此次展览主题为“红色机器·昨天今天”。艺术家周向林更偏重事物的“视觉”方面，从“艺术”的角度感受和想象其中之“理念”，用视觉方式表达出来。作品关注历史与现实的关联，不是为了再现和复原某个历史场景，更多的是鉴古开今，表达自己的形而上观念和对现实世界的看法。
心理投射物理：周向林画中的机器
文/杜曦云
柏拉图认为世界分为现象世界和理念世界，前者为“可见世界”，后者为“可知世界”。可见世界里，外科大夫无论做多少例开颅手术，都看不到“思想”。但另一方面，万事万物都有其特征、属性、秩序等，尤其是形形色色的人造物，方方面面体现着制造者们的“理念”，更容易被他人发现和理解。
视觉艺术家的职业使然，周向林更偏重事物的“视觉”方面，从“艺术”的角度感受和想象其中之“理念”，用视觉方式表达出来。于是，他的作品乍看是科学气质的，细看是艺术气质的；乍看是在表达物理，细看是在表达心理；乍看是侧重于实用层面，细看是侧重于象征层面。冷静的思辨和炽热的情绪，融汇于照相写实般的绘画手法中，撑开了艺术作品的魅力空间，供人驻足回味。
▲《模型•sh760》model·1/18×18·sh760
布面油画oil on canvas
200×200cm 2009年
越逼真的绘画，越是幻术：亦真亦幻、忽真忽幻。手艺娴熟却不动声色的周向林，如同冷面魔术师般在二维平面上调动物料、施展手段，把握尺度，诱导观者进入他的视觉力场中。艺术人终生在形式和内容（或曰美学和观念、能指和所指……）的关系中纠缠不休：孰先孰后、孰为本体……但从观看习惯来回想，观者往往是先被形式吸引，然后才可能反复品咂被形式化的内容。
越是了解以往历史和现代文明的人，可能越会有感于周向林作品所牵动的史料和观念。但艺术有其自身规律和尊严，并非历史学、社会学的图解，尤其是经过“为艺术而艺术”的现代主义阶段后。周向林是视觉艺术家，是出生于1955年的中国大陆人，视觉艺术独有的能量和他本人具体而微的生命体验，才是驱动他创造这些作品、感动观者驻足停留的主因。
▲《红色机器·昨天今天》no.8 red machine·yesterday today no.8 综合材料 mixed media 85x120cm 2022年
▲《红色机器·昨天今天》no.12
red machine·yesterday today no.12
综合材料 mixed media
85x120cm 2022年
细腻逼真地写生“东方红”号拖拉机时，剥离了背景的对象被标本化，保留了历经沧海桑田的各种痕迹，供人在当下和过去之间穿行。解放ca10、东风金龙、北京bj212、上海sh760、红旗ca770……这些具有实用功能的汽车，在特定的时段和情境中，曾被赋予了相当重要的文化价值。当艺术家把它们的模型（比原车缩小了多倍）在画布上放大到原车尺度，用照相写实手法重现时，三维的原车、缩小的模型、放大的二维图像之间，透叠出丰富的意味来，视觉刺激作为起点，启动观者的人生经历和知识储备。何况，周向林的画面中，这些模型身披密集的光斑，散发炫目的梦幻气息，超出物理的心理意味更加深长了。
▲《红色机器.之三》red machine-3
平版 print
71x83.5cm 2006年
人是文化动物，文化是“意义”的生产系统和操纵系统。文化环境中的物远不止是物本身，而是或多或少具有文化意蕴。甚至，很多物的价值完全是被文化赋予的。在特定社会的文化、历史语境与意义、观念体系中，凭借隐喻与联想的方式，特定的物与人所欲求的丰富“意义”可以联结起来。而且，不管出于有意还是无意，对单个物的价值赋予，必然同时推广着它所携带的整个文化共同体的价值体系。身处特定情境中的个体，对此往往浑然不觉，以为属于文化范畴的价值是物的自然属性。直到时过境迁有所对比时，才恍然察觉。
▲《红色机器.之一》 red machine-1平版 print74x72cm 2002年
▲《红色机器.之一》red machine-1
丝毯 silk blanket
200x200cm 2021年
▲《红色机器.之二》 red machine-2平版 print
74x72cm 2002年
▲《红色机器.之二》 red machine-2
丝毯 silk blanket
200x200cm 2021年
70x75cm 2010年
▲《模型.解放》red machine-1
丝毯 silk blanket
200x220cm 2021年
天生禀赋、人生经历和知识结构使然，周向林倾向于解析物的文化价值，进而推测其所归属的价值体系。《红色机器》、《模型》、《基因工程》等系列作品，聚焦于各种机械。这些机械看似客观中立、普适通用，但科学技术从来都贯彻着人性，机械是实用功能、美学趣味和被赋予的文化价值的综合体。周向林严谨细致的绘画，时而如同机械制图，散发着冷峻的科学气息，但打动人的却是美学魅力——美学化的情绪和观念。
▲《基因工程•ⅲ》 genetic engineering·ⅲ
布面油画 oil on canvas 180x400cm 2021年
这种奇特的效果，源于他对各种因素的微妙处理。经过他的处理后，很多方面被调换，无情之物有情了，实用之处变成象征之处，科学功能转为美学功能。这种调换，在科学角度是不合理的，但在艺术角度合乎情理，是心理投射于物理后生长出来的美学效应。这在《基因工程》和《红色机器·昨天今天》中体现得更为明显。
▲《基因工程•ⅱ》 genetic engineering·ⅱ 布面油画 oil on canvas 180x410cm 2019年
