洪天宇 空白視界

視覺顛覆與驚悚救贖

洪天宇藝術作品的當代意識與歷史淵源

文/廖仁義

1. 以「空白」去覆蓋，使被覆蓋物欲蓋彌彰

在臺灣的藝術版圖上，洪天宇這是一座尚未濫墾的離島。

洪天宇雖然出身科班，而創作歷程也不算短，但在這個歷程中，他每一次的出現都彷彿驚鴻一瞥，總是讓人眼睛為之一亮。令人印象深刻的一次，應該就是2001年在北美館舉辦的個展「給福爾摩沙下一代的備忘錄」，而這次展出的作品後來在2007年也出版了結合詩與畫的畫冊，書名叫做《空白 風景：1700-2000福爾摩沙風景備忘錄》。

這次展出的作品，雖然提供一定程度的線索，成為瞭解他與研究他的依據，卻也容易讓人誤解他的藝術風格。因為，這次展出的作品讓人以為洪天宇是一位以風景為主題的畫家，而忽略了他在風景之中置入的另一個更重要的元素，也就是「空白」這個元素。如果只看到風景的構圖，或許就無法掌握洪天宇一路走來更為完整的藝術思維；但如果看到風景又能夠留意這些「空白」，就會發現他的藝術創作中更豐富也更尖銳的意圖。他的作品中，一方面存在著一股強烈的生命關懷，因而他是以自然主義者的姿態，在重新檢視人類與自然的關係，但另一方面，他也更進一步地試圖在藝術媒材與理念上，提出屬於他自己的當代觀點，去顛覆近代與現代繪畫的視覺定義。

就風景而言，無論是地貌，或林相，或光影，這一系列作品都是關於臺灣的風景，而在風景的處理上他採取了接近攝影寫實主義的細筆繪法，充分透露出他深厚的寫實底子；不同於其他風景畫家的是，他在畫面上只對風景中屬於自然的原來面貌，進行色彩與視覺效果的微觀描繪，至於其餘一切因為人類的介入而出現的外加於自然的物質，全都塗以白色，像是留白，卻又透過輪廓與結構的處理而使人看得出白色所遮掩的物件與或物體的形狀與屬性。

就題目而言，副標題是「1700-2000福爾摩沙風景備忘錄」，其中的年代是從十八世紀初葉開始，似乎也意味著人類介入福爾摩沙的自然的一個年代，更突顯出這一系列作品試圖揭露，人類介入自然之後所產生的福爾摩沙歷史充斥著外加物質的強行介入。這個副題，透露出洪天宇做為一個自然主義者的觀點與心境。

就繪畫過程而言，這些「空白」絕對不是藝術史上常見的「未完成」，而是一種刻意的「覆蓋」，一種積極的「空白」，也就是說，覆蓋並不是為了讓它成為不可見，而是為了強調它，使之更可見；這是一種弔詭，因為在我們已經習以為常的視覺邏輯中，這些原本不屬於自然的物體往往是被視而不見的，在不被覆蓋的情形下經常是一種的不可見。藉著覆蓋，反而使之可見，而且直擊本質，這是對包藏在文明的假象之下的現代視覺邏輯所做的一種顛覆。

