洪天宇 空白視界

創意謀略或最後一記的當頭棒喝？

─讀洪天宇《空白風景》到《大悲宴》的斷裂與連續

文/黃海鳴（國立台北教育大學教授、創意產業系系主任）

假如洪天宇確實經常用母親的身體來看待大地，假如洪天宇確實經常用合諧的家族共生來看待宇宙萬物，假如洪天宇確實經常用貨真價實的第一人稱來看待那些被吞食享用的佳餚，那麼我們也可以理解《大悲宴》是必然的發展，作為他個人較終級創作動機的揭露分享，或是最後一記不得已的當頭棒喝。

前言：

    單獨看洪天宇1700-2000的《空白風景》，那是比較容易理解以及接受的作品，再看2008的《大悲宴》系列，我們很難理解，甚至無法接受這整批的作品。或許我們只是自以為了解了他《空白風景》的複雜意涵，以至於無法接受他更白話、更直接的《空白風景》後續發展，並甚至覺得兩者之間毫無關係。在這一篇文章中，我試著建構一個可以閱讀《大悲宴》也同時可以閱讀《空白風景》的另一種詮釋架構，事實上，這個架構已經相當清楚地存在於《空白風景 1700-2000福爾摩沙風景備忘錄》的視覺作品以及文字作品之中。

一、《空白風景》重新閱讀

─被宰割與汙染的原始風景：

洪天宇把哪怕是小小的一條步道都看做是自然生態的迫害，這當然是一種反應過度，但這種過度正傳達了一種絕對的價值觀，因為那條小小甚至美麗的步道，就像插入動物柔軟身體的第一把尖刀，接著會有第二把、第三把。接著而來的尖刀，可能是挖土機、卡車、道路、採砂石機、廠房、旅館、商店、民宅以及不斷擴大，最後掩蓋埋葬毛茸茸蠻荒大自然的大城市。在洪天宇的作品中，起伏的山脈就是活生生的骨肉，茂密交纏的雜樹雜草就是動物身上厚厚保暖的皮毛，那是讓更小的動物家族遊戲、躺臥、保暖、隱藏的地方。但是在這些地方，因為無情的開發，大地母親的身體死了，依附她的各種動物家庭或直接地被獵殺，或逐漸失去生存空間而相繼死亡。

在他《空白風景 1700-2000福爾摩沙風景備忘錄》中的〈太平山〉這個小標題下放了三件作品，一件是一條白色曲折的步道像利劍般穿進森林，另外一件是幾個工人用鍊鋸瘋狂地砍伐鋸木，此時太平山已經成為土灰色恐怖的墳場、刑場。而第三件作品，表現的不光是原始森林的景像，裡面還住著台灣熊的家庭，一隻公熊、一隻母熊，一隻小熊，那是已經消失的原始狀態。接下來，再讓大家體會一下，家庭、家族、或萬物大家族之愛，在他的作品中佔有多麼重要的地位。

─充滿親子之愛與共生分享的原始風景：

在《空白風景》系列中，有好幾件充分表現親情的作品，《小山豬》1995：一隻壯碩的母山豬，帶著四隻小山豬，其中一之特別小的還怯生生地躲在母山豬的腳邊。《崙仔腳》1995：茂密山林中的一條溪流邊有幾隻前來喝水的梅花鹿，看起來像一個家族，有大鹿、小鹿，小鹿跟在兩隻大鹿後面，更有一隻緊靠在另一隻母鹿腳邊。《太平山》1996：先前我們已經提過的，茂密山林中有幾隻黑熊，一隻大公熊坐在高處守望，另外兩隻稍小的黑熊在低處，有點像母熊逗小熊玩的景象。另外一件《竹安》2004：水上天空中到處都是水鳥、鴨子，大家玩得非常快樂，還有不少母鴨帶小鴨的情景。《人與鱟的對話》2004：一些在地球上生存得最久小型原始魚類鱟，在台西海岸淺灘上和平共處的狀況。作者有一長篇文章強調牠們具有幾乎不會破壞自己的生態，也不會去侵占別的生物的生存空間的特質，看來，洪天宇對鱟的生活態度最為讚賞，甚至發展出一種鱟的生活哲學。 洪天宇對於前面的這些情景都是用過去式的方式呈現，後面的幾件則是用現在式的時態來呈現，不管怎樣都是一種高度理想的狀態。《柴山》2005：高雄柴山上，長滿了水果的樹梢上棲息著三隻猴子，應該是一個猴子家庭，其中一之有明顯的乳房的母猴，看著調皮的已經爬到樹梢的小猴子。

這裡我們大約可以掌握洪天宇所愛及所恨的事物，破壞自然植物生態，實際上也破壞、拆散了溫馨的動物家庭關係，這兩種破壞是不能分開來看待的。我們是不是也可以用新的「家庭家族關係存亡」的脈絡來看洪天宇的脈絡？