今天的我们，已经身在2023年，见多识广的周向林为何仍然专注于“红色机器”？“你不知道那是新的。你不知道那是‘什么东西’。它要等到差不多十年后才会成为新的，因为那时候它才显得新。”（《安迪·沃霍尔的哲学》）享年59岁的“波普教皇”的“波普启示录”，激发青春的生命对全新未知的期待。“已有的事后必再有；已行的事后必再行。日光之下并无新事。岂有一件事人能指着说这是新的？哪知，在我们以前的世代早已有了。”(《圣经·传道书》) 从人类文明轴心时代流传至今的古老话语，告诫我们人心和世道从来没有变过。
▲《模型•红旗ca770》model·1/18×18·sh760
布面油画 oil on canvas
200×640cm 2011年
经历了成千上万个昨天后走在今天的人，细思刻骨铭心的人生经历时，不难体会到变和不变。有所体会后观看周向林的绘画，缺乏体会时观看周向林的绘画，会有不同的反应。艺术作品是感官魅力托底的个人表达，对艺术作品的感受是开放的，这是观者的自由。
2023年2月16日于北京
psychological projection of physics: the machines in zhou xianglin's paintings
by du xiyun
according to plato, the world is divided into the world of appearances and the world of ideas, the former being the "visible world" and the latter being the "intelligible world". in the visible world, no matter how many brain surgeries a surgeon performs, they cannot see "thoughts". however, on the other hand, everything has its characteristics, attributes, and order, especially the various artificial objects, which reflect the "ideas" of their creators and are more easily discovered and understood by others.
as a visual artist, zhou xianglin focuses more on the "visual" aspect of things, feeling and imagining the "ideas" behind them from an artistic perspective, and expressing them in a visual way. therefore, his works, at first glance, have a scientific quality, but upon closer examination, have an artistic quality; at first glance, they focus on physics, but upon closer inspection, they express psychology; at first glance, they focus on practical aspects, but upon closer inspection, they focus on symbolic aspects. the calm contemplation and intense emotions are integrated into the photographic realism of his painting techniques, creating a fascinating space for viewers to pause and reflect.
the more realistic the painting, the more illusory it is—both real and illusory, sometimes real and sometimes illusory. with his skilled technique, zhou xianglin, like a cold and composed magician, manipulates materials and employs his methods on two-dimensional surfaces, manipulating scale and inducing viewers into his visual force field. artists are always entangled in the relationship between form and content (or aesthetics and ideas, signifiers and signifieds, etc.); contemplating which is more important, which is the essence… but in terms of viewing habits, viewers are often first attracted by form, and then repeatedly examine the formalized content.
