『 如果 • IF 』 小巴廊 x 孟耿如
2020 3/07 - 2020 4/04
處於20世紀的藝術大師，畢卡索.布朗庫西.馬諦斯等..受到部落藝術的啟發，在作品中轉化為另一種的可能…
處於2020年的當代藝術家 孟耿如用“ARU"的角色，展開對非洲的多元探險，純真直覺的表現，如同外星人般的冒險旅程。這次又會與非洲部落藝術豐富的想像碰撞出什麼不一樣的火花呢 ?
孟耿如
ARU是一個頭與身體分開的外星人，就像我們一樣，總有個對外的形式與對內最真實的自己，在創作裡它可以是任何一個人的化身，它沒有性別，沒有特定大小，我一直希望觀者能夠在我的作品中尋找到某部分的碎片，你會覺得就是你心中缺的那一塊;這次ARU到了非洲去旅遊，它對於一切是陌生又充滿好奇的，甚至是日常，對，甚至對於人類的日常它都是充滿好奇的。開始必須變成大人之後，總是希望能夠學會小孩怎麼當，在創作裡我一直試圖把童趣的筆觸和大人的情緒達到一個平衡點，這就像面臨長大的每個人，無可避免的需要成長，卻又很懷念最單純當初的自己，而這種自相矛盾的混合體，我想用外星人來定義它！
2458882用天文學家的『儒略日』計算，是這段文字的編號，就像作品名稱一樣，我不想用任何文字決定它的註解，我認為在作品裡感受到的是情緒是最真實的，它是某個時間點感受的當下，是每個人人生中留下的刻度。這次ARU在非洲留下時間刻度，下次會在哪裡呢？
小巴廊 44 GALLERY
我們尋找當代藝術與非洲藝術對話的可能 -
2020年第一場合作展，邀請藝術家 孟耿如，其標誌性的風格以"ARU"象徵展開對日常到情感的創作，並呈現不同創作面貌。透過她畫筆下的色彩，從畫作到雕塑方面，“ARU”外星人的形象和動物之間的結合，也傳遞出豐富視覺的無限性。作品給人的第一印象除了純真可愛外，也表達了深刻的想像力與各種情感，從歡樂到安靜的表現，對小巴廊來說就如同非洲部落藝術，天馬行空的想像像是在奇幻的世界裡不受空間、時間的限制產生各種可能....。
我們期望看到兩者相遇共鳴下會有什麼不一樣的對話火花。
In 2020, contemporary artist Meng Gengru embarks on a multi-dimensional exploration of Africa through the character "ARU." The expression is pure and intuitive, much like an alien’s adventurous journey. What new sparks will arise when it collides with the rich imagination of African tribal art?
Meng Gengru: ARU is an alien with a head separate from its body. Like us, it always has an external form and an internal, truest self. In my works, it can be the embodiment of anyone. It has no gender, no specific size. I’ve always hoped that viewers can find a fragment of themselves within my work, a piece that feels like the missing part of their heart. This time, ARU travels to Africa, where everything is strange and full of curiosity. Even the mundane, yes, even the daily human experiences, fascinate ARU. After having to grow up, I always wish I could learn how to be like a child again. In my creations, I’ve tried to strike a balance between the childlike strokes and the emotions of adulthood. This is similar to how everyone, facing the inevitable need to grow, nostalgically misses the simplicity of their original self. This contradictory mixture, I want to define it with an alien!
2458882 is the number assigned to this text based on the astronomer's "Julian Day" calculation. It's like the title of the work itself, and I don’t want to decide its annotation with any words. I believe that what is felt in the work is the emotion, which is the truest. It represents the moment of a certain time, a scale left in each person's life. This time, ARU leaves a time scale in Africa. Where will it be next?
44 GALLERY (Xiao Ba Lang): We are exploring the possibility of a dialogue between contemporary art and African art. For the first collaborative exhibition of 2020, we invited artist Meng Gengru, whose signature style symbolizes her exploration of emotions and daily life through "ARU." Her works present different creative perspectives. Through her use of color in painting and sculpture, the image of "ARU" as an alien combined with animals conveys limitless visual possibilities. The first impression of the work is not only pure and cute but also expresses profound imagination and various emotions, from joy to tranquility. For 44 GALLERY, this is much like African tribal art—wild and boundless imagination, producing endless possibilities in a fantastical world, unconstrained by space or time. We look forward to seeing what kind of new dialogue and sparks will arise from the meeting and resonance between the two.