二、2008《嘴巴》、《肛門》、《臍帶》三聯作的閱讀

     這一個三聯作，並非特別好而被放在2008新作分析的最前面，而是因為它暴露了作者更多不願直說的想法。《嘴巴》：一張象徵性的貪婪的大嘴巴將整桌的大魚大肉通通吃下去；旁邊排列的作品就是一個露出噁心的大腸小腸的巨大母體的《肛門》。《肛門》：在巨大的肥胖骯髒身體的肛門下面放了一只馬桶，裡面裝的是整缸的糞便，泡在飄浮著許多泡泡的尿水中。這個躺臥的身體非常巨大，當然可以將它視為擬人化的生病的大地，洪天宇卻實用得了「潰爛性大腸炎」的大地，來描述被嚴重污染的基隆河（「空白風景」第42頁）。《肛門》與《嘴巴》的聯結相當自然，但是《肛門》與另一件作品《臍帶》的關係就比較奇怪了。

《臍帶》：一堆還纏著臍帶的不同膚色的嬰孩屍體，像垃圾或是像糞便一樣的堆積在一起。這這些屍體當然可以和大吃大喝的那張嘴做一個比對，一邊是奢侈、浪費、暴飲暴食，一邊是飢餓、死亡。但是，這種詮釋有點牽強，他們欠缺的不是食物而是母愛。這些嬰孩，應該和中間的母體連結在一起，但是那個母體沒有子宮，肚子裡面裝的是因為貪婪而塞得太脹的發酵食物以及待排泄的惡臭糞便。如果把母親的身體和旁邊的嬰孩身體相連，這裡呈現的可是一個拋棄嬰孩的壞母親的形象。我們是不是也可以從這個方向去合併追蹤？

三、2008《祭壇系列1-7》的閱讀

在2008年之後，洪天宇突然畫了許多被無情地宰殺的牲畜，包括鯊魚、牛、馬、豬、羊、狗、最後還有奇怪的人。除了殺人、殺鯊魚及殺狗沒有剝皮，其他牲畜的屠體都被剝了皮，並露出巨大的內臟、花花的皮下黏膜、動靜脈血管、皮下脂肪，以及它們所包住的肌腱、骨骼等。這些被剝了皮的屠體被畫得非常寫實，更由於技巧非常的好，因此可以說，這些被剝皮且被開膛的動物被表現得淋漓盡致。也許還可以說，牠們被剝皮之後，還保持活生生、非常新鮮的狀態。當然，和上一個被宰割的自然的系列一樣，所有參與及用來殘害牲畜的人物、設施，例如用來懸掛肉塊的起重機、架子等，都從畫面中去除，只剩下白色的區域和輪廓線。

─與被宰割的大自然系列的異與同：

我們可以在這兩個系列之間建立一個連續性，但是，這裡面有一些矛盾必須說明。例如，洪天宇曾經非常明白說過，他與被食用的肉食之間那份充滿了恩情的「身體實質的能量傳遞」的關係。例如，在那些表現動物屍體的畫面中，活生生的生命能量以及溫度的感覺，不光在流動在動物身上、留在血跡斑斑的地上，還充滿了整個大自然。在他的第一件屠宰鯊魚的作品中，這種活生生的、會痛的、有能量的肉體之流，實際上就是蔓延到整個大海，整個甲板、整個大海都流動著同樣的強烈的蠻荒自然力量。

─在殘酷表現中可能的欲望的成分：

在蠻荒大自然的作品系列中，原始的能量因為大量白色人工機械的介入，而逐漸消失。但是在被剝皮、開膛、破肚的各種動物身上，卻因為這些動作而釋放了最大的生命原始能量，也就是說讓人能夠和原始的、還熱騰騰的蠻荒原始能量毫無距離的接觸在一起。洪天宇似乎很享受這類作品的淋漓盡致的創作。

這些被剝皮、被剖開、溫暖、潮濕的身體，難道不像早產的嬰兒，或是母愛不足的嬰孩所應該回歸的巨大女性生殖器官？在洪天宇的文章中，曾經有對於柔軟的沙灘、海洋非常擬人化甚至肉慾情感的描述：「第一次看到海我便被海震住了…微風鹹鹹的，動盪的大海好像無邊的縐折布幔在沙灘外徐徐蠕動著，我心裡又震撼又焦躁，當濕軟的金黃沙地映出小腳丫時，我簡直發狂喉頭ㄚㄚ作響，雙掌對著天空亂舞，只想把雲彩一片一片撕下來，而雙腳早已經不是我的了，像小孩撲向母親一般，一路衝向大海的懷抱。在水中又抓又踢直到氣喪力竭，才爬回沙灘逗弄馬鞍藤上的昆蟲，觀看沙地上噴砂蟹搗細沙的工程，躺著聽小燕鷗吹短哨。那次回家後背部剝了一層皮，但只要想起海便去沾一撮鹽巴舔一舔，把自己丟回無邊無際的慈愛幻想中，讓全身毛孔被千萬柔指撫摸著。」（「空白風景」第80頁）這裡有非常強烈的性關係的影子，並且是一種嬰孩回到母親陰道、子宮的感覺。

當然，上面的這種現象並未在這個系列中像殺狗、殺人的兩件作品中出現， 也許我們重新要追問，這些牲畜以及人為了甚麼理由要被懸掛在祭台上？因為不同的宗教？不同的學說？不同的意識形態？不同的生活方式？不同的美感價值？這是一種剝削？一種凌虐？一種懲罰？一種報復？

