沈朝方從小時候就喜歡攝影，但他上大學(xué)之前專業(yè)是雕塑大學(xué)時又讀了清華美院的服裝，而喜歡攝影媒介藝術(shù)的興趣反而更加熾烈。這也是為什么他畢業(yè)后報考了北京電影學(xué)院的實驗影像研究生的緣故。從另一方面說，雕塑學(xué)習(xí)的經(jīng)歷也鍛煉了他動手與動腦相結(jié)合的能力，這是創(chuàng)作視覺形象的一種基本訓(xùn)練。所以，當(dāng)他進(jìn)入電影學(xué)院后被流動的影像藝術(shù)所感召，既激發(fā)著他學(xué)習(xí)探索著影像的創(chuàng)作，同時也讓他從視覺文化的角度再認(rèn)識了雕塑意義，故而在創(chuàng)作影像之外也創(chuàng)作了他想象當(dāng)下文化關(guān)系的系列雕塑作品。
正是這些不同背景的學(xué)習(xí)讓沈朝方對自己的藝術(shù)追求有了一些特點。這些特點也契合于當(dāng)代的藝術(shù)特征，如藝術(shù)不再以門類來劃分藝術(shù)家的定位。做一個全面的藝術(shù)家正是今天做藝術(shù)要努力的一個方向。美國著名藝術(shù)家馬修·巴尼就把自己的藝術(shù)稱作“總體藝術(shù)”，他既做雕塑，也創(chuàng)作繪畫，也做行為表演，但他是把所有這些不同類型的藝術(shù)都放到他的影像框架中，呈現(xiàn)的結(jié)果是電影形式和圖片形式，所以是在現(xiàn)實之外的空間里營造了藝術(shù)的想象和藝術(shù)的表現(xiàn)。他所呈現(xiàn)的這一切都超過我們現(xiàn)有單一藝術(shù)形式所能傳遞的含義，可以說，總體藝術(shù)作為一種趨勢獲得了更多藝術(shù)家的青睞和嘗試。如國內(nèi)隋建國也是從雕塑起家，但擴(kuò)展到圖片和影像，不斷延伸自己的藝術(shù)廣域，這等于是藝術(shù)家不斷地拓展一種新的觀察世界、建構(gòu)世界的方式，是藝術(shù)分類之后進(jìn)行綜合整合的一種現(xiàn)象。
沈朝方現(xiàn)在所嘗試的藝術(shù)實踐也是沿著這樣的思路來進(jìn)行的。因為他受到過嚴(yán)格的造型訓(xùn)練，對材料有質(zhì)樸、直覺的敏感，這些都有助于創(chuàng)作總體藝術(shù)的整體感和相互協(xié)調(diào)。如果是單一形式，只會強(qiáng)調(diào)它本身的完善和獨立，但在總體藝術(shù)中，要涉及到鏡頭內(nèi)外的關(guān)系和創(chuàng)作語境的聯(lián)系。對它們的釋讀不能以單一形式判斷，甚至對它們的判斷不是以靜態(tài)的視覺為主，而是確立在時間概念的基礎(chǔ)上，進(jìn)入到總體藝術(shù)的空間中，作為作品的閱讀者要與它們共同構(gòu)成作品的意義鏈條?？傮w藝術(shù)是以內(nèi)外延伸為訴求的，沒有閱讀者的在場，其自身空間的營造目的就沒有達(dá)到。所以，時間成為這類藝術(shù)意義顯現(xiàn)與意義體驗的一個基本維度，讀者在時間中審視了自身的經(jīng)驗，或者契合，或者背離，或者沖突，或者無奈，所有這些都是總體藝術(shù)的基本意圖。
以沈朝方的《芒種》為例，它本身是一次實驗電影的創(chuàng)作，運(yùn)用了道具、現(xiàn)場、模特、氛圍、效果等等，但它不采取一般的電影敘事情節(jié)，排除任何的視覺聯(lián)想，而讓各種視覺元素都具有獨立性，共同構(gòu)成總體藝術(shù)的各個環(huán)節(jié)。于是，《芒種》作為獨立的流動影像，就成為試圖在模糊與不確定之間尋找表達(dá)角度的一次努力。《芒種》的命名就是以拍攝時的時間來確定的，是一次藝術(shù)行為的時間記錄，它作為藝術(shù)行為的座標(biāo)，暗示了這是一次有關(guān)時間意義的開始。盡管如此，《芒種》仍然是新一代藝術(shù)家對傳達(dá)自我感覺與經(jīng)驗的表達(dá)，從中反映了當(dāng)下流動影像的狀態(tài)，是藝術(shù)家借以感悟社會在新的歷史語境之下的迷離氣氛和內(nèi)心的漂浮感。作者營造的氛圍是悠揚(yáng)與無助相伴、惶惑與炫麗交織，而傷感與孤寂籠罩在圖像的流動中，映透在漣漣的清水里。當(dāng)這些圖像轉(zhuǎn)換為圖片時，它們就變成了凝固的時間，將綿綿意緒強(qiáng)化，又與流動影像呼應(yīng)，絢麗成為一種凄美，婉轉(zhuǎn)而無名?！睹⒎N》無論從動態(tài)還是到靜態(tài)，都是希望在真實與非真實之間確立某種溝通的途徑，讓飄逸的身體回到人類象征的歸宿之地。
沈朝方因為年輕，所以勇于嘗試各種媒介和方法，希望在多種選擇中漸漸明確自己的創(chuàng)作主線，確立自己的語言方式?；蛘哒f，這是當(dāng)代藝術(shù)狀態(tài)的普遍趨勢。這次沈朝方將自己的影像作品集中做一次展示，就是為了進(jìn)一步深化自己的藝術(shù)之路，希望得到同仁的反應(yīng)與批評，這是藝術(shù)成長的必經(jīng)之路?？傮w藝術(shù)在中國的發(fā)展，將隨著時間而得到推進(jìn)，其廣度與深度更是需要藝術(shù)家用實踐去探明。沈朝方已開始努力，相信也將深入得走下去。
王春辰
2009-4-14 于中央美術(shù)學(xué)院
Opening the door for the Total Work of Art
--About Shen Chaofang’s image work
Wang Chunchen
From a child, Shen Chaofang likes photography. His interest in photography became stronger even when he learned sculpture before college and specialized in costume design major in his college years.
