看艾敬回顾展，感觉爱的气息扑面而来。她大刀阔斧、以复杂但直接的方式把爱传递给她的粉丝、家人乃至这个我们分享的世界。在这些作品中，她探究自然的力量、游戏的重要性，以及人与人之间亲密关系的作用。她面带诱人的微笑进入她的创作和她的世界，充满热情，心胸无比广阔。

　　此次展览包括艾敬这一、二十年来的作品，涉及绘画、雕塑、影像、装置等领域，甚至包括声音作品。尽管这些作品在时间上跨度很大，但艺术家爱的主题贯穿其中。我认识艾敬有八年了。她对艺术的热情与日俱增，早期的绘画带民间风格，近期的作品更是在中国当代艺术中占有重要的一席。她从民歌歌手发展成一位成熟的当代艺术家，跨越音乐和视觉艺术两界。当年她全身心投入音乐事业，现在她以同样的热情投入视觉艺术创作，让我们感受到她对过去的追忆、她的喜悦、任性和迷失。

　　爱是大家都感兴趣的话题，谈论它能从很多角度入手，我们可以谈强烈情感带来的振奋，也可以谈失去爱情后挥之不去的忧伤。我们都经历过爱的高潮和低谷，这是造就了我们自身的生活现实。艾敬触动的是人性中枢，她的作品也因此冲破了不同文化之间的界限，与观众产生共鸣。我们融入她的作品，观察她爱的历程，同时联想到我们自己，因此而感动。

　　当我们走过她的作品——一幅幅充满爱字的画布、飞翔的猪或起伏的浪花——一种温暖的感觉油然而生，艺术家柔和的色调和活泼的主题元素令人欣慰。在展览的另一部分，有一个巨大的冲撞浪花的雕塑，有一棵生命之树，还有其他反映艺术家热爱自然主题的作品。在另外一间展室，有许多巨大的黑白两色的围棋子，让人感觉好像置身于棋局中。还有一些老门，犹如通向心灵的门扇。在另一处是许多挂在墙上的磁带，那是她的一个关于纽约的声音装置作品，因为她在纽约住过很多年，喜欢那个城市。所有这些作品似乎都跟我们有千丝万缕的联系，触动我们的同情心，使我们在离开展览的时候欣慰地意识到尽管爱的形式不同，它总是属于我们，也值得我们为之奋斗。

　　这就是艾敬艺术创作的动力。尽管大家的国籍、种族、性别和婚姻状况互不相同，艾敬力求创作能打动所有人的作品。她把爱这个主题呈现给我们，让我们不得不去认识它并选择各自的立场。大家的反应自然有差别，也许非常兴奋，也许暗自忧伤。艾敬把爱的方方面面传述给我们，知道我们会与她共享她自己起伏的爱的经历。她陪同我们坐了一次“爱情隧道”过山车，在这里我们可以在黑暗中无拘无束地跟自己所爱的人偎依在一起。

　　我们最终都渴望用爱来充实自己、引导自己、把自己带向未来。我们中间的许多人也靠艺术来达到相同的目的：汲取养分、思考并接受生命的意义、继续生活。艾敬的创作将爱变成了艺术，也将艺术变成了爱，把二者巧妙地结合在一起。我们不妨说她在“做爱”。当然这不是传统字面上的解释，对她来说做爱就是做艺术，简单而单纯。跟所爱的人在一起，这个概念中有创造力发挥的空间，也充满乐趣，就像被自己所钟爱的画面包围。艾敬以这种方式成功地表达了一种全新的理解艺术、理解爱和理解这个世界的方法。这是美好的世界，艾敬也是位了不起的艺术家。

　　Eric C. Shiner是美国宾州匹兹堡市安迪沃霍尔博物馆的馆长。他热爱亚洲当代艺术，也是这方面的专家。他是2013年秋将在北京举行的安迪沃霍尔回顾展“十五分钟的永远”的负责人。
 

　　To say that this exhibition is filled to the brim with love would be a vast understatement. Artist Ai Jing, in this major retrospective of her art work, delivers love in myriad ways, always putting it front and center in each piece that she creates in a mighty gesture towards her fans, her family and ultimately our shared world. Whether she ponders the forces of nature, the import of play, or the power of relationships dear to one's soul, Ai Jing always approaches her work--and her world--with open arms, an addictive smile and a heart that rivals the vastness of her home nation, China.