─被貪婪地利用及被無情地拋棄的肉：

在這個系列中，據說最早創作的就是在遠洋漁船上捕鯊魚的那一件，讀者會發現在畫面前面的桶子裡有一些切割下來的雜亂魚肉塊，其實那些正是可以用來製作高貴菜餚魚翅的材料，其他的部份將會當作無用的垃圾丟回大海。作者也在他的文章中提到：「漁船起網很自然地將漁獲分為『高級魚』、『中級魚』，雜魚成千上萬地被鏟起當肥料。」很快，他也批評社會把「金錢收入高低」的外在標準用來區分人的「貴賤等級」（「空白風景」第152頁）。在《嘴巴》、《肛門》、《臍帶》的三聯作，我們碰到的一堆難以理解的棄嬰，或許還不能用人的以金錢收入高低定貴賤等級的方式來區分，至少可以放在被當作肥料的「雜魚」的脈絡中去理解，那麼他們就是是不能上桌，不能變成被感恩的「身體實質的能量傳遞」的垃圾。洪天宇強調萬物平等共生分享，為了生存，他同意必要的最低限的獵殺，但必須陪伴高度的感恩，放在這樣的脈絡中，作為無用的社會垃圾將如何自處？

四、人形美食及人肉美食作品的分析

在2006《小魚》這件作品的解說中，洪天宇強調對於哪怕是一點點儉樸的食物的無限感恩：「我注視著即將入口的小魚，牠的眼睛已被火燒烤到焦黑死白無法像我看它般地看我…對我來說少了這份身體實質的能量傳遞，我會餓到失去所有的精神能量。沒有任何犧牲能與生命交換相比擬，我唯一能做卻僅僅是感謝，感謝牠的捐軀，感謝牠熟透焦黑的臉孔。」（「空白風景」第172頁）

洪天宇接受人對於其他生命的最低限的掠奪，但是如果超過了某種限度，即是為了父母兄弟、妻兒子女都是不可原諒的罪惡。在一篇〈被切割的海岸〉的短文中他提到：「…包山包海、生吞腐燴、煎炒煮炸，樣樣專研。動物是一定要吃的，植物則仔細分成實用、藥用、建材…最糟的是人很愛囤積，不只為自己囤積，更為父母兄弟、妻兒子孫、宗族後代…來生…沒個底線。」（「空白風景」第120頁）這邊已經說明了，他對於為了延續生命的最低限的殺生，仍然是認同的。但是，這種必要的惡不能提升到無限享樂的程度，即使以分享父母兄弟、妻兒子孫的名義都是一種不可原諒的罪惡。

在《大悲宴》這個系列中，洪天宇創作了許多的具有局部人形以及根本就用人肉、內臟所做成的美食。此外，還把吃人形美食或是人肉美食放在一個情人、家人、親朋、好友、夥伴間快樂共享的脈絡中。那麼，我們如何從洪天宇的脈絡來理解他的這些奇怪的作品？

《烤牝羊》：名為烤牝羊，實際上是烤一具去頭、去手掌、去腳掌的女體，再加上烤成金黃的肉，變得很誘人食慾。此外很長的傷口被處理成很像腫脹的性器官。《燻羊蹄》： 實際上是一大半邊的女體，腳上還穿著一隻很高的高跟鞋，已經被燻烤得香噴噴，焦得金黃、恰到好處，非常可口。《荷葉雞》：就是一隻荷葉雞，但是尾巴的部份完全是人類女性的豐滿的臀部。《桃花雞》：一隻長著女人乳房的烤雞，在牠旁邊還有一個白色的男性剪影，並且在窗外還可以看到被很多建築、橋樑道路所切割遮蓋的大自然。這些已經不是儉樸的食物這些已經不是儉樸的食物者裡面的情感當然不是感恩而是一種不當的貪欲，有多少真實情境中食欲與情欲直接結合在一起？

接下的兩件作品與性慾有更直接的關係，《鮑魚燉烏參》：紅色的餐桌上放了一盤包括兩個大鮑魚和大烏參的中式西菜，鮑魚的內部完全是女性性器官的內部，而大烏參則像是了很多凸出物的情趣商品假陽具。《情人節早餐》：紅色餐桌上，放了一盤豐盛的改良式西式早餐，其中一塊切開的麵包中，夾著一條具有龜頭的烤香腸，這兩件作品是少數帶有幽默感的作品。在這裡殘忍的感覺比較少，倒是把食物的享受與性的享受結合在一起。從這兩件作品來看，倒是一種相互的吞食、分享關係。與這兩件相比較，前面的作品比較像是對於女性的剝削，把女性當成滿足慾望的工具。

《淮杞燉乳鴿》：裡面有兩隻載浮載沉的雞，雞頭換成小孩子的頭。《鼠斑魚》：腰子型盤子上放了一條紅燒的鼠斑魚，魚鰭像手，魚頭同樣的換成小孩子的頭，用哀求的眼神看著將要分食牠的大家，洪天宇說這是他的自畫像。《松花魚》： 一隻炸得很香的魚，在身體的部份，皮已經被剝開，在切花香嫩的金黃的魚肉上，還擠了一些白色的美乃滋，旁邊是生嫩的沙拉，如果沒有那個小孩子的頭，絕對是一盤誘惑人的松花魚。《烤乳豬》： 一隻烤乳豬，顏色烤得很漂亮，並且好像淋了蜜汁之類的，非常的誘惑人的食慾，但小豬的頭換成小孩子的頭，一個乖乖的無辜的小孩，但並沒有被處理得太可憐、以及痛苦。《壽司捲》： 小孩的身體，在肚子的部份排列著人肉所作的壽司。

