《身土不二·十方仪式》艺术家宋陈

土壤行为艺术&土壤综合材料艺术作品

300 cm x 300 cm

 “身体是心的庙宇，土是万物生命的庙宇，抓一把土撒向十方世界，祭奠生命的回归，身土不二·十方回归仪式；

“地势坤，君子以厚德载物。”《周易·象传》天地有阴阳，可造化万物，而究其根源，则为无极。自我们出生，天地万物早已分化成形，问当下我们是否早已忘记自己从无极中来？

土壤在宋陈的世界里，可以像画笔一样作为一种表达与沟通的途径，同时她认为身体就像土壤那蕴含着一切，拥有生长出一切的可能，所以宋陈的创作中身体与本源之土相协调，她以土壤行为艺术和自身的身心灵合一来呈示万物归其一，而至于无极的精神之象。

Soil and Body as One:

Ritual of Ten Directions - SongChen

Soil-based Performance Art & Soil-based Mixed Media Artwork

300 cm x 300 cm

Piece Description:

Xiang zhuan says, “Heaven, in its motion, (gives the idea of) strength. The superior man, in accordance with this, nerves himself to ceaseless activity. The (capacity and sustaining) power of the earth is what is denoted by Kun. The superior man, in accordance with this, with his large virtue, supports (men and) things.” There is yin and yang in heaven and earth, which can create everything, and at its root, it is Wuji (the infinite). Since we were born, all things in heaven and earth have long been divided into different forms. Have we long forgotten that we came from the Wuji? In Song Chen's world, soil can be medium of expression and communication, serving as a kind of paint. She also believes that the body, like soil, contains everything and has the possibility to give birth to all things. Therefore, in Song Chen's art practice, the body is harmonized with the origin of soil. She demonstrates the unity of body and mind using soil performance art to present the spiritual image of everything fusing as one, hearkening unto the Wuji.

“无极生太极，太极生两仪、两仪生三才，三才生四象、四象生五行，五行生六合，六合生七星，七星生八卦，八卦生九宫，一切归十方。”“十”代表着一个极限，指向无边无量的世界，然而万物归一，这是一个辩证统一的思想。所谓“天人合一”，大概也可以理解为人的身体与其内在精神、外部世界在能量流动与转化上畅通无阻，一旦能量流动受阻，则阴阳不调，那么就会生出一种回归平衡的渴望，渴望则多生事端。老子所说的“复归于无极”“复归于婴”“复归于朴”的意义便在于此，这也是艺术家宋陈所说的大地疗愈“身土不二”“尘归尘，土归土”的意义所在。

宋陈在《身土不二·十方仪式》土壤创作中尝试以仪式的方式把土壤与大地释放回它们本身空性的状态，好让它们的“无我”持续启发人类世界。是“空性”使得土壤永存，而人类文明却是过客，这一启发也促使我们总结反思在自然生态方面所遇到的问题，也是艺术家认为土壤中埋藏的世界答案；尘归尘，土归土——身土不二。当代女娲的记忆，期望以十方仪式开启万物生命对于空性能量的觉醒。

In (the system of) the Yi, the Wuji produced the Taiji (Grand Terminus); The Taiji produced Liangyi (the two elementary forms); The Liangyi produced the Sancai (the three powers: the way of heaven, the way of man, and the way of earth); The Sancai produced the Sixiang (the four emblematic Symbols); The Sixiang produced the Wuxing (the five phases); The Wuxing produced the Liuhe (the six directions: east, west, north, south, heaven (up) and earth (down)); The Liuhe produced the Qingxing (the seven stars); The Qingxing produced the Bagua (the eight trigrams); The Bagua produced the Jiugong (the nine models); Everything belongs to the Shifang (the ten directions: north, south, east, west, northeast, southeast, southwest, northwest, above and below). “Ten” represents a limit, pointing to an infinite world. However, everything is one, which is a dialectical and unifying idea. The so-called “Heaven and Man Are United as One” can also be understood as the unimpeded flow of energy and transformation between the human body and its inner spirit. In the external world, once the flow of energy is blocked, then yin and yang are not in harmony. Then there will be a desire to return to a balanced state, and that desire will lead to more trouble. This is the significance of Lao Zi’s statement of “returning to the infinite,” “returning to the infant,” and “returning to simplicity,” which is what the artist Song Chen calls the healing of the earth – “Soil and Body as One,” “dust returns to dust, and the earth returns to earth.” Dust returns to dust, and the earth returns to earth-- Soil and Body as One.

In the creation of Soil and Body as One: Ritual of Ten Directions, Song Chen tries to release the soil and the earth back to their own state of emptiness, so that their “non-self” can continue to inspire the human world. The “emptiness” of the soil makes the soil last forever, unlike human civilization, which is merely “passing through. “This inspiration also prompts us to take stock of and reflect on problems encountered in natural ecology. This is also the answer to a world that the artist believes is buried in the soil.

