時間的刺

The Sting of Time

2024.1.6 - 2024.2.8

（預約制/ By Appointment Only）

開幕 Opening:

2024.1.6 14:00 - 18:00

藝術家 Artist:

曾綠涵

Lvhan Zeng

策展人 Curator:

付若瑄

Roxane Fu

地點 Location:

BACKSTAGE ART

上海市黃浦區茂名南路57號蘭心大戲院三樓

3F, No. 57 South Maoming Road, Lyceum Theatre, Shanghai

南柯畫廊欣然宣布將呈現代理藝術家曾綠涵個展項目“時間的刺” (The Sting of Time)，展期自2024年1月6日至2024年2月8日，展覽地點位于上海市黃浦區茂名南路57號蘭心大戲院3樓。本次展覽由 BACKSTAGE ART 提供場地支持。

Nan Ke Gallery is pleased to announce "The Sting of Time", a solo exhibition by represented artist Lvhan Zeng, from 6th January 2024 to 8th February 2024, at Lyceum Theatre, 3rd Floor, No.57, South Maoming Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai. The exhibition venue is supported by BACKSTAGE ART.

“時間”是一個永恒的命題。然而，時間的流淌卻并不總是平滑無痕的。有時，它帶著細密的刺，滾動經過軀體，在未察覺時就悄無聲息地留下觸動神經的傷口。曾綠涵的繪畫使用柔軟而細微的筆觸，認真地對這些痕跡進行記錄和描繪：她描繪孤獨、甚至痛苦的記憶，也描繪在荒漠似的都市森林中所彌漫的，雨霧般的溫情。

"Time" is an eternal proposition. However, the flow of time is not always smooth and seamless. Sometimes, it rolls through the body with fine thorns, leaving wounds that touch the nerves unnoticed. Lvhan Zeng's paintings use soft and subtle brushstrokes to carefully record and depict these traces: she depicts lonely, even painful memories, as well as the rainy warmth that pervades the desert-like urban forest.

曾綠涵 Lvhan Zeng

少女 Maiden, 2023

布面油畫 Oil on canvas

100h x 140w cm

? Courtesy of the artist

藝術家曾綠涵（Lvhan Zeng）出生于中國南方的小城。狹窄老舊的房間，連同交雜溽熱的水汽，組合成為仿佛上世紀末老電影般的視覺語言，構成了她審美與創作的基礎。幼時，由于復雜的家庭環境，她經常輾轉于各個地方，居無定所。因此，她對于親密關系有著矛盾的情感，渴望與抗拒交織，角力。

Artist Lvhan Zeng was born in a small town in southern China. The narrow, antiquated rooms, accompanied by a mingling of humid vapors, weave a visual lexicon reminiscent of a film from the end of the last century, forming the foundational elements of her aesthetics and creative endeavors. In her formative years, the intricate dynamics of her family environment led her to transient residences and a lack of a fixed abode. Consequently, she harbors conflicting emotions towards intimate relationships, a tapestry of yearning and resistance, akin to an intense and profound wrestling match.

曾綠涵 Lvhan Zeng

沒用的日子

Useless Days, 2023

布面油畫 Oil on canvas

150h x 150w cm

? Courtesy of the artist

在蔡明亮的電影《洞》中，男女主人公在瘟疫橫行的末世被隔離在一幢空蕩的大樓里，各自填充獨立的房間，而僅僅通過地板上不慎被留下的洞交流。被隔閡的肉身連同逐漸貼近的精神，戲劇化地表現出的親疏維度，與曾綠涵的創作中對于情感的認知如出一轍。在作品《分享》中，時間被具象化為了鐘表，又像披薩一樣被分割開來。對她來說，她所向往的并不是全情灌注的親密關系。親密，就是可以將她所擁有的時間，像披薩這樣用于分享的食物一樣，分給對方一塊。

In Tsai Ming-Liang's film Hole, the male and female protagonists find themselves isolated in an empty building in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a pandemic. Each occupies separate rooms, and their only means of communication is through an unintentional hole in the floor. The estrangement of their physical bodies, coupled with the gradually approaching intimacy of their spirits, dramatically portrays the dimensions of closeness and distance, mirroring the thematic exploration of emotions in the works of Lvhan.

In the piece "Share", time is materialized as a clock, and, akin to a pizza, it is segmented. For her, the aspiration is not for an all-encompassing intimate relationship. Intimacy, for her, is akin to sharing a pizza — being able to allocate a portion of her own time, much like sharing a slice of the food, with the other person.