當然我們可以從“不當的捕獵未成熟的動物”的生態觀點來看待這些作品，但是這裡還有另一個更社會的層面。這裡的美食清一色都與小孩連一起，小孩和絕對弱勢有關，這時在餐廳中幸福的一群人，或許還是幸福的一家人，吃可憐的小孩子就變得具有特別的意涵了。也許我們可以再度回到在《嘴巴》、《肛門》、《臍帶》的三聯作中《臍帶》作品中一堆難以理解的棄嬰，這裡同樣是小孩的身體，他們只是垃圾，甚至還沒有資格放在幸福美滿的情境中被分享。

《滷蹄子》： 像是滷過又加了一些其他配料紅燒的成人的腳，去掉熟悉的人腳丫，就像我們通常吃的很誘惑人很入味的蹄花。《分享》：看造型或是體積像是一隻大的烤豬，脆皮已經被吃光了，身上的肉也已經被吃得差不多，這隻烤豬有一張扭曲的肥胖的老人的臉，身體底下的還有炭火還繼續的冒著煙。有一個人負責燒烤以及切肉，旁邊有排隊等肉的客人，稍遠的場子中，有其他人走來走去，看起來像是一個公司的餐會。是不是應該感謝自己還有用？

《聖誕快樂》： 這個聖誕大餐就很像特別為家人準備的感恩儀式。我們慶祝聖誕節，卻要其他的生靈犧牲生命來為我們助興。這裡面當然有家人的分享，但是也有許多牲畜我們犧牲、或許我們還拆散了一些動物家庭，到底我們應該感謝誰？我們是不是需要吃得那麼豐盛？聖誕大餐沒有那種殘忍，並且也和分享、感恩有關，是不是應該放在《鮑魚燉烏參》、《情人節早餐》的脈絡中？我認為，洪天宇在那些奢華的美食宴席中，除了控訴，還有強烈憐憫，並且還保留了一些感恩，一些羨慕。因為我們吃了別人(別的動物)的小孩、爸爸、媽媽，因為不管怎麼樣，哪裡面都還是一種人與人之間的分享。或是，當我們被吃時，至少還是對別人有用？這是很奇怪的邏輯，但是在洪天宇的作品中似乎是可以成立的。

五、體會像豬肉攤的豬肉那樣被凌虐的感受

這個系列可以說是最讓人觸目驚心，甚至以被看成是變態殺人狂的行為，它根本就是一個非常寫實的人肉攤子，洪天宇依照豬肉攤的模式，把人體依照豬肉的方式肢解。於是上肢、下肢、手掌、腳掌、脊椎骨、肋骨、心臟、腎臟、胃、大腸、小腸、直腸、膀胱、子宮、輸卵管、陰道、陰阜、睪丸、輸精管、陰莖，帶有乳房的三層肉、年輕女人的沒有頭、沒有手臂的上半身、老人的愁苦的頭、看來生前一定面目矯好的女人頭部、帶有男女性生殖器官的骨盆、臀部及大腿根部等。豬就是那樣被肢解、那樣被賣的，如果這只是一個豬肉攤的超級寫實雕塑，我們只會讚嘆藝術家神乎其技的寫實功夫，但是一旦裡面牽涉的是我們同類的人被肢解的身體時，那種感覺就完全不同了。

但是真的完全不同嗎？人在殺害敵人、殺害反革命敵人、殺害仇人或奴隸的時候，恐怕和宰殺牲畜沒有太大的不同，甚至還具有法律、道德的正當性、甚至還具有快感、還有成就感。用各種巧妙的烹調手法，可以去掉熟悉的器官外型所帶來的恐怖感、罪惡感，或是再加上一些公共分享的儀式、敬神感恩的儀式、進補保健的理由等等，就算心中有些悲憫，還是可以從容下肚。前面那些長了人頭的美食菜餚，我們還可接受，面對活生生的人肉塊，我們還是無法逃避我們所做過的各種殺生，以及它所衍生的罪惡感。這樣，這個系列變成了不得已的當頭棒喝？

很特別的，在最後的像凶殺案的人肉攤中，裡面不再出現小孩，只有一對男人與女人被肢解的屠體，其中的男女性徵被特別的強調出來，並且以一種毫無美感、毫無分享的方式表現出來，這裡面包含了一些報復？除了對於一般的殺生享樂的報復之外，還有對於殺嬰、棄嬰的報復？

小結

洪天宇的藝術表現有它特殊的生命經驗作為背景，有它相當連貫的思想價值判斷作為骨幹，那幾乎駕輕就熟的高超技術，似乎也讓他可以玩各種的表現手法，並且將感染力推到一種極致生猛的程度。我們不能說，他的表現沒有策略性，他的表現一直和華人世界的許多文化深層結構、許多奇怪現象結合的非常密切，例如特別的人與自然的關係、特別的飲食習慣，甚至和所謂的「人吃人」的遠近傳統有非常密切的關係，另外，也和傳統封閉世界接觸西方文化後所產生出來的一些扭曲怪異現象有關，這些關係都能夠在這一波華人熱中成為賣點。