我們原本容易以為他在掩飾醜陋，但事實上他的作品卻有一種欲蓋彌彰的效果，而這正是洪天宇的藝術語言的顛覆性，以及一種從當代的視覺觀點對繪畫界域所做的反思與擴充。

2. 以「食人」為象徵，顛覆文明的正當性

    經過了將近七年的時間，洪天宇在2008年又為我們帶來一次的驚奇。這次的作品，一類是平面的繪畫作品，另一類則是立體的雕塑與裝置藝術的作品。

    這次的繪畫作品，對於熟悉而且曾經徜徉在他的風景主題的觀看者而言，絕對是視覺與觀念的挑戰，因為這次的作品無論在題材上或者在畫面物件的性質上，乍看都跟過去大異其趣。

    就題材而言，這次作品都是關於飲食，有的是關於食材的捕獲與處理，有的是關於食材成為食物之後在餐桌上呈現的狀態，也有的是關於儀式化的人類飲食行為。而更令人咋舌的是，這個飲食題材中的食材與食物，除了少數是其他動物之外，幾乎都是人類自己的身體或肢體。這些身體或肢體，在餐桌上與食器上的展現，一如我們現實生活中對其他動物的烹調與布置；如果不看人體的特徵，只當食物去看，可謂色香味俱全，再次展現洪天宇深厚的寫實實力；但如果我們看到食物的人體特徵與表情，那些我們曾經有過的美食當前的心情卻都會被導向另一個深層的意涵。

    首先，洪天宇做為一個自然主義者，他在這些畫面中不無企圖想要揭露人類過度消耗自然的飲食行為。其次，人類無所不吃，甚至到了吃人肉的地步，一方面這也透露出，在他的自然哲學或者宗教思想中，人類與動物本是同體共生，但另一方面這也讓我們看到，在這次的作品中，吃人肉的主題具有藝術的象徵意涵。洪天宇當然不是一個吃人論的提倡者，懂得看畫的人不難發現，透過人肉為食的畫面，他正以象徵的手法，突顯現代社會「鐵牢籠」之中人類的處境，那是一個人人相互逼食的境況；這既是一個道德的命題，也是一個社會的命題；更深遠看，這還是一個文明的命題：文明正被它自己的過度擴張扭曲為文明的反面。這應該不是十八世紀啟蒙運動的先驅所期待的一個結果。

    就風格而言，這一以飲食為題材的作品雖然仍舊表現出細膩的寫實畫法，但是在構圖上更加講究戲劇張力，在色彩上也刻意製造一種感官主義的騷動與誘惑，一反昔日風景畫面的寧靜與穩定。這當然是他刻意突顯的一項差異，因為風景是文明尚未介入的一種自然狀態，而儀式化的餐飲活動則是文明介入以後的一種社會狀態。

    然而在這些差異之中，洪天宇還是延續了他在這之前慣用的「空白」。他將一切被他歸類為自然的項目賦予了顏色，而將一切被他視為人類介入自然的項目覆蓋白色，諸如屠宰工具、烹調設備與食器。這個手法除了延續著他先前對於包藏在文明假象之下的現代視覺邏輯所做的一種顛覆，另外更發人深省的是，在他覆蓋白色的這些項目中，還包括了那些正在進行獵捕屠宰、飲食烹調與飲食儀式的人類形體。這除了是洪天宇對於被介入的自然之界定，也提醒我們發現，人類身體一念之間便可能淪為一種正在介入的異物而不自知，深具哲理。

    在他的作品中，人既可能內化於自然，也可能自外於自然。

3. 以「肉販」為裝置，象徵市場性無所不在

洪天宇既是一個深具哲理的藝術家，也是一個藝術材料的開創者。

    他的平面繪畫並不以畫布為媒材，而是選擇在鋁板上作畫，目的在於以鋁板的平坦與光滑去減少畫布紋理對顏料材質的影響；但相對的，為了維持顏料在鋁板的附著力，他又對顏料做了成分與技術的特殊調製。也因此，我們在畫面的「空白」才能看到烤漆一般的色澤，使這層覆蓋表現出特殊的視覺硬度。

    另外，他對材料的開發也運用在立體作品中。以繪畫作品為人熟悉的洪天宇，其實更久以來一直都在從事雕塑創作，而他雕塑作品的材料非常特殊，卻也非常平凡；他幾乎都是以我們日常生活常見的購物塑膠袋做為材料，原因是塑膠袋經過燃燒處理具有很高的可塑性，既容易取得，亦很容易製造他所要表現出來的烤物的視覺效果。

