后记 | Afterword
重构寻常
文/张君钢
王轶庶是国内较早使用数码相机进行创作并获得广泛认可的摄影师。数码照片〝标准”的色彩、“平滑”的质感在当时还是许多艺术摄影创作者所刻意回避的,摄影界整体上对数码照片的反应也是迟钝的或是犹豫的。因此,他此刻的成功是被滞后了的,当〝平滑”渐渐取代“颗粒”被更多人所接受时,他也开始有了份量更重的展览以及更多的出版机会。数码作为他的一种“观念”,几乎无人提及。人们普遍聚焦于他摄影中的传统性,但又不能不忽略有些照片里过于明显的数码特质所带来的冲突,时间来解决这些问题。现在看来似乎是打开王铁庶摄影的最佳年份,数码己成为常态,摄影中的世界可以是平滑的, 色彩可以是公共的,王铁庶置身于这片缺乏特色的领域里已经很久了。
王铁庶的摄影以快照的形式在瞬间提炼和凝固现实世界中的可见之物,从而展示出那些平常我们通过肉眼难以察觉到的事物正在向某个未知世界滑落的状态。在他的某些照片里,有些人物正努力保持着平衡,或是正处于即将失去平衡的某一时刻,或者在另一些照片里他通过构图展现出世界的平衡看起来十分脆弱,仿佛在下一秒平衡就会被打破。他照片里的世界似乎失去了某种程度可持续的平衡感,因此需要观看者注入自己的感觉来保持新的平衡。那些在王铁庶的照片前大呼过瘾的人们或许会有一种满足感,他们感觉自己参与了搭建这奇妙临界点的工作。通过他的照片我们可以看到一个摄影师的视觉意识可以锋利到何种程度,如剃刀般剥离了被摄体与世俗意义和道德的连接,重置对它们观看和理解的可能性。
在王铁庶的摄影作品中几乎看不到西方艺术摄影的巨大影响力在他身上有何种程度的显现,似乎一直以来都是他自己影响着自己。他当然了解艺术史和摄影史,也清楚艺术的潮流和世代的更迭,但他更清楚他的摄影最应该效忠的是他自己的感觉。他将作品置手一个巨大的整体中,摆脱了 “主题”或是“系列”诸如此类的结构性束缚,这令他的摄影在组织上拥有更大的灵活性。他在展览或出版的过程中不强调具体的意图或清晰的主旨,通过灵活地选择他认为适合的照片去搭建一个感受的空间,让观众在没有指引的情况下自寻出路。他希望每个观众在他的照片面前能找属于自己的答案,每个人在他的照片世界里能踩出自己的小径。
在创作于 2003 年-2009 年间的摄影集《归程》中,有许多照片是关于人物在现实社会环境中“离奇”的处境,这些照片成就了摄影师在这个时期的标致性的风格。发表于 2016 年的摄影集《可能》 在整体上延续了之前的风格,但一些新近拍摄的作品也预示了某些变化正在发生:对空间中的色彩关系、结构与纹理的高度敏感正不断地参与进来,以往聚焦在人物身上的敏說观察正在向角落里扩散。他的灵感正渐渐地从人向物转移从复杂向愉悦转移。更多的新照片正在使这些变化逐渐成为种强烈的印象,那些照片就像是一个个被打开了的现实的缺回里面盛满了现实世界被叫停之后所呈现出的独立的样貌。在那些新的照片里,王铁庶不再像过去那样建构复杂的隐喻,它们看上去更像是对光线、对色彩、对阴影的一种顿悟。某些场景某些时刻,王铁庶使用闪光灯对空间和光线进行凿刻和切割,他会人为地制造出影子去影响照片中的世界。他似乎有足够的技巧令自己的照片产生巨大的吸力,那些照片会迅速吸收人们的感受。人们可以尝试从各种角度解释这种吸力的存在,但任何解释都无法准确描述这种不断涌入画面内部的力量。我们的语言围着他的照片边缘打转,无法深入,我们的感受在照片内部中被分离成不确定的形式,失去了概括的能力,在击碎了人们对这个世界习以为常的视觉印象的同时个对感官提出更高要求的世界正在凝结。
Reconstruct Common
Written by Zhang Jungang
Wang Yishu is an artist who widely recognized for his early employment ofdigital cameras for art practice. The photograpy community used to avoid the"standard" color and "smooth" texture of digital photographs, thus it was slowand hesitate to response to digital photography. Wang's current accomplishmenthas been therefore delayed. When smoothness gradually replaced grains as itdraws greater attention, he began to participate in some major exhibitions andpublications. While Wang's use of "digitality" as a concept has barely beenbrought up, the traditional aspects of his photographs were more commonlyfocused on. This conflict between the digital feature and the tradition waits forthe power of time to resolve. It seems that now is the best time to inspect Wang"S artworks, since digitality has been normal, that is, in photography, the worldscan be smooth, and the colors can be public. Wang has placed himself in thisfeatureless domain for a long time.
Wang Yishu's photography condenses and solidifies the visible objects in thereal world in order to reveal the condition of a hardly noticed object falling intoan unknown space. In some of his photographs, some figures are trying to keepbalance or on the margin of disequilibrium. In Wang's other works, the sense ofbalance formed by composition looks so fragile, which is likely to be broken in asecond. The world inside his photographs lacks a continuous steadiness, thus itrequires the viewers to create a new stability by contributing their own feelings.People who are hugely satisfied by Wang's photographs may feel that theythemselves have taken critical parts in constructing the images. Through Wang'sworks, we can find out how sharp a photographer's visual consciousness canbe. He strips off the connection between the subject matter and its secular andmoral meanings to create a new possibility of observation and perception.
In Wang Yishu's works, one can barely find any trace left by the force of westernfine art photography. It seems that he is a self-influencing artist. Certainly heacknowledges the history of art and photography, as well as the trends in artand the transition of times, but he also recognizes that his photography shouldfirst of all, reflect his sensibility. He posits his works in a large entity. His workshave achieved greater flexibility by breaking off from structural constraints suchas "themes" or "series". He doesn't emphasize on any intention or topic when itcomes to exhibitions or publications, but rather takes photographs as materialto construct a space that is dedicated to observation and perception. Hence,the viewers are encouraged to find their own way out. Wang hopes that everyviewer could find his/her own answer, in other words, discover his/her own pathin the world of his photography.
In his monograph Return, which comprised of his works from 2003 to 2009, manyof the photographs reflect the bizarre situations in the society that people areexperiencing. These photographs shaped Wang's artistic style at that time. The2016 monograph Open Ending continues his former artistic style while indicatestransitions - his high sensitivities towards the relationship of colors, texturesand structure are gradually blending in, and his acute observations towardpeople are diffusing into the corners. Wang's source of inspirations shifts fromhuman beings to objects, from complexity to delightfulness. More of his newworks accumulate and reinforce these transitions into an intense impression.These photographs resemble the cavities on the surface of reality, which isfilled with the look of the actual world that is rather independent. In those newphotographs, Wang Yishu no longer constructs complex metaphors, instead,a sudden enlightenment towards light, color and shadow. In some settings ormoments, Wang uses strobe lights to sculpt or dissect the lighting environmentof the space. He produces shadows to disturb the world in the photographs. Heis skillful enough to generate a great tension in his photographs, which absorbpeople's attention rapidly. One can try to explain the tension from many aspects,however, there won't be any explanation that is able to accurately describe theforce flowing inside the images. Our language revolves around his photographsyet unable to penetrate; our sensibility is divided into uncertain forms; and ourability to generalize deprives. While crushing the common visual impression ofthe world, a world that sets higher demands on the senses is setting in motion