关于展览

　About the exhibition

　　上海外滩美术馆将于2017年1月21日至3月26日举办宋冬的个人专题展览“不知天命”。作为艺术家在人生半百之际推出的首档综合展览，宋冬将整个展览视为一件“作品”，以“镜、影、言、觉、历、我、明”这七个字作为对自己五十年来的人生呈现再认识的七个平台;以“无界”的方式使用美术馆所有的空间，综合性地呈现其对以往创作生涯的反思以及正在进行的探索。

　　From January 21st to March 26th, Rockbund Art Museum will host a monographic exhibition by leading Chinese artist Song Dong. The exhibition, entitled “I Don’t Know the Mandate of Heaven”, will be the first major survey of Song’s work in mainland China in 8 years. The exhibition will include some of the artist’s best-known works that have been fundamental in establishing his career, as well as several rarely exhibited works. Amongst the works on display, some pieces have been specially commissioned for this exhibition by RAM such as At Fifty, I Don't Know the Mandate of Heaven and Back Image, manifesting the museum’s long-term commitment to support the creativity and production of contemporary art through exhibition projects.

　　即将展出的作品涵盖行为、录像、装置、摄影、绘画和“戏剧”等多媒介的当代艺术创作，除了其自二十世纪九十年代至今创作的一系列代表性录像作品和装置之外，艺术家为本次展览而特别创作的《五十不知天命》等新作品也将在展览中呈现。届时，上海外滩美术馆的全部空间，包括建筑本身的结构和内外墙面都将成为宋冬过往艺术创造和当前创作探索的一种表达。旧作与新作在统一的语境下被赋予了全新的生命力，互相充实，而艺术家本人对于生活与艺术创作的反思与体悟，也将在此背景下愈发浮现出来。

　　RAM’s entire building will be transformed both inside and out for the exhibition, boldly conveying  an expression of both Song’s artistic creation to date, as well as taking a fresh look at his current state of creative exploration. The comprehensive exhibition constitutes a reflection on his life and career, which subsumes his past work into a coherent unity, infusing it with a regained sense of vitality, while imbuing his new creations with the richer context of his development.

　　展览名称“不知天命”来源于宋冬对《论语》中“五十知天命”的反转引用，以此作为对现阶段人生和艺术创作的一个率性的结语。在宋冬的作品中，对传统文化的关注和反思，对民间智慧和禅宗及道家文化兼容并包的兴趣奠定了其独特的个人风格：从早年的《哈气》、《印水》，到《水中捞月》、《白做园》以及持续至今的《水写日记》等作品中，观众都不难体会到艺术家生活即艺术，艺术亦是修行的创作哲学。

　　The title of the exhibition is a fitting reference to Confucius’ famous aphorism in the Analects, ‘At fifteen, I had my mind bent on learning. At thirty, I stood firm. At forty, I had no doubts. At fifty, I knew the mandate of heaven. At sixty, my ear was an obedient organ for the reception of the truth. At seventy, I could follow what my heart desired, without transgressing what was right.’ Song’s own take on the progress of the sage is playfully contradictory. ‘At 10 I was not worried. At 20, I was not restrained. At 30, I wasn’t established. At 40, I was perplexed.’ and, ‘at 50, I don’t know the mandate of heaven.’

　　依循中国文学的传统，展览被分为七个章节，每层楼为一章，各以一个字命名，最终汇成一句颇富韵律的诗句或格言：“镜、影、言、觉、历、我、明”。第七章“明”将置于美术馆建筑的外墙，作品《草图：亚洲文会大楼(外)》使用LED灯勾勒出美术馆的建筑轮廓以及测量尺寸，在这幢历史建筑之上还原了其“设计草图”的意象。作为展览的开篇和结语，“草图”中所蕴含的不完整或者待完成的特质、以及来自过去对未来的期许感，或许也正与宋冬对自身“五十不知天命”的评价中的开放性暗自契合。

　　The reference to Confucius accentuates Song’s preoccupations with Chinese tradition and the inherited wisdom of the common people, while the playfulness owes more to the predominance of Zen and Taoist themes in his work. Throughout his career, humble objects from everyday life have formed the core material of his often transformative and elaborate creations. Though the present production is no exception, there is a decidedly classical flavor to the way of its organization.

　　进入建筑内部后，观众会置身于艺术家的近作《镜厅》中，这是一个晶莹闪烁的镜面系列装置，用回收的窗框和镜子制成。将美术馆的前厅置换为一个带着怪异的居家气息的全反射空间。《镜厅》中的另一件作品《无用之用：瓶架大哥》以马塞尔·杜尚著名的现成品作品《瓶架》为素材，将艺术史上的《瓶架》还原到生活中瓶架，用于“晾晒”生活的废弃物：瓶子，使其成为可提供照明的吊灯。众多的瓶子在视觉上令人联想起无处不在的监控摄像头两件作品共同组成了一个监视与窥探的全景监狱。与此一壁之隔，在美术馆原本的艺术商店区域展出的《吃城市》是一座用精心摆放的饼干制成的大都市，这件注定被快速消耗的作品将只在开幕当晚呈现在观众面前，但无论是见过，吃过还是错过这件作品的观众，都在无形中或显或隐地在“消费”层面集体参与到了这件作品中来。

