2013年10月13日,杭州錢(qián)江新城杭州市圖書(shū)館,一場(chǎng)獨(dú)特的雕塑展正在進(jìn)行。觀者需通過(guò)一段黑暗的盲道,觸摸粘貼在墻上的盲文,方才豁然得見(jiàn):一道滄桑的鐵軌、一張銀釘突兀的圓桌,一段身軀,靜靜地等待著,沉沉地呼吸著,默默地訴說(shuō)著……
它們的作者是中國(guó)美院雕塑家李秀勤。它們的身后,隱藏著一段長(zhǎng)達(dá)20多年的關(guān)于尋覓、觸摸的故事。它們凝結(jié)了9位盲童的成長(zhǎng)經(jīng)歷,飽含著一位真摯的藝術(shù)家對(duì)于塵世生活的關(guān)注和悲憫。
雕塑和盲童??jī)烧咧g似乎并沒(méi)有必然的聯(lián)系,但卻深沉地告知人們失去光明的孩子怎樣去感知藝術(shù)的魅力。
或許我們應(yīng)該先宕開(kāi)一筆,將鏡頭
中國(guó)美院雕塑家李秀勤(左)與香港衛(wèi)視副臺(tái)長(zhǎng)王明青在對(duì)話(huà)現(xiàn)場(chǎng)。
Li Xiuqin (left), a sculptor with China Academy of Art, in an interview with Wang Mingqing, a vice director of Hong Kong Satellite Television.
遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)地拉開(kāi),讓時(shí)光化作一朵玫瑰,緩緩地綻放,幽幽地吐香。
開(kāi)啟藝術(shù)
如果要拍一部有關(guān)女性藝術(shù)家的電影,李秀勤是一個(gè)很好的對(duì)象。因?yàn)樗旧眭r明的個(gè)性,也因?yàn)樗男詣e和她所從事的事業(yè)形成了一種“沖突”。
雕塑,在繪畫(huà)藝術(shù)的門(mén)類(lèi)中,頗具強(qiáng)悍的男性氣質(zhì)。冷冰冰,硬邦邦,似乎與柔情似水的女性情懷相去甚遠(yuǎn)。而李秀勤,偏偏選擇了它。幾十年來(lái),一雙纖弱的女性之手,拿捏著青銅、石頭、木頭、宣紙、盲文紙等各種性情迥異的材質(zhì),打造出或冷峻,或彪悍,或柔韌的雕塑作品,以此將自己和生活堅(jiān)牢地焊接在一起。
回望歲月,李秀勤感悟到那是一種必然的選擇。齊魯女兒的大氣渾厚、豐沛的生命能量需要一種沉甸甸的載體來(lái)依托,來(lái)表達(dá),來(lái)傳遞。
“考上浙江美院選擇專(zhuān)業(yè)的時(shí)候,我就覺(jué)得雕塑比繪畫(huà)更立體,更能表達(dá)我自己的思想和感悟,所以我選擇了雕塑?!?/p>
25歲才入讀中國(guó)美院的李秀勤,切實(shí)感受到年齡帶來(lái)的壓力。她奮起追趕時(shí)光,利用一切業(yè)余時(shí)間進(jìn)行雕塑創(chuàng)作。她嘗試過(guò)許多材質(zhì)。她要探索傳統(tǒng)雕塑以外的實(shí)踐。她傾聽(tīng)著石頭的秘密,觸摸著金屬的質(zhì)感。勤奮踏實(shí)的她,很快便在同行中脫穎而出。
1992年,在首屆當(dāng)代青年雕塑邀請(qǐng)展上,李秀勤的作品是幾件沉甸甸的金屬焊接雕塑,感覺(jué)擲地有聲,毫無(wú)小女子氣。硬朗的雕塑風(fēng)格讓人刮目相看。其實(shí),早在1984年,她就做了第一件金屬焊接雕塑《大海母親》。1987年,李秀勤又以金屬焊接雕塑參加了當(dāng)時(shí)的全國(guó)新人新作展。
在上個(gè)世紀(jì)80年代,這是一個(gè)非常大膽、獨(dú)具創(chuàng)新的舉動(dòng),當(dāng)時(shí)許多雕塑家都還在和泥巴做著親密接觸。為什么選擇金屬?李秀勤說(shuō),就是希望出新,希望探索,具體來(lái)說(shuō),就是想拋棄泥巴。
但很快,希望探索出新的李秀勤又想“拋棄”金屬了。這與她兩年的英國(guó)留學(xué)經(jīng)歷相關(guān),也與一場(chǎng)突如其來(lái)的疾病有
STARDOM名家風(fēng)采
李秀勤與王明青在李秀勤大型雕塑作品展示廳。
Li Xiuqin and Wang Mingqing visit an ex-hibition hall where Lis sculpture is on display.
