The Most Important Is NOT Art

Xu Bing held this exhibition for a natural resource reservation organization called “Rare”. He taught children in Kenya, Africa to draw with the theme of trees. Interestingly, as an art master like Xu Bing imitated his young students’ work and made into three large pieces of artworks. His artworks were exhibited across the globe together with those children’s works. The first station in China would be He Xiang Ning Art museum. Children’s drawings are also sold on the internet. Each of the drawing costs US $25 which means that four more trees can be planted in Kenya. He hoped that children can experience how a tree on the paper turn into a real one.

C: It seems that you have twisted the tradition again. Students usually copy master pieces as a way to learn drawing but you do the opposite!

Xu: I was the gainer. Adults’ thinking used to be restricted by routine life in the society. Children in Kenya are different, though. They had never received any proper art trainings. I just provided some visual elements to help them draw the tree of actual world. When they intended to accomplish a drawing, they would think a way to do so by themselves very naturally. For example, there is a child who kept using only three lines to draw each leaf on the tree. I can learn their boundless idea in art making through imitating their works. This is needed in art.

C: Some thought imitating equals copying. It has no creativity and it is not art.

Xu: Artists should keep developing their art aspect, and seek for other possibilities. It has no meaning at all to define, with our perceived concept, what is art before creating art piece.

Whose Ambition?

C: Is it a bit different, between the ambition of growing trees by drawing trees, and the ambition of these children?

Xu: It does not matter whether our ambition is the same. This project aimed to let children learn how to put ambitions in reality and make them come true. This is the most important.

C: Serving the people is always your hope. Have you ever think of doing the same project in Chinese villages so as to help more people?

Xu: It is very difficult to carry out in China. Co-organizing this project with Rare was successful because it is not a business-oriented foundation. Rare does devote to help protecting natural resource in Kenya but not making Kenya and their people as tools of advertising. Yet a lot of organizations in China work like business enterprise. I don’t really want to work in this way. I am afraid Chinese children can’t draw like those in Kenya. I am afraid they only draw Fuwa (the Olympic cartoon).

徐冰是當代最重要的藝術家之一，現為北京中央美術學院副院長。最為人熟悉的作品《天書》反思文字的意義。他開創的書法，以英文字轉化成中文書法形式，是中國人看不懂，但外國人讀得到的「書法」，直接拆解了既定的思想觀念。作品多元，不單是觀念藝術。記得他有一件作品，是把一首講述一隻羊的詩的文字，以(我估計)亞加力膠製成一粒粒字母，串連成一串文字鎖鏈，觀眾可一面拿着鎖鏈讀詩，一面隨着鎖鏈去到展場外找到一隻真的羊，很有詩意。

「…“我像臨摹大師的畫一樣臨摹這些孩子的畫，我不敢對他們有任何改變，如果改變，就像砍掉了樹木的某枝樹桿。...”到現在，我每臨一棵樹都做一點兒筆記，因為在臨摹的過程中，總是給我很多新想法和啟發。...孩子在面對一個要畫的對象是，是從不知道該怎麼畫開始的，但下意識要為自己找到一個下筆的依據和理由；一旦找到了，他們就表現出“孩子的執着”，這種執着是一種天性。…

…每一個參與此項目的人群都獲得利益；我從中收益的，就是從這些孩子的畫中學到的東西。而孩子們的最大收益，不是學習了藝術，也不是了解了知識，而是通過從一棵紙上的樹變為真的樹的過程，懂得了理想是怎樣實現。」                                 

                                                                                                                   徐冰  “找回大森林”

南下何香凝美術館

好幾年前，徐冰老師來港幾個月當學院的駐場藝術家，筆者有幸能受教於他。他身為當代最重要的藝術家之一，上堂無不有大班粉絲前呼後擁。記得他那親切、友善、有求必應的態度：粉絲要合照，就合照，要簽名，就簽名。此情況下，其實老師教授學生的時間不多。但筆者真的很想向他學到一招半式，所以想來折衷方法：他要求交一件功課，我便多做幾件。自問沒甚麼藝術天分，唯有將勤補拙，希望老師多提點幾句。筆者就是學得特別認真，最終獲得老師學業上不少教導與幫助，很是感謝，也影響我日後繼續以修讀文化研究為思考關注的事。知道他南下深圳何香凝美術館，特到美術館跟他做了個訪問。

C：CULTaMAP

徐：徐冰

重要的，不是藝術

是次展覽，是徐冰老師替一名為“Rare”（稀有）的資源保護機構，到非洲肯尼亞帶領那裡的小孩，以樹作題材，由他授畫。有趣的是，身為大師級藝術家，竟臨摹孩子的畫，創作成三幅大型作品。徐冰與小朋友的作品一同展出，是全球性的巡迴展覽，在中國的第一站就在何香凝美術館。孩子的畫會透過互聯網，以每張25美元出售，收益會在肯尼亞種樹護林。25美元在肯尼亞足以種出四棵樹，當中希望孩子體驗到，從「一棵紙上的樹變為真的樹」。

記得每次交上功課給老師，他都會問：「你又做了甚麼呀？」今次見老師，我遞上名片和我們的刊物，他就問：「李嘉言，你在做甚麼呀？」我答：「文化地圖囉！」

C：「老師似乎又再一反傳統。學生往往臨摹大師作品，吸取當中的精粹，但大師您卻倒過來臨摹學生作品？」

徐：「我在當中是獲益者。成人往往在社會生活久了，就會受到很多既定常規阻礙思考。與肯尼亞的孩子不同，他們沒有接受一套既有的藝術訓練，而我只是提供一些視覺元素，協助他們把現實中的樹畫出來。孩子為了完成一幅畫，很自然會自行想個辦法完成創作。例如當中的一位孩子，他會為自己定下每塊樹葉必須畫三筆完成，不多不少。我可以從臨摹中，學到他們創作中一種無疆界的想法，而這正正是藝術所要求的。」

C：「有人認為臨摹就等於模仿別人，沒有原創性，不是藝術。」

徐：「藝術家應該不斷拓展藝術領域，尋求其他可能。只循已有的思維與規範去界定甚麼是藝術後才創作，我覺得沒甚麼意思的。你明白嗎？」

誰的理想

C：「把紙上的樹變成現實栽種的樹的理想，與第三世界孩子心中的理想會否有一定距離？」

徐：「問題不在於大家理想的不同，本計劃的原意是通過創作，讓孩子學會如何把理想置於現實去實現。這才是最重要的學習。」

C：「為人民服務一向是您的希望，有否想過把同類型的計劃在中國的城鄉普及，令更多人受惠？」

徐：「在中國實行是很難的。與“Rare”合作成功是因為他們是非商業性質主導的基金會。他們有心保護當地的資源。同時，不會把當地人當成籌款的宣傳工具。中國有很多基金會都是商業模式運作的企業，我就不太想如此合作。(老師說笑：「我怕中國孩子畫不過肯尼亞的孩子。我怕他們都只畫福娃。」)

“I imitated these children’s drawing like imitating those master pieces in the past. I do not dare to make any changes on them. If I do, it would be a tree with some branches chopped.” Now I do some markings on every tree I drew because every time in the process I got some new ideas and inspiration. … When children face their first target to be drawn, they do not actually know how to start with. But consciously they have to find a reason of drawing it. Once they find it, their “children’s persistence”, which is inborn, is then revealed. …

… Everyone joining this project gained something. For me, I gained what was drawn by these children. As for the children, by turning the tree on paper into the real tree, they learnt how ambition can be accomplished.

Xu Bing, Found the Big Forest Back

Ambition, Accomplish, Actuality