新展覽「無盡之旋IV—James Jean簡明」將于7月29日在今日美術館1號館開幕。簡明將中國絹本卷軸畫、日本木版畫和巴洛克繪畫等傳統技法融入自己的創作，通過多種風格和藝術歷史流派的嘗試，將當代文化與古老預言中的圖像層層疊加，創造出獨特的視覺宇宙。

簡明

簡明，出生于臺灣，3歲時隨家人移居美國。在他的藝術生涯中，東西方文化的對抗與身份意識貫穿始終。他在兩個世界之間漂浮，尋找自己的定位。簡明在19世紀意大利宮廷畫家郎世寧的作品中找到了共鳴。郎世寧將西方渲染技術引入中國傳統絲綢卷軸畫，創造出獨特的風格和構圖。簡明同樣通過挖掘流行文化和神秘文化的不同方面，結合傳統技法和當代數字技術，形成了獨樹一幟的敘事風格。

目前定居洛杉磯的簡明，其作品涵蓋插畫、繪畫、雕塑和設計領域。他曾擔任DC漫畫雜志《Fables》的封面插畫師，并因與Prada等奢侈品牌的合作，以及為《瞬息全宇宙》《水形物語》和《銀翼殺手2049》等好萊塢電影創作海報而獲得廣泛知名度。早年間，他的速寫作品在網上廣為流傳，激勵了許多年輕藝術家。2008年淡出插畫領域后，簡明將創作重心轉向純藝術，并涉足NFT藝術領域。他廣泛的藝術創作為年輕人帶來了新的靈感，也使他的作品在國內迅速走紅。

《向日葵》，2024年，黃銅，海藍色色粉，大理石，60x36x47cm

本次展覽將呈現簡明特意為本次展覽創作的主視覺《奇美拉》，以及全新雕塑《向日葵》。此外，2024年創作的龍年掛毯《龍錦》也將在今日美術館首次亮相。展覽精選了10件作品的創作延時視頻，觀眾可以親身體驗簡明的創作過程。

《百鳥朝鳳》，2019年，布面丙烯，305x625x4cm

此次展覽展出的5座大型雕塑，賦予繪畫圖像中的角色以生命。這些形象融合了歐洲傳說、亞洲故事和童話寓言的文化遺產，連接現實與神話、歷史與當下，為觀者創造了一個充滿想象的空間。展覽還包括6幅超大繪畫作品，其中有代表作品《衍生》貫穿始終。男孩在巨型花瓣和天空中墜落、漂浮，暗示了簡明作為“文化游子”的身份，在跨文化中不斷探索和重塑自我。最后，展覽還展示了簡明早期的創作手稿，集中展示他近十多年創作的涵蓋油畫、版畫、設計手稿，以及雕塑等作品。

以下為掌上藝術對藝術家簡明進行的獨家專訪：

1.你是什么時候開始喜歡漫畫的？你能談談你的成長經歷嗎？

簡明：在我小時候，我的視覺詞匯中充斥著美國文化和漫畫，但隨著年齡的增長，我在18歲時搬去了紐約，在那里我參觀了許多博物館，也開始學習更多藝術史方面的知識后，我開始自然而然地被東方的藝術所吸引。對線條和細節的關注，以及東方的神話故事似乎喚起了我內心深處的某種東西。在美國長大的過程中，我大腦中固有的一些東方文化早已丟失或者被破壞，從而不再完整，因此我的作品就像是一棟倒塌的建筑，處在不斷變化和革新的狀態。

1.When did you start to like comics? Can you talk about your growth experience?

James Jean：When I was a child, my visual vocabulary was dominated by American culture and comics. But as I became older and moved to New York City when I was 18, I became naturally attracted to eastern art as I visited the museums and learned more about art history. The attention to line and detail, as well as the mythology of eastern culture seemed to awaken something buried deep inside of me. I do believe there is something from eastern culture inherent in my brain that was partially lost and destroyed by growing up in the US. So my work is a kind of architecture that has fallen apart, yet is constantly reforming and mutating into something new.

