被联接的逻辑——也谈行为艺术家周斌的创作

文：倪昆

2009年开始，周斌的创作实践正经历着一次显著的转变，其中有两个关键词：遗留物及语言。周斌的艺术实践，就有效性而言，其作品一直发生在行为艺术领域，以10余年的创作积淀作为思考推衍的基础，厚重而自然。而由其所带动的关于行为艺术媒介的反思，虽然因为时间的短近而不足以就此定论，但其对于行为语言的自律探索以及建立在自主否定意义之上的实践步伐，却在事实上对于区域性创作起到了显而易见的带动作用，这是积极而极富成效的。




《五十条》行为影像装置 2009年10月1日/中国 重庆
实施过程：在街头，寻找50个人念建国60周年政府发布的50条标语口号，录像装置呈现。

如果我们把身体的在场作为‘行为艺术’的一个基本参数，那么我们可以在‘行为艺术’作为一类独立的艺术媒介之前，在西方艺术史里发现大量的‘身体作品’。此种存在可以让我们通过身体的事实来观看行为艺术的发展线索，其上下文关系清晰而合乎逻辑。行为艺术的被明确伴随着西方上世纪60-70年代概念艺术的盛行，在当时那种否定（或质疑）一切主流价值观及社会结构的著名的社会运动之背景下，被质疑的也包括了附加了市场价值的艺术品以及承载此商品价值的运转系统，比如说美术馆，画廊，拍卖行等。艺术家开始重新审视他们创作的动机进而开始寻找同公众交流思想的新出路，包括文本，摄影，录像，表演等在内的诸多媒介在此运动中都找到了各自相应的新的支点。（概念艺术强调艺术的非技巧中心论，明确艺术是一定概念或蕴含深刻思想的语言表达或交流行为，并通过自己认为有效的艺术创造实践活动，达到证明艺术就是艺术，而非数学的目的。）

从起点处开始谈论行为艺术，我们可以获得以下信息：1，行为艺术有着概念上的特定所指及艺术史中的上下文逻辑关系；2，行为艺术有着与之互文的明确语境；3，作为一种独立的艺术媒介，其必定有着开放性的结构，可以在互文的文化背景下自我生长。就构成作品实质的诸多内容而言，艺术形式的技巧性与作品所呼应的外部语境，是当代艺术中最富张力的观看基点。中国的当代艺术发展，首先直面的，就是艺术史上下文逻辑背景在中国的天然缺失，其后果则是所有与艺术史展开的内部对话被自然过滤，作品面对的对象，也就自然而然的被转化为现实语境。就语境而言，当前中国最显著的语境特征就是‘非政治化’社会现实，而由此现实所造成的社会及意识形态真空，则成为了行为艺术最直接的介入场所。（当然，针对消费主义，城市化生存，文化及历史对话等方面的表达也此起彼伏，更真实的存在是各种现实语境彼此交汇，混杂而不分左右。）行为艺术在中国的发展过程，从来就没有离开过喧哗和躁动，这既和行为艺术介入的领域有关，又和行为艺术的被简单化，被模式化有关。（比如说一大批将行为等同于立场表态的作品的出现）。而行为艺术在大众媒体方面的长期失效则成为了一个复杂而有趣的事实，其背后折射出的社会信息远比一些行为作品要丰富厚重得多,这本是艺术可深入讨论的领域，而事实则是以社会学整体论的视角介入的作者观看更为有效（比如说部分纪录片导演们的工作）。



《174厘米血迹》行为 2007年10月/中国 上海
具体实施：抽取血液200CC冻成冰块，牵其退行174厘米（周斌的身高），用时共三小时四十分钟，使其慢慢融化在宣纸上。感受身体在此过程中的疼痛、僵硬、麻木等身体变化。