　　Following the Chinese literary tradition, the exhibition is divided into seven ‘chapters,’ each represented by a Chinese character, which together form a line of verse: Jing (镜 mirror), Ying (影 shadow), Yan (言 word), Jue (觉 revelation), Li (历 experience), Wo (我 self), Ming (明 illumination). Each floor of the museum will be dedicated to a chapter of the exhibition, with the seventh chapter (明 illumination) reserved for the exterior of the building itself, where Sketch (RAS Exterior) will see LED lights trace the contours of the building’s facade. The measurements in the original plans for the architecture will also be marked out on the building’s exterior in LED lights, emphasizing a sense of expectation from the past architect into the current days. It is no coincidence that what greets the visitor at the beginning of the exhibition is also its final chapter. One could say that this paradox adroitly encapsulates the spirit of the exhibition as a self-reflective totality.

　　二楼“影”主题的展厅的两边将展出宋冬1992年至今的一系列录像作品。在展厅中心的大型装置作品《背影》以静态方式还原了电影放映时的光与影：以织物代替光束连接到展厅中央的大型幕布上，空的光线在幕布上“投下”空的影像;幕布的背后放着50个小板凳，重现了其儿时在荧幕背后观看露天电影的情景。在荧幕背后看的被反转了左右的影像是艺术家早年难忘的记忆，这一经历也被宋冬融入其作品中，观众也将在展览的其他作品中看到反转的空间、影像、语句和思维方式。

　　Upon entering the building the visitor will find one of Song’s more recent works, Mirror Hall, a dazzling mirror series installation composed of recycled window frames and numerous mirrors, amongst which stagged another artwork of his: The Use of Uselessness: Bottle Rack Big Brother, a chandelier constituting of an array of household liquid containers reminding of surveillance cameras, turning the hall of mirrors into an oddly homey panopticon. In the next room there is Eating the City, a meticulously arranged biscuit metropolis free for the public to consume.

　　展览中其他的作品也各具特色:四楼“觉”章节中的《穷人的智慧：宋冬馆》曾在2011年威尼斯双年展以《宋冬馆》的形式展出，这是一个由回收的旧门窗和旧家具及其它来自艺术家旧居的材料构成的一个双层架构，在本次展览中，“馆”中新增了一系列艺术家的雕塑、录像和绘画作品，成为一个独特的“展览中的展览”。

　　The second floor showcases selected video works from 1992 along the walls. The imposing centerpiece, Back Image, is a physical representation of travelling lights projected on a large canvas screen, instead of actual light, the artist employed strings of yarn to mimic the effect of light projection. The work is reminiscent of Song’s childhood experiences viewing open-air screenings of revolutionary films. Other highlights include Wisdom of the Poor: Song Dong Para-Pavilion (displayed on the 4th floor). Originally produced by Song for the 2011 Venice Biennale, the work has been adapted to specific context of its new place at the Rockbund Art Museum. Through an intricate maze-like structure comprised of recycled architectural fragments, Song Dong’s old work  will be recreated and functions as a personal pavilion in which a number of his sculptures, videos and paintings are showcased.

　　位于六楼“我”章节的新作《五十不知天命》系列是本次展览的点题之作：中庭区域将摆放五十只陶瓷娃娃，其形态各异，充当着艺术家此前的生活和创作中的形象。同时展出的《我和我》是一系列艺术家本人和娃娃的共处的照片，纪录了一个身份认同与自我探寻的故事。当观众走到画廊的尽头，结束观展的旅程之时，他/她将在天台上看到最后一件作品。霓虹灯牌面向黄浦江，用光书写着艺术家对自己五十年人生的回顾：“一十无忧，二十不羁，三十不立，四十有惑，五十不知天命”。

　　Song’s ambitious new work and the anchor of the exhibition, At Fifty, I Don’t Know the Mandate of Heaven, will be found on the 6th floor. The work features 50 clay dolls representing the artist during previous performances of his career, spread across the atrium’s floor. Lining the walls of the gallery are photos of Song with his favorite childhood doll, documenting a personal story of identification and self-exploration. As visitors complete their journey down the length of the gallery, a final installation piece can be discovered on RAM’s outdoor terrace. A large neon sign faces the view out onto the Huangpu river, writing in light the artist’s personal take on Confucius’ model life story: ‘At 10 I was not worried. At 20, I was not restrained. At 30, I wasn’t established. At 40, I was perplexed.’ and, ‘at 50, I don’t know the mandate of heaven.’

　　展览“不知天命”既不是回顾展，也不是静止的展览。体验是展览的灵魂，艺术家还将在展览过程中不断地扩展和延伸。“见展是展，见展不是展，见展还是展”。无论是已经熟悉宋冬的作品，还是希望能对他有所了解，都可以在本展中得到满足。展览有着宽广而豁达的视野，而艺术家独特的深沉与魅力，也在其中有充分的展现。

　　“Song Dong: I Don’t Know the Mandate of Heaven” is not a retrospective, neither a static show. Experience is the essence and soul of it. The exhibition promises to delight both those familiar with Song Dong’s work and those seeking to become acquainted. The breadth of its scope is unparalleled, and the artist does not fail to match it with characteristic depth and charm.