摘要
薩璨如(1952-)的現代雕塑創作獲得國內外藝評一致的深富「東方意識」之評。在台灣的現代雕塑論述中,「東方意識」為一重要的議題,然而,薩璨如雖具中國血統、台灣經驗,但其創作在1970年代於歐美養成,1979年之後更定居義大利,其創作不應片面地納入在台灣現代藝術史中具有國族主義或本土論色彩的東方論述脈絡之中解讀。本文以薩璨如1990年代之後的創作為對象,從作品解析其創作之「東方意識」具體內涵,透過取徑法國哲學家兼漢學家朱利安(François Jullien)所提出的「間距」思維,區辨薩璨如的創作觀與台灣抽象雕塑論域中強調身分認同的東方化論述之差異,再進一步論述其創作中「東方意識」的內涵。研究指出,薩璨如作品中所蘊含之「東方意識」與生命經驗相關,其在創作中展現「間距」思維,以自然之理為宏旨,發展出個人的系列作品。這些形貌相似但各具形態的抽象雕塑,雖有自然物象之喻,卻不限於「形」之模仿或者圖騰再現,而是以虛待的方式回應自然與我之關係,在平淡中求取平衡的美感。其作品中的「東方意識」,在於其自然觀的展現,透過抽象的形式語言以表達藝術家對於自然的嚮往與理解。
關鍵詞
薩璨如、間距、東方意識、自然觀
Abstract
Contemporary sculptures created by Cynthia Sah (1952-) are eulogized by the local and foreign critics for the profound "orientality" contained within. In Taiwan, such thought also constitutes a crucial subject regarding contemporary sculpture theories. Although Sah is of Chinese origin and has accumulated substantial practices of creating artworks in Taiwan, then she developed her sculpting skills in the United States and Europe in the 1970s. Since 1979, she has permanently resided in Italy. On this account, her works should not be interpreted solely based on the discourse of orientalitycomposed by the nationalism and the nativism rendered in Taiwanese art history. This essay examines Sah's works created after the 1990s with a focus on the orientality comprised in her artistic creations. By drawing on the concept of l'écart coined by François Jullien, I aim to analyze the difference between the orientality presented in Sah's works, and the orientality that stresses on the complex of national/self-identity, which also has been principally deployed in Taiwanese art discourses of abstract sculpture. On the basis, I furthermore explore the the undertone of the orientallity in Sah's works. In this regard, my study finds that the orientality conveyed in her work is associated with her life experience; moreover, the concept of l'écart is manifested in her creations. With the concept of nature as her grand theme, Sah has created her own series of works. The resultant abstract sculptures are similar in appearance but exhibit unique forms. They depict natural objects but not simply through imitation of shapes or reproduction of symbols. Instead, they demonstrate the relationship between nature and the self by evincing the concept of the void in an attempt to attain a balance between mundaneness and aesthetic grandeur. In sum, the aspect of orientality in her works is illustrated by the artist and her view of nature. Intriguingly, Sah's sculptures express the artist's yearning and understanding of nature by the uses of abstraction.
Keywords
Cynthia SAH, écart, Oriental thoughts, view of nature