確實，也很可以用「人吃人」這個聳動的議題來發展，在一篇由錢理群所寫的《说“食人”》的文章中，作者引用魯迅的話寫道：「中國的食人現象不僅沒有结束，甚至還在繼續着。而且更重要的是，人們製造出一些新的理論来證明食人的必要性、可行性。中國人殺人的一個最好的辦法，是先宣布你不是人，在國民黨時代，在共產黨時代都一樣，我要殺你，就先把你開除人籍。你不是人，成為動物，我殺了你就没有關係了。本来殺了人總會有心理負擔，现在殺的不是人，就心安理得了。」用這樣的觀點來寫《大悲宴》的某一部份當然可以，並且在這個全球華人熱的時代更有賣點。

但是，是那一條不明顯，卻經常讓他的作品變得複雜、矛盾、難以閱讀的那條跨文化，但又很地域性的、很個人的線，讓作品更為深刻。說不定長期做為社會、家庭垃圾的那種感覺，就像我在文中，不那麼確定但卻不斷碰觸到的那種感覺，也一起讓他建構了這樣如暮鼓晨鐘般震耳欲聾的藝術。或許我們現在可以從最後的作品、從不同的觀點，倒過來看他之前的作品。

A Creative Tactic or the Last Severe Warning?

─An Analysis of the Fractures and consistency from Blank Landscape to The Mercy Feast by Hong Tien-yu

By Hai-ming Huang（Professor of National Taipei University of Education, Dean of Department of Culture Industry）

If Hong really often sees the land with the metaphor of mother’s body, the living creatures in the Universe with the metaphor of harmoniously interdependent family, and those delicious cuisines eaten and swallowed with the first person’s viewpoint, then we could understand the Mercy Feast as a necessary development, which reveals his ultimate creation motivation, or the last enforced severe warning. 

Introduction

    If we see Hong’s Blank Landscape 1700-2000 series as solely independent creation, it would be much easily understandable and highly acceptable artwork. Then we see his Mercy Feast in 2008 and we find it is very difficult to understand or even accept the whole series. Perhaps we think we understand the complex context behind Hong’s Blank Landscape series and thus we cannot accept his more vernacular and direct development after the Blank Landscape series. Furthermore, we don’t see the connection between the two series. In this article, I try to establish an interpretation structure in which we can analyze the Mercy Feast as well as the Blank Landscape series. As a matter of fact, this structure already exists in the visual artworks and writing of the Blank Landscape: A MOU of Formosa Landscape 1700- 2000. 

I. Re-reading the Blank Landscape

─The Primitive Landscape Invaded and Polluted：

Hong seriously takes everything relating to the damage to natural world, even with a tiny trail. This is surely an over-reaction and this over-reaction is expressing an absolute value. That tiny and pretty trail is like the first sharp knife cut into animals’ soft bodies and then it might follow the second, third knife. Those following knifes could be shovels, trucks, roads, gravel mining machines, factories, hotels, shops, residential houses and the cities which constant expand and eventually cover up the primitive natural world. In Hong’s paintings, those up-and-down hills are the bone frame while those interweaving forests are like the thick and warm animal fur where families of small animals can play, rest, keep warm and hide. However, those places, like Gia’s body, die at human beings’ cruel and heartless development. All kinds of animal families attaching to her then die either by being directly hunted or losing their habitat. 

Under the sub-title “Taiping Mountain” of the Blank Landscape: A MOU of Formosa Landscape 1700- 2000, Hong arranges three pieces of paintings. One depicts a winding white trail penetrating into forests while another shows several workers crazily engaging wood-cutting with sews and the Taiping Mountain thus becomes grayish horrifying graveyards and execution grounds. Still another piece shows not merely primitive forest scene, but there lives a Taiwan bear family, a male bear, a female bear and a young bear. It is a long disappeared scene. Next, I would like lead readers to understand the importance of the family concepts and big love toward the nature family in Hong’ artworks. 

─The Primitive Landscape full of Family Affection, Co-existence and Sharing：

In the Blank Landscape series, there are several pieces focusing on family affection. The Little Boar of 1995 depicts a healthy female boar taking four young boars and the youngest one shyly hiding behind legs of the female boar. Lun-zai of 1995 depicts a group of Formosan sika deer gathering by the brook in greenish forest. They look like a family: two adults following by young ones and a young one tightly attaching by female deer. In Taiping Mountain of 1996, as we mentioned earlier, the painting shows few black bears in the flourish forest. A large male bear sit on the hill to watch around while two young bears stay in the lower place. It looks like female bear teasing young bears. Another one, Chu-an in 2004, depicts waterfowls and ducks in the sky, on the water and everywhere. They all look like having good time while the scene of female duck taking care of young ducklings is included. The Dialogue between Men and Limulus (King Crab) of 2004 documents limulus, one of the living fossils harmoniously co-existing with each other in Taishi Shoal. The artist wrote a long article in emphasis of the characters of limulus which they almost don’t damage their habitat and they don’t occupy other living creatures’ habitat. It looks like Hong really appreciates the life style of limulus and further he develops a limulus-like life philosophy. Hong presents those scenes above with past tense while present tense for the latter ones. Either way, they are all highly idealization. Ape Hill of 2005 depicts a scene that in the Ape Hill of Kaohsiung, three monkeys resting on the tree branch full of fruit. It looks like a monkey family which a female monkey with huge breast lovingly watching over naughty young ones climbing over the tree top. 