    我們原本以為吃人肉的系列是他在風景系列之後才發展出來的題材，但事實上如果從他持續在做雕塑作品來看，飲食文明的內在矛盾一直是他的關懷。

    在一個題為「滿漢全席」的系列中，單是標題就已經看出他企圖顛覆我們既有的飲食審美態度，再從作品中那些被調製得像是烤雞、烤豬腳或烤乳豬一般的人類肢體來看，表面上雖然略帶幽默與趣味，其實卻語帶諷刺。而在另一個叫做「人食人」的系列中，更是呈現生吞活剝的吃人景象，其畫面的故事性讓我們很容易聯想到特定的社會事件，也讓我們聯想到日以繼夜不斷出現的新聞畫面，更引發我們進一步警覺到，我們所處的時代正是一個嗜血的媒體化的時代。

    如果從這個脈絡來看，當我們看到2008年洪天宇這件題為「肉販」的裝置藝術時，我們就不會太過於驚訝了。毫無疑問的，這件作品乍看相當嚇人，尤其逼真到像是分屍的畫面。也使我們不禁想問：洪天宇是戀屍癖嗎？當然，在經過初步研判之後，我們認為：他畢竟是一個視覺藝術的革命家。因為，作品中這些支解的肢體與器官被放進一個像是肉攤的展示狀態中，這讓我們聯想到當年德國藝術家波依斯(Joseph Beuys)那些深具事件意涵的裝置藝術。「肉販」製造了一個象徵效果：它象徵著市場這個現代資本主義的交易機制，既合理化也合法化了一切事物使之成為商品，其中包含一個人對另外一個人的物質化與商品化，使之轉變為金錢的價值。

   也因此，我們可以這麼說，在洪天宇的作品中，恐怖只是表面意涵，而警世才是它的深層意涵。

4. 以「恐怖」為畫面，轉化出悲憫與救贖

    洪天宇的藝術創作以當代藝術的精神延續了一個源頭極為久遠的傳統。這個傳統，雖在作品中呈現恐怖景象，卻能讓人因為產生畏懼而得到心靈的淨化與昇華。

這個傳統，至少可以回溯到十四世紀初佛羅倫斯詩人但丁的《神曲》。這部文學經典的重要性，一方面在於它深入探討了人類的「罪惡」與「救贖」，而另一方面，其中關於天堂與地獄的描繪，更是在藝術史上成為許多藝術家作品的取材，雖然有的藝術家不見得是直接受到但丁的影響，但我們仍然可以看到他們與這個傳統忽隱忽顯的淵源。

這個傳統的藝術家，往往著墨於呈現人類在這個世界的墮落與罪惡的景象，並突顯出人類因此所遭遇的恐怖懲罰，令人望而生畏。其中，除了文藝復興興盛時期的米開朗基羅與達文西都曾有這一方面的作品之外，我們特別想要提到十五世紀後期的北歐尼德蘭地區的畫家包許(Hieronymus Bosch, 1450-1516)。

包許的作品，絕大部分是屬於恐怖美學的範疇。而其中的恐怖景象最具代表性的作品，第一件是目前由奧地利維也納藝術學院收藏的《最後的審判》，第二件是目前由西班牙普拉多美術館收藏的《七件不可饒恕的罪惡》，它們對於地獄景象做了怵目驚心的刻劃，甚至充滿人類接受懲罰時的刀割劍剖的殘酷情節。此外，我們特別要提到也是由普拉多美術館收藏的另一件題目為《人間樂園》的三幅式作品，這件作品或許是因為標題的表面意涵，遮掩了它事實上也是一件恐怖美學的經典。

    這件作品的中幅描繪的是人間的享樂與墮落，左幅是天堂的祥和，右幅是地獄的悲慘。由於是一個對照的畫面，更是發人深省；而它令人動容之處，除了是天堂與地獄的懸殊，更在於它讓我們看到，人間彷彿一片榮景，卻只不過是虛無頹廢的末日歡愉。