簡明《奇美拉》

2、您為本次展覽帶來了哪些新的亮點，您能給我們提前透露一下嗎？

簡明：為了慶祝這次展覽，我創作了一件名為《奇美拉》（Chimera）的新作品。是一種由不同動物組成的神話生物。這個詞還意味著一種遙不可及的愿望或欲望，一種幻覺。而在生物學中，它指的是由完全不同基因的細胞混合而成的生物體。作為不同材料的組合，"奇美拉"象征著東方與西方、現實與夢想、高雅與低俗文化等對立面的共存。這件作品的意象靈感來源于最近對福建泉州開元寺的一次訪問。寺內有一座建于1795 年、裝飾精美的墻壁，被稱為麒麟壁。壁上有一個神話人物，有時也被稱為中國獨角獸；它有龍的頭、魚的鱗、牛的蹄和獅子的尾。這個構圖是由一塊塊塑形的陶瓷拼湊而成，比例奇特，這也是構圖的靈感來源。寺院里還有許多榕樹，樹根交織在一起又延長許多生長至地面之上。《奇美拉》中的榕樹根在尋找，但卻無法在任何土地上找到寄托，也無法依附于任何歷史。男孩是各種垃圾的拼湊組合，是不同文化的拼貼。他伸出手，試圖尋找意義。

《蓋亞》，2019，熔融玻璃、鉛、鋼和白熾燈泡，236x132x132cm

2.What new highlights have you brought to this exhibition, and can you give us a preview?

James Jean：In celebration of this show, I created a new piece called Chimera. A Chimera is a mythical creature composed of different animals. The word also means an aspiration or desire beyond reach, an illusion. And in biology, it means an organism that is a blend of genetically distinct cells. As a combination of different materials, the Chimera symbolizes the coexistence of opposites, of East and West, of reality and dreams, of high and low culture. The imagery for this piece was inspired by a recent visit to Quanzhou Kaiyuan Monastery in Fujian Province. On the site is an elaborately decorated wall built in 1795 known as the Qilin Wall, featuring a mythological being sometimes referred to as a Chinese unicorn; it has the head of a dragon, scales of a fish, hooves of an ox, and the tail of a lion. The composition is created out of pieces of sculpted ceramic, cobbled together in strange proportions, which inspired the composition for Chimera. Also in the monastery are many banyan trees, with elaborate roots that stretch far above the ground. The banyan roots in Chimera are seeking but cannot find purchase in any land, nor attach to any history. The boy is an assemblage of junk, a collage of different cultures, his hand outstretched, seeking meaning.

往屆展覽現場

3.您有多重身份。在你的作品中，電影和藝術之間有什么關系？你能詳細說說你的創作過程嗎？

簡明：電影一直是我工作的靈感來源。偉大的電影中的敘事、構圖和圖像已經鉆進了我的腦海。電影是一種非常有效的方式，通過與觀眾分享獨特和強大的經驗來傳授智慧。我們通過觀看真實的編劇和演員的角色，隨著時間的推移，在敘述中學習到很多東西。通過直接與電影中一些最獨特的聲音合作，我意識到直覺對這個過程是多么重要，以及依據個人經驗是如何進入他們所講述的故事的。

3.You have multiple identities. What is the interplay between film and art in your work? Could you elaborate on your creative process?

James Jean：Film has always inspired my work. The narrative, compositions, and imagery in the great films have burrowed their way into my mind. Film is a remarkably effective way of imparting wisdom by sharing unique and powerful experiences with the viewer. We learn so much by watching authentically written and acted characters play out a narrative over time. By working directly with some of the most unique voices in film, I’ve realized how important intuition is to the process, and how personal experience always makes its way into the stories that they tell.

