複往視洪明露對生命的閱讀與反思
文/許遠達(台南藝術大學助理教授)
往復自觀,是洪明露作品中重要的方法,藉由不斷地內觀,尋找自身的存在意義與價值,藉由不斷地內觀與覺察,解構自身,爬梳來自外空間的影響,因此他作品展現了切身在地的生命觀。洪明露探索自身,因此也探索他與周身外在世界的連結。創作初期的作品偏向超現實內視的符號,以簡化眼睛的符號為「視」做為作品主位,在黑暗的未知裡,以想像的生物性造型,並結合與自身身世切身相關的外在空間墳墓符號,表現探索過程的感受與情緒。
因為父親從事的是造墓工作的關係,使洪明露很早就接觸了台灣眾生生命終點的信仰造型與符號,也相對於其它同齡的藝術家早一步接觸了生與死的課題。因此,在他作品中,屬於人文空間的思維便是以台灣生活中的生命終點相關的符號與造型為主,如:台灣傳統墳墓、墓碑與棺材的造型。而對這些自小存在於生活周遭物件的觀看,在他個人生命經驗裡,由於家中從事造墓工作的關係,這些與生命盡頭相關的符號反倒沒有一般人的忌諱感受,而是對於生命的無常與焦慮:「每當作者(按:洪明露)跟著去墓園,看著每個熟悉不過的墓座,但總有一種無法言喻的距離感。總會不自覺對生命感到焦慮、失望、無力、不信任…等等,所有的負面情緒湧現。」於是,這樣從孩提以來的負面情緒就伴隨著他成長,他開始自視,探究自己生命的意義,探索生命終點與他自身所產生的情緒反應,表現感受,思考價值。近來,他開始逐漸地拆解這些符號,以局部符號的方式客觀地重觀生命,思考生命的意義與價值。
洪明露2010年期間的作品,便已出現以眼為主位的觀看意象。這時期大體上便已呈現了許多往後創作的脈絡,如:此一時期以太陽、月亮、雲、海浪及墳墓的符號象徵天地與人生死之間的想像與思考。這時圖像上天地呈現著人無法掌控的巨大能量與人身處其中的無力感。2010年作品〈等待〉在雲、光、海浪的堆疊下,象徵宇宙天地的空間更顯洶湧。此一時期的觀看,多是將眼光關注於外在的自然環境空間與生命之間的關係上,因此,圖面描繪著大多數於雲、光、浪等外在環境的符號,包圍著如眼睛般核心象徵他個人內在的意象。
2011年的作品逐漸地傾向內視,外在空間則逐漸被大範圍的黑暗所取代,墳墓則獨留墓碑顯現著映眼的桃紅。作品〈輪〉(2011)畫面以類似中堂的形式表現,畫面背景以幽微的闇夜意象表現著對自然的未知,左右兩側的墳墓經過眼睛的符號,呈現纏繞的線條,像是許多命運在日月之下牽動著無數的能量。畫面中心則是一中心物,宛若自然的核心,富涵著巨大能量,緩緩地在空間中脈動著。墓碑在此作品中,依舊以桃紅色平塗表現,表現著生命的意象。墓碑在台灣的社會中象徵一個人的身分,通常傳統的墓碑上有象徵原鄉的祖籍地的郡、堂號、籍貫抑或是地名。右側為過世的時間,中間為往生者名、身分抑或是社會榮銜,左側則是直系子孫數量。於是,墓碑於傳統台灣社會中就成了呈現過往歷史、身家與身分榮銜的象徵。墓碑在洪明露的作品中大量地出現,也就是在此一階段的創作裡,對於生命的內視與社會的關係成為了洪明露思考生命的重點,進而呈現於他的作品之中。並且,觀看與審視成為了此一階段極其重要的課題。〈思緒〉(2011)與〈獨〉(2011)以纏繞的線條作為身體內在空間凝視的對象;〈思緒〉以均質大比例的纏繞線條表現混亂而強烈脈動的觀察與思考;〈獨〉則以線呈現了孤獨站立於空間中,纏繞的線與背景中排列於遠處的墓碑並置,展現了洪明露在「眼」作為觀看與墓碑作為社會中個人存在,思考兩者關係與意義時的焦慮與不安。創作對洪明露來說應該是一個觀看與思索的過程,他說:「創作的過程就像是和自己對話般,有些喃喃自語的。」在他這一系列的作品中眼睛的符號所代表的觀看愈形重要,無論是內視於自身或是轉身觀看自然或人文的外世界,洪明露逐漸地建構他的主體空間,他對世界的觀看與在世界與自然中,生命的價值。觀看成為渴求,作品〈你、我〉(2012)並置著彷彿墓碑又似海浪的造型,與纏繞著帶著生物性卻又不知名的線。而在這來回複視的過程中,木板這象徵自然世界的材料開始出現於他的作品中。
2013年後他開始拆解墳墓、棺材的造型,背景則是前一系列出現的木質背景,2014年後拆解的幾何紋樣躍居畫面主軸。拆解後一再重複出現的造型,也是洪明露在繪製過程中,一而再再而三的面對。對他而言一開始是面對自身對生命無力感的負面情緒,而在創作系列的轉換過程中,似乎洪明露也逐漸地轉向,以死亡相關符號的局部拆解,重新觀看思考生命意義,解放對生命流逝的焦慮與無力感,「我訴說著生命的盡頭『死亡』,死亡即是生命的出口也是入口,在到達盡頭的路途中,我試圖探視著人們的價值及意義,以重複的方式使沉重的符號降低強烈的感受…」局部、幾何及簡化的造型與線條的水平垂直反覆,沉重的、闇黑的空間在洪明露的解構下,重組為幾何反覆的圖樣,甚至原本沉重的黑色圖樣也轉化,而以輕穎的白色取代。在木質背景前形成均質圖樣的網,從某個距離以後,圖像的紋飾遮蔽感退散而居次,背景自然的木頭紋樣成為視覺主要觀看的對象,自然成為視覺的主角。在台灣文化中,象徵生命終點的墳墓成為局部的樣式,拆解了生命的沉重與社會文化的忌諱,在視覺上輕快的反覆出現,但最終,自然於背景中收納了一切,一切塵歸塵,土歸土。順勢而為,依照自然韻律的節奏似乎是洪明露此階段的心得。在此系列中,自然與生命,在洪明露的觀看下,被詮釋為較積極正面的自然規律,原本的視覺壓迫轉化成為圖樣的韻律自然的舒放。這是目前洪明露自身對於這段投入創作過程的「複往視」,也是他對於在自然下藉墳墓等相關符號對生命課題的「複往視」。
"Reflecting back, considering Hung Ming-lu reading and contemplation on life"
