美国加拿大等112家主流媒体高度评价韦申艺术，盛赞“艺术与健康”韦申&伊灵当代艺术巡回展盛况。英文全文转自美国知名广播公司NEWS CHANNEL NEBRASKA. Monday, July 15th 2024, 1:22 PM CDT.

https://www.newschannelnebraska.com/story/51044597/abiding-nowhere-artistic-exploration-of-wei-shen

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海外新闻报道中译文

应无所住——韦申的艺术探索

“应无所住”，出自于《金刚经》：“应无所住，而生其心”。应无所住，也可谓是韦申漂泊艺术经历的一个写照。从圆明园画家村寻梦到远赴海外游学，在三十年的艺术探索中，韦申不断突破既有形式，画风从具象到抽象几经嬗变，呈现出应无所住的多元风貌。

韦申在圆明园画家村时期，1993～1995

韦申出生于广西天峨，毕业于桂林教育学院美术系（现为桂林师范高等专科学校）。毕业后，他辞去了在桂林的教职，前往圆明园画家村追逐艺术梦想。在打破了体制限制的圆明园艺术群落中，韦申过着波西米亚式的生活，充满自由精神与浪漫激情，在绘画形式上进行了大胆的尝试，创作出具有表现主义与超现实主义色彩的作品。在上个世纪的八九十年代，中国艺术界深受以萨特为代表的存在主义哲学的影响，存在主义哲学关注个体的孤独和存在的焦虑。作为成长于改革开放大变革时代的艺术家，韦申并没有仅停留在形式探索的层面。他的作品体现出对于人类生存状态的关注与忧虑，颇具存在主义色彩，表现出在现代文明社会中对人类异化的一种反抗。

韦申童年在遥远广西山村长大，家乡的山水与民俗铭刻在他的记忆中，也时常萦绕在他的梦中，他早期的作品大多与这些记忆和梦相关。论及梦与梦境，自然要提及弗洛伊德的《梦的解释》。根据弗洛伊德的观点，梦都是“愿望的满足”， 需要用潜意识的结构对其进行更深的解释。梦是一个人与自己内心的真实对话，是另外一次与自己息息相关的人生。在隐秘的梦境所看见、所感觉到的一切，呼吸、眼泪、痛苦以及欢乐，都并不是没有意义的。“长于春梦几多时？散似秋云无觅处。”是宋代大词人晏殊慨叹浮生梦境词句，文字言语描述的梦遁入无形，只可意会。而在画家的笔下，梦却是有形有色，直观可见的。韦申以浪漫的情愫、空灵的意境和自由的形式，创作出许多梦境。在《天堂鸟》《孤独的旅行》《坐看云起》《城市中的云》与《手语》系列作品中，可以感受到梦境所蕴含的诗意，也可以体验到艺术家内心的困惑与孤独。我们的梦不都是美梦，也有令人失魂落魄的梦魇。生活中的无奈与失意，徜徉与寂寥，也会时常降临到韦申的梦境。在这类作品中，色彩变得或暗淡或忧郁，构图与形象也变得荒诞、突兀。画面强调直觉本能的倾诉与宣泄，生命本体中的潜意识就像脱缰的野马一般在无边无际的梦魇中驰骋。

在西方现代艺术史中，不乏描绘梦境的佳作。超现实主义艺术家更是直接受到弗洛伊德理论的影响，决意探索内在心灵世界、幻想和无意识领域。他们认为梦与人类的意识密切相关，梦建构了一个舞台，在那里人们可以超越环境的束缚，与被社会长期压抑的深层自我重新契合。自诩为“画家中的画家”的西班牙艺术家萨尔瓦多·达利堪称造梦大师，他传承了高超写实技法，营造出的亦真亦幻的奇异梦境。韦申的梦境并非达利式的清晰梦境，而是朦胧而缥缈的梦境，弥漫着东方神秘主义色彩和宗教精神。韦申云游过许多名山大川与宗教圣地，并拜谒过多位高僧，领教佛教真谛。在《长满时钟的土地》《没有终点的路》《走来走去》《掌心》《许愿树》这些佛教题材作品中，展现出他对宗教的笃信与人生的思考。