曾綠涵 Lvhan Zeng

分享Share, 2023

布面油畫 Oil on canvas

120h x 150w cm

? Courtesy of the artist

向來，時間與感情的聯結都有著微妙的聯系。在茨威格筆下，愛如對方口袋里的懷表。 “ 這根發條在暗中耐心地為你數著你的鐘點，計算著你的時間，以它聽不見的心跳陪著你東奔西走，而你在它那嘀嗒不停的幾百萬秒當中，只有一次向它匆匆瞥了一眼。” 這與曾綠涵的創作不謀而合。她希望自己的畫作也可以仿佛鐘表，流轉到不同的地方，不同的人面前；給予彼此匿名的親近，和面目模糊的陪伴。

The connection between time and emotions has always been delicately intertwined. In the words of Stefan Zweig, love is akin to a pocket watch. "This spring patiently counts your hours in the dark, calculates your time, and with its inaudible heartbeat, accompanies you as you rush about, while in its incessant ticking of several million seconds, you only glance at it in haste once." This sentiment aligns seamlessly with the creations of Lvhan Zeng. She hopes her artworks can be like a clock, circulating to different places and in front of different people; providing anonymous closeness and blurry companionship to each other.

曾綠涵 Lvhan Zeng

無人在意的選擇

Unnoticed Choice, 2023

布面油畫 Oil on canvas

90h x 160w cm

? Courtesy of the artist

在曾綠涵的畫作中，不乏對日常生活中物件的再現。她將自己的感情態度通過物件的隱喻來傳遞：在《等待被使用》中，她描繪一盒嶄新的香皂。在她看來，香皂就像她自己，等待著消耗自身來奉獻他人。長期在親密關系方面的匱乏，讓她曾習慣性地賦予自己犧牲，而乃至自毀的角色。而一次次失敗和受傷的求索，也難以避免地在她心里留下深深的烙印。

In the artworks of Lvhan, there is no lack of depictions of everyday objects. She expresses her emotional attitudes through the metaphor of objects. In "Waiting to be Used", she portrays a brand-new box of soap. In her eyes, the soap is like herself, waiting to be consumed to serve others. The prolonged lack of intimacy in her relationships led her to habitually assign herself the role of sacrifice, even self-destruction. The repeated quests for connection, marked by failures and injuries, inevitably leave profound imprints on her heart.

曾綠涵 Lvhan Zeng

等待被使用 Waiting to be Used,2022

布面油畫 Oil on canvas

150h x 150w cm

? Courtesy of the artist

但她對于“貼近”又是向往的，積極的。仿佛行進在沙漠中的人對于綠洲的，猶如信仰般的渴望。在隨后的作品《我和你一起》中，曾綠涵對于親密和付出的認知延續著，冰塊也如同香皂一樣，需要消磨自身來靠近他人。但不同的是，畫作內容方面的表現從單一的獻祭轉化為了互相的陪伴。在悲情與疏離的底色之上，逐漸彌漫開的溫情隨著冰塊一起融化，流淌。

However, her yearning for "closeness" is positive and aspirational. It's like the fervent desire of someone traversing a desert for an oasis, a belief-like longing. In the subsequent artwork, "To Be with You," Lvhan's understanding of intimacy and devotion continues. Ice, like soap, needs to erode itself to get closer to others. The difference lies in the shift from a singular act of sacrifice to mutual companionship in the content of the artwork. Amidst the backdrop of melancholy and alienation, a gradually diffusing warmth, akin to the melting of ice, begins to flow.

曾綠涵 Lvhan Zeng

我和你一起 To Be with You,2023

布面油畫 Oil on canvas

120h x 160w cm

? Courtesy of the artist

如果說藝術家對于親密關系的態度是矛盾的，那么她對于孤獨的態度也同樣如此。孤獨一方面是敲骨吸髓的消耗與折磨，另一方面也是令人上癮的精神樂園。在曾綠涵的筆下，孤獨往往不帶有任何情緒，而僅僅是作為人存在的一種狀態的形式出現。不管是零落的高跟鞋，空蕩的冰箱；還是走廊盡頭的通道，獨自一人的剪影，似乎都是通過細膩朦朧的筆觸，和獨特的藝術語言對“孤獨”這一哲思的捕捉。

If the artist's attitude toward intimate relationships is contradictory, the same can be said for her attitude toward loneliness. Loneliness, on one hand, is a bone-deep consumption and torment, while on the other hand, it is an addictive mental paradise. In Lvhan's portrayal, loneliness often appears not laden with any specific emotion but merely as a form of existence. Whether it's scattered high heels, an empty refrigerator, or the end of a corridor with a solitary silhouette, it seems that through delicate and hazy brushstrokes, and unique artistic language, she captures the essence of "loneliness" as a philosophical concept.

