情感恣意傾瀉、審美別具一格的嗎？這些作品能沒有意象派詩歌那樣長久的生命力被人樂道研究嗎？
這就是孟小為，我相信他和他的繪畫
Life-consuming free expressions transmitted from my iPhone
----The inteiprciation of imagey in Meng Xiaowei』s paintings
Meng Xiaoweis paintings can be interpreted by Imagism one of the important schools of modern British and American poetry, is my own cognition for a Long time. In his works, the seLf-emotion does not correspond to the worLd, just a rejection for too many narratives and comments, onLy Left the individuaL subjective emotions in his works. Its also the pubLic LabeL of the postmodern artist in genuine sense. Their common characteristics, are the use of intuition to hide the subjective feelings and Inner perception behind the images that are presented In the painting, dispeLLing the sociaL critical consciousness of intelLectuaL eLites, reaching the state of conscious opening. It is not Limited to the essence of painting and the sociaL practicaL significance.
Can we simply explain his painting After zero onLy a few peopLe climb over the waLL?
No one Is so superficiaL.
The knowLedge system of twentieth century can not touch the occurrence and de-veLopment of contemporary art, even shallow people do not look at it.
"I have dreamed that I was standing on a fast-moving object Like a train, but never a train, someone stood beside me, but their expressions were numb. The radio said:we had the bLessing of the gods, and had ampLe food and clothing, but you couLd jump down from here at any time. And then I tried to, when I opened the curtain- like thing in front of me I found It"s essentiaLLy a place you cant escape. And the po sition I stood as if could see what I was trying to do, I got stuck unexpectedLy, scared, and then I found Meng Xlaowei. FinaLly, Em not so upset, and then a big screen appeared. There"s a very sophisticated scholar talking about a seemingly serlous probLem ,cLear and logicaL., then MengXiaowei expressed his different point of view, I also added more and more, and then the sad urge started here."
Meng 鈥榮 progress in painting, Just as you look at a person who starts cautiously from lowland, through a Long waLk, after experiencing alL kinds of dazz[ing Landscapes, not onLy the pace, the speed, the movement, the sound sLowed down but also his thought become calm, heavy, introverted to siLence, even to a pause. The daiLy nature, discreteness and fragmentation of his works become a new meditation and new confrontation.
From Gansu to Beijing to Shanghai and then back to Longnan ,a place with green hiLLs and blue waters and huge rocks in Gansu , he acconmpli shed what he needed to folLow and then created a number of seemingLy casuaL works, but the image Is very complex and even the connotation of semiotics.
Meng regards art creation as a way of seLf saLvation, and his art works became the externaLization of his personaL religion, or one of his way of Life. Now, in an age of pLuraLism and diversity of rights, if he wants to keep the spirit of independence, not to be homogeneot5, he can onLy live In a remote place and to achieve a relativeLy pure state.
These works are no Longer obvious in expressionism styLe -----as his masterpiece In 1980『s---- Portrait of Xtco ci, BrIde In nightgown and so on. The composition is more subversive to his Grey layer series - which has been calLed by the colleagues:"dont know how to draw". The size of his works Is diverse, more large or more smaLLer than before....There Is no clear subject or theme, the performance is fuzzy and poLysemy, more Like a metaphor in the subconsciots of the moment at anytime. He deLiberately avoids the famiLiarity of things. He seems to have a Liking for oiL paintings, sometimes even play games with painting language. But this is not the uLtimate goaL of his painting. The game of artistic language is often a trap for an independent artist. If the game can"t convey the emotions that are usually hard to express, it can onLy bean hoLlow form whether its smart and beautifuL or not. Meng changed the ways of expression because the conventionaL Language restricted him. His saying goes Like this:
if you say that the scenery exists in the tip of your writing brush, Why it doesn"t work automaticaLLy?
If you say that scenery comes from the ink, Why don"t you use the inkwell as your painting?
Imagining the absurdity of reality. An poisoned eLephant wiLl die sLowLy , can the cLouds in his works be cLosed to the cLouds of reLigious murals?A femaLe body and a dapple animal are sensual and beautiful, but they both are frightened by the shots of time. Therefore, they are timid towards life and act cautiousLy, as the Loss of dignity after capture. Jiat those ordinary everyday things. such as stone gLasses. pipe, bench, a box of buLLets, a wooden box, these stiLL Life are figurative images, but stilL don"t possess the secuLar aesthetic characteristics and figurative realism aesthetic form. These obscure and ambiguous works are difficuLt to give accurate artistic cLassification and definition. Based on the theory of contemporary ait, Meng formed his introspective and introverted styLe by decorntructing, reorganizing the present reaLity, estthlished his own artistic charm. So, his choice of the image painting is probably onLy temporary use.