關(guān)。而這場(chǎng)從天而降的疾病,不僅讓她的創(chuàng)作發(fā)生了一個(gè)重要的轉(zhuǎn)折,向當(dāng)代藝術(shù)發(fā)生轉(zhuǎn)化,也使得她的雕塑作品更加貼近生活,接近大地,同時(shí)也衍生了一個(gè)延續(xù)20年的美好故事 —關(guān)于光明與黑暗,觸摸與成長(zhǎng)。
觸摸生命
對(duì)于盲人來(lái)說(shuō),光是什么?光,應(yīng)該就是一塊漆黑的布;世界又是什么?世界也就是一團(tuán)黑漆漆的存在。
沒(méi)有經(jīng)歷過(guò)黑暗的人,永遠(yuǎn)都無(wú)法想象盲人世界里的無(wú)奈、惶恐、絕望。李秀勤經(jīng)歷過(guò)。
在這之前,雕塑對(duì)于李秀勤來(lái)說(shuō),就是一種立體的存在,就是一種有智慧的力量、一種視覺(jué)藝術(shù)。
但在這之后,李秀勤猛然醒悟到,雕塑的本質(zhì)就是觸摸。觸摸萬(wàn)物的凹凸,觸摸世界的溫度,也觸摸生命的寬度和厚度。
1983年,剛剛從中國(guó)美院畢業(yè)的李秀勤跟隨老師前往中國(guó)最北的角落黑龍江鶴崗采風(fēng)。極端的天氣讓李秀勤得了風(fēng)濕熱而不自知?;氐胶贾莺?,李秀勤的眼睛突然失明了。纏綿的黑暗中,李秀勤第一次體會(huì)到向往光明的強(qiáng)烈欲望,也第一次被盲文這種密密麻麻、沉默無(wú)語(yǔ)的神秘所震撼。
她的失明雖然只是幾個(gè)月,后來(lái)在
治療與服用中藥后慢慢地痊愈,但她對(duì)失去光明的感悟從此烙進(jìn)了心靈,也烙進(jìn)了她的雕塑創(chuàng)作。
藝術(shù)家敏感柔軟的心被觸動(dòng),藝術(shù)家強(qiáng)烈的社會(huì)責(zé)任感被激發(fā)。李秀勤想知道,在那些失去光明的人的心里,世界到底是怎樣的一座“雕塑”?
1992年,李秀勤以盲文的“觸點(diǎn)”為造型元素,以“觸覺(jué)凹凸”命名,用大理石、銅、鐵等材質(zhì)創(chuàng)作了15本大大的盲文書(shū),并邀請(qǐng)了富陽(yáng)盲校的9個(gè)孩子來(lái)參與她的作品展。當(dāng)孩子們手牽著手,魚(yú)貫進(jìn)入展廳,用他們的雙手觸摸盲文,擁抱雕塑作品。他們努力地用稚嫩的雙手閱讀它們,會(huì)心的笑意從他們的臉上滑過(guò)。李秀勤的心無(wú)限感慨。
歲月倏忽而逝。20年的時(shí)光薄如蟬翼。李秀勤用20年成為中國(guó)著名的雕塑家,她的藝術(shù)依然保持著那種沉甸甸的關(guān)懷,并趨向于雕塑內(nèi)在語(yǔ)言的開(kāi)掘。但她的心中,始終沒(méi)有忘記當(dāng)年的那批幼小盲童,沒(méi)有忘記那指尖上顫動(dòng)的渴望和感動(dòng)。
2 01 2年底,李秀勤決定以“尋找二十年的生命記憶為線索”,開(kāi)始新的“觸覺(jué)凹凸”的創(chuàng)作。她通過(guò)杭州各家媒體發(fā)出呼喚:9位盲童,李秀勤老師在尋找你們!
