10號贊善里畫廊二十週年聯展中的攝影作品

中環10號贊善里畫廊最近舉辦二十週年聯展,展出44位來自國內及國際藝術家的作品,當中不乏攝影作品,包括史國瑞用暗箱攝影拍攝的維港景色,榮榮映里夫婦的三聯攝影作品、肖魯的行為藝術攝影作品《15槍……從1989到2003》以及蘇格蘭攝影師John Thomson在十九世紀拍攝的香港面貌。

史國瑞是中國著名針孔攝影家,剛開幕的M+博物館,藏有七件他的作品,可惜並沒收藏他拍攝西九龍及維港的作品《To See Hong Kong Island From Kowloon 15-16 July 2016》,這幅暗箱攝影(Camera Obscura)作品最近在10號贊善里畫廊舉辦的二十週年聯展中展出。

1990年,史國瑞入讀南京師範大學攝影系,開始系統地接觸各種攝影流派,雖然針孔攝影缺乏銳利、精準的構圖,但獨特的視覺效果卻深深吸引他。1998年開始,他放棄先進的攝影器材,專注投入針孔攝影及暗箱攝影的創作,甚至搭建幾米大的暗箱進行拍攝,將影像直接曝光到相紙。暗箱攝影讓他更了解置身其中的創作方式,而在漫長的曝光過程中,他的思緒也隨著時間沉澱得到抒發。他最大的作品長達八米,這對搭建暗箱及後期的沖洗製作,無疑都是很大的挑戰。

二十多年來,史國瑞曾在長城、珠穆朗瑪峰、長江以及紐約時代廣場等地方進行創作,2013年開始,他踏足香港考察及選址,數年間在維港兩岸、跑馬地、大館等地創作出多幅作品。在這幅拍攝西九龍的照片中,他身處環球貿易廣場(ICC)大樓Deutsche Bank會議室,將其改建成巨大的暗箱,在7月15日至16日期間捕捉維港兩岸的景色。

Shi Guorui is a well-known Chinese pinhole photographer. One of his works, “To See Hong Kong Island From Kowloon 15-16 July 2016,” was exhibited at 10 Chancery Lane Gallery’s 20th Anniversary Exhibition recently.

In 1990, Shi majored in Photography at Nanjing Normal University and systematically studied the various genres of photography. Although pinhole photography lacks sharpness, the unique visual effects deeply attracted him. Starting in 1998, he focused on creating pinhole photography. He even built a camera obscura a few meters in size for shooting, exposing the image directly to the photographic paper.

Pinhole Photography has given him a better understanding of the artwork and brings him peace of mind during the long exposure process. His largest work is eight meters long, which is undoubtedly a big challenge for constructing the camera obscura and the image processing.

For more than 20 years, Shi has worked on the Great Wall, Mount Everest, Yangtze River, and Times Square. Since 2013, he has conducted site visits in Hong Kong and created artworks at Tai Kwun, Happy Valley, and Victoria Harbour in the next few years. In this photo taken in West Kowloon, he transformed the Deutsche Bank meeting room of the International Commerce Centre into a colossal Camera Obscura to capture the Victoria Harbour.

《15槍……從1989到2003》(15 Shots…From 1989 to 2003)

1989年2月5日,在中國美術館舉辦的「中國現代藝術展」中,藝術家肖魯在展覽現場向自己的裝置電話亭作品《對話》連開兩槍,成為中國當代藝術史的一個重要時刻。事後,她與幫忙佈置作品的另一位藝術家唐宋被囚禁三天,也促成他們十多年的戀情。

約十五年後,她創作出另一件作品《15槍……從1989到2003》(15 Shots…From 1989 to 2003)。當時,畫家李松松(正是他當年為肖魯提供手槍)為她拍攝手握54式手槍的黑白數碼照片,照片裝裱後運至北京某靶場,肖魯用77式手槍先後向十五張照片開槍,子彈穿透玻璃及照片,在照片中她的額頭、臉龐及眼睛等位置留下槍眼痕跡,宣洩在《對話》作品後隱藏多年的壓力及情緒,藉此也告別他與唐宋近十五年的感情。

在肖魯的網站上,她如此為這幅作品解畫:愛,天知道。恨,地知道。無愛;無恨,鬼知道。我不善理論的闡釋,更無從談論藝術,我只知道真實地生活著。作為一件作品,其表現形式對我來說;它的存在只是一種內心需要。它可以是一幅畫,也可以是一首詩;或者說,它需要的是用一把槍……這一切的一切,都取決於你在特定狀態下的心理走向。它不是用「藝術」這個詞所能解釋的,它是一種求生本能,是你的生命之所在。

On February 5, 1989, artist Xiao Lu fired two shots towards her phone booth installation artwork “Dialogue” at the “China/Avant-Garde Exhibition” held at the National Art Museum of China, which became a crucial moment in Chinese contemporary art history. After the gunshots, she and Tang Song, another artist who helped set up the artwork, were imprisoned for three days, and they became lovers for more than a decade after that.