These characteristics make Mengs works have a unique personaLity. His works, supported by the great spiritual idea and his intuition, are hard for the average person to walk with. His works ,composed by simpLe, compLicated, abstract, fine, iLLusory and reaListic onLy beLongs to himseLf and a few persons rich in the spirituaL worLd.
「why dont you drasv the paintings that everyone Loves?"
"I did it In my earLy years, and now I don"t
"why?"
"my cognition on Life and human beings are changed."
「can you make it cLear and specific?」
let me have a try. You can compare my Gray layer series, many Lines and strokes in it, btt now it reduced Less. In the past, I was working hard for a good Life, forgot the spirituaL Level. After I got a house, a car and certain fame, I mean that within those who want me to draw and coLlect my paintings, I didn"t feel happy and satisfied, just doubt and holLow on the contrary. I asked myseLf why shouLd be so? I want to express this kind of thinking, so my works cant be wrapped up In the acquired knowLedge. That is onLy a stperflclaL practice of the painting skills of the predecessors, It"s not a good painting, a masterpiece. To be an artist, first of alL, you must be an independent and free man. Of course, you have your own thought."
"compared with the Gray Layer series of your Beijing soLo exhibition ten years ago. what do you think you have surpassed now?」
"I surpassed nothing. My focus has changed currentLy. I don"t think the artwork itself is important, it"s onLy the media channeL for artists to pursue it. So, there"s no work of art, onLy artists."
"Do you think this is progress?"
"yeah. In exaggeration, I think Im ahead of the others, Its not the top, but Im going to be a little more. Yes, let"s go and see
"your work is not entirely conceptual, not symbolic, nor is it narrative, its a daily emotional expression. ILL understand your art from in a poetic point of view that your works possessed a distinctive features of Imagism. Whats your qinion?"
"Critics comments are more Like beLls, having the abiLity to wake me L at any moment. But I want to say, I dont care about any gerre, I dont want to be[ong to any doctrine, any schools, I just paint, thats alL. I have my immature view and my understanding of life, nowadays, lye always been skepticaL about individuaLs remain mentally Independent and estabLish an attitude. Just because of this, I think art is the egg laid by profound resignation. Laying eggs need to be quiet. like hibernation. Its more a time consuming than scuLpting It. Anyway, Life isa process of consuming tILL the end, so I just want to produce light or iLLumination.」
His pilgrimage to Beijing to see the exhibition of Armand Haner ColLection hwpened in 1982. He had admired and Imitated Rsian itinerant School of paintings, worshiped Marc ChagaLt, Edvard Mtrich,WilLem de Kooning Amedeo Modigliani and so on... But now hes just himseLf.
Express the same feeling as: I』msad. Hes not interested.
Write the same kind often as: ernight, yotrig fLowers bust open. He hates it. Its too corny.
He wanted to paint this universal, simple emotion into a bomb on his heart; When the tree shoulders shaking, the flowers are splendid.
This is his ambition.
The Internet has subverted the traditionaL worLd, vehicles shorten the distance.Meng Xiaowei now dwells In southern Gansu. In his Gate Art Space, like the artists in the history of art, dwelling in one place. immersed in his spiritual field, painting, thinking, expLoring the possibilities and boundaries of painting expressions. In such context, could his paintings not be free expression of personallty,emotlonal Pouring freeLy and aesthetic unique? could not be researched as the long-vitaLity Imagist poetry?
This is Mengxiaowei.