曾綠涵 Lvhan Zeng

背叛 Betrayal,2022

布面油畫 Oil on canvas

60h x 50w cm

? Courtesy of the artist

這樣平鋪直敘的表達娓娓道來，使人不必繼續聯想到“寂寞”、“憂傷”之類的形容詞。而只是發現“孤獨”是一種永續的狀態，是我們的身體在世界上完全獨立的事實的陳述。曾綠涵的畫作帶我們回到認真觀察每一個物件，去認知世界的太初，荒涼的意境，和一望無際的冷色。每個人都各自漫無目的地走，彼此不打招呼。

This straightforward expression unfolds, allowing people to refrain from associating it with adjectives like "lonely" or "sad" Instead, it invites the realization that "loneliness" is a perpetual state, a statement of the fact that our bodies exist entirely independently in the world. Lvhan's artworks take us back to earnestly observe each object, to comprehend the primordial aspects of the world, the desolate atmosphere, and the vast expanse of cool colors. Everyone wanders aimlessly, without exchanging greetings.

曾綠涵 Lvhan Zeng

愛的形狀 Shape of Love,2023

布面油畫 Oil on canvas

150h x 210w cm

? Courtesy of the artist

但在曾綠涵的筆下，孤獨卻并不是無法消解的冷意。而是親密之前的蓄力，或穿插其中的休憩。孤獨與孤立是現時的狀態，而對于貼近和聯結的渴望也由此顯而易見，在肅殺的冰冷中灌注著溫情的調劑。在畫作《愛的形狀》中，飛揚的白色布料依然帶有冷清的色彩，但仿若被暖風撐起，奔向春日的動態，則恰是藝術家對她所認可之“愛”最好的描繪與注解。

But in Lvhan's writing, loneliness is not a coldness that cannot be dissipated. Instead, it is a build-up of strength before intimacy or an interspersed spice. Loneliness and isolation are the present states of affairs, and the desire for closeness and connection is thus evident, infusing a warm flavor into the coldness of the austere. In the painting "Shape of Love", the flying white fabric still has a cold and clear color, but the dynamics of being lifted by the warm wind and running towards springtime is the artist's best depiction and illustration of what she recognizes as "love".

曾綠涵 Lvhan Zeng

電影書 Film Book,2023

布面油畫 Oil on canvas

120h x 160w cm

? Courtesy of the artist

在創作和生活的過程中，曾綠涵也逐漸將自己打開，去尋找痛苦的根源，再想辦法和解或者逃離。曾經，她靠繪畫來具象化地記錄自己的痛苦；以期將傷口存檔，作為苦難發生過的證明。她以這樣的方式安慰自己，用自我見證來模仿正義的伸張。而現在，她則嘗試著擴大自己的感知，不論是范圍還是方式。她試圖從生活的小事，微妙的情緒和與他人的聯結中獲取靈感，將畫布作為電影中的“一幀”，將電影眼所觀察到的東西記錄和定格。

In the process of both creating art and living life, Lvhan has gradually opened herself up to seek the roots of her pain and find ways to resolve or escape from it. In the past, she used painting to concretely document her suffering, aiming to archive the wounds as evidence of the hardships endured. In this way, she comforted herself, using self-witnessing to emulate the pursuit of justice. However, now she is attempting to broaden her perception of self, both in scope and approach. She endeavors to draw inspiration from the minutiae of life, subtle emotions, and connections with others, treating the canvas as a "frame" in a movie, capturing and freezing what the cinematic eye observes.

曾綠涵 Lvhan Zeng

一場約會 Dating,2023

木板油畫 Oil on wood panel

60h x 60w cm

? Courtesy of the artist

曾綠涵的作品尺寸迥異。既有極具私密性、需要貼近才能欣賞的大小，又有大型沉浸式場景。但無論大小，曾綠涵細膩的感知和表達讓自己的畫作看似籠罩在夢幻般的面紗中，通過筆觸在畫面上制造紋理，與現實拉開距離，成為另外一個熟悉又陌生的時空。每一幅畫面也正如線性的時間中扎下的、點狀的“刺”，展現的不是宏大絕對的敘事，而是藝術家捕捉到的瞬間而恒久的情愫。

Lvhan's artworks vary greatly in size. Some are intensely private, requiring proximity for appreciation, while others are large, immersive scenes. Regardless of size, Lvhan's delicate perception and expression make her paintings appear shrouded in a dreamlike veil. She uses brushstrokes to create texture on the canvas, distancing the viewer from reality and immersing them in another space that is both familiar and unfamiliar. Each image is also like a "thorn" stuck in linear time, showing not a grand and absolute narrative, but a momentary and constant sentiment captured by the artist.