《乘仙鹤》是一幅带有中国本土道家精神的作品，画作试图用一种后现代主义的诠释，将观者带入到庄子逍遥游的境界。画面中笑对人生的人物，是韦申自身的写照，多次出现在韦申的“东方微笑”系列中。微笑系列是韦申创作的颇具反讽意味的后现代主义作品系列，其中包括《阿申护发素》《金光大道》《艺术家的诞生》《联想》《大麦当劳》《人山人海的微笑》等。在《阿申护发素》这幅作品中，他将达芬奇的蒙娜丽莎挪用到画面中，让永恒微笑的古典人物与现代人物共处一个画面，揭示了微笑背后隐藏的荒诞不经。在微笑系列之前，韦申还创作了以中国文化元素为主题的“东方天堂”系列作品。在这一系列的作品中，韦申尝试了具象与抽象的融合。石窟造像等具有东方神韵的形象作为画面主体表现为具象形式，而抽象的背景则衬托出主体的恢宏。

《天籁系列——蓝色情调》1998年 布面油彩  180×96cm

《椭圆系列之爆发时代》是韦申进行纯抽象水墨探索的一幅作品，作品曾在1998年在中国美术馆举办的“错觉——韦申艺术展”上展出，58幅抽象水墨作品展示了韦申运用中国传统水墨所进行的抽象形式探索。与西方抽象艺术家所用的油画媒材不同，水墨的覆盖性远不及油彩，韦申充分利用水墨通透的特性，通过泼洒、堆积、拓印等方法，让水与墨交互碰撞交融，形成浑然天成的效果。在水墨抽象探索之后，韦申又创作了“天籁系列”抽象油画作品，包括《天籁系列——蓝色情调》《天籁系列——秋的旋律》《天籁系列——霞光万道》。《天籁系列——蓝色情调》是韦申西藏高原之行后完成的作品，这幅蓝色调的抽象作品，反映了韦申在雪域高原上的心境。韦申运用类似于写意国画中泼彩技法，创作出形与色交融的抽象形式，蕴含着东方审美与意蕴。

圆明园画家村解散之后，韦申又迁移到北京周边的几个艺术区，最后迁移到宋庄。在动荡漂泊岁月中，韦申依然坚守他的艺术理想。2006年远赴美国游学，他的艺术又开启了新的篇章。韦申在美国展出的作品，引起了哈佛大学教授阿瑟·克莱曼的关注，克莱曼是一位在世界上名望极高的医学人类学学者。2010年哈佛大学举办了“医学人类学中国论坛”， 克莱曼邀请韦申参会，会上韦申作了“中国当代艺术的发展与国人心理”的主题演讲。韦申提出“艺术与精神健康”的观念，引起了克莱曼与与会者的关注。克莱曼教授评价道：“韦申的艺术作品所呈现的人的痛苦，人与社会的交互，人对社会的演变和回馈的反应，充分体现了中国当代艺术家对社会的热情。这种热情是难能可贵的。这本应是当代人类学家的重要态度，而身为艺术家的韦申，却用他的艺术为之进行了大胆和创新的研究和表达。”

艺术与健康的观念在西方已有近千年的历史。海德格尔将艺术视为超越日常世界的桥梁，它能够开启个体对存在意义的思考和体验。艺术作品通过其独特的表现形式和情感共鸣，打开了个体的视野，让个体能够超越现实生活的局限性，去思考和感知存在的广阔和深邃。强调心理“艺术愈疗”作用，正是艺术与健康观念初衷与主旨所在。

《游山玩水系列--乘仙鹤》 2018年 纸本水墨  三联画，每幅180×96cm

野兽主义画家马蒂斯曾说过：我所梦想的艺术充满着平衡、纯洁、静穆。没有令人不安、引人注目的题材。这样的艺术是一种精神慰藉，同时也是一种安乐椅式的艺术。但在当时媒体与大众并不接受马蒂斯的先锋艺术，“野兽主义”的命名便反映出保守的学院艺术对先锋艺术的打压与嘲讽。许多现代主义先锋艺术家都是滞后被大众所接受，其中包括凡高，他37岁便饮弹自杀，留下“痛苦是无尽”的遗言。许多现代艺术家的生活非常困苦，例如，巴黎画派艺术家莫迪里阿尼过着放荡不羁的贫困生活，只活了36岁。表现主义艺术对20世纪初直至今日的艺术产生了深远影响，但表现主义与当时的现代先锋艺术却被纳粹政府贬斥为“颓废艺术”，德国表现主义的核心人物，“桥社”创办者凯尔希纳于1938年自杀身亡。从艺术与艺术家的健康这个狭义层面上讲，现当代艺术的愈疗作用远不及古典艺术。

《众生相系列-苍穹》 2020年  纸本水墨  240×240cm

艺术与健康的主题会引发对以下两个问题的思考：第一个问题是，一些现当代艺术家由于健康的原因发生了艺术风格的转变，例如，马蒂斯晚年由于身体衰弱无法画画，但他却用剪纸创作出色彩鲜明、形式简洁的作品。印象派画家莫奈晚年由于眼疾，视物模糊，创作出几近抽象的作品。第二个问题是，一些现当代残疾艺术家创作出非凡的作品，例如，法国画家劳特累克与美国照相写实主义画家查克·克洛斯。这些残疾艺术家超越肉体的痛苦，创作出独具特色的画作，实现了精神的升华。