    藝術史上，到了十九世紀，德拉克洛瓦也曾以《但丁與維吉爾》一作描寫冥河，羅丹也曾以《地獄之門》刻劃地獄悲境，當然都是恐怖美學的曠世之作，但包許這件《人間樂園》卻由於他透過人間歡愉去突顯隱藏其中的恐怖，讓人直接從人間榮景產生畏懼，更是將恐怖美學置入人文主義的現世覺醒之中，使觀者的心靈因驚懼與悲憫而獲得洗滌。洪天宇不見得必須意識到或者去同意包許繪畫的美學觀點，但是不可否認的，洪天宇的作品，無論是以人間榮景或以恐怖美學為其表現手法，也都使人不得不進入更深沈的驚悚與更積極的救贖。

    換言之，洪天宇的藝術作品正以他對當代社會的敏銳觀察與藝術轉化，讓悲劇美學從畏懼到昇華這個歷史久遠的命題，在當代藝術中獲得了全新的延伸。

    這一切足以說明，洪天宇是一座活水滾滾的離島。

Visual Overturn and Horrified Redemption

The Contemporariness and Historical Linkage in the Artworks by Hong Tien-yu 

By Jen-I Liao

1. Covering with Blank Space and thus better presenting what to be covered

In the art world of Taiwan, Hong Tien-yu is like a remote virgin island.

With academic training background and an engagement on artistic career for a while, Hong always impresses us with his artworks. One of the most impressive experiences is his solo exhibition at Taipei Fine Art Museum in 2001, entitled “The MOU for the Next Generation at Formosa.” Those paintings shown in this exhibition is published with the catalogue form combining poetry and paintings in 2007. The title of this catalogue is called “The Blank Landscape: MOU regarding Formosa Landscape • 1700-2000.” 

Those paintings shown in that exhibition, though, to certain extent provide clues to understand and analyze Hong’s artworks and in some ways they might also be misleading to his artistic style. The landscape theme might lead audience believe that Hong is a landscape painter and thus easily ignore another important element he intentionally installs into those landscape paintings, which is the element of blank space. If one only focuses on the compositions of Hong’s landscape paintings, one might be unable to fully recognize the comprehensive artistic thinking Hong has been accumulating through his artistic career; if one could appreciate with the landscape scenes and notice the blank space as well, one will find the much richer and sharper goals in Hong’s artistic creation. In his artworks, one can sense strong caring toward life because Hong reviews the relationship between human beings and the Nature as a Naturalist. On the other hand, Hong further proposes his contemporary viewpoint in terms of artistic concepts and mediums in order to overturn the visual definition on modern and contemporary paintings. 

As to landscape scenes, regardless the landforms, forest scenes or lighting and shadows, the series of Blank Landscape is about landscape in Taiwan. Hong takes a delicate painting approach close to photo-realism to deal with the landscape scenes which reveals his profound realism foundation; what differentiates Hong’s landscapes paintings from others’ is that he only applies micro-depiction to those parts belonging to the Nature and he paints with white pigments on those artificial parts. It looks like blank space intentionally left there and in the same time, Hong manipulates with the outline and construction to lead audiences recognize the shape and nature of those white-painted objects.

As to subject matters, the sub-title of his solo exhibition is “The MOU of Formosa Landscape•1700-2000.” The series begins with early 18^th century and this seemingly implies the period when human beings interfered with the Formosa natural world. This further reveals Hong’s intention to expose the enforcing interference of imported materials in the history of Formosa ever since human beings’ interference to the Nature. The sub-title implies Hong’s viewpoint and mindset as a Naturalist.

As to the process of painting, the blank space is not what we refer to as “unfinished” in the art history. This is an elaborated cover-up as well as a positive blank. In other words, to cover something up is not to have them invisible, rather to put emphasis to better visually present them; this is quite ironic because in our long accustomed visual logic, those objects not belonging to the Nature could be invisible. With elaborated cover-up to present them as visible objects and thus we could further see their essential quality, this is an overturn against modern visual logic that is wrapped inside the civilization illusion.

We thought Hong’s blank is trying to cover the ugliness. As a matter of fact, his artworks produce such effect of “covering it up and better being known later.” This is the destabilization of Hong’s artistic language and a review as well as promotion from contemporary visual viewpoint toward the painting world.