　　In this solo show, Ai Jing presents prime examples of her paintings, sculptures, video works, installations and even sound pieces made over the past two decades, from very early paintings to new installations, which once combined continue to harness Ai Jing's love into a fully unified exhibition. As a friend of the artist for the past eight years, I have watched her passion for the art world grow in leaps and bounds, as I have seen her work grow from early folk art-style paintings through to recent works which rival the best that China has to offer today. Of course, we must remember that Ai Jing began her career as a folk pop singer, and she has since grown into a fully matured contemporary artist, in essence straddling the worlds of music and art. Just as she poured her heart into her music career, so too does she give her utmost in the production of her art work, steeped as it is in issues of memory, happiness, game play, and, yes, even loss.

　　For, when one addresses the universally shared topic of love, one must do so across all spectrums, from the exhilaratingly exploding love of an intense relationship through to the lowest rungs of sadness brought about by its demise. Of course, we have all experienced the highs and lows of love, and we can safely say that it is one of the constants in life that defines each and very one of us. Ai Jing plugs into this core nerve of humanity, allowing her work to transcend cultures and be relevant and approachable to visitors to her exhibitions. As such, we as viewers can empathize quickly with her work, and as we travel through the exhibition, we ride Ai Jing's roller coaster of love along with her, projecting our own memories, experiences and histories onto the work, making it personal, making it pure.

　　As visitors pass by Ai Jing's canvases awash with the word LOVE from top to bottom, left to right, and as they traipse past flying pigs and rippling waves, a warm feeling no doubt washes over them, urging them to smile in the basking glow of the artist's warm color palette and whimsical subject matter. As they enter other parts of the exhibition, they will encounter a large crashing wave sculpture, a large tree of life and other works that nod to Ai Jing's love of nature, and certainly her respect for it. Later, they will enter a gallery with dozens of large Go chess game pieces in black and white which might take them think they have stumbled into the midst of a game in mid-play. In addition to these works, visitors will also encounter numerous historic doors, no doubt best views as portals to the soul. They will even encounter cassette tapes hung on the wall, in a sound installation that focuses on New York City, a place dear to Ai Jing, and her home for many years. In all of the works included in the show, visitors will be able to relate to and commiserate with Ai Jing, and hopefully will walk away with a smile on their face and a knowledge in their soul that love, in all of its forms, is something that we can all hold and strive for in our lives.

　　And that is the very thing that propels Ai Jing in her art-making. She always endeavors to create works that plug into our shared psyche, regardless of our citizenship, race, sex or marital status. She throws out the topic of love to us, forcing us to relate to it and to determine our stance towards it. Of course, depending on our own relationship status that day, each of us will respond differently, ranging from full-tilt excitement through to a certain bit of sadness. Ai Jing delivers all aspects of love to us, knowing full well that each of us has shared her own ups and downs with love. As such, she escorts us on a carnival ride called The Tunnel of Love, a place where we can be ourselves in the darkness cuddling with the one we love.

　　Ultimately, each of us longs for love to fulfill us, guide us and propel us forward into the future. Many of us also rely on the power of art to do these very same things: to nourish us, to make us ponder life, come to terms with it, and move forward. Ai Jing seamlessly. Combines the two, giving us a body of work that makes love into art, and in turn, art into love. In essence, she is "making love" outright, yet not in the direct carnal way that the term connotes. For her, making love is making art, pure and simple. And certainly, the idea of being with the one we love can be just as creative and fun-filled as being surrounded with the images that we desire and covet. By combining the two, Ai Jing successfully delivers up a new way of understanding art, love and the world around us. It is a most wonderful place, just as she is a most wonderful artist.

　　Eric C. Shiner is the Director of The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He specializes in Asian contemporary art, something that he loves deeply. He is the curator of "15 Minutes Eternal," a large retrospective of the work of Andy Warhol that will open in Beijing in the fall of 2013.

作者：C.,Eric,Shiner