围绕着艺术与健康这一主题，韦申创作了许多具有精神愈疗作用的作品。艺术家将这些作品命名为“人山人海”系列，其中包括：《人山人海——山高人为峰》《人山人海系列--罗盘》《人山人海——回》《人山人海——仙游》《人山人海——风火轮》《人山人海——阳光》《人山人海——黑洞》等，这些作品展现了人类趋同心理和集体无意识状态。《人山人海——仙游》画面十分巨大，这种大画幅作品有一种将观者囊括在画面之中的吸引力。画面色彩简洁，由红黄蓝三原色及黑白两色构成。无数符号化的小人体排列整齐有序，从局部看画面是具象的，但从整体看画面却是抽象的。人山人海系列作品表现出一种重复性的形式特征，即“机械复制时代的艺术作品”的特征。在这种重复性的绘画过程中，艺术家会进入到一种潜意识主导的自动主义绘画状态。面对这种空灵、澄净、自由的精神状态下完成的艺术作品，观者也会沉浸其中，体验到超越日常生活羁绊的心灵升华。

正因如此，2023年11⽉18⽇--23日在北京东亿美术馆举办的“艺术与健康”韦申&伊灵当代艺术巡回展暨学术研讨会展现了韦申的巨大成就。展览呈现了他近年来创作的37幅绘画作品，艺术家伊灵创作的23幅绘画作品，把⼈带⼊了⼼灵的纯粹世界。超乎想象的创作主题，神秘变幻的⾊彩流淌，⽆意识的直觉触动和丰富的视觉体验，呈现出艺术家波澜壮阔的内⼼全景，让⼈从⾁眼观察进⼊到⼼灵思考，再到潜意识体悟，呈现艺术与精神⼼理健康的完美结合。展览由北京大学精神卫生研究所、中国残疾人康复协会、北京广西文化艺术促进会共同举办，吸引了300多位来自艺术界、政界、医学界的嘉宾和来自全国七大美院的20位批评家观展。展览由著名美术批评家杨卫策展、著名美术评论家彭锋、陈默任艺术主持。著名批评家、艺术理论家栗宪庭、中国美术批评家年会名誉主席贾方舟、四川美术学院教授王林、中央美术学院美术馆副馆长王春辰、中国艺术研究院外国美术研究室主任王端廷、中山大学传播与设计学院院长杨小彦、清华大学艺术博物馆教授徐虹、中央美术学院教授&《世界美术》执行主编鹿镭等⾼度评价了艺术家韦申的“潜意识”绘画和创作过程展现出⼈的内在觉知的形成和提升到通达智慧的过程，艺术家伊灵的“涂鸦”式抽象绘画对⼈感受⾊彩的搭配有独特影响，两位艺术家的作品为当今时代⼈类的⼼灵疗愈提供了重要的创新载体。

《人山人海系列——仙游》 2021年 纸本水墨  三联画，每幅390×120 cm

文献来自：鹿镭. 韦申当代艺术探索. 《世界美术》.DOI:10.13318/j.cnki.sjms.2023.04.014

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美国知名广播公司NEWS CHANNEL NEBRASKA

新闻报道“应无所住-韦申的艺术探索“

NEWSCHANNELNEBRASKA高度评价韦申艺术和“艺术与健康”大展

"Abiding Nowhere" is a quote from the "Diamond Sutra": "Abiding nowhere and awaken the true nature of mind." To abide nowhere can be seen as a portrayal of Wei Shen's wandering artistic journey. From seeking dreams in the Yuanmingyuan Artist Village to studying abroad, in over thirty years of artistic exploration, Wei Shen continuously broke through existing forms. His artistic style evolved from representational to abstract, presenting a diverse appearance.

Wei Shen at Yuanmingyuan Artist Village in Beijing, 1993

Wei Shen was born in Guangxi in 1966, and graduated from the Department of Fine Arts at Guilin Normal College. After graduation, he resigned from his teaching position and pursued his artistic dream in the Yuanmingyuan Artist Village in Beijing, breaking free from institutional constraints. Amidst the bohemian lifestyle of the Yuanmingyuan artistic community, Wei Shen lived with freedom and romantic passion. He boldly experimented with painting forms, creating works imbued with expressionism and surrealism. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Chinese art scene was deeply influenced by existentialist philosophy represented by Sartre, focusing on the individual's existential anxiety. Wei Shen’s works reflected these themes and manifested a resistance to human alienation in modern civilized society.