2. The Symbol of Cannibal Overturns the Legitimacy of Civilization

    Seven years after the Blank Landscape series, Hong brings us another amazing experience in 2008. This time, he creates both two-dimensional paintings and three-dimensional sculpture and installation piece.

    The paintings of this new series will be great challenge both visually and conceptually toward those who had been familiar and enjoyed Hong’s landscape-theme paintings because the subject matters and the nature of objects on canvas are very different from what he worked on in the past. 

    As to subject matters, those paintings are about food, catching and handling of ingredients, table presentation of ingredients transforming into food, and human being’s ritualized eating behavior. What is more shocking about Hong’s new paintings is that the ingredients and foods in the food theme series contain few other animals as well as human bodies and organs. Those human body parts and organs are displayed and presented on dinning table and dinning ware in a way like what we do with other animals for cooking and garnishment in daily life; if we don’t take those parts as human bodies and instead simply food, they all look very delicious, in which is contributed by Hong’s great realism foundation; if we really look at those characters and emotion expressions in those dishes, the excitement we have when facing delicious food will be led to another context.

    At first, as a Naturalist, Hong makes his best effort to reveal human beings’ overly consuming natural resource through eating on canvas. Secondly, Hong depicts a world where we mankind eat everything and eventually we become cannibal in which Hong implies that from his Naturalism philosophy or religious thinking, human beings and other animals share the same root. On the other hand, we see the cannibal theme possesses artistic contexts through his new artworks. Hong is surely not promoting cannibal practice and those who truly understand Hong’s paintings will find out that Hong adopts a symbolic approach to present the fate of human beings in the “Iron Prison” of modern society. It is a situation people compete with each other for survival; this is an ethic issue as well as a social one; if we look further, we will find out it is a civilization one: our civilization is distorted into the negative side by its over expansion. This should be not what those pioneers of Enlightenment Movement of 18^th Century had expected.

    As to stylistic analysis, the food-theme series still shows realism of high delicacy and has further focus on theatrical tension for the composition. Hong elaborately creates such sensual caress and section through colors, in contrast of the color presentation in the quiet and stable landscape before. This is apparently a difference that Hong on purposely exposes because landscape is a pre-civilization status of the Nature while ritualized dinning is a social event after civilization interfering into the Nature.

    Regardless the difference, Hong still keeps the application of blank space on canvas. He colors everything he labels as belongings from the Nature and covers everything involved with human beings’ interference with white pigment, such as butchery tools, cooking equipment or dinning wares. This approach preserves his constant overturn against modern visual logic wrapped inside the illusion of civilization, and he further extends this approach toward those human beings who are hunting, cooking and dining. This could be Hong’s interpretation on the interference of the Nature, and is could also be a profound philosophical reminder that we could sometimes become an interfering force without awareness.

    In Hong’s artworks, human beings could be internalized into the Nature or externalized from the Nature.

3. The Shamble Installation Symbolizes the Marketability Everywhere 

Hong is a philosophy artist as well as pioneer with creation medium

    He chooses aluminum board instead of canvas for two-dimensional paintings so that he could eliminate potential impact on the pigments from the textile texture of canvas with the flatness and smooth of aluminum board; furthermore, in order to maintain the attachment of pigments with aluminum, Hong makes special adjustment on pigments in terms of the ingredients and techniques. That’s how we could find such baking enamel-like texture of blank space and thus the covered layer shows particular visual hardness.

    Hong also applies his pioneering experiments with medium on the three-dimensional works. Known for the paintings, Hong has been constantly working on sculpture creation for a long time. The materials for his sculpture pieces are so peculiar and yet ordinary; Hong almost uses plastic shopping bags that are very available in our daily life because plastic bags will possess high formability after burning process and it is so easy to get, furthermore, plastic bags could easily create the desired visual effects of roasting food.

    We thought the cannibal series came after the landscape series. In fact, if we consider that Hong continues creating sculpture, the inner contradiction of dinning and civilization has been his focus.

