Artist Voice | Sublime of the non-figurative
About my recent works
Fu Wenjun, 2015
Should it be abstract, semi-abstract or purely abstract? This is a question that I recently think about.
Until today, I haven’t decided yet. But I don’t like the realistic and concrete style any more. I gave them up very early. When I was studying in Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, I was keen on the abstract expressionism. Actually, my early figurative works were not really figurative. Just at that time, I didn’t do well enough on the representation.
About the recent works, I try my best to avoid symbolic commercial operations and straightforward Chinese symbols. I want to reach a non-figurative state that I always long for. As this state is more suitable for my art creation, chaotic but powerful.
I have shown some recent works to friends as critics in private. They mentioned something that are line with my own thinking.
1. Sublime of the non-figurative
After the ’85 New Wave Movement, sublime was avoided by the younger generation of artists, and the macro-narrative was also criticized. But for our generation, the complex of macro-narrative is actually difficult to dispel. But this macro is different from the grandeur of the figurative form displayed by the previous collectivism. Now this spirit of sublime is more about an internal reflection on history and cultures. After dissolving the specific images, when today has diversified ideas, this macro complex still exists, and is embodied in the subline of the non-figurative.
2. Brilliant colors
Color is a consciousness that I have maintained since I started to create photography. Because I like oil painting. Beside of conceptual photography, painting is the biggest part. And I do not put painting and photography in a hostile state where they cannot communicate with each other forever. I love colors, and I just want to preserve them. In recent works, this idea has suddenly been completely released. I think there is a good combination and I feel happy about it. Some friends as critics visited my studio. They said that I played well with colors and it was something many conceptual photography artists do not have. For me, this is also an affirmation and an encouragement.
3. “Hypertext” narrative
Before, I always wanted to do continuous creations, that is, to tell a story through several works in a series. For example, with the two series “Twelve Chinese Zodiac Signs” and “Story of Expo Garden”, I have talked about the history of more than 150 years. But for recent works, I don’t go on that way. In recent years, I spent many time on exhibitions and international exchanges, which has allowed me to focus on crossover and comparison of the cultures. Therefore, the recent works are not narrated in a self-contained “text”, but cross over more complex cultural backgrounds: ancient, today, Chinese, Western, etc., It can be said to be a “hypertext” narrative, and even is dispelling the “narrative”. Because it is not about history, but about the current times. The contemporary era is not over, so the narrative should continue in an open way.
无形象的崇高— — 关于我近作的感悟与探讨
傅文俊，2015年
到底是抽象、半抽象或纯抽象呢？这是我近作在纠缠的问题。
到今天，这点我也没有固定下来，但对于我来说写实具象的东西已经不喜欢了，这种东西我很早之前就要放弃。当年校读书的时候，我就比较喜欢抽象表现的东西。大家之前看到我的所谓具象，实际上也不具象，只是那个时候我还还没有把表现做得那么足而已。
所以，对于最近作品来说，我想要尽力做到的便是避开符号化的商业操作和直白的中国符号，想要达到一直向往的非具象的状态。因为这种状态更加适合我的创作状态，混沌但保有力量。
对于近期作品来说，有些批评家朋友私下先看过了，说到几点，我觉得比较符合自己的思考：
1、无形象的崇高
八五之后，崇高是青年一代艺术家所避免的部分，宏大叙事也是深受批判的部分。但是对于我们这代人来说，宏大情结其实难以消解。但是这种宏大又不同于之前那种集体主义形式具象的宏大，现在这种崇高精神更多是一种对于历史、文化的内在投射。消解了具体的形象之后，在今天思想多元化之后，这种宏大的情结仍旧是存在的，它的体现就是 — — 无形象的崇高。
2、色彩的绚丽
就色彩来说，这是我从从事摄影开始就保有的自觉意识。因为喜欢油画，观念摄影之外的最大部分就是绘画，并且我也没有将绘画和摄影放到一种老死不相往来的敌对状态。我喜爱色彩，我就是要保留色彩，这一点来说，在最近作品之中忽然完全释放了出来，我觉得结合得也很好，有畅快的感觉。有批评家朋友到访，他们说我对于色彩发挥得很好，而这却是很多观念摄影的艺术家所不具备的。对于我，这也是一个肯定和鼓励。
3、“超文本”叙事
之前我一直想做连续的创作，即通过一个系列的几张作品叙述一个故事。比如说《十二生肖》和《万国园记》，两个系列就把一百五十多年的历史讲述完了。但最近的作品，我没有再去这样做。近些年，我多数时间在国际上参展交流，这让我将视野放到了文化的跨界和比较之中。所以，近期作品也并不在一个自足性质的“文本”中来叙述，而是跨越到更加复杂的文化背景，古代的、今天的、中国的、西方的等等，而这种叙事可以说是“超文本”叙事，甚至是在消解“叙事”。因为，它不是讲述历史，而是在说当代。当代没有完结，所以叙事应当是开敞中持续进行着的。
