我和高孝午结识应该在2004年，我到上海外滩18号创意空间当义工之前，在东京画廊第一次看到他的作品，很喜欢，特地介绍他认识了重塑外滩18号的美丽女主人张瑷玲，她很开心地将高孝午的《标准时代》三个鞠躬人放在二楼俯看大厅的位置，从此开始了我和高孝午一连串展览的合作关系。2007年我离开上海北漂到北京月亮河，高孝午是少数跟我一起进驻月亮河艺术园区的艺术家之一，在那里看着他喜出望外去结婚.然后欢天喜地当了爸爸，在我心里，他们夫妻俩就像我自己的孩子一样。

　　最近，我在新浪网的微博才表达我的心声，从4岁开始我浸泡在艺术大半辈子，从来不曾把艺术当作是一种工作或职业，艺术是我的热爱，在大陆当义工的七年，我有幸结识了不少有才华的年轻艺术家，以前，我并没有深思过，现在离开了策展的领域，才发现原来我自己就像母亲一般，关心着那群孩子们的生活，他们的发展和前途，真是一种不可思议的情感和关系。高孝午是那群孩子们中比较周到.细心和成熟的一位，对经营自己的事业，有稳健的规划和执行力。

　　1976年生于福建的高孝午，1999年毕业于福建厦门工艺美术学院雕塑系，那一年他以《草原雄鹰》入选第九届的全国美展。2004年顺利结业于中央美术学院雕塑系，创作了《紫禁城》、《我喜欢的状态》、《不是和尚》、《慧根》、《标准时代》各系列的作品。

　　那年《标准时代》雕塑行动在北京建外SOHO举行个展后，2005年我邀请了高孝午的《标准时代》的部分作品参加我策划的中国首届国际动漫节原创作品特展。《标准时代》是高孝午的成名作，他这一系列幽默、有趣、平易近人的作品，是为了要表现遍布全球，国际标准化的服务意识，中国正迅速加入了这个行列，那些深深哈腰的男女，表现出市井小民卑微与无奈，在标准化要求的秩序中，包含了多少辛酸与顺服，笑里含悲的姿态，看到的人都会心一笑，真正能做到雅俗共赏，十分打动人心，一年内陆陆续续参加了许多联展，甚至连完全抄袭的仿冒品都冒出来了。

　　2006年的《城市梦想》，高孝午作一些改变，有一个男版跟一个女版的天使，满脸喜气配上圆滚滚的身体，明明应该是很沉重的巨大球体，却长了一对小小的翅膀，还能够像气球般可以飘向天空。《城市梦想》突显了梦想和现实之间的不相容，但已经少了一些社会批判的动机，反而多了一些童话的趣味，非常符合我在上海当代艺术馆策划的《虚拟的爱》的内容，借展之后，《城市梦想》又随着《虚拟的爱》巡回到新加坡和法国的两个城市，成为动漫美学最适切的标记。

　　早先《标准时代》基本上仍在写实的范畴内，到了《后标准时代》、《我们这一代》、《都睡了》的这些人物已经十分卡通化了，变形得比较厉害，夸张的造型，显得更有喜感，这一点应该跟他的心境有关。我所提倡的动漫美学(Animamix)，几乎可以他的作品为范例。

　　70后的高孝午，在创作态度上，其实更接近于80后，他对于政治或社会问题，一向都采取一种间接关照的态度，不至于血淋淋地直指核心，这种迂回的温和立场，更容易为大众所接受，并且受到广泛的喜爱。他的大型雕塑已经树立在许多城市，台北一家著名的设计酒店，门口就有高孝午不锈钢的《我们这一代》系列的作品。2009年的《直立行走纪念碑》更加隐晦地以动物的造型来转喻人类社会的现象。他应邀参加第二届动漫美学双年展的作品，3米高的雕塑装置，在尺度上有了更大的挑战。

　　从出道以来，在雕塑的领域里，高孝午是他那一辈艺术家里面比较成功的例子，但他不满足于市场方面的收获而已，在学术上，他更希望能树立自己的风格面貌，需求不同的题材表现，来传递他所处的时代所显现的各种信息。今年10月北京798林大艺术中心邀请著名策展人黄笃策划，展出高孝午从2008年以来所作的雕塑系列。