Art Criticism - Zhong Ting

《身土不二·土衣》艺术家宋陈

土壤行为艺术&土壤综合材料艺术作品

180 cm × 60 cm

“故道大，天大，地大，人亦大。域中有四大，而人居其一焉。人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然。”

—引自《道德经》第二十五章

天地之间，人乃万物之灵，身体是心灵的庙宇，她抓一把土洒向承载生命的庙宇——土地；泥土之衣裳，土衣是艺术家宋陈施行行为艺术现场，身体与生命的温度在当下所留下的痕迹；身披大地，虽然艺术家已经离开了现场，但其泥衣和创作土之痕迹却成为代表其人类之灵存在的怔示，作为一个沟通不同时空与维度的对自然之信物，提醒着人们走出自我关注土地与“人”的一体性存在。

艺术评论—钟婷

Soil and Body as One: Soil-themed Robe - SongChen

Soil-based Performance Art & Soil-themed multi-media

180 cm x 60 cm

2024

Piece Description:

Therefore, Tao is great;

 Heaven is great;

 Earth is great;

 Human beings are also great.

 In the universe, the four are great,

 And humans constitute one of the four.

Human beings emulate the earth;

 The earth emulates Heaven;

 Heaven emulates Tao;

 And Tao emulates what is as is.

-- Dao De Jing, Chapter 25

Between heaven and earth, human beings are the spirit of everything, and the body is the temple of the soul. The artist grabs a handful of earth and sprinkles it on the earth, which is the temple that carries life; the earthen clothes are traces left by the temperature of the body and life of the artist Song Chen throughout the scene of her performance art. She is clad in earth. Even though she has already left the scene, these traces of the earth on her clothes and artworks are left as proof of the existence of her human spirit. As a token of nature that communicates between different times and dimensions, these relics remind people to step out of themselves and pay attention to the oneness of the land together with human beings.

Art Criticism - Zhong Ting

《身土不二·土壤现场影像》艺术家宋陈

现场影像

时间长度：25分钟

2024

“土”居中央，在家庭关系中代祖父母所处的位置，祖母安，则家庭和谐。土于自然代表长夏、中央、黄、湿、化、甘、宫，于人体则为脾、胃、口、肉、思、歌、哕。宋陈土壤现场以五色土堆为布道之场，以身行的启示身居其土中央，形成一个土壤对身体与灵性疗愈的土能量场域。艺术家以《身土不二》作品表述道家学说中，天地万物同根同源，人立于天地之间，与万物交相感应，共同形成一个有机的整体系统。其实自然环境、社会关系、文化三者的任一变化，均能引起人的身体、精神及情绪的改变。宋陈从土壤的途径来入艺术之药，疗愈身体也通过土壤现场来连接他人的精神世界以实现疗愈和释放他人的心灵。

《身土不二·土壤行为纪实片》通过土壤行为艺术，或是一个土壤疗愈沉浸式艺术场域体验的承载，让更多的人链接到宋陈对当代土壤文化的持续性联接。其实回归土地、回归土壤本身也是回到自己，回到双脚所立足之地的回根固本的一个过程。艺术家通过土壤艺术的媒介告诉大家，回到双足所站立的方寸之地，回到固本的这个生命层面上来，我们再来重新整理生命的外檐、梳理生命的外立面。这个时候，我们的生活身体和心灵就会有更大的平静与平衡感——身土不二

艺术评论—钟婷

Soil and Body as One:- SongChen

Documentary Film of Soil-based Performance Artwork

Performance Video

Time Duration: 25 Min

2024

Piece Description:

“Earth” is at the center of the family and represents the position of grandparents in family relationships. When the grandmother is at peace, the family is in harmony. In nature, earth represents Zhangxia (The period from the beginning of autumn to the autumn equinox), center, yellow, wetness, transformation, sweetness and Gong (fate). In the human body, earth represents the spleen, stomach, mouth, flesh, thoughts, singing and yuě (emesis). Song Chen’s soil-based site utilizes a mound of five-colored earth as a sermon field. The revelation of the body’s action of residing in the center of earth creates an earth energy field of physical and spiritual healing which is soil-based. With this work, the artist expresses the Taoist concept that everything in heaven and earth has the same root and origin, and those human beings, who stand between heaven and earth, are inducted into everything, forming an organic and whole system. In fact, any changes in the natural environment, social relations, or culture can cause changes in the human body, mind and emotions. Song Chen introduces the medicine of art through soil-based actions, healing the body and connecting with the spiritual world of others through the soil in hopes to realize the healing and releasing of people’s hearts.

 

Through soil performance art, as a soil-based immersive healing experience, Soil and Body as One: Documentary Film of Soil-based Performance Artwork allows more people to link to Song Chen’s continuous connection to contemporary soil culture. In fact, returning to the earth and returning to the soil itself is also a process of returning to oneself, of returning to the place where one’s feet are grounded, and returning to one’s roots to consolidate one’s roots. Through the medium of soil art, the artist tells us to go back to the place where our feet are standing, to the level of life that is solid and fundamental. Only then we can reorganize the outer levels of our life. At this time, we will have a greater sense of peace and balance in our life body and mind – Soil and Body as One.

Art Criticism -- Zhong Ting

Curatorial Preface to BIOS: Eco-Art & Its Embodiment

生态艺术及其体现

Dr. Sophia Kidd

康书雅博士

—— 岸上艺术中心