20年前的故事因?yàn)橐粋€(gè)藝術(shù)家的執(zhí)著和赤誠(chéng)延續(xù)。9個(gè)盲童當(dāng)中,1個(gè)已經(jīng)去世,其他8個(gè)都在以各自的方式強(qiáng)韌地摸索著自己的生命軌跡。
這是一個(gè)關(guān)于尋找的美好故事,也是一次對(duì)于命運(yùn)的追蹤,更是對(duì)生命成長(zhǎng)的忠實(shí)記錄。
而作為創(chuàng)造了這條特殊的跌宕起伏
李秀勤正在介紹自己的雕塑作品。
Li Xiuqin is talking about her sculpture.
王明青與李秀勤在李秀勤的雕塑作品前觀摩。
Wang Mingqing and Li Xiuqin look at a large sculpture by Li Xiuqin.
的盲童生命成長(zhǎng)曲線的李秀勤,在學(xué)術(shù)思考和實(shí)驗(yàn)中,始終貫注了人道的力量,她的長(zhǎng)達(dá)20年的作品“觸覺(jué)凹凸”是她對(duì)社會(huì)弱勢(shì)群體的關(guān)懷,是對(duì)這些被光明“拋棄”的人們的尊重和關(guān)懷。這種努力,使她的作品“超越了一般的所謂藝術(shù)語(yǔ)言和材料的實(shí)驗(yàn),進(jìn)入到當(dāng)代藝術(shù)關(guān)注社會(huì)、關(guān)注生命的更高的層面。 ”
傳遞能量
正在接受專(zhuān)訪的李秀勤老師,素色羅裙,淡淡妝容,一雙纖細(xì)的手,靜靜地安放在膝蓋上,仿佛還是40年前那個(gè)認(rèn)真聽(tīng)講的女大學(xué)生。當(dāng)她開(kāi)始說(shuō)話(huà),眼睛馬上就亮了,那雙安靜的手也突然雀躍了。這是她“特別女人 ”的時(shí)刻。
而工作室里的李秀勤老師,鋼鐵工人的粗布衣服,沾滿(mǎn)泥巴的帽子,黑框眼鏡。矮小的她,拿著一個(gè)巨大的焊槍?zhuān)诮饘偕暇劬珪?huì)神地焊接著、磨礪著。鋼花四濺,如同她奔涌的創(chuàng)作激情。
李秀勤說(shuō),藝術(shù)創(chuàng)作的宗旨就是要傳遞能量。的確,在李秀勤主持的第四工作室里,洋溢著充沛的能量和活力。從現(xiàn)代主義的金屬焊接生發(fā)出來(lái)的第一件作品《大海母親》,到以盲文紙為材質(zhì)的《包圍的靜物》,以及后來(lái)的“凹凸系列”、“開(kāi)啟系列”,李秀勤的藝術(shù)視角在不斷地轉(zhuǎn)換、延伸、生長(zhǎng),如同一棵魔幻的大樹(shù),根深扎大地,繁茂的枝葉則向四面八方無(wú)限伸展生發(fā),傳遞著她源源不斷的創(chuàng)作靈感和激情。
她始終以豐沛的激情和創(chuàng)造力,奔走在各種材質(zhì)、形態(tài)和創(chuàng)作理念的豐富空間,開(kāi)石鑿木,熔鐵斷金,極具開(kāi)拓性和實(shí)驗(yàn)性。
她也始終以自己的女性藝術(shù)家的身份為豪,就像她在訪談中所說(shuō)的:“我認(rèn)為藝術(shù)首先是人創(chuàng)造的,它不應(yīng)該以性別為劃分標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。我深感藝術(shù)家應(yīng)該是一個(gè)有個(gè)性的人,她(他)的一個(gè)重要符號(hào)是個(gè)性,不論男的還是女的。我覺(jué)得一個(gè)有個(gè)性的人才有價(jià)值。我在我的那本畫(huà)冊(cè)的第一頁(yè)上就寫(xiě)到:我創(chuàng)造不了什么,我只希望在這個(gè)世界當(dāng)中找到我自己。 ”□
Touch the Ebb and Flow of Life
By Wang Mingqing
The life stories of nine blind children were crystallized into a sculpture exhibition un-veiled at the Hangzhou Library in the Qian-jiang New Town in Hangzhou on October 13, 2013. Visitors are invited to experience the life of the blind people by ‘reading the
Braille books on the walls to find a way out
in the darkness. As a sculptor with a sharp character, Li
Xiuqin could make an ideal heroine for a
feminism film. The conflict between her gender and what she has accomplished in a male-dominated profession is very charming.