4.你的作品有很多故事情節，這些靈感從何而來？你能舉幾個例子嗎？

簡明：我認為創作的過程幾乎是一個奇跡，這是對未知世界的祈禱，讓靈感流過你的身體，然后創造出一些實物，讓其他人也能享受和參與到這一宇宙交流的循環中。對我來說，我總是想找到一種方法，通過作品來引導神圣的能量。

《旅行者》，2022年，執導：簡明，動畫制作：Zachary Darren Corzine，音效：Nosaj Thing

比如說，我有一幅叫做《旅行者》（Traveler）的作品，這其實是受人委托創作的，畫中的女孩騎在獨角獸身上，獨角獸用角攪動著地上的泥漿，周圍還有青蛙之類的兩棲動物。完成這幅作品的幾個月后，我去了洛杉磯當代藝術博物館，看到了一幅來自15世紀的古老蝕刻畫，作者是一位名叫亨德里克·洪第烏斯（Hendrick Hondius）的荷蘭藝術家，我驚訝地發現那幅畫的構圖和我的一模一樣，也是獨角獸伸進沼澤，旁邊有蜥蜴等動物。

另一個類似的作品是《樵木》（Woodcutter），其中的形象隨著時間推移有過演變，一開始是背著木柴的老人，后來變成女人，再后來變成小男孩。我意識到，這真的很像我在日本見過的一座雕塑，雕塑中背著木柴、手拿一本書的男孩是日本江戶時代的著名思想家二宮尊德（Ninomiya Sontoku），他做了很多教育農民如何記賬之類的事情，象征著自我教育和自我完善。所以，我的作品會和很多歷史人物或過去的作品相呼應，而且它們都是偶然發生的。

在榮格的《紅書》（The Red Book）中，一個非常具有啟發性的部分是它告訴了你如何擁抱直覺，如何創造出從直覺而來的符號。但我從中感受到的可能不是“啟發”，而是一種真正的親緣關系，因為我在畫速寫時，經常不知道它們從何處而來，更像是在探索內心的風景。畫畫時，我會讓夢境發生，形狀和圖像會自然出現在畫面中，從一步引出下一步，但我永遠不知道最終的畫面會是什么樣子。

往屆展覽現場

4.Your creations all have story plots, where do these inspirations come from? Can you give a few examples?

James Jean：I think whenever you’recreating something, it’s almost like a miracle. It is a prayer to the unknown, allowing inspiration to flow through you so that you can create something physical for others to absorb, enjoy, and participate in a cycle of cosmic exchange. For me, it is always about finding a way to channel that divine energy through the work.

For example, some of my work, like there’s a painting I did called “Traveler,” features a girl riding on top of a unicorn. And the unicorn is dipping its horn in the mud, kind of stirring up the water and these amphibians. There’s a frog that’s like leaping out. It was actually a commission for someone. And then, sometime later after I finished, I went to, I think it was either the Hammer Museum or LACMA—I forget, but I saw an old etching on the walls, maybe from the 1500s by this artist called Hondius. And it was the exact same composition with the unicorn, sticking its horn into the swamp and kind of stirring up lizards and frogs.

Another character I created, called the “Woodcutter,” evolved over time. Initially, it was an old man with kindling on his back. Then it depicted a woman also carrying kindling. Eventually, it became a boy with wood on his back. Later, I realized this character closely resembled a statue I had seen in Japan and also in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, where there’s a boy with kindling on his back who is actually holding a book. It turned out that the sculpture depicts a Japanese philosopher named Ninomiya Sontoku, who symbolizes self-education and improvement. He significantly contributed to educating farmers on practices like accounting in Japan. So, when I’m creating these characters and compositions, they sometimes unintentionally echo historical figures or artworks from the past. And often, it feels almost magical.

In Jung's "The Red Book," a particularly enlightening section discusses how to embrace intuition and how to create symbols from it. However, what I feel from this isn't merely "inspiration" but a true kinship, because when I sketch quickly, I often don’t know where they come from; it's more like exploring the landscapes of the mind. When painting, I let dreams occur, where shapes and images naturally emerge on the canvas, each leading to the next, yet I never know what the final image will look like.