Now we could approximately understand what Hong loves and hates. Destroying the vegetable nature is, in fact, destroying heartfelt animal family relationship. The two behaviors cannot be separated. Can we view Hong’s artistic logic based on the new logic of family relationship?

II. Reading the Trilogy of Mouth, Anus and Umbilical Cord

     The reason to put this trilogy as the first part of the analysis of Hong’s 2008 new works is not because it is the particular good one but because it exposes the artist’s unspoken ideas. Mouth is a painting with the scene of symbolic greedy big mouth open for swallowing the whole feast on table; aside displays the painting Anus depicting a giant matrix with disgusting large intestines and small intestines exposed. Anus shows a scene where under the giant dirty body’s anus has a toilet containing excrements floating in bobbling urine. The lay-down body is so huge that we can see it as a personalized version of the ill land. Hong practically takes the land suffering from Ulcerative colitis to describe the heavily-polluted Keelung River (See p. 42 of Blank Landscape). The connection between Anus and Mouth is quite neutral while the relation between Anus and Umbilical Cord is strange. 

Umbilical Cord depicts the scene where infant corpses of different skin colors wrapping with umbilical cords piling like trash or excrements. Surely those corpses could be comparison to the ingurgitate mouth: extravagance, wasting, and engorgement vs. hunger and death. Somehow such connection is a little unnatural since what they don’t have is mother’s love. Those infants should be linked with the matrix in the center piece. The matrix has no womb and it only contains overly-stuffing fermented food and smelly excrements to be drained out. If we link the matrix with the infant corpses aside, what presents here is the image of a bad mother discarding her children. Can we also track collectively through this direction? 

III. Reading the Sacrificial Alter Series No.1- No.7

Since 2008, Hong suddenly paints many cold-heart killed animals, including sharks, cows, horses, pigs, sheep, dogs and strange human beings. Beside human beings, sharks and dogs, other animals’ bodies have been removed with fur and skin and thus giant organs, tissues, veins, fats, and muscles and bones covered inside are all exposed. Those animal bodies are done with highly realism presentation. Since the artist’s extraordinary skills, those skin-removed and chopped animals are vividly described. Or we should put it this way: even after they’ve been skin-removed and chopped out, they still remain in a living and fresh status. Like the invaded nature depicted in the previous series, all figures and equipment involving with killing such as elevator to hang meatloaf and shelves are illuminated from the composition and what left are only those outline and blocks. 

─The Difference and Similarity to the Invaded Nature Series：

We could build up such consistency between the two series; however, we have to explain contradiction first. For example, Hong once said the gratitude relationship of “exchanging the tangible body energy” between him and those eaten meats. Another instance is that in those scenes showing animal corpses, vivid life energy and temperature not only remain onto animal corpses and bloody ground, but fulfill the whole natural world. In his first shark-slaying painting, such physically painful, energetic and animated aura covers the whole ocean and the whole deck. The ocean is full with the same strong and yet impressive Nature power. 

─The Potential Desire Elements in the Cruel Expression：

In the primitive nature series, the primitive power gradually disappears because of the involvement of extensive white artificial machinery. However, the most primitive life energy is able to be released through all those skin-removed and chopped animals. In another word, such slaying brings mankind the direct connection with the original and fresh primitive energy. Hong seemingly enjoys such type of creation. 

Are those skin-removed, chopped out, warm and humid bodies not like the premature delivery infants or the gigantic female sexual organ where infants lack of mother’s love should return? In Hong’s article, he describes soft sand beach and ocean with very personalized or even sensual way: “The first time I saw ocean, I was immediately overwhelmed…The breeze is slightly salty. Waving ocean looks like unlimited folded fabric creeping slowly by the sand beach. My heart feels so shocking and yet agitated. When the wet and soft golden sand beach projects tiny foot prints, I feel I am going crazy. My throat groans and my hands waving toward the sky. All I want to do is to crab all the clouds on the sky. I feel my feet don’t belong to me anymore. Like child running toward mother, I run all the way dashing into the ocean. I kick and crab restlessly till I am exhausted. Then I return to the sandy beach. I tease the insects onBeach Morning-glory, watch crabs working on their construction on sandy beach, and listen to little terns singing. That time my back was seriously sun-burned. Somehow whenever I think of ocean, I go get pinch of salt licking and thus I threw myself back to such unconstrained affection illusion. I feel all my cells are softly caressed with many tender fingers. ”（The Blank Landscape, P.80）Here we find strong sexual implication, in a way referring to infants returning to mother’s vagina and womb. 

Surely the above phenomena didn’t apply to the dog-killing and human being-killing piece in this series. Maybe we should ask again: why are those animals and human being hanged at alter? Is that because of different religions, different doctrines, different ideologies, different life styles, or different aesthetic value?  Is this an exploitation, torturing, punishment, or revenge? 

