新展览「无尽之旋IV—James Jean简明」将于7月29日在今日美术馆1号馆开幕。简明将中国绢本卷轴画、日本木版画和巴洛克绘画等传统技法融入自己的创作，通过多种风格和艺术历史流派的尝试，将当代文化与古老预言中的图像层层叠加，创造出独特的视觉宇宙。
简明
简明，出生于台湾，3岁时随家人移居美国。在他的艺术生涯中，东西方文化的对抗与身份意识贯穿始终。他在两个世界之间漂浮，寻找自己的定位。简明在19世纪意大利宫廷画家郎世宁的作品中找到了共鸣。郎世宁将西方渲染技术引入中国传统丝绸卷轴画，创造出独特的风格和构图。简明同样通过挖掘流行文化和神秘文化的不同方面，结合传统技法和当代数字技术，形成了独树一帜的叙事风格。
目前定居洛杉矶的简明，其作品涵盖插画、绘画、雕塑和设计领域。他曾担任DC漫画杂志《Fables》的封面插画师，并因与Prada等奢侈品牌的合作，以及为《瞬息全宇宙》《水形物语》和《银翼杀手2049》等好莱坞电影创作海报而获得广泛知名度。早年间，他的速写作品在网上广为流传，激励了许多年轻艺术家。2008年淡出插画领域后，简明将创作重心转向纯艺术，并涉足NFT艺术领域。他广泛的艺术创作为年轻人带来了新的灵感，也使他的作品在国内迅速走红。
《向日葵》，2024年，黄铜，海蓝色色粉，大理石，60x36x47cm
本次展览将呈现简明特意为本次展览创作的主视觉《奇美拉》，以及全新雕塑《向日葵》。此外，2024年创作的龙年挂毯《龙锦》也将在今日美术馆首次亮相。展览精选了10件作品的创作延时视频，观众可以亲身体验简明的创作过程。
《百鸟朝凤》，2019年，布面丙烯，305x625x4cm
此次展览展出的5座大型雕塑，赋予绘画图像中的角色以生命。这些形象融合了欧洲传说、亚洲故事和童话寓言的文化遗产，连接现实与神话、历史与当下，为观者创造了一个充满想象的空间。展览还包括6幅超大绘画作品，其中有代表作品《衍生》贯穿始终。男孩在巨型花瓣和天空中坠落、漂浮，暗示了简明作为“文化游子”的身份，在跨文化中不断探索和重塑自我。最后，展览还展示了简明早期的创作手稿，集中展示他近十多年创作的涵盖油画、版画、设计手稿，以及雕塑等作品。
1.你是什么时候开始喜欢漫画的？你能谈谈你的成长经历吗？
简明：在我小时候，我的视觉词汇中充斥着美国文化和漫画，但随着年龄的增长，我在18岁时搬去了纽约，在那里我参观了许多博物馆，也开始学习更多艺术史方面的知识后，我开始自然而然地被东方的艺术所吸引。对线条和细节的关注，以及东方的神话故事似乎唤起了我内心深处的某种东西。在美国长大的过程中，我大脑中固有的一些东方文化早已丢失或者被破坏，从而不再完整，因此我的作品就像是一栋倒塌的建筑，处在不断变化和革新的状态。
1.When did you start to like comics? Can you talk about your growth experience?
James Jean：When I was a child, my visual vocabulary was dominated by American culture and comics. But as I became older and moved to New York City when I was 18, I became naturally attracted to eastern art as I visited the museums and learned more about art history. The attention to line and detail, as well as the mythology of eastern culture seemed to awaken something buried deep inside of me. I do believe there is something from eastern culture inherent in my brain that was partially lost and destroyed by growing up in the US. So my work is a kind of architecture that has fallen apart, yet is constantly reforming and mutating into something new.
简明《奇美拉》
2、您为本次展览带来了哪些新的亮点，您能给我们提前透露一下吗？
简明：为了庆祝这次展览，我创作了一件名为《奇美拉》（Chimera）的新作品。是一种由不同动物组成的神话生物。这个词还意味着一种遥不可及的愿望或欲望，一种幻觉。而在生物学中，它指的是由完全不同基因的细胞混合而成的生物体。作为不同材料的组合，"奇美拉"象征着东方与西方、现实与梦想、高雅与低俗文化等对立面的共存。这件作品的意象灵感来源于最近对福建泉州开元寺的一次访问。寺内有一座建于1795 年、装饰精美的墙壁，被称为麒麟壁。壁上有一个神话人物，有时也被称为中国独角兽；它有龙的头、鱼的鳞、牛的蹄和狮子的尾。这个构图是由一块块塑形的陶瓷拼凑而成，比例奇特，这也是构图的灵感来源。寺院里还有许多榕树，树根交织在一起又延长许多生长至地面之上。《奇美拉》中的榕树根在寻找，但却无法在任何土地上找到寄托，也无法依附于任何历史。男孩是各种垃圾的拼凑组合，是不同文化的拼贴。他伸出手，试图寻找意义。
《盖亚》，2019，熔融玻璃、铅、钢和白炽灯泡，236x132x132cm
2.What new highlights have you brought to this exhibition, and can you give us a preview?