"The text was written by Hsu Yuanda, Assistant Professor at the Tainan University of the Arts."
Self-reflection is a significant method in Hung Ming-lu's artworks. Through continuous introspection, he seeks to find the meaning and value of his existence. By constantly introspecting and being aware, he deconstructs himself, and sorts through the influences from the external environment. Therefore, his works reflect a grounded perspective on life. Hung Ming-lu explores himself, and in doing so, explores his connection with the world around him. In the early stages of his creation, his works tended towards symbols of surreal introspection, using simplified eye symbols as the 'sight' of the artwork. In the darkness of the unknown, he uses imaginative biological forms, combined with external symbols such as tombstones that are closely related to his personal experiences, to express the feelings and emotions of the exploration process.
Due to his father's occupation as a tombstone maker, Hung Ming-lu was exposed to the beliefs, forms, and symbols of life's endpoint in Taiwan at an early age, allowing him to engage with the themes of life and death earlier than other artists of his age. As a result, in his artworks, the humanistic space is dominated by symbols and forms related to the endpoint of life in Taiwan, such as traditional Taiwanese graves, tombstones, and coffins. His personal experience of growing up surrounded by these symbols, due to his family's involvement in tombstone making, did not instill the same taboo feelings that others might have towards symbols related to the end of life. Instead, he felt a sense of impermanence and anxiety towards life: "Whenever the author (Hung Ming-lu) goes to the cemetery and sees each familiar grave, there is always an indescribable sense of distance. Inevitably, negative emotions such as anxiety, disappointment, helplessness, and distrust emerge." Consequently, these negative emotions from childhood accompanied his growth. He began to introspect and explore the meaning of his own life, as well as the emotional responses generated by the endpoint of life, expressing his feelings and reflecting on values. Recently, he has begun to gradually deconstruct these symbols, objectively reexamining life through partial symbols and contemplating the meaning and value of life.