─The Meats Greedily Used and Cold-heartedly Discarded：

It is said that in this series, the first created piece is the shark-fishing at far sea fishing boat. Readers and viewers might find that on the front side of the image, in a can, there are some fish meat pieces, which will be the ingredients for expensive shark’s fin. The rest parts will be thrown back to ocean as useless garbage. The artist also mentions in his article: “When the fishing boat collected the fishing net, the fishermen would automatically categorize the fish catches as High-ranked fish, Middle-ranked fish, sundry fish or those to become fertilizer.”Soon, he criticizes the society adopts the external standard such as Monetary Income Value as the social rank（The Blank Landscape, P.152）. In the trilogy of Mouth, Anus and Umbilical Cord, we probably cannot categorize those unwanted infants with mankind’s monetary income value, and at least we could understand it with the logic of those fertilizer-to-be sundry fishes. Thus they are the trash which cannot be put on table and become the tangible body energy exchanging that we should be gratitude. Hong emphasizes that under the principle of all living creature being equal, we could conduct the minimum hunting in order to survive as necessary, with highly appreciated gratitude. In such logical thinking, how could those useless social trashes deal with themselves? 

IV. Analysis of Human Body-shaped Cuisine & Cannibal Dish Works 

In the explanation of his artworks Little Fishof 2006, Hong emphasizes such highly-appreciated gratitude on the very simple food: “I watched the little fish to be put into my mouth. Its eyes had been burn down so badly that it could not look into my eyes like the way I looked at it…For me, without this tangible body energy exchange, I would starve till I lost all spiritual energy. No scarification could be compared to life exchange. All I could do is to express my gratitude toward its scarification and its well-cooked brownish face.”（The Blank Landscape, P.172）

Hong could accept mankind’s predatory behavior toward other living creatures in a minimum extent. If this behavior reaches over certain extent, even it is committed by parents, siblings, spouses or children, this would be unforgotten crime. In the short essay entitled “The Cut Seashore,” he mentioned: “from mountain to ocean, raw to cooked, pan fried, stewing or deep fried, mankind is so specialized at all cooking methods and ingredients. Animals are a must to be eaten while vegetables are carefully categorized into practical use, medical use, or construction use…The worse is that mankind loves to store things. Not only for themselves, but for parents and siblings, spouses and children, and the family descendants…or even the next life…We have no idea of the bottom line. ” (P.120) This already fully explained that he accept the minimum killing for life lasting. However, such necessary evil can never be conducted with unconstrained leisure. Although for the sake of sharing with family members, it will still be unforgotten crime. 

In the Mercy Feast series, Hong creates artworks depicting cuisines either with partial human body shapes or totally human meats and organs. In addition, he intentionally put eating human body shape cuisine or cannibal dishes into the pleasant sharing connection among lovers, family members, friends and relatives, close friends and partners. Then how can we realize those strong artworks with Hong’s thinking logic? 

Roast Ewe: the title might be misleading. In fact, the scene depicts a roasting female torso, without her head, palms and feet in a brownish golden texture. It looks very encouraging to appetites. The long would is presented like ejected sexual organ. Smoked Gigot: in fact this scene is presenting half part of female torso with a high-heel on her leg. The body had been roasted perfectly crispy and brownish, with wonderful smell. The Steamed Lotus Leaf Chicken: as it is named and one can see a full proportion female hip at the tail. Seductively-delicious Chicken: a roast chicken with female breast and a white male profile is accompanied aside. Looking through the window, one can see extensively natural world covered and cut by buildings, bridges and roads. All of those are not simple food and the affection inside those foods is certainly not gratitude, but improper greed. How often do appetite and sensuality connected in the real world? 

The following two pieces directly connect with sensuality. Sea Cucumber Braised with Abalone: on the red dinning table, there is a large plate containing two abalones and one large sea cucumber in the presentation of Chinese style Western cuisine. The internal organ of abalone looks exactly like female sexual organ while the large sea cucumber implies the fake penis. Breakfast in Valentine’s Day Morning: again on the red dinning table, there is a plate containing abundant modern version of Western breakfast. There is a roast sausage with the glans penis inside the bread. The two pieces are few examples with a sense of humor. Here we don’t sense the cruelty and rather more emphasis on the enjoyment connection between food and sex. From the two pieces, we can find an interactive sharing relation between two gender or food and sex. If one compares the two pieces, the former one implies more about the exploitation on women and taking women as tool to satisfy sensual desire. 

Yam and Medlar Braised Squab: inside the dish there are two floating chicken whose heads are replaced with child’s head. Grouper: there is a soy sauce-braised grouper on the kidney-shape plate. The fin looks like human hands while the fish head is replaced with child’s head. It looks at people who are going to eat it with such pleading eye sight. Hong said this is his self-portrait. Deep-Fried White-meat Fish with Sweet Tomato Source: on a deep fried fish, the body had been skin-removed while the beautifully-carving fish head is garnish with white mayonnaise with fresh salad as side dish. Without the child’s head, the dish would look like a truly delicious Deep-Fried White-meat Fish with Sweet Tomato Source.Roast Porkling: a perfectly-roast porkling looks like being caramelized and it is so seductive to appetite. Somehow the head of porkling is replaced with child’ head. It looks like a well-mannered child without much painful or miserable looks. Sushi Roll: taking child’s body as canvas and put human meat sushi rolls on the abdomen.