　　继2010年的《梦想归来》系列之后，最新的《软暴力》系列高孝午採用组合型的形式，比以往的单体更趋复杂，内容上重返他在《标准时代》建立的市民美学路线。经历了索家庄拆迁事件，身为受害者之一的高孝午，他的《软暴力》重新面对社会现象和人文环境与个人之间的关系。他所谓的“软暴力”，是一种隐匿型的暴力，靠图像所表达的暗示信息，说明生活中许多不被觉察的暴力性压迫，是高孝午发表创作以来最具有观念艺术气质的一批作品。

　　今年六月高孝午赴欧洲参加威尼斯双年展的开幕式，他应邀参加我和Renzo di Renzo, Felix Schober共同策划的《未来通行证-从亚洲到全球》的巡回展，也顺道访游意大利.德国.奥地利.瑞士各地，尤其是威尼斯双年展和巴塞尔艺术博览会今年一面导向观念艺术的气势，多少应该影响了一向比较纯粹做雕塑的高孝午，希望在规模上有所调整。

　　高孝午是福建大田人，山区的人民风纯朴，他的雕塑作品的脸部表情常见一种憨厚的笑容，正是他自己的最佳写照。高孝午的雕塑风格，是属于民众美学的，从我六年前提倡的动漫美学，到今天我高声疾呼的“艺术为民众而艺术(Art for People Sake)”的大众美学时代来临的语言，高孝午一直都是我最关注的艺术家之一。他的艺术，代表绝大多数大陆民众对生存的心境反射，也标记了这一时代年轻人酷爱的搞笑式的幽默。

　　时代在改变，观念也一定会不断在变，人们的做法也因之而随之改变。昔日贵族，精英独占时代已过去了，现在是大众海选的时代。其实，真正的解放是我们不再需要美术馆，博物馆那些围墙，在现实里，微博，Facebook，YouTube都已经是新形式的发表平台。新的评断标准和新的互动模式已经处处在发展中，所以，我才大胆预言，我们的时代，已告别Art for Art Sake，应该向Art for People Sake大步迈进，进入群众美学，大众裁判的时代。

　　高孝午的民众美学路线，提早说明了这样一个时代的到临，他受到普遍的欢迎是理所当然的。

　　From Standard Times to Soft Violence:Gao Xiaowu’s demotic aesthetics

　　I made acquaintance with Gao Xiaowu in the year of 2004. I was pretty fond of his works when I first saw them in Tokyo Gallary prior to my volunteer experience in Bund 18 Creative Center in Shanghai. I introduced him to Zhang Ailing, the beautiful hostess of Bund 18, who was very happy to put the three bowing figures of Xiaowu’s "Standard Times" in the central place of the second floor. Since then, I had a series of exhibition cooperation with Gao Xiaowu. In 2007, I moved from Shanghai to Beijing’s Moon River Museum of Contemporary Art and Gao also became one of a few artists going in the Museum. He got married there and then had a lovely baby. In my mind, the couple is just like my own children.

　　Recently, I learned to use Sina’s Weibo, China’s microblogging, expressing my point of views. I began to be involved in art field when I was four and I never treated art as a job or vocation. I love art and I’m so honored to make a lot of young artist friends thanks to the seven-year experiences of being a volunteer on China’s mainland. Earlier, I haven’t thought too much about this, but when I left the position as a curator I found I’m really concerned with these kids, their life, their development and future. It’s such a magical relationship that I treat them like my own children. Of these kids, Gao Xiaowu is more thoughtful, careful and mature as he has strong planning and executing abilities on his career.

　　Born in the year of 1976 in Fujian, Gao Xiaowu graduated from Fujian Xiamen Arts and Crafts Academy Sculpture Department in 1999. In the same year, his works of Eagles on the Grassland was selected by the Ninth National Art Exhibition. In 2004, he graduated from Central Academy of Fine Arts Sculpture Department and created a number of art works, such as the Forbidden City, My Favorite State, Not Monk, Root of Wisdom and Standard Times.

