艺术家杨燕来是“新水墨”的代表人物之一，她于1993年毕业于中央美术学院，在传统水墨上受到父亲杨福音的很深刻的影响，在中央美术学院、在自己的艺术创作历程中把试验性水墨融合到传统概念之中，独树一帜，这次她带来的水墨作品，充满了氤氲水墨气息，好像朦朦胧胧的远山近水，孤 独的文人漫步其中，似有似无，给人中国意境的遐想，却有具有当代艺术的纯粹。

　　Artist Yang Yanlai is a representative of the New Ink movement. Graduated from China Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in 1993, she was deeply influenced by her father Yang Fuyin, a renowned painter. In CAFA, she started to experiment on ink wash painting, trying to combine traditional and contemporary elements in her works. The collection of work presented here reminds the viewer of a lonely scholar walking in the dissolving scenery made up of mountains and rivers—a traditional Chinese theme, albeit with a minimalist air.

　　当代水墨是当代艺术的一个组成部分，与传统水墨不同就是它具有当代艺术的无绝对标准性，多元化，个人化，而非类型化、派别化，所以有不同的探索，目前国内的 水墨画一方面有传统延续一路，在国内有很稳固的基础，也有不按照传统套路发展的试验水墨，很多青年艺术家在这个方向上不断探索。而这次举办画展的杨燕来则 是走第三条道路：融合传统的意和非传统笔墨的技，走出一条很有意思的新道路来。

　　Contemporary ink wash painting, as a part of contemporary art, differentiates itself from traditional ink wash painting in that it is not confined by any absolute standard. It resists being pinned down by types or schools, and is highly diversified, personal, open to various experiments. In China today, a steady group of artists still follow the traditional ink wash painting style, while many young artists devote themselves to exploring new possibilities. Yang belongs to neither. She tries to use modern techniques to express classical themes.

　　看杨燕来的作品展，很容易联想到“水墨画”主流方向的问题。很多理论家认为当代水墨并不存在的“水墨发展方向”这种单一的套路了。传统水墨在中国已经存在了 两千年，必须发展和改革是共识。因而现在探索的方向非常多，呈现出水墨方面百花齐放的新局面。三十多年以来，艺术界都不断的在讨论如何改革，改革的问题不 仅仅在艺术家本身，更加主要的还是民众、收藏家的固有概念转型，而这个转型需要比较长的时间。摆在我们面前的水墨之路其实还是混沌的，大部分艺术家所接受 的训练、教育体系是西方的，水墨只是用来作为创作的媒介，表达的是西方当代的行为和思想;另一部分艺术家是从传统笔墨发展出来的，他们的作品基本都遵循着 某个传统的流派，只是在形式上做一点突破。两者其实都有自己的艺术地盘。自此上世纪八十年代出现的后现代主义就是提倡黑白、正确和错误这两个极端之间其实存在的宽阔的灰色地带的这种多元论概念，杨燕来的作品正是这种宽阔的探索中的一个很特别的波澜。

　　Yang Yanlai’s exhibition easily arouses thoughts on the future of ink wash painting. For many critics, contemporary ink wash painting does not have a so-called “mainstream style.” There is a consensus that traditional ink wash painting, having existed in China for two millennia, awaits development and reform. There indeed are many worthwhile explorations into the media at present. For over three decades, reform is a repeatedly discussed topic in this field. It does not only rely on the effort of artists, but also on the public and collectors. The process, therefore, may take quite a long time. The road in front of us is unclear. Most of the artists received a training imported from the West. They only use ink as a medium, and their paintings are essentially Western. Some other artists were brought up following the rules set up by a particular school in the past. Their breakthroughs, if any, tend to be formal. There in fact exists a broad gray zone in between the black and white, right and wrong—polarities advocated by the postmodernists in the 1980s. That said, Yang Yanlai’s works could be deemed as a notable wave in the exploration of the gray zone.