Surely we could see those artworks with the viewpoint of “improperly hunting premature animals,” and there is another social context inside. Here all the delicious foods are connected with children. Children are absolutely relating to minority groups. At this point, it will be with particular context when eating miserable children connecting with a group of happy eaters or perhaps a happy family in a restaurant. Maybe we can go back to the discarded infants in the Umbilical Cord from the trilogy: Mouth, Anus and Umbilical Cord. They both are infant’s bodies and they both are trash which is disqualified to be shared in a pleasant and agreeable circumstance. 

Pork Shank in Soy Sauce Gravy: an adult foot looks like being in soy sauce gravy with other braised ingredients. Without the human foot, the dish looks really like the port shank we have in our meal. Sharing: it looks like large roast pork with a twisted fat old guy’s face while the crispy skin and meat are almost finished. The charcoal fire still smokes under the body while someone is in charge of roasting and serving those who wait for a piece of pork. Faraway others walk around and it looks like company gathering party. Should we thank ourselves for being still useful? 

Merry Christmas: this Christmas feast is a special gratitude ritual for family. We celebrate Christmas by scarifying other living creatures’ life and soul. There certainly will be sharing among family members. However, we might also destroy some animal families while we ask them to scarify their life for us. Who should we thank to? Should we eat that good? There is no cruelty in Christmas feast and it is relating to sharing and gratitude. Should it be put into the logic of Sea Cucumber Braised with Abalone and Breakfast in Valentine’s Day Morning? I think that in those lavish feasts, Hong not only proposes his accusing, but strongly compassion as well as preserving gratitude and envy. Regardless we eat other (other animal)’s children and parents, there is still sharing among mankind. Or, in the case we are going to be eaten, are we at least helpful to others? This is a very strange logic and it is seemingly acceptable in Hong’s artworks. 

IV. Feeling the Torturing the Pork at Pork Shamble Underwent 

This series could be the most horrifying one that one can even say it is more likely a psychic killer’s act. Basically it is a very realism human meat shamble. Following with the pork shamble, Hong dismembers human body: arms, legs, palms, feet, spine bone, rib, heart, kidney, stomach, large intestine, small intestine, the rectum, bladder, womb, oviduct, vagina, mons pubis, the testicle, vas deferens, penis, bosom meat with breast, young woman’s upper torso, old man’s sad looking head, must-looking-good woman’s head, pelvic with male and female sexual organs, hip and thing. This is how a pig being dismembered and sold. If this is a super realism style sculpture of pork shamble, we will only praise and admire the artist’s extraordinary realism skill. Once it involves with human body dismemberment who is happened to be our same spicy, we will have different viewpoint. 

Is there any difference between pork and human meat? When mankind is killing the enemy, the anti-revolution enemy, the foe or slaves, it won’t be much difference from killing other animals. We even have the law and ethic legitimacy, or delight and sense of achievement. With all kinds of skillful cooking methods, we then get rid of the horror and guilty from recognizing the familiar appearance of organs. Or we could add excuses like some collective sharing ceremonies, god worship rituals, and wellness being, we still can rationally eat them under the circumstance of feeling compassion. We probably can accept those delicious dishes with human heads; however, we can never get away from the killing we have done and the guilty from the killing when facing the vivid human meat. Thus, does the series become an enforced severe warming?

It is in particular that no children in this homicide-like human meat shamble. There are only a male and female bodies with the sexual organs are particularly emphasized in a no-aesthetics and no-sharing presentation. Is any revenge involved? Is there any revenge on killing infants and discarding infants other than general killing for leisure? 

Conclusion

Hong’s artistic expression has its special living experience as the background as well as consistent value viewpoint judgment as frame. His excellent and extraordinary skills seemingly enable him to experiment with all kinds of expression methods and show such extreme appeal. We can not say that his expression has no strategies. His expression has been closely associated with many deep cultural structure and bizarre phenomena of Chinese world: for example, in particular the relationship between human beings and the Nature, bizarre diet habits, or the cannibal tradition. It is also relating to some twisted and bizarre phenomena after the traditionally conservative society encountering with the Western culture. All those relations become selling points in this China chic trend. 

Indeed, we could develop from the controversial topic of cannibal practice. In the article “Talking about Cannibal” by Li-chuan Chien, the author quoted from Lu Xun (1881-1936): “The cannibal in China is not ending yet. It is still continuing. Of more importance, men fabricate new theories to prove the necessary and feasibility of cannibal practice. One of the best ways to kill someone in China is to announce that you are not even a human being first, regardless KMT or Communism regime. If I want to kill you, I will disqualify you as a human being. Since you are not human being but merely animal, it is alright to kill you. Kill someone will bring us some psychological burden. Now who/what we kill is not human being and we feel no qualm.” It is rational to take this viewpoint to see part of the Mercy Feast and it is more likely a good selling point in this global China trend.

Somehow it is this indistinctive line which often makes his artworks so complicated, conflicting and yet difficult to read while is cross-culture and yet very regional and personal, makes Hong’s artworks very profound. Maybe the feeling of being a long-term social and family garbage, as I said here as a feeling that is not quite sure but constantly confronting with, attributes to Hong’s art that is such timely exhortations to virtue and purity. Now maybe we could see his previous works backwards with different viewpoints, start from the latest works.