James Jean：In celebration of this show, I created a new piece called Chimera. A Chimera is a mythical creature composed of different animals. The word also means an aspiration or desire beyond reach, an illusion. And in biology, it means an organism that is a blend of genetically distinct cells. As a combination of different materials, the Chimera symbolizes the coexistence of opposites, of East and West, of reality and dreams, of high and low culture. The imagery for this piece was inspired by a recent visit to Quanzhou Kaiyuan Monastery in Fujian Province. On the site is an elaborately decorated wall built in 1795 known as the Qilin Wall, featuring a mythological being sometimes referred to as a Chinese unicorn; it has the head of a dragon, scales of a fish, hooves of an ox, and the tail of a lion. The composition is created out of pieces of sculpted ceramic, cobbled together in strange proportions, which inspired the composition for Chimera. Also in the monastery are many banyan trees, with elaborate roots that stretch far above the ground. The banyan roots in Chimera are seeking but cannot find purchase in any land, nor attach to any history. The boy is an assemblage of junk, a collage of different cultures, his hand outstretched, seeking meaning.
往届展览现场
3.您有多重身份。在你的作品中，电影和艺术之间有什么关系？你能详细说说你的创作过程吗？
简明：电影一直是我工作的灵感来源。伟大的电影中的叙事、构图和图像已经钻进了我的脑海。电影是一种非常有效的方式，通过与观众分享独特和强大的经验来传授智慧。我们通过观看真实的编剧和演员的角色，随着时间的推移，在叙述中学习到很多东西。通过直接与电影中一些最独特的声音合作，我意识到直觉对这个过程是多么重要，以及依据个人经验是如何进入他们所讲述的故事的。
3.You have multiple identities. What is the interplay between film and art in your work? Could you elaborate on your creative process?
James Jean：Film has always inspired my work. The narrative, compositions, and imagery in the great films have burrowed their way into my mind. Film is a remarkably effective way of imparting wisdom by sharing unique and powerful experiences with the viewer. We learn so much by watching authentically written and acted characters play out a narrative over time. By working directly with some of the most unique voices in film, I’ve realized how important intuition is to the process, and how personal experience always makes its way into the stories that they tell.
4.你的作品有很多故事情节，这些灵感从何而来？你能举几个例子吗？
简明：我认为创作的过程几乎是一个奇迹，这是对未知世界的祈祷，让灵感流过你的身体，然后创造出一些实物，让其他人也能享受和参与到这一宇宙交流的循环中。对我来说，我总是想找到一种方法，通过作品来引导神圣的能量。
《旅行者》，2022年，执导：简明，动画制作：Zachary Darren Corzine，音效：Nosaj Thing
比如说，我有一幅叫做《旅行者》（Traveler）的作品，这其实是受人委托创作的，画中的女孩骑在独角兽身上，独角兽用角搅动着地上的泥浆，周围还有青蛙之类的两栖动物。完成这幅作品的几个月后，我去了洛杉矶当代艺术博物馆，看到了一幅来自15世纪的古老蚀刻画，作者是一位名叫亨德里克·洪第乌斯（Hendrick Hondius）的荷兰艺术家，我惊讶地发现那幅画的构图和我的一模一样，也是独角兽伸进沼泽，旁边有蜥蜴等动物。
另一个类似的作品是《樵木》（Woodcutter），其中的形象随着时间推移有过演变，一开始是背着木柴的老人，后来变成女人，再后来变成小男孩。我意识到，这真的很像我在日本见过的一座雕塑，雕塑中背着木柴、手拿一本书的男孩是日本江户时代的著名思想家二宫尊德（Ninomiya Sontoku），他做了很多教育农民如何记账之类的事情，象征着自我教育和自我完善。所以，我的作品会和很多历史人物或过去的作品相呼应，而且它们都是偶然发生的。
在荣格的《红书》（The Red Book）中，一个非常具有启发性的部分是它告诉了你如何拥抱直觉，如何创造出从直觉而来的符号。但我从中感受到的可能不是“启发”，而是一种真正的亲缘关系，因为我在画速写时，经常不知道它们从何处而来，更像是在探索内心的风景。画画时，我会让梦境发生，形状和图像会自然出现在画面中，从一步引出下一步，但我永远不知道最终的画面会是什么样子。
往届展览现场
4.Your creations all have story plots, where do these inspirations come from? Can you give a few examples?