I have confidence in him and his works
By Chen hui 2017-10-18
自我簡述 ：
1978 年高中畢業母親沒讓去最後的知識青年上山下鄉，成為一名供銷合作社集體工人。1980 年考上大學．期間就執迷現代文化的」自我表現」，也因此差一點被學校處分。之後的多年，始終積極地投身於新藝術運動，作品入選 1 989 年
《 中國現代藝術展 》 ，也參加過國內外一系列藝術展事。 1 988 年中央工藝美院深造後去 《 飛天 》 編輯部做助理美編，時間不長就逃離．如今還很慶幸。遊離於體制下的半自由狀態人，寫詩、寫長篇小說、畫油畫、做紀錄電影，作品國內外展出展映，得過獎。用錢多了就去掙錢．做過很多爆發財富的夢想．均沒實現．又回去畫畫二那是2002年，去了上海五蓮路畫家村，並成立工作室。Zco7年，在北京環鐵藝術區第一次舉辦了個展一一「沉淪與超越一孟小為作品展」．由已故中央美院教授、中國當代藝術評論家鄒躍進先生策劃，2017年十年後的第二個北京個展在798藝術區藝典空間舉辦．年在甘宋隴南成縣刨立大門藝術空間，成立孟小為工作室，至今有國內外藝術家、批評家、攘展人友情來訪，共同交流創作展示，朋友們似乎一切才剛剛開始，沒有你們的熱情和友好我會孤單的耍死。2011年 《 飛地上的草房 》 去日本 《 山形國際紀錄電影節 》 。 《 沁 》 《 匈牙利照相機 》 分別參加了兩屆北京獨立電影節， 《 望喜 》2011年參加雲之南紀錄影像展，2013年參加中國東盟藝術雙年展影像單元，2014年 《 似是而非 》 獲中國獨立影像展年度十佳紀錄片獎。加15年參加韓國藝術家年度交流展，2016年參加張家界國際藝術創作營．從甘角到北京到上海再回到甘肅青山綠水大石頭的隴南．偏安一隅，不完全為了標榜保持精神的獨立，但世界給我們的實在是太多，而我需要的又不多，這樣不被同質化或許能找到相對遺失了的和想建構的那麼一點點東西，直接地呈現我生命的感受與現實思考．時間較倉促，就有如上急就自述，不 ―說來．權做大溉軌跡無妨。藝術是無奈下的蛋，下蛋要寧靜，寧靜宛若冬眠，一如雕刻時光，不如說是消耗生命。
By Meng Xlaowei
After graduation from senior high school In 1978, I wasnt allowed by my mother to join in the last educated youth to the countryside movement, but became a collective worker In supply and marketing cooperatives. In 1980, I was admitted to a university, during which I was addicted to the self- expression of contemporary culture and almost punished by the university because of that. Many years afterwards, I always devoted myself to the new art movement actively. My works were selected In Chinese contemporary art exhibItion In 1989. I also took part in a series of art shows at home and abroad. After further education In central craft academy in 1988, I worked as an assistant art editor in the editorial department of Flylng Apsaras andescaped there shortly after. I still feel lucky for that now. As a half-free person drifting under the political system, I wrote poetry, and make paintings and documentary films. My works were on show and awarded in international art exhibitions. I will try to earn some money if I used too much. I have dreamed of making a huge fortune overnight many times but in vain. So I went back to paint.
It was in 2002 that I went to set up a studio in the artist village on Wulianlu Street in Shanghai. In 2007, I held my first sob art show-----Sink and Transcendent, MengXiaowei Art Show in Ring iron art disti-ict In Beijing schemed by Mr. Zhou Yuejin, deceased professor of central art academy, Chinese contempory art critic. In 2014, I set up a Gate Art Space and MengXiaowei studio in Chengxian county, Longnan, Gansu province. Up to now, some International artists, critics and curators come to visit my studio friendly, communicating together, creating and displaying. My dear friend, It seems that everything just starts. Without your passion and friendliness, I would be lonely to death.
In 2011, my works Thatched Cottage lnenclare was shown in Yagamata International Film Festival: Go and Hungary Camera were separately shown In two terms of the Beijing Independent Film Festival. Longing for Fortune Was exhibited in the South of the Clouds Photographic Exhibition In 2011 and was selected into photographic unit of China Asean Art Biennial. In 2014, Paradox won the Annual Top Ten documentary award in China Independence Film Festival. In 2015, I participated in the Korean artistic annual exchange exhibition and in 2016 I also joined in the Zhangjiajie International Art Creation Camp.
From Gansu to Beijing and to Shanghai and then back to Longnan surrounded by green hills and blue waters and huge stones, content to one corner, I keep my independence of spirit not just for flaunt. The world gives us too much but I need so little. In this way, I will not be homogenized and may find something relatively last and I still want to construct. In fact, the communication of works will not confuse the art methodists In the countryside, at least not at present
It Is exactly ten years from 2007 to 2017. The surging artistic trend is the barometer of age. Besides the creation of painting, the shooting under the camera and the thoughts behind dreamily characters will directly present my feelings about life and consideration of reality. Today, ten years after that, I am, once again, holding another solo painting show in Beijing at the age of lcnow destirry」—--50. I have to say that art is saving me or I am kidnapped my art again. My special thanks to Mr. Yang i, Mr. Li Yujun, Mr. Kang
feng, Mr. Cheng Hui and all the friends supporting me all the time. Time Is hasty, like the biography above. I didn』t write It In detail. You might as well treat It as an outline.
Art is an egg laid by having no choice」. Laying eggs」requires peace. Peace Is like hiberlation, which Is rather like consuming life than sculpturing time. October, 2017 in Chengxian, Gansu.
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