青雨紫烟2022-09-10 16:24:18

     上周去MoMA欣赏马蒂斯的“红色工作室”,而后又被占据了两层楼高的(整个Marron Family Atrium芭芭拉·克鲁格(Barbara Kruger)的“THINKING OF YOU. I MEAN ME. I MEAN YOU.”所吸引。这个开放式的展览可以从馆中多个视口观看到,从顶层往下看是一种感觉,走进这些文字中又是另一番感觉。当时我并知道芭芭拉·克鲁格是谁,置身在展厅中巨型黑与白的文字之中,有一种从四面八方涌来的压迫感,不仅是视觉上的冲击,也是对大脑皮层的一种冲击。你会不由自主地沉浸其中,警醒的文字让人陷入思考。

      从顶层往下看,会看到乔治·奥维尔这段名言。这也是这些引言中我唯一认得的一句,因为这句是摘自他的小说《Nineteen Eighty-Four》,我正好读过。“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face forever.” 奥维尔和他的许多著作都是反对极权社会的。他的另一部比较有名的少儿读物是《Animal Farm》,据我所知这本书是很多美国小学生的必读书籍之一。奥维尔认为Any system that puts too much power into the hands of a few people is doomed to fail. 下楼走在这句话上,我竟然有点不忍下足,幸亏我没穿靴子,否则真有一种“stamping on a human face”的负疚感。我想这正是克鲁格所要达到的让阅览者有一种身临其境的效果,所以她把这句名言写在地板上。     

 

From Barbara Kruger’s site-specific installation at MoMA: The floor is covered with an ominous quote from George Orwell.

 

      在展厅三面墙上,分别有三幅椭圆形突出文字图像,让文字成扭曲形状,且都以放大的“你”作为醒目的第一行。来看看上面分别写了写什么。这应该是克鲁格自己想对参观者说的话,突出了“I mean Me; I mean You”的主题。它像一面镜子一样,让人们反省自己的所作所为,这个社会的所作所为,和每一个人在社会中的作用、影响。一切都是相关联的,一切都不是可以置之度外的,一切都是我中有你,你中有我,一切都是有consequences的。

东墙上写的是:“You are seeing and being seen. Caught in the mind's eye. Caught in a world in shambles. This thing called 'You'. This Thing called 'Me'. In this moment. In this place. Right now. Come closer.”

南墙上写的是:“You are here, looking through the looking glass, darkly. Seeing the unseen, the invisible, the barely there. You.  Whoever you are. Wherever you are. Etched in memory. Until you, the looker, is gone. Unseen. No more. You too.”

西墙上写的是:“You know that women have served all these centruries as looking glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size. After Virginia Woolf.”

关于Virginia Woolf, 我唯一的印象是Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streap, Julianne Moore三大巨星主演的《The Hours》。这部电影获得了奥斯卡提名,但最终没能获奖,而Nicole Kidman扮演的Virginia Woolf获得了最佳女主角的殊荣。能为女性发声的就值得我去尊重和敬仰。我知道Woolf是个非常了不起的二十世纪初的英国女作家,善于使用意识流手法,只是还没有机会拜读她的作品。身为女性必须承认,绝大多数职场仍被男性主导,虽然每一家公司都大力宣传Equal Oppotunities,但实际上女性要付出多得多的努力才能获得,尤其是在高层获得一席之地。这种潜在的对女性和弱势群体的不公平无处不在,希望我们每一位女性不仅要努力工作,还要努力发声,大胆地争取自己应得的权益。

 

图片

 

图片

 

图片

 

图片

 

A view of Barbara Kruger’s vertiginous, loquacious new installation that engulfs the atrium of the Museum of Modern Art.

 

 

 

另外,在南面墙上写的是:

“This is about the You Not I.

This is about a world of Hurt.

This is about looking for the moment when pride becomes contempt.

About wanting one another.

About fearing one another.

About touching one another.

About the war from Me to Become You. I mean Me. I mean You.”

南面墙下面写的是:

“War Time, War Crime, War Game, Gang War, Civil War, Holy War, Class War, Bidding War, Trade War, Cold War, Race War, World War, War for Peace, War Without End, War for a World Without Women, War for Me to Become You.”

西面墙上面写道:

“In the end, something else begins.

In the end, you've had your chance.

In the end, you win or you lose.

In the end, history happens.

In the end, nothing matters.

In the end, all is forgotten.

In the end, anything goes.

In the end, you disappear.

In the end, lies prevail.

In the end, anger fades.

In the end, hope is lost.”

西面墙下写着:

“This is about loving and Longing.
About Shaming and Hating.

About the Promises of Kindness and the Pleasures of Doing Damage.

This is about Crazy Desire and Having a Gift for Cruelty.

This is about the Difference between the Figure and the Body.

About the Fickleness of Renown.

About who gets What and who owns What.

About Who is Remembered and Who is Forgotten.

Here. In this place. 

This is about You. I mean Me. I mean You.”

 

 

 

     这些警醒的文字刺痛了眼睛,刺痛了心灵。她大胆地讽刺着各个阶层的“你”,你可以是一国的首脑,你可以是一个政治家,你可以是商业精英,你可以是一个无家可归者。This is all about you and the age you are living in and you are gone from. 有一种绝望在滋生的同时,让你想做点什么。作为一个艺术家,这是芭芭拉·克鲁格受邀为MoMA创作的大型委托之作。大胆、真实而又略带诙谐地用她的作品引导读者对社会、信仰、关系和权利进行自己独立的思考,从而唤醒可能对许多问题已经麻木的我和你。

     看完展览,我去地下礼品店专门拓展阅读了一下关于克鲁格的生平简介和她其它一些作品(有兴趣的同学可自行查找她的信息,网上有很全面的介绍)。仍然是大胆地针砭时政,毫不留情地揭露某些极端主义的嘴脸。我们的国家和社会有许多问题,但它依然是一个有着自由的良性社会,它滋养着这些艺术家,允许他们用丰富的艺术感染力毫无顾忌地对自己的首脑、生存的社会、人文环境提出批评和质疑。不仅仅是这些有名的艺术家,去布鲁克林走一走,你会发现无数不知名的艺术家用自己的灵感和善良无处不在地在为你、为我发出声音。不要说没用,言论自由没用,说了半天也没用。多问问自己,你又为你的邻居、朋友、社区做过些什么?

 

 

 

     还有某些人,不惜翻墙倒海地来指责、嘲笑别国的问题,为什么不在自己的国家多想想自己国家领导阶层和社会的问题呢,像克鲁格一样?只要是人,只要是社会都有可以找出来的缺点和弊病。什么时候能够不嘲笑别人而能心平气和地自嘲的时候那就真的站起来了。什么时候能够多些自省,而不是总在别人身上找原因,出了问题都是别人的错的时候就是真正成熟和强大的时候了。这些原则同样适合夫妻之间、朋友之间、同事之间的相处之道。

 

图片

 

 


更多我的博客文章>>>

 

 

青雨紫烟2022-09-10 16:26:33
祝坛子里的人中秋快乐!阖家幸福、安康!
未完的歌2022-09-11 15:12:51
是够视觉冲击的,容易让人激动:)。中秋快乐!