5、作為一個在各個領域都取得了顯著成就的人，您是如何在跨學科工作中脫穎而出的？

簡明：所有這些不同的媒介與形式都源于我的繪畫，并且我非常喜歡尋找新的方式將我的繪畫在其它維度進行表達。我喜歡把繪畫變成雕塑，也喜歡探索不同的表面工藝和材料。從在木頭和金屬上雕刻，到在鋼鐵上做淺浮雕，再到切割彩色玻璃，所有這些能量的來源都是我的繪畫。這些線條包含了我所有的情感、記憶和對藝術史的引用和參考。我喜歡看這些線條穿梭在不同的媒介和維度當中，它們在我的腦中是鮮活的，并不會被局限在一種媒介當中。

《衍生》，2019年，布面丙烯，335x1097x4cm

5.As someone who has achieved remarkable success in various fields, how do you manage to excel in cross-disciplinary work?

James Jean：The origin of all these different mediums is from my drawing, and I love finding ways to express the drawing in other dimensions. I love turning the drawing into something sculptural, as well as exploring different surfaces and materials. From engraving into wood and metal, to doing shallow relief in steel, to cutting stained glass, the source of all this energy comes from the drawing. The lines contain all the emotion, memory, and art historical references, and I love seeing it travel through different mediums and dimensions. The lines are alive in my mind, and cannot be contained on just a piece of paper or canvas.

《神曲》，2019年，布面丙烯，305x1006x4cm

6.哪些藝術家影響了你，在創作中，你是如何融合和創新東西方藝術形式的？

簡明：20 歲出頭時，我在臺北的一家博物館發現了郎世寧（Giuseppe Castiglione）的作品。他是意大利耶穌會傳教士，清朝時在中國成為宮廷畫家。他將西方的渲染技術與中國的卷軸畫和中式題材相結合。這種不尋常的結合尤其令我著迷。這代表著當我們打破了成見的規則，跨越了常規的邊界時，新的表達方式就有可能出現。我還發現中國古代青銅器上的饕餮圖案與法國頗具影響力的漫畫家莫比斯（Moebius）的作品有著千絲萬縷的聯系。這兩個源頭的裝飾手法都對我的創作產生了影響。

6.Which artists have influenced you, and how do you integrate and innovate between Eastern and Western art forms in your creations?

James Jean：In my early 20s, I discovered the work of Giuseppe Castiglione at a museum in Taipei. He was an Italian Jesuit missionary who became a court painter in China during the Qing dynasty, combining Western rendering techniques with Chinese silk scroll painting and subject matter. This unusual combination was especially fascinating to me, showing that new ways of expression are possible when preconceived rules are broken and boundaries are crossed. I also see a thread connecting Taotie designs from ancient Chinese bronze ware to the work of the influential French comics artist, Moebius. The decorative flourishes from both sources have influenced my own compositions.

7. 你的作品的哪些特點吸引了廣大讀者，尤其是年輕人？

簡明：這可能和我的漫畫與動畫作品有關，也可能是因為我對潛意識和神話的探索得到了共鳴——這樣的創作方式可以追溯到像阿爾布雷希特·丟勒（Albrecht Durer）、葛飾北齋（Hokusai）和希羅尼穆斯·博斯（Heironymous Bosch）這樣的畫家，他們都從想象中汲取靈感進行創作，甚至可以追溯到拉斯科洞穴的壁畫。人類有一種長期而深刻的內在驅動力，通過繪畫來表達我們的內心世界，我相信這是能夠打動許多人的元素。此外，我偶爾也會有跨界合作的作品，從時尚（Prada，山本耀司）到科技（Apple，OPPO），再到音樂（防彈少年團），以及電影海報（《瞬息全宇宙》、《水形物語》）。這些項目以不同于畫廊或美術館的方式展示在觀眾面前，與他們產生鏈接，讓我的作品譜系得以拓展，也能夠被更多人看到。