Wei Shen's childhood in the remote mountains of Guangxi left a deep imprint of the local scenery and folklore, often lingering in his dreams, and were reflected in his early works. Freud's "The Interpretation of Dreams" views dreams as the "fulfillment of wishes" and require deep understanding of the subconscious to interpret. Dreams are a person's dialogue with their inner self, with a paralleled life. Everything seen and felt in the secretive dream world—breath, tears, pain, and joy—is not without meaning. Song Dynasty poet Yan Shu once said, "How long does the dream last? Dispersing like autumn clouds, nowhere to be found." In the hands of the painter, however, dreams take on tangible forms. Wei Shen, with romantic sentiments, ethereal imagery, and free forms, created many dreamscapes. In his works "Heavenly Bird," "Lonely Journey," "Watching Clouds Rise," "Clouds in the City," and "Sign Language," one can feel the poetic essence of dreams and experience the artist's inner confusion and loneliness. The frustrations of life, its deep solitude, often invade Wei Shen's dreams. In such works, colors become dim or melancholic, compositions and images become absurd and abrupt. The emphasis is on the intuitive catharsis of the subconscious, like a wild horse galloping through a boundless field.

In Western modern art history, there are many masterpieces depicting dreamscapes. Surrealist artists were directly influenced by Freud's theories and explore the inner world of the mind. They believed that dreams construct a stage where people could transcend their environment and reconnect with the self-suppressed by society. Salvador Dalí, self-proclaimed as the "painter of painters," is hailed as a master of creating dreams. He inherited superb realistic techniques, creating surreal dreamscapes. Wei Shen's dreamscape, on the other hand, is rather elusive, permeated with eastern mysticism. Wei Shen traveled to many famous mountains and religious sites, paying homage to many eminent monks and studying Buddhism. In works such as "Land Covered with Clocks," "Endless Road," "Wandering," "Palm," and "Wishing Tree," he reveals his devout religious belief and contemplation of life.

"Riding the Crane" is a work imbued with the spirit of Daoism, attempting to bring viewers into the realm of Zhuangzi's carefree wandering. The smiling figure reflects Wei Shen himself in his "Eastern Smile" series. The Smile series is a satirical postmodernist series including "Ashen Hair Protecting Essence," "Golden Road," "Birth of an Artist," "Association," "McDonald's," and "Crowded Smiles." In the work "Ashen Hair Protecting Essence," Wei Shen incorporates Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, juxtaposing the smile of the classical figure with modern characters, revealing a kind of absurdity. Prior to the Smile series, Wei Shen also created the "Eastern Paradise" series, themed around Chinese cultural elements. In this series, Wei Shen attempted to blend realism and abstraction. Images with Oriental charm, such as cave statues, are presented in concrete forms, while the abstract background accentuates the images’ grandeur.

《Tian Lai Series--Blue Mood》, 1998, oil on canvas,180×96cm

"The Oval Series: Era of Eruption" is an exploration of abstract ink. 58 abstract ink works were exhibited at "Illusion - Wei Shen Art Exhibition" held at the National Art Museum of China in 1998. Unlike Western abstract artists who use oil painting, Wei Shen fully utilized the trasparency of ink, allowing water and ink to collide and blend through methods such as splashing, stacking, and rubbing, creating natural effects. After exploring abstract ink, Wei Shen created the "Tianlai Series" of abstract oil paintings, including "Tianlai Series - Blue Mood," "Tianlai Series - Autumn Melody," and "Tianlai Series - Radiant Light." "Tianlai Series - Blue Mood" was completed by Wei Shen after his trip to Tibetan. This abstract work in blue tones reflects Wei Shen's state of mind on the snowy plateau. He used a technique like splashing ink in traditional Chinese painting to create abstract eastern aesthetics.

After the dissolution of the Yuanmingyuan Artist Village, Wei Shen moved to several art districts around Beijing and finally settled in Songzhuang. Amidst tumultuous and wandering years, Wei Shen remained steadfast in his artistic ideals. In 2006, he traveled to the United States for further studies, opening a new chapter in his art. The works exhibited by Wei Shen in the United States attracted the attention of Arthur Kleinman, a Harvard professor and a worldly renowned medical anthropologist. In 2010, Kleinman invited Wei Shen to Harvard University’s "Medical Anthropology China Forum". Wei Shen delivered a speech on "The Devepopment of Contemporary Art in China and the Psychology of Chinese Public", where he proposed the concept of "Art and Mental Health". Professor Kleinman remarked, "The suffering of humanity, the interaction between the individual and the collective, and people's reactions to the evolution of society presented in Wei Shen's works embody the enthusiasm of contemporary Chinese artists for society. Such enthusiasm is precious. This should be an important attitude for contemporary anthropologists, and Wei Shen, as an artist, has boldly and innovatively expressed it through his art."