About fifteen years later, Xiao Lu created another artwork, “15 Shots…From 1989 to 2003.” Painter Li Songsong (who provided Xiao Lu with the gun back then) took a black and white digital photo of Xiao Lu holding a 54-type pistol. The image was mounted and transported to a shooting range in Beijing. Xiao Lu shot each photo with a 77-type pistol bullet. The 15 bullets penetrated the glass and pictures, leaving gun marks on her forehead, face, and eyes in the images. The artwork released her pressure and emotions hidden for many years after the “Dialogue” and bid farewell to her years of relation with Tang Song. 

Xiao Lu describes the artwork on her website as below. 

Love, The sky Knows. Hate, The earth Knows, Without love; Without hate, The devil knows.

I am no good at theoretical explanation and even worse at talking about art. All I know is real life. As a work, it’s from, for me, is just an internal necessity. It can be a painting or a poem. Perhaps it requires a gun. All of this is decided by your own psychological tendencies, your disposition. This is not anything that can be explained by the word “art,” but rather a survival instinct, your very lift.

Pedder Street, The Bund, Hong Kong. Photograph by John Thomson, 1868/1871. Photo credit- Wellcome Collection

蘇格蘭探險家、地誌學家John Thomson(1837-1921)是其中一位最早在香港拍攝的西方攝影師。生於愛丁堡的他,小學畢業後曾在一家光學儀器店做學徒,從中認識攝影的原理,同時就讀藝術夜校。1862年,25歲的他前往新加坡,探望在當地經營照相館的哥哥,從此以新加坡為基地,到處在亞洲各地遊歷,拍攝當地的歷史建築及風土人情,更是首位拍攝吳哥寺的西方攝影師。

1866年,他來到香港,在當時皇后大道中的商業銀行大廈開設照相館,除了用濕版攝影為人們拍攝肖像,閒暇時也喜歡拍攝香港的街頭面貌,中環畢打街的鐘樓、禮賓府、中式騎樓、帆船、轎夫、獅子山,為當時的香港留下珍貴的視覺紀錄,大概也可視為最早期的街拍。

1858年簽訂的《天津條約》,規定英國人及法國人可在中國內地自由遊歷和傳教。1870年底至1871年,他從香港前往中國東南部沿海拍攝,深深被內地的人文風貌吸引。回港後,他賣掉照相館,添置更多攝影材料(如玻璃版、顯影液),抬著木匣子相機、大量感光玻璃版及帳篷(黑房)重返中國內地拍攝,踏足廣州、潮州、廈門、上海、南京、天津、北京、四川等地,還為攝政王奕訢、軍機大臣李鴻章等重要人物拍攝肖像,成為首位深入內地遊歷及拍攝的西方攝影師。1872年從上海回到香港後,他挑選1,200塊玻璃底版帶回英國,其餘的照片則賣給香港的行家。

John Thomson用十年時間在亞洲各地遊歷拍攝,照相機一直陪伴他的旅行,記錄沿途的所見所聞。 1872年回到英國後,他用大量時間整理照片,並出版五套關於中國的著作,包括《中國和中國人照片集》(Illustrations Of China And Its People)、《鏡頭前的舊中國》(Through China With A Camera)等。他是第一位在西方出版圖書介紹中國的攝影師,其著作大大擴闊西方人對中國的認識,也使他名留青史。

The Bund, Hong Kong. Photograph by John Thomson, 1868/1871. Photo credit- Wellcome Collection

Scottish explorer John Thomson (1837-1921) was one of the first western photographers to photograph Hong Kong. He came to Hong Kong and opened a photo studio on Queen’s Road in 1866. In addition to taking portraits of people with wet plate photography(wet-collodion process), Thomson also likes to document the streets of Hong Kong in his spare time, such as the clock tower in Pedder Street, Government House, Sedan chair, and Lion Rock, leaving precious visual records for Hong Kong in the 19th century, which may be regarded as the earliest street photography.

Love The Dream

Date: Now till Jan 2, 2022

Site:10 Chancery Lane Gallery, Central

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