《瞬息全宇宙》海報作品

7. What attributes of your work appeal to a broad audience, particularly young people?

James Jean：The audience may see influences from comics and animation, as well as an exploration of the subconscious and mythology. Ultimately, these influences can be drawn back to draftsmen like Albrecht Durer, Hokusai, and Heironymous Bosch, who all drew from imagination, and even further back to the drawings on the Lascaux Cave. There is a long and deep human drive to express our inner world through drawing, and I believe that is the element that connects with many people. Also, I occasionally collaborate with other industries and allow my work to exist in different parts of the culture, from fashion (Prada, Yohji Yamamoto), to tech (Apple, OPPO), to music (BTS), and to movie posters (Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Shape of Water). These projects connect with people in a different way from an art gallery or museum, and allow the universe of my work to fully expand.

8. 您還創作了許多大型雕塑。雕塑和繪畫在創作過程中有什么區別？

簡明：在二維空間中，藝術家有各種策略可以讓圖像在平面上展開。畫布上的創作實際上相當自由，因為它允許藝術家集中精力在平面維度上控制觀眾的注意力。而對于創作雕塑而言，這是一個完全不同的體驗，我仍在學習如何與之互動。讓我享受雕塑創作的原因之一是，隨著觀眾繞著作品走動，故事才得以展開。隨著視角的變化，各種元素被揭示出來，例如，我角色鞋底的迷宮細節、《太陽塔羅牌》（Sun Tarot）卡片背面的鏡子、《旅行者》（Traveler）人物手中的青蛙，或者《向日葵》（Sunflower）背后的蜻蜓。這些角色一開始都只存在于繪畫中，但關于細節的立體敘事，我只有在構思雕塑時才想到這些。

《太陽塔羅牌-木》，2023，楓木，胡桃木，鏡面不銹鋼，60 x 52 x 56 cm，限量8+2AP

8. You have also created numerous large sculptures. What are the distinctions in the creative processes between sculpture and painting?

James Jean：In two dimensions, there are various strategies to let an image unfold on a flat plane. The limitations of a 2D space are actually quite liberating, in that it allows the artist to focus and control the eyes of the viewer. With sculpture, it's a much different experience, and I'm still learning how to engage with it. One aspect of sculpture that I enjoy is allowing the story to unfold as the viewer walks around the piece. Various elements are revealed as the perspective changes, such as the details of the maze in the soles of my characters, the mirror on the back of the card in Sun Tarot, the frog held in the hand of the Traveler, or the dragonfly on the back of Sunflower. Many of these characters existed in paintings, but I only conceived of these extensions to the narrative when I began to explore them in three dimensions.

9. 作為一名視覺藝術家，您能告訴我們視覺藝術的本質是什么嗎？

簡明：視覺藝術的本質是我們內心視角與物理世界之間的連接。從我自己的角度來看，我將內心視角的畫面通過自己的創作——這個不太完美的中介和載體帶入到現實的物理世界中。奇妙的是，這些視覺一旦在紙張、畫布、墻壁或屏幕上呈現出來，就會與觀看它、感受它的心靈產生共鳴，從而實現信息的傳遞。對我來說，這是在繪制一條將人類連接在一起的線，并創造一個激發想象力的連接網絡。通過圖像，我能夠向宇宙表達：我在這短暫的瞬間里是活著的，而我的存在的某些影子，也將以繪畫和圖像的形式被銘刻在歷史中。

9. As a visual artist, could you tell us what is the essence of visual arts?

James Jean：The essence of visual art is the connection between our mind's eye and the physical world. From my own perspective, I take the visions within my mind and bring them out into the world through the inefficient and imperfect vehicle of my body. And somehow, these visions, once manifested on paper, canvas, wall, or screen, connect with other minds, and a transfer of information occurs. For me, it's about drawing a line that connects humanity together, and creating a web of connections that inspire the imagination. Through images, I'm able to express to the universe that I am alive for this brief moment, and some shadow of my existence, in the form of drawings and paintings, will be burned into history.