讨论周斌的艺术创作必须回到语言，虽然中国的环境语境决定了在行为艺术发展的初段，针对外部语境的表达将远合理于针对内部语言的表达，但是建立在艺术家个人创作系统之上的语言对话，却是良性和有效的。周斌的创作恰好符合这样一种状态，以个体的不间断实践来建立属于个人的语言逻辑，进而在其内部展开讨论。期间有几个重要的时间点，比如说2004年开始的，以‘平衡’作为主要行为特征的一系列作品，2009年的“庆典—自由的1/6注解”（多人行为+声音+视频现场，强调行为的随机性，以及不被预设的彼此干涉），2010年的“30天计划”。在‘平衡’中艺术家始终让身体陷入一种微妙而不可控制的状态，并借此状态来对其所设定的主题形成互动对话，借身体最终的失控来表达（强化）其个人态度及立场。“庆典—自由的1/6注解”是一项集体项目，在不预设任何前提的背景下，让不同类型的艺术家们在特定时段里共同创作，借此尝试讨论语言和语境的互动关联。“30天计划”是一项非常出色的创作计划，艺术家在30天里，每天完成一件独立作品。这是一项完全有别于以往特征的整体行为作品，艺术家在实施之初，就明确作品‘不强调意义’的态度，让自己在限定的时段中展开或偶发，或设定的行为创作，就事实而言，这是艺术家对个人的‘身体-设定-失控-记忆-体验’等方面所进行的清理（或腾空）。通过高密集的自我整理，来触及语言的表达边界及表达可能。伴随着艺术家关于语言的理解，作为概念的遗留物也出现在艺术家的思考中，艺术家有意识的强化出现在行为现场的材料等物品，并且通过装置，录像等形式，让行为和遗留物共同构成完整作品。比如说，艺术家在2009年实施的“五十条”（行为+录像+装置），2010年在韩国实施的“煮海水”（ 行为+摄影+录像+装置）以及在2007年实施的“174厘米血迹”（行为+录像+纸本图画）等。




《煮海水》 行为 2010年09月/韩国 仁川
过程：在仁川，从9月15日到28日（朝鲜战争中仁川登陆战时间），每天去海边取海水40斤，运回驻地后将其煮沸蒸发，把每天结晶出的海盐分别装入玻璃瓶中。14天共蒸发掉海水560斤，结晶出约11.5斤盐。

附：
1，谈论周斌的创作，我选择从行为艺术的艺术史开端说起。行为艺术在中国的发展自有其建立在自身语境之上的特征，将这两者之存在形态进行相互参看，将有利于查看及把握作品的现状及可能。
2，中国的现实语境决定了行为艺术作品的语言表达类型，态度型作品是很重要，但是态度和艺术并没有直接关系。艺术只所以能够成为艺术，自有其内在的表述体系，很多时候，语言表达将走在主题设定之前，强调主题，是古典主义的事情。
3，周斌的创作分三个阶段，2004年应该成为一个分界点，2009年应该为另外一个分界点。分界的划分，其连接的是艺术家在不同阶段对于语言理解的转变。
4，周斌近阶段的创作是极富实验精神的，至少我个人认为，其创作实践突破了既往的中国行为艺术之表达形态，是新的突破点。它提供了很多鲜活的作品样本，极有价值。
5，语言的回归日常，肯定不能够成为其作品创作的一个端点，期待艺术家接下来的语言实践，下一步的实践，可能更具代表性。
6，非常喜欢艺术家的作品‘跟踪’，从这件作品中可以看出艺术家近阶段结合了具体情景语境之后的关于语言新的理解及表达。被拓展后的作品所展现的语言张力，明显不同于建立在概念设定下的作品实施。我姑且将此看为艺术家之后可以阶段性持续介入的场域。

2011年5月10日于重庆杨家坪



《庆典自由的六分之一注解》No.1
策划：周斌+李带果
艺术家：李带果(美国)+李琨+刘成英+毛竹+吴承典+周斌
时间地点：2009年的3月8日、成都廊桥艺术空间