　　In 2004, Standard Times made it to a solo exhibition in Beijing’s Jianwai SOHO. In the next year, I introduced several works of Gao’s Standard Times to be shown at the China’s First International Animation and Cartoon Festival for which I was one of the organizers. As Gao Xiaowu’s first well-known works, Standard Times conveys the awareness of international standardized service with a series of humorous, funny and understandable figures while China is on its way of standardization. The male and female figures have to bow in face of the standard rules with a heart obedient by the rubs of life. These works are so attractive and appealing that they went on exhibitions continuously in just one year and many imitations came out as a side effect of the fever.

　　The works of City Dreams in 2006 witnessed some changes in Gao Xiaowu: A male and a female angel-like figures show the signature smiling face but they also have small wings on their overweight bodies. They look heavy but they can fly like balloons. City Dreams outlines the conflict between dreams and the reality. With less motivation on social criticizing and more sense of fairy tale, it was included in the Virtual Love exhibition that I organized for Shanghai Contemporary Art Museum. The works of City Dreams also came along with Virtual Love to Singapore and France for exhibition tours, representing the Animamix, or comics aesthetics.

　　Before, Standard Times remained in the stage of painting reality. For works of Post Standard Times, Our Generation and Falling Asleep, all the figures turned into a Cartoon style which became more distorted, exaggerated and humorous. I believe the change has something to do with his new mood. Anyway, his works are the best example of Animamix.

　　Gao, of the post 1970s generation, actually is more like a post 1980s in the way of art creation. He expresses his thoughts of politics and social issues by an indirect and light measure instead of creating a bloody scene. Therefore, his mild attitude is more acceptable to most people. Many of his large-sized sculptures have been installed in various cities. His stainless steel works of Our Generation could be found near a famous design hotel in Taipei. Gao’s works of Walk Upright Monument in 2009 takes a more obscure way: ‎using metaphor of people to animals. And it was a bigger challenge for him when he set up a three-meter high installation works for the second Animamix Biennale.

　　Gao is surely a successful sculptor distinguishing from his generation. However, he cannot remain satisfied with the achievements in the market; he is eager to build up his own academic style, demanding different genres to convey all kinds of information he perceives in this epoch. From this October, Linda Gallery of Beijing 798, inviting Mr. Huang Du as the curator, will exhibit the sculptures created by Gao Xiaowu since 2008.

　　Succeeding the series of Dream Returns, in the latest series of Soft Violence, Gao Xiaowu uses the more complex combination rather than the single sculpture, and regains his demotic aesthetics established in his earlier works Standard Times. As one of the victims of the forcible demolition of Suo Jia Zhuang, Gao Xiaowu once again explores social phenomenas and the relationship between environment and the individual in his Soft Violence. The "soft violence" his talked about, is a kind of hidden violence. Via the hints of the images, Gao indicates the unperceivable violent oppression in our daily life. These works will be the most conceptual art of Gao's up to now.

　　Gao Xiaowu went Europe for the opening of La Biennale di Venezia this June. He participated the Future Pass: From Asia to the world, curatored by Renzo di Renzo, Felix Schober and me, visiting Italy, German, Austria and Switzerland. The Concept Art he got to during the journey, especially in La Biennale di Venezia and Art Basel, may impact on Gao's art, who has always been focusing on sculpture. I hope he's adjusting his scope.

　　Carrying the qualities of the people from the mountain area of Da Tian, Fu Jian Province, Gao Xiaowu and his sculptures are both characterised by the simple smile. The disposition of Gao's sculpture belongs to the demotic aesthetics. I promoted Animamix six year ago, and now I advocate the Art for People Sake. Gao Xiaowu has been one of the most attractive artists to me. His art mirrors the psychology of the majority of the Mainland China, and also symbols the tongue-in-cheek fun which the young generation are very fond of.

　　The coming of the new era changes the concepts and practices of people. The old age of nobleman and elite has been gone and a new age of people is coming. As a matter of fact, the true liberation is that we use Weibo, Facebook, YouTube, etc. as platforms to express ourselves instead of the confines of the museum. With the new standard of judgement and interactive mode increasingly developing everywhere, I boldly prophesy that we will say goodbye to the Art for Art Sake and move toward to the Art for People Sake by entering the new era of demotic aesthetics.

　　The demotic aesthetics of Gao Xiaowu denotes the arrival of the new era, thus Gao deserves his popularity.

作者：陆蓉之