The concept of art and health has nearly a thousand years of history in the West. Heidegger regarded art as a bridge beyond the everyday world, allowing individuals to transcend the limitations of daily life and contemplate the vastness and depth of existence. The therapeutic role of art is the original intention and purpose of the concept of art and health.

《Touring Mountains and Playing Water Series-Ascension on the Crane》, 2018, ink on paper, triptych，each 180×96cm

Painter Matisse once said, "The art I dream of is filled with balance, purity, and tranquility. There are no disturbing or attention-grabbing subjects. Such art is a spiritual comfort, like an armchair for the mind." However, Matisse's avant-garde art was not accepted by the public at the time. The term "Fauvism" reflects the ridicule by conservative academic art. Many modernist avant-garde artists were only accepted by the public later, including Van Gogh, who committed suicide at the age of 37, leaving behind the words "the sadness will last forever." The Paris School painter Modigliani lived a dissolute and impoverished life, only living to 36 years old. Expressionist art has had a profound impact on art from the early 20th century to the present day, but Expressionism and contemporary avant-garde art were denounced by the Nazi government as "decadent art." Kirchner, a core figure of German Expressionism and founder of the "Bridge Society," committed suicide in 1938. From a certain perspective, the therapeutic effect of contemporary art is far less than that of classical art.

《All Living Beings Series-Firmament》, 2020, ink on paper, 240×240cm

The theme of art and health leads to two phenomena to ponder: First, some contemporary artists undergo changes in artistic style due to health reasons. For example, in his later years, Matisse was unable to paint due to physical weakness, but created vivid works with cutouts. Impressionist painter Monet, in his later years due to blurred vision, created abstract works. The second phenomenon is that some disabled artists, such as French painter Lautrec and American photorealistic painter Chuck Close, have transcended their physical pain and created extraordinary works.

Around the theme of art and health, Wei Shen created works for psychological healing, named the "Crowded" series, including "Crowded - Mountain High, Man-made Peak," "Crowded - Compass," "Crowded - Return," "Crowded - Fairy Journey," "Crowded - Wheel of Wind and Fire," "Crowded - Sunshine," "Crowded - Black Hole," etc. These works depicted the public’s tendency toward uniformity and a state of collective numbness. "Crowded - Fairy Journey" has an extremely large canvas, exerting a magnetic attraction that encompasses the viewer. The colors are simple, composed of the primary colors of red, yellow, blue, and black and white. Countless symbolic small figures are arranged neatly. From a local perspective, the picture is concrete, but from an overall perspective, it is abstract. The Crowded series exhibits a repetitive feature, characteristic of "artworks of the mechanical replication era." In the painting process, the artist enters a state of flow. Faced with artworks completed in such a state—ethereal, pure, and free—viewers are also immersed, transcending beyond the constraints of daily life.

Significantly, those of his works were successfully showcased to the public On November 18, 2023, at the "Art and Health" Wei Shen & Yi Ling Contemporary Art Tour Exhibition and Academic Seminar commenced at Beijing Dongyi Art Museum. Featuring 37 paintings by Wei Shen and 23 by Yi Ling, the event delved into the artists' inner worlds, and showcased the unimaginable creative themes, mysterious color transitions, unconscious intuitive touches, and rich visual experiences, guiding people from visual observation to soulful contemplation and subconscious realization, demonstrating the perfect integration of art and mental health. Supported and organized by Peking University Institute of Mental Health and China Rehabilitation Association of Disabled People, promoting the integration of art and mental well-being, it captivated over 300 guests from diverse fields including art, politics, and mental health, garnering their attention and interest, such as Li Xianting-renowned critic and art theorist, Jia Fangzhou-Honorary Chairman of the Chinese Art Critics Annual Conference and Member of the Curatorial Committee of Tsinghua University Art Museum, Wang Lin-Professor at Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Wang Chunchen-Deputy Director of the Art Museum of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and so on. They lauded Wei Shen's "subconscious" art works, heralding the journey of inner awakening and wisdom. Yi Ling's "graffiti style" abstract paintings uniquely influence color perception. Together, their works serve as vital conduits for spiritual healing in contemporary society.

《Crowded Series-Immortal Travel》, 2021, ink on paper, triptych, each 390×120 cm

References

Lu Lei.The ArtisticExplorationof Wei Shen.Wodd Art.DO:10.13318j.cnki.sms.2023.04014

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