    Take the series entitled “Manchu & Han Imperial Feast” for instance one can see from the title that Hong intends to overturn our existing dinning aesthetics and attitude as well. Further one find such ironic context from the seemingly humor and interest of human bodies presented as roast chicken, roast trotters or roast porklings. Another series called “Cannibal,” the artist clearly presents such bloody and brutal scene of mankind eating each other. The visual image reminds us of constantly popping-up news on TV. Then we further realize that the time we are now is indeed a blood-loving pan-media era.

    If we see from the said logic, then we won’t be much surprised at Hong’s installation piece in 2008 called “The Shambles.” It is unquestionable that this piece is very horrifying at the first glance, especially the scene of next-to-real corps in pieces. One might wonder if Hong is necrophilia. Of course, at the initial analysis, we think that after all he is a visual artist. Those dismembered body parts and organs are put into a shamble-like presentation for display. It reminds us those event-oriented installation artworks by German artist Joseph Beuys (1921-1986). The Shamble creates such symbol: it symbolizes the market as an exchange system under modern capitalism makes everything into commodities in such rational and yet legitimate way. This also includes that one person materializes and commercializes another in order to transform him/her into monetary value.

   Therefore we can say that the horror in Hong’s artworks is only a superficial context and caution mankind against impending disasters is the true meaning.

4. Through Horrified Images Transformed Compassion and Redemption 

    Hong’s art creation lasts an old tradition with the spirit of contemporary art. Such tradition shown as horrified images in artworks, can lead people gain mental purification and enlightenment through awesome.

This tradition can be traced back at least to Divina Commedia by Dante in 14^th Century. The importance of this literature classic is on one hand it deeply explores the sin and redemption for mankind; on the other hand, the depiction of heaven and hell later becomes inspiration resource for artists. Some artists might not directly be influenced by Dante’s work and we still can clearly find out the indistinctive connection between those artists and this tradition.

Artists with this tradition often focus on depicting the falling and villainous mankind world and further presenting the horrifying punishment mankind will face to make viewers scared. In addition to other Renaissance artists including Michelangelo and da Vinci, the late 15^th Century Netherland artist Bosch (Hieronymus Bosch, 1450-1516) is the one we would like to mention in particular.

Most of Bosch’s artworks can be in the category of horror aesthetics. One of the most signature pieces is The Last Judgment at Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Vienna and the other is The Seven Sins at Museo del Prado, Spain. Both paintings skillfully depict the hell scene including the cruel slaying when mankind is punished. In addition, we would like to mention particularly another piece called The Mankind Paradise at Museo del Prado. Perhaps because of this title, the fact this trilogy piece is also horror aesthetics classic is often forgot. 

    In this piece, Bosch depicts the enjoyment and falling of mankind. The left panel is the harmony scene in heaven while the right panel is the miserable scene in hell. This is a very inspiring contrast; when it is so touching in addition to the huge gap between heaven and hell, is that the contrast shows us that the prosperity in mankind’ world is indeed empty and decadent joy by doom. 

    In art history, by 19^th Century, Eugene Delacroix (1798 ~ 1863) depicted the hell scene in Dante and Virgil while Augeuste Rodin (1840～1917) also presented the miserable hell in The Gates of Hell. All those pieces are masterpiece samples of horror aesthetics. Nevertheless Bosch’s The Mankind Paradise directly shows the hidden horror through joyful scene in mankind world and thus viewers grow awesome from the prosperity of the world. This further installs horror aesthetics into the humanity awareness in reality world, and thus viewers’ mind is purified through fear and compassion. Hong not necessarily need to aware or agree with Bosch’s aesthetic viewpoint; however, it is undoubted that the expression through the prosperous mankind world or horror aesthetics in Hong’s artworks also forces viewers entering further profound horror and more positive redemption. 

    In other wards, the keen observation on contemporary society and skillful artistic transformation in Hong’s artworks leads the long-history issue of pathetic aesthetic upgrading from fear to enlightenment expanding in contemporary art. 

    All above quite explains that Hong is an artist like a remote island with high vitality.