James Jean：I think whenever you’recreating something, it’s almost like a miracle. It is a prayer to the unknown, allowing inspiration to flow through you so that you can create something physical for others to absorb, enjoy, and participate in a cycle of cosmic exchange. For me, it is always about finding a way to channel that divine energy through the work.
For example, some of my work, like there’s a painting I did called “Traveler,” features a girl riding on top of a unicorn. And the unicorn is dipping its horn in the mud, kind of stirring up the water and these amphibians. There’s a frog that’s like leaping out. It was actually a commission for someone. And then, sometime later after I finished, I went to, I think it was either the Hammer Museum or LACMA—I forget, but I saw an old etching on the walls, maybe from the 1500s by this artist called Hondius. And it was the exact same composition with the unicorn, sticking its horn into the swamp and kind of stirring up lizards and frogs.
Another character I created, called the “Woodcutter,” evolved over time. Initially, it was an old man with kindling on his back. Then it depicted a woman also carrying kindling. Eventually, it became a boy with wood on his back. Later, I realized this character closely resembled a statue I had seen in Japan and also in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, where there’s a boy with kindling on his back who is actually holding a book. It turned out that the sculpture depicts a Japanese philosopher named Ninomiya Sontoku, who symbolizes self-education and improvement. He significantly contributed to educating farmers on practices like accounting in Japan. So, when I’m creating these characters and compositions, they sometimes unintentionally echo historical figures or artworks from the past. And often, it feels almost magical.
In Jung's "The Red Book," a particularly enlightening section discusses how to embrace intuition and how to create symbols from it. However, what I feel from this isn't merely "inspiration" but a true kinship, because when I sketch quickly, I often don’t know where they come from; it's more like exploring the landscapes of the mind. When painting, I let dreams occur, where shapes and images naturally emerge on the canvas, each leading to the next, yet I never know what the final image will look like.
5、作为一个在各个领域都取得了显著成就的人，您是如何在跨学科工作中脱颖而出的？
简明：所有这些不同的媒介与形式都源于我的绘画，并且我非常喜欢寻找新的方式将我的绘画在其它维度进行表达。我喜欢把绘画变成雕塑，也喜欢探索不同的表面工艺和材料。从在木头和金属上雕刻，到在钢铁上做浅浮雕，再到切割彩色玻璃，所有这些能量的来源都是我的绘画。这些线条包含了我所有的情感、记忆和对艺术史的引用和参考。我喜欢看这些线条穿梭在不同的媒介和维度当中，它们在我的脑中是鲜活的，并不会被局限在一种媒介当中。
《衍生》，2019年，布面丙烯，335x1097x4cm
5.As someone who has achieved remarkable success in various fields, how do you manage to excel in cross-disciplinary work?
James Jean：The origin of all these different mediums is from my drawing, and I love finding ways to express the drawing in other dimensions. I love turning the drawing into something sculptural, as well as exploring different surfaces and materials. From engraving into wood and metal, to doing shallow relief in steel, to cutting stained glass, the source of all this energy comes from the drawing. The lines contain all the emotion, memory, and art historical references, and I love seeing it travel through different mediums and dimensions. The lines are alive in my mind, and cannot be contained on just a piece of paper or canvas.
《神曲》，2019年，布面丙烯，305x1006x4cm
6.哪些艺术家影响了你，在创作中，你是如何融合和创新东西方艺术形式的？
简明：20 岁出头时，我在台北的一家博物馆发现了郎世宁（Giuseppe Castiglione）的作品。他是意大利耶稣会传教士，清朝时在中国成为宫廷画家。他将西方的渲染技术与中国的卷轴画和中式题材相结合。这种不寻常的结合尤其令我着迷。这代表着当我们打破了成见的规则，跨越了常规的边界时，新的表达方式就有可能出现。我还发现中国古代青铜器上的饕餮图案与法国颇具影响力的漫画家莫比斯（Moebius）的作品有着千丝万缕的联系。这两个源头的装饰手法都对我的创作产生了影响。
6.Which artists have influenced you, and how do you integrate and innovate between Eastern and Western art forms in your creations?
James Jean：In my early 20s, I discovered the work of Giuseppe Castiglione at a museum in Taipei. He was an Italian Jesuit missionary who became a court painter in China during the Qing dynasty, combining Western rendering techniques with Chinese silk scroll painting and subject matter. This unusual combination was especially fascinating to me, showing that new ways of expression are possible when preconceived rules are broken and boundaries are crossed. I also see a thread connecting Taotie designs from ancient Chinese bronze ware to the work of the influential French comics artist, Moebius. The decorative flourishes from both sources have influenced my own compositions.
