The meaning of "truth"

--Read XiaohuaCai's "truth" collection

　　蔡小华将他的这集漫写式的、近于热抽象的、不乏后现代意味的油画“脸谱”之作，整体命名为“原质”，显然别有深意。

　　Gave the name "truth" to his new art collection, a series of facial paintings with diffuse, abstract and post-modern styles; Obviously, it have some implied meanings.

　　原质：又通元素，一般指事物的基本要素。

　　原：最初的，本来的，如原型、原样、原本、原始等；

　　质：本体，本性，实质，质状。也通质疑、对质，如“援疑质理”等。

　　Truth (we called 'yuanzhi' in China): also known as elements, generally refers to the basic elements of things.

　　yuan: the first, the original, such as the prototype, original shape, the same, the origin ,etc;

　　zhi: body, nature, substance, quality-like. Also can be interpreted to questioning, confrontation, such as "raise problems, ask the reason".

　　以《原质》命名下的这批表面样式统一、又各具诡异细节的系列作品，仅从其题材意义而言，确然为现代人之“社会面具”与“心理面相”的原型写照，建立了一份手眼独到而寓意深刻的“档案”文本。

　　The series of works with the name of "truth" show the unity of style and outlook, meanwhile they have different and strange details. We can feel the "social mask" and 'psychological face' in each work, just like Cai created "file" with unique and profound meaning to us.

　　即，经由“脸谱化”与“原质化”（原子化）漫写，揭示现代人性中越来越恶化的残缺与病变。

　　That is, through the diffuse description from "facial transformation " and "primitivation" (atomization), it reveals deterioration of the mutilation and pathological changes in modern human nature.

　　真正到位的“阅览”者，会在这一“立此存照”的“档案”中，检测到堪可对应的“血型”、“血压”、“心理”、“心象”、“本能”、“本空”……以及由此而生的“病灶”、“病象”、“病理分析”等等，而惊悸，而猛醒，而穿越记忆的迷墙，重新认领存在的虚无与生命的真义。

　　He who can really understand this file, could detect the "blood type", "blood pressure", "psychology", "heart like", "instinct" and "totally empty"…he even can see "nidus", "symptom", "pathological analysis", etc. Thus, he will feel fright, and suddenly wake up, then walk through the wall full of memory, and re-claim the existing nothing and true meaning of life.

　　借用苏珊·桑塔格的说法：典型的现代启示——一种负面的顿悟。

　　Just as Susan Sontag' illustrated before: the typical modern revelation is a negative epiphany.

　　在这些看似漫不经心、随手拈来、惚兮恍兮、冷嘲热讽、嬉笑怒骂皆成文（纹）的审丑与审智之作的内在深处，真正到位的“研读”者，更能体味到一颗代整个时代质疑存在之荒诞、呕吐异化之不堪的大悲大悯之心。

　　All these paintings look so casual, random, absent-minded，fleer and sneering; thus we can call these as work('wen' in Chinese) or texture('wen' in Chinese). If we deeply study these works, are them ugly or intelligent?  we can feel the spirit with query， absurd and alienation inside our deep heart, because these works explain "da bei da min" to us. ('dabei da min' is  a saying in Buddhism, means give all the happiness to man with a love heart ,remove all suffering and heal them with mercy--)

　　以“原质”的反讽，提示“原质”的残缺；

　　以“原质”的解构，提示“原质”的再造。

　　With the  irony of "truth",  these works indicate imperfect of "truth"；

　　With the deconstruction of "truth", these works indicating that the "truth" is in rebuilt.

　　有意味的是，这样的“档案”文本，却出自一位以纯艺术为生命归属、为潜行修远之生活方式，且多年沉浸于冷抽象语境的艺术家手中，让我们重新认识到蔡小华艺术精神的沉潜与超迈——“悬崖边的禅坐”之外，不失现实关切与人文情怀。

　　It is interesting that these kinds of file texture works are from a artist who chase pure art as the life belonging, and who immersed in cold abstract context for many years. All this let us re-recognize XiaohuaCai's artistic spirit, it is full of ups and downs.  --Like more over " meditation besides the edge of the cliff ", yet he shown practical concerns with human feelings.

　　这不仅出于艺术的良知，还需要有超人的意志与独到的视野。

　　This not only requires artistic conscience but also need to have superman's will and unique vision.