文/付若瑄

Text by Roxane Fu

藝術家Artist

曾綠涵Lvhan Zeng

曾綠涵 （Lvhan Zeng)

1995年出生于廣東省汕頭市，現居杭州。畢業于韓山師范學院。作品曾于2022年展出于北京樹美術館的展覽“時代浪潮中的不快捷方式”；并于2020年展出于上海民生現代美術館的“約翰·莫爾繪畫獎（中國）作品展”。

藝術家所感受到的過于強烈而不明確的痛苦促使她將閃現的畫面記錄下來，并由此對痛苦進行溯源。在繪畫過程中，她習慣于平穩地用顏料鋪滿整個畫面，達成一種被包裹的安全感。在這樣的創作中，藝術家的情感被掩飾在冷靜理智的每一筆之下，映射著自己的外在形象。而柔和、避免沖突的畫面，則暗示了藝術家的處世之道。

在藝術家看來，繪畫和電影有很多相似之處，都是一種講故事式的自我表達。而不同的是，電影畫面是連續的，繪畫則是截取了其中的一幀，用以表現和敘事。在繪畫探索過程中，藝術家完成了自我治愈，慢慢打開、接受世界的其他面。

Lvhan Zeng

Born in 1995 in Shantou, Guangdong Province, now lives in Hangzhou. Graduated from Hanshan Normal University. Her works were exhibited at the Tree Art Museum in Beijing in 2022 in the exhibition "Inexpedient Ways in the Wave of Time" and at the Minsheng Art Museum in Shanghai in 2020 in the exhibition "John Moore Painting Prize (China)".

The overly strong and unclear pain felt by the artist prompts her to record the flashing images and thus trace back. In the process of painting, she used to smoothly spread the paint over the whole picture to reach a sense of security of being wrapped up. In such a creation, the artist's emotion is concealed under each stroke of calm and rationality, mapping her external image. The soft, conflict-avoiding images, on the other hand, hint at the artist's way of being in the world.

In the artist's view, there are many similarities between painting and film, both are a kind of story-telling self-expression. The difference is that film images are continuous, while paintings intercept a frame to express and narrate. In the process of exploring painting, the artist completes self-healing, slowly opening up and accepting other aspects of the world.

策展人Curator

付若瑄Roxane Fu

付若瑄（Roxane Fu）是南柯畫廊的駐館策展人。她畢業于愛丁堡大學，獲電影，展覽與策展專業碩士學位。畢業后任職于倫敦日本畫廊，負責文獻研究和策展工作。繼而在Royal Academy of Arts工作，同期在進行“鏈的故事”（Tale of the Chain）獨立策展項目。

策展方面，她追求基于作品的熱忱和真實，并努力以完整而清晰的敘事貫穿展覽，幫助藝術家和觀者在輕松安全的環境進行真誠的對話。在策展實踐中，她喜愛以小說式的故事線整合展品，把展覽看作三維的文學，誠實地傳遞和表達藝術家最為真摯的想法。

Roxane Fu currently serves as the Curator-in-Residence at Nan Ke Gallery. She graduated from the University of Edinburgh with an MA in Film, Exhibition, and Curation. After completing her studies, she worked at the Japan Gallery in London, where she was responsible for documentary research and curatorial tasks. Following that experience, she joined the Royal Academy of Arts and contributed to the independent curatorial project 'Tale of the Chain.'

In her curatorial practice, Roxane Fu endeavors to amplify the passion and authenticity inherent in artworks. She is dedicated to constructing a comprehensive and coherent narrative within exhibitions, fostering genuine dialogues between artists and viewers within a relaxed and secure environment. Roxane's approach involves integrating exhibits into a storyline, akin to crafting a novel, transforming exhibitions into three-dimensional literature. Her goal is to faithfully convey and articulate the artist's most sincere ideas.

作品垂詢請郵件至

Please email for inquiries about the artwork.：

info@nankegallery.com

本次展覽為預約制

觀展需添加南柯畫廊微信客服號預約：

This exhibition is by appointment only.

To visit the exhibition, please add Nan Ke Gallery's WeChat service account to make a reservation.

Nan Ke GalleryXBACKSTAGE ART

上海市黃浦區茂名南路57號蘭心大戲院三樓

3F, No. 57 South Maoming Road, Lyceum Theatre, Shanghai