7. 你的作品的哪些特点吸引了广大读者，尤其是年轻人？
简明：这可能和我的漫画与动画作品有关，也可能是因为我对潜意识和神话的探索得到了共鸣——这样的创作方式可以追溯到像阿尔布雷希特·丢勒（Albrecht Durer）、葛饰北斋（Hokusai）和希罗尼穆斯·博斯（Heironymous Bosch）这样的画家，他们都从想象中汲取灵感进行创作，甚至可以追溯到拉斯科洞穴的壁画。人类有一种长期而深刻的内在驱动力，通过绘画来表达我们的内心世界，我相信这是能够打动许多人的元素。此外，我偶尔也会有跨界合作的作品，从时尚（Prada，山本耀司）到科技（Apple，OPPO），再到音乐（防弹少年团），以及电影海报（《瞬息全宇宙》、《水形物语》）。这些项目以不同于画廊或美术馆的方式展示在观众面前，与他们产生链接，让我的作品谱系得以拓展，也能够被更多人看到。
《瞬息全宇宙》海报作品
7. What attributes of your work appeal to a broad audience, particularly young people?
James Jean：The audience may see influences from comics and animation, as well as an exploration of the subconscious and mythology. Ultimately, these influences can be drawn back to draftsmen like Albrecht Durer, Hokusai, and Heironymous Bosch, who all drew from imagination, and even further back to the drawings on the Lascaux Cave. There is a long and deep human drive to express our inner world through drawing, and I believe that is the element that connects with many people. Also, I occasionally collaborate with other industries and allow my work to exist in different parts of the culture, from fashion (Prada, Yohji Yamamoto), to tech (Apple, OPPO), to music (BTS), and to movie posters (Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Shape of Water). These projects connect with people in a different way from an art gallery or museum, and allow the universe of my work to fully expand.
8. 您还创作了许多大型雕塑。雕塑和绘画在创作过程中有什么区别？
简明：在二维空间中，艺术家有各种策略可以让图像在平面上展开。画布上的创作实际上相当自由，因为它允许艺术家集中精力在平面维度上控制观众的注意力。而对于创作雕塑而言，这是一个完全不同的体验，我仍在学习如何与之互动。让我享受雕塑创作的原因之一是，随着观众绕着作品走动，故事才得以展开。随着视角的变化，各种元素被揭示出来，例如，我角色鞋底的迷宫细节、《太阳塔罗牌》（Sun Tarot）卡片背面的镜子、《旅行者》（Traveler）人物手中的青蛙，或者《向日葵》（Sunflower）背后的蜻蜓。这些角色一开始都只存在于绘画中，但关于细节的立体叙事，我只有在构思雕塑时才想到这些。
《太阳塔罗牌-木》，2023，枫木，胡桃木，镜面不锈钢，60 x 52 x 56 cm，限量8+2AP
8. You have also created numerous large sculptures. What are the distinctions in the creative processes between sculpture and painting?
James Jean：In two dimensions, there are various strategies to let an image unfold on a flat plane. The limitations of a 2D space are actually quite liberating, in that it allows the artist to focus and control the eyes of the viewer. With sculpture, it's a much different experience, and I'm still learning how to engage with it. One aspect of sculpture that I enjoy is allowing the story to unfold as the viewer walks around the piece. Various elements are revealed as the perspective changes, such as the details of the maze in the soles of my characters, the mirror on the back of the card in Sun Tarot, the frog held in the hand of the Traveler, or the dragonfly on the back of Sunflower. Many of these characters existed in paintings, but I only conceived of these extensions to the narrative when I began to explore them in three dimensions.
9. 作为一名视觉艺术家，您能告诉我们视觉艺术的本质是什么吗？
简明：视觉艺术的本质是我们内心视角与物理世界之间的连接。从我自己的角度来看，我将内心视角的画面通过自己的创作——这个不太完美的中介和载体带入到现实的物理世界中。奇妙的是，这些视觉一旦在纸张、画布、墙壁或屏幕上呈现出来，就会与观看它、感受它的心灵产生共鸣，从而实现信息的传递。对我来说，这是在绘制一条将人类连接在一起的线，并创造一个激发想象力的连接网络。通过图像，我能够向宇宙表达：我在这短暂的瞬间里是活着的，而我的存在的某些影子，也将以绘画和图像的形式被铭刻在历史中。
9. As a visual artist, could you tell us what is the essence of visual arts?
James Jean：The essence of visual art is the connection between our mind's eye and the physical world. From my own perspective, I take the visions within my mind and bring them out into the world through the inefficient and imperfect vehicle of my body. And somehow, these visions, once manifested on paper, canvas, wall, or screen, connect with other minds, and a transfer of information occurs. For me, it's about drawing a line that connects humanity together, and creating a web of connections that inspire the imagination. Through images, I'm able to express to the universe that I am alive for this brief moment, and some shadow of my existence, in the form of drawings and paintings, will be burned into history.
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