the more one understands the history and modern civilization, the more one may be moved by the historical and conceptual implications of zhou xianglin's work. however, art has its own laws and dignity, and is not a diagram of history or sociology, especially after the modernist manifesto of "art for art's sake". the unique energy of visual art and zhou xianglin’s specific and detailed life experience—being a visual artist, a mainland chinese born in 1955—are the main reasons that drive him to create these works and move viewers to pause and reflect.
when he meticulously and realistically draws the "dongfanghong tractor", the object, stripped of its background, is objectified and retains all the traces it has undergone over the years, allowing people to travel between the present and the past. the liberation ca10, dongfeng golden dragon, beijing bj212, shanghai sh760, hongqi ca770... these practical cars were given significant cultural value in specific times and circumstances. when the artist enlarges their models (which are reduced several times from the original size) to the scale of the original car on the canvas and reproduces them with photographic realism, rich meanings are layered between the three-dimensional original car, the reduced model, and the enlarged two-dimensional image. starting with visual stimulation, they trigger viewers' life experiences and knowledge reserves. moreover, in zhou xianglin's paintings, these models are adorned with dense spots of light, emitting a dazzling dreamlike aura, which carries deeper psychological meanings beyond physics.
humans are cultural creatures, and culture is a system for the production and manipulation of "meaning". the objects in a cultural context are not just objects themselves, but often contain varying degrees of cultural significance. in fact, the value of many objects is entirely bestowed by culture. within the specific cultural, historical, and conceptual framework of a society, individuals can connect specific objects with the rich "meaning" they desire through metaphor and association. furthermore, whether intentionally or not, assigning value to an individual object inevitably promotes the value system of the entire cultural community it carries. individuals within a specific context often take this for granted, believing that the value assigned to an object is its natural attribute. it is not until they experience a contrast that they realize the truth.
due to inherent talent, life experience, and knowledge structure, zhou xianglin tends to analyze the cultural value of objects and speculate on the value system they belong to. his series of works, such as the red machine, model, and genetic engineering, focus on various machines. these machines appear to be objective, neutral, and universally applicable, but scientific and technological development is always imbued with humanity, and machines are a synthesis of practical function, aesthetic interest, and bestowed cultural value. zhou xianglin's rigorous and meticulous paintings sometimes resemble mechanical drawings, exuding a cool scientific atmosphere, but what touches people is the aesthetic charm—the emotional and conceptual aestheticization.
this unique effect is due to his subtle handling of various factors. after his handling, many aspects are swapped, the heartless object becomes emotional, the practical use becomes symbolic, and the scientific function becomes an aesthetic function. this kind of swap is unreasonable from a scientific perspective, but reasonable from an artistic perspective. it is an aesthetic effect that grows out of psychological projection onto physics. this is more evident in genetic engineering and red machine · yesterday today.
today, in 2023, why does zhou xianglin, who is knowledgeable and experienced, still focus on "the red machine"? "you don’t know it’s new. you don’t know what it is. it doesn’t become new until about ten years later, because then it looks new (the philosophy of andy warhol, 1975)." the "pope of pop" who passed away at the age of 59 in his "pop revelation (or from a to b & back again)" inspired young people's expectations for the unknown. "what has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun" (the bible ecclesiastes 1:9). this ancient saying passed down from the axial age of human civilization to the present day reminds us that human nature and society have never changed.
after experiencing thousands of yesterdays and walking in today, people who have deeply felt life experiences can easily understand the change and the unchanged. when watching zhou xianglin's paintings with such life reflections, they will have a different reaction than those who lack such experiences. artworks are personal expressions based on sensory appeal, and the feelings of viewers towards art are open—this is the freedom of the audience.
feb. 16, 2023, beijing.
展丨览丨现丨场
嘉丨宾丨现丨场
从左到右：李端妮、唐晖、尚扬、周向林、杜㬢云、唐骁、李明威
从左到右：林琳、寇勤、周向林
从左到右：朱鸿、陈池瑜、罗世平、周向林、李松、汤立
从左到右：石冲、周向林、曾梵志
从左到右：王克举、闫萍、周向林、孟禄丁
从左到右：刘建平、周向林、雷双、尚扬、朱伟、孙纲
从左到右：蔡锦、周向林
从左到右：姚永、周向林、马堡中
嘉宾合影
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