During the period of 2010, Hung Ming-lu's artworks already began to feature the central motif of eyes. At this time, many of the themes that would characterize his later works began to emerge. For instance, during this period, symbols such as the sun, moon, clouds, waves, and tombstones symbolized his imagination and contemplation on the connection between heaven, earth, and human life and death. The imagery during this period depicted immense energies of nature and the sense of powerlessness that humans experience within it. The artwork "Waiting" (2010), amidst the stacking of clouds, light, and waves, symbolizes the tumultuous expanse of the universe.
The viewing during this period largely focused on the relationship between the external natural environment and life. Therefore, the compositions mainly depicted symbols of the external environment such as clouds, light, and waves, surrounding core images resembling eyes, which symbolize his personal inner thoughts.
In 2011, his works gradually shifted towards introspection, with the external space gradually being replaced by extensive darkness, while tombstones alone remained, showing a peach red reflection. The artwork "Cycle" (2011) portrays a similar central form, representing the unknown of nature with a background of subtle darkness. The tombstones on both sides, through eye symbols, present entangled lines, as if numerous destinies are influencing countless energies under the sun and moon. The central figure in the image, resembling the core of nature, pulsates with immense energy within the space. Tombstones in this artwork are still depicted with peach red paint, symbolizing the image of life. In Taiwanese society, tombstones symbolize a person's identity, typically with symbols representing their ancestral hometown, lineage, origin, or place names. Therefore, tombstones have become symbols of past history, family, and social status in traditional Taiwanese society.
Tombstones appear frequently in Hung Ming-lu's works, becoming a focal point of introspection and societal relations, which becomes a central theme of his contemplation on life and is reflected in his works. Moreover, viewing and examining become extremely important themes in this period. Works such as "Thoughts" (2011) and "Alone" (2011) use entangled lines as objects of inner introspection. "Thoughts" portrays chaotic and strong pulsating observations and reflections, while "Alone" depicts loneliness standing in space, with entangled lines juxtaposed with tombstones arranged in the background, reflecting Hung Ming-lu's anxiety and unease when contemplating the relationship and significance between the "eye" as a means of viewing and tombstones as symbols of individual existence in society.
For Hung Ming-lu, creation is a process of observation and contemplation. He says, "The process of creation is like having a dialogue with oneself, almost like muttering." In this series of works, the symbol of the eye becomes increasingly important, whether through introspection within oneself or by turning to observe the natural or cultural world externally. Hung Ming-lu gradually constructs his subjective space, viewing the world and the value of life within it. Viewing becomes a pursuit, as seen in the work "You, Me" (2012), juxtaposing shapes resembling tombstones and waves, intertwined with biological yet unknown lines. In this process of back-and-forth viewing, wood, symbolizing the natural world, begins to appear in his works.
After 2013, he began to deconstruct the forms of tombstones and coffins, with the background being wooden patterns introduced in the previous series. After 2014, geometric patterns from the deconstruction dominated the main axis of the composition. The repeatedly recurring deconstructed forms that appear are something Hung Ming-lu repeatedly confronts in the process of painting. For him, initially, it was confronting negative emotions of powerlessness towards life. However, as his creative series transitioned, Hung Ming-lu seemed to gradually turn towards the partial deconstruction of death-related symbols, re-examining and contemplating the meaning of life, freeing himself from anxiety and powerlessness towards the passing of life. "I talk about the end of life 'death,' death is both the exit and the entrance of life. Along the way to the end, I try to examine the value and meaning of people's lives, using repetition to reduce the intense feelings of heavy symbols." Horizontal and vertical lines of homogeneous and simplified shapes repeat, and the heavy, dark space is reorganized into geometric patterns under Hung Ming-lu's deconstruction, even transforming the originally heavy black patterns into light white ones. A net of homogeneous patterns is formed in front of the wooden background, and from a certain distance, the shading of the image's decoration disperses, and the background's natural wood pattern becomes the main focus of vision. Nature becomes the visual protagonist. In Taiwanese culture, tombstones symbolizing the end of life become partial patterns, deconstructing the heaviness of life and social cultural taboos. While visually appearing light and repeated, ultimately, nature encompasses everything in the background. Everything returns to dust, and to soil. Going with the flow, following the rhythm of nature