For the past two decades, the coldness and hardness of bronze, stone, wood, and Braille paper has been part of her everyday life. Her delicate fingers have shaped numerous valiant, tough sculptures that all release her
“I chose sculpture as my specialization because it is the best powerful, tangible medium to express my thoughts and feel-ings,” remarks Li Xiuqin. When the 25-year-old entered the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, she knew she was by no means young. She made the best of every minute to make up for the age disadvantage, horning her skills and exploring new possibilities in the art of sculpture by trying all kinds of ma-terials, listening to the secrets of stones and feeling the texture of metals not only with her hands but also with her heart and soul. It did not take long for her to stand out among peers. Her bold, masculine sculptural style made its national debut at an Up-and-Com-ers Exhibition in 1987 and won overwhelm-ing recognition at the 1st Young Sculptors Exhibition in 1992. At a time when most of her peers were still playing with mud, Li was breaking new grounds with metals.
Coming back from a study trip to the northernmost of China in 1983, when Li Xiuqin was graduating from the art academy, the rheumatic fever she got from the extreme weather in Hegang worsened and temporar-ily took her eyesight away. For the first time in her life, Li Xiuqin was awed by the silent power of Braille and the yearnings for light in the relentless darkness.
Recovering from the illness, Li Xiuqin started working on her ‘Sense of Touch Braille series in 1992. Nine children from the Fuyang Blind Childrens School were in-vited to enrich the behavioral implications of the exhibition that featured 15 Braille books crafted from marble, bronze and iron.
“The blind children filed into the exhibi-tion hall, ‘reading the books and embracing the message of the exhibition with a know-ing smile on their faces,” the sculptor recalls as if it just happened yesterday.
Li Xiuqin devoted 20 years to the pursuit of what she calls the ‘internal language of sculpture. Twenty years later in 2012, she came back to another set of sculptures fea-turing ‘Sense of Touch – this time, under a retrospective theme – trying to rebuild the connectivity with the nine blind children who brought life and infectious strength into her 1992 creation. With the help of the media in Hangzhou, she learned about the whereabouts of the nine children. One of them had left the world, the others still trying their best to fight against the destiny.
For Li, the ultimate goal of all her artistic creation is to impart energy, as sug-gested by her lively and energetic No.4 Workshop, where many of the sculptors masterpieces were born. The workshop is like an incubator where inspiration, enthusiasm and perspective interplay magically to gener-ate infinite possibilities.
For the past two decades, Li has been a fearless pioneer in sculpture. She feels proud of herself as a female artist in the sense that the inherent strength of be-ing a woman adds power to her artistic am-bition instead of getting in the way of self-expression.
“It takes someone with a real character to make an artist. Art is, firstly and most impor-tantly, created by people, and transcends the conception of gender. It is the character and quality of the artist that counts, just as what I vowed in the preface of one of my books: I cannot really create anything, and what I can do is to try to find myself in the world I live in,” contemplates Li Xiuqin.