《庆典自由的六分之一注解》No.2
策划：周斌+倪昆
艺术家：李带果(美国)+李琨+刘成英+毛竹+吴承典+周斌
时间地点：2009年的5月17日、重庆器HAUS艺术空间



CC]《庆典自由的六分之一注解》No.3
策划：周斌+何玲
艺术家：Cristina Ohlmer (德国)+何玲+刘成英+清水惠美（日本）+吴承典+周斌
时间地点：2010年的7月26日、长沙千年时间当代艺术中心



《庆典自由的六分之一注解》No.4
现场策划：周斌+吴方洲
艺术家：打油（西班牙）+何利平+何玲+刘成英+吴承典+周斌
时间地点：2010年的12月4日、澳门牛房艺术仓库



《庆典——自由的1/6注解》No.5
Celebration-The 1/6 Comments of Freedom No.5
策划：周斌+刘杰
参与艺术家：白小墨+陈建军+董洁+李琨+幸鑫+周斌
时间地点：2011年的3月5日、成都千高原艺术空间



《跟踪》2009年8月/中国 北京
具体实施：在北京天安门广场跟踪一只蚂蚁直到其消失（实际用时九十分钟）。于此同时，广场上的监视系统开始跟踪这个行踪飘忽不定的可疑人。




Connected Logic - on the Work of Performance Artist Zhou Bin’s

text:Ni Kun

Since 2009, the practice of Zhou Bin’s creation are undergoing a significant transformation, including two key words: remnants and language. Zhou Bin’s art practice, on the effectiveness side, his work has been in the field of performance art, with 10 years of creative structuring and thinking as the basis for accumulation, thick and natural. Driven by its reflection on the medium of performance art, although for a too short time to make any conclusion, but the practice on language of self-discipline and the behavior based on self-exploration has motivate meaning for this regional creation in a very obvious way, which is positive and very effective.

If we take the presence of the body as a basic parameter of “performance art”, we can find a lot of “body works” in the Western history of art, before “performance” has become one independent art media. Such presence allows us to see through the fact of performance art trailed by the development of body art. And it is in a clear and logical contest. Performance art is explicitly associated with the prevalence concept art in the 60-70 last century in the west, at the time, under the background of all the well-known social movements, denial (or challenge) of the mainstream values and social structure, and the denial also includes art works with market value and operating system its products, such as museums, galleries, auctions and so on. Artists began to re-examine their motives and then start looking for creative ideas for their exchange with public, including text, photography, video, performance, etc. Many of the media has found their corresponding new fulcrum in this movement. (Conceptual art emphasis on non-skills centers of art, to clarify conceptual art is a certain concept or a language and exchange behavior that express profound ideas, and through efficient practice of their own artistic creation to prove that art is art, rather than mathematics.)

From the starting point of performance art, we can obtain the following information: 1, performance art has a specific meaning of concept in the logical context; 2, performance has a context which has a clear intertextuality with it; 3, As an independent art medium, it must have one open structure that develops in the cultural background of intertextuality. As for the constitutes for the contents of works, the skills of art form and works and external context are the most tensional basic view point. The development of Chinese contemporary art, that is honestly saying, the natural lost of art history context in China. And its consequences are all the internal dialogue with art history is naturally filtered. The object works face at is naturally transformed to reality context. On the context, the most prominent feature of China’s current context is the “apolitical” social reality, and the social and ideological vacuum caused by this reality became the most directly involved place in performance art. (Of course, expression against consumerism, urbanization, life, culture and historical dialogue are so one after another, there is a more realistic existence of them all, that is the intersection of all realistic contexts, mixed without distinction or so.) Development of performance art in China was never lack of blatancy and agitation. This is related to not only the field performance art has intervened, but also performance art been simplified and standardized. (For example, a large number of works emerges equivalent performance to position statement). The long-term failure of performance art in the mass media has become a complex and interesting fact, however, it is closer and clearer to look at the works in a sociological theory point (for example part of the documentary film director’s works).