　　《原质》所抵达的，不是一般浅近的、聚焦式的记录，而是一种深切的、挖掘式的表现；有如“庖丁解牛”，一方面是精神的剔肉见骨，一方面是艺术的游刃有余。

　　What "truth" created is not a normal, plain and collective record, it conveyed a kind of profound and mining-style expression; like a chinese idiom "páodīngjiěniú", （"páodīngjiěniú" comes from 《zhuangzi》; Literally , it means dismember an ox as skillfully as a butcher [cook]; now we use this to describe a man with skilled and magical craftsmanship）This work demonstrates the most essential spirit , on the one hand, it also shows the most skilled of the art techniques .

　　比起许多盛名之下其实难符的当代艺术作品，这一文本的切实处在于：

　　Compared with many works inferior to it's great reputation，these texture works seem practical from aspects below:

　　其一，它是“观念”的，但不是观念的他者投影，而是观念的个在体验；且非观念的异地贩运，而系观念的本土再生；

　　First, it is a " concept", but not the concept of ones reflection, it is the concept of experience; it is not the simple concept between different areas, while the concept here are regeneration of local culture.

　　其二，它是“符号”意味的，但不是陷入符号化的阐释与复制，而是语感化的写意与抒发；

　　Secondly, it is a "symbol " , but not fall into the symbolic interpretation and replication , it is more like the combination between language and freehand brushwork in traditional Chinese painting；

　　其三，它是“形式感”的，但不是唯“形而上”为是的空心喧哗，而是一种始于语感而又止于语感，有润活而生动的肌理与韵律可品味的形式。

　　Thirdly, it is a "form ", but not the chaos to " metaphysical", it began with sense of language and also end in the language sense, the form here have vivid texture and rhythm.

　　或许惯于以汉语视角观照艺术的欣赏者，还会在《原质》的笔触与色彩的运动与挥洒中，隐隐读出一些中国水墨的感觉来，那就更对位了。

　　If you like to appreciate art through chinese linguistic view, that would be great; because you will read out some feelling of traditional Chinese painting created by brush strokes and use of colors in these works.

　　一者家学沾灌，二者天性使然，蔡小华的艺术精神之底背里，本来就既具西方的“原质”，也具东方的"原质"，两源潜沉，化合为一，落于文本，自然融会中西，风格别具。

　　You may say his painting full of skills, you may say it because he have that talent; the "truth" inside Cai, have characteristics both from chinese and western culture, he combining the two different style, then put it on paper, of course, this blending Chinese-western culture display it's own unique style.

　　当代艺术“显学”有年，多以观念管理视觉，热闹而空泛着。

　　For a long period, contemporary art only reflect skill and knowledge, the vision of most works restricted and managed by concept, lively rather vague.

　　观念与视觉共谋，视觉与观念偕行；既超越视觉，又超越观念，于锐利、深刻、震撼之外，再保留一点“审美”的“旧习”，及弥散性的文本外张力——蔡小华的这集《原质》，似乎多多少少给出了一些可资参考的新“元素”。

　　What we need to do is collaborate concept with vision, let concept accompany vision; thus let it above vision, but also go beyond the concept; sharp, deep, shocking, then leave a little " aesthetic " old habits ", and disseminate the text with tension--"truth" collection of Cai, seems more or less given references to us about the new "element".

2012-8-16于西安印若居

16thAugust, 2012

In Xi'an Yin Ruo Residence

　　【沈奇，诗人，文艺评论家，西安财经学院文艺系教授，中国作家协会会员，陕西美术博物馆学术委员。著有《沈奇诗选》、《沈奇诗学论集》（三卷）及文艺评论集《文本与肉身》12种，编选8种，部分学术论文及作品被翻译为英、美、德、瑞典、丹麦、捷克、日本及拉脱维亚等文字。】

　　【Qi Shen , poet , literary critic , professor of literary  Department in Xi'an University of Finance and Economics， member of the Chinese Writers Association , committee member of  Shaanxi Province Art Museum . He published " Shen Qi Selected Poems " , " Shen Qi poetics analysis " ( three volumes ) and literary reviews set " text and the human body " 12 kinds , compile eight kinds , part of his academic papers and works are translated into British English , American English , Swedish , Danish, Czech, Japanese , Latvian. Etc.】

作者：沈奇