That was why he entered the Beijing Film Academy as a graduate student to learn the experimental image art. His experience of learning sculpture has also improved his practicing and thinking, which belong to the basic trainings for creating visual images. As he is moved by the mobile image art and inspired to create image works, he appreciates more meaning about sculpture from the visual culture angel and creates a series of sculptures reflecting the current cultural relations
All these makes Shen Chaofang’s own artistic characteristics, which are as well as the characteristics of contemporary art. Nowadays artists are not classified by classification of art. What they pursuit is to be a total artist. The famous American artist Matthew Barney is just the artist who calls his own art the total work of art. He frames different kinds of art like sculpture, painting and performance art all in the image to show them in the form of film and picture. So the space of artistic imagination and representation is constructed beyond the reality. That what he shows conveys much more meaning than any single form of art does. In a matter of speaking, the total work of art has become a trend that more artists prefer to and try. Take the native artist Sui Jianguo for example, he started with sculpture and then extended to picture and image. The extension of artistic areas is for the artists also a new way to understand and construct the world. It’s a phenomenon in integration of the classified art.
Shen Chaofang’s artistic practice has just gone on in this way. Due to the strict modeling training he has a pure, instinct and sensitive feeling for material, which contributes a lot to the wholeness and coordination of the total work of art. The work in single art form could only focus on perfection and independence itself, while the total work of art involves the relations within and without the lens and the creative context. The total work of art can neither be read by judging the single art form nor by static vision. The reader needs entering into the space constructed by the total work of art on the basis of the concept of time to be a part of the work. The construction of the space formed by the total work of art would serve no purpose without the participation of the reader, for the total work of art extends inwards as well as outwards. So time becomes the most basic dimension of the expression and experience of this kind of art. Readers examine their own experience in time, may integrate, may deviate, may clash or be helpless. It’s the basic purpose of the total work of art.
As an example, Shen Chaofang’s work “Grains in ear” is a creation of experimental film. For which property, scene, model, atmosphere and effect are used but without the common film plot of narration and any visual mental association, while each of the elements is independent and forms the link of the total work of art together. So as mobile image art the work “Grains in ear” is trying to find an angel of expression between mistiness and incertitude. “Grains in ear” was just named after the date when it was shot. So it can be seen as time-recording and coordinate of the artistic performance, which implies a beginning concerning time. However, the work “Grains in ear” expresses still the feeling and experience about the new generation of artists themselves. It reflects the situation of current mobile image, which is the means whereby the artists work out to feel and realize the social lost atmosphere as well as the inner unease under the new historical context. The artist built a melodious and hopeless, confused and brilliant atmosphere in this work. Sentiment and loneness shroud the floating of the image and glass themselves in the limpid water. When the images transform into pictures, they turn into the solidification of time strengthening the incessant emotions and mirroring the floating of images. It’s so gorgeous, a ghostly glow-like, unknown but sweet. No matter its dynamic or static state, the work “Grain in ear” is trying to establish some way to communicate and lead the swaying body back to the home of human symbolization.
As a young artist Shen Chaofang has the courage to try different kinds of medium and means in order to make his line of creation as well as his own artistic language clear and definite. Or it could be said that it is the common trend of contemporary artistic situation. In order to carve out the road of the development of art, Shen Chaofang hopes sincerely that this full display of his image works will draw responses and criticism. That is also the only road for reaching the artistic maturity. The total work of art will certainly develop in China with time. The artists need to practise more to indicate its breadth and depth. Shen Chaofang has begun to devote his care to it and will surely go on further.
On April 14th, 2009
At Central Academy of Fine Art
【編輯：張瑜】