Discussion about Zhou Bin works must return to the language of art, though China's environmental context determines the early stage of the development of performance art, the expression for the external context would be much reasonable than the expression for the internal language, but dialogue built on the artist’s individual work system is healthy and effective. Zhou Bin was in line with the creation of such a state of continuous practice in order to establish the individual's personal language logic, then in its internal discussions. There have been several important points in time, for example, project began in 2004 with “balance” as the main characteristics of a series of works, and 2009's "Celebration - Freedom 1 / 6 of Comments" (multi-person performance + sound + live video, emphasizing the randomness of performance and interfere by each other without rehearsal), and his "30-day project" in 2011. In the 'balance' the artist is always keeping body in a subtle and uncontrollable state, to establish a intereactive dialogue with theme, and to express (emphasis) their personal attitudes and positions by the ultimate loss of control. "Celebration - Freedom 1 / 6 Comments" is a collective project, without any precondition, so that different types of artists in the joint creation of work, to try to discuss the interaction of language and context. "30-day Project" is a very outstanding project. in 30 days, artist completes an independent work every day. This is a totally different and unitary work from previous ones. The artist at the beginning has clarifies it “does not emphasize on meaning”, so that he starts in a limited period of time, or incidental, or set of acts, to finish this project. In point of fact, this is a clean up (or vacated) of artist’s own “body – set up - out of control - memory - experience' and etc. Through high-density self-organization, artist reaches the boundary of expression language and possibility. Along with the understanding of language, remnants as the concept of works also appear in the artist's thinking. He consciously emphasized on-site materials and other items appear in the space, and through installation, video and other forms, to constitute complete works with performance and them. For example, in 2009, he implements the “Fifty Items" (performance + video + installation), 2010 in Korea, his "Boil Seawater" (performance + photography + video + installation) and in 2007 his "174 cm Bloodstain" (installation + video + paper painting) and so on.

Attachment:
1, talking about Zhou Bin’s work, I chose to start from the history of performance art. The development of performance art in China has its own characteristics built upon its own context, conference on the existence of these two forms will help viewing and grasping the situation and the possibility of the works.
2, China's realistic context determines the type of expression, attitude of work is very important, but attitude and arts are not directly related. Art becomes art is because of its own internal representation system. Most of time, language goes before the set up of subject, emphasizing the themes is a classical thing.
3,Zhou Bin’s work can be divide into three phases, year 2004 should be a cutoff point, year 2009 is another. Boundaries are the changes that artist has of language comprehension.
4, The latest stage of Zhou Bin’s works are experimental, at least in my opinion, he breaks the previous expression form of Chinese performance art, which is a new breakthrough. It provides a lot of fresh samples of work, very valuable.
5, The return of the daily language, certainly will not to be an endpoint of his creation, we look forward to the next language practice, his next practice might be more representative.
6, I like the work “Tracks” very much, this piece can be seen in the artist’s expression a new understanding and expression combing situational context. Tension of language after the expanding of work is obviously different from the work with concept established. I may see this as the field the artist can periodically intervene.

May 10, 2011 in Chongqing Yangjiaping

《庆典》源起：

“庆典”由周斌于2009年在成都创立，在一定程度上受国际著名行为艺术组织“黑市国际”（Black Market International）（1985年成立）的启发。
“庆典Celebration”（2009年成立）不是一个团队，而是一种现场创作理念。“庆典”没有导演，所有参与者在现场都是自由呈现的个体。

庆典原则：

庆典是一场既有预谋，又充满未知的现场狂欢。
庆典是关于建构的“阴谋”，是对所指的批判性否定。
庆典是多种媒介的同场混搭、它们彼此渗透、游移组合。
庆典是由不确定的碎片组成，充满观看盲点和非逻辑叙述。

Celebration is a premeditated revel which full of unknown.
Celebration is about the "conspiracy" of construction, is a negative criticize to what it directs.
Celebration is a variety of media mixture in the same field, with mutual penetration and wavering combination.
Celebration is combined with uncertain debris,full of blind view points and non-logical narrative.