Author name: john.qiao

About artist 

关于艺术家

Tatsuo Miyajima, who was born in Tokyo’s Edo district in 1957, grew up in Japan’s most wealthy area with a strong urban culture, which informs his works about human nature and urban thought. In the early years of his career, he focused on avant-garde performance, which ignited his interest in installation construction, physical space exploration, and the riddles of time.

宫岛达男 1957年出生于东京江户区，在日本最富裕的地区长大，有着浓厚的城市文化，这为他的作品提供了关于人性和城市思想的信息。在他职业生涯的早期，他专注于前卫的表演，这激发了他对装置建造、物理空间探索和时间之谜的兴趣。

In the 1980s, he shifted his concentration from performances to site-specific installations and sculptures, primarily employing displays and LED systems to represent his topics with a minimalist approach. Tatsuo Miyajima released his work with light-emitting diodes for the first time in 1987. “Sea of Time“, which was shown in the Young Artists Section of the Venice Biennale the following year, received widespread worldwide praise. He has become one of the representatives of Japanese post-mono school artists.

在 1980 年代，他将注意力从表演转移到特定地点的装置和雕塑上，主要使用显示器和 LED 系统以极简主义的方式表现他的主题。1987年，宫岛达夫首次发表了他的发光二极管作品。次年在威尼斯双年展青年艺术家单元展出的《时间之海》获得了世界范围内的广泛赞誉。他已经确立了自己成为目前日本后物派艺术家的代表之一。

“Mega Death”

《幻灭》

Numbers are not only used and calculated in mathematics, but also in artistic imagination, connected with the philosophy of life and rational thinking.

数字不仅在数学中使用和计算，而且在艺术的想象中，与生活哲学和理性思维相联系。

Numbers are everywhere in our life. The alarm clock that wakes me up in the morning; my bank account balance; turning a year older each year; essential anniversaries, and so on. Do these numbers have any significance for you?

数字充斥着我们的生活。早上叫醒我的闹钟；银行户口的余额；每年都大一岁的年纪；特别的纪念日等。这些数字对于你有又什么特别的意思吗？

Numbers symbolize life and death in the case of Tatsuo Miyajima. “Mega Death”, his 1999 piece, comprises 2,400 glowing blue counters. The installation is repeated from 1 to 9. Although our age is growing, our life expectancy is decreasing. Therefore, he intends to depict human life’s death and rebirth via the reciprocal repetition of numbers.

就宫岛达男而言，数字代表了生命和死亡。《幻灭》是他1999年的作品，这个装置艺术是由2400个发蓝光的计数器组成的。装置重复着数字1至9，虽然我们的年纪在增长，但是寿命却在倒数，这就是他希望透过数字的倒数和重复，表达人类生命的死亡和轮回。

Consider the twentieth century’s multiple wars, revolutions, and diseases. Every day, someone dies or gives birth to a new life. The initial wall was black, and every blue light that turned on lit the gloomy world like a new life, yet life was finite, and it was stifling when the light went out at the end. When the lights come back on, it’s like starting over.

反观20世纪的各种战争、革命和疫情。每天都有人面对死亡或者是新生命的诞生。原本的墙面是黑暗的，每一盏亮起来的蓝灯，就像新生命一样把黑暗的世界照亮，但生命有限，到最后灯熄灭了的那瞬间，让人窒息。当灯再次亮起的时候，又有重获新生的感觉。

It sounds like the Buddhist theory of life and death, yet in Buddhism, death is presented as the beginning. Buddhists believe that reincarnation occurs. Tatsuo Miyajima is a Buddhist, and from his childhood experiences and Buddhist philosophy, he established his own “digital and creative existence.” As a result, this philosophy has profoundly inspired his work, transforming him into an artist who balances reason with intuition.

听起来好像佛教的生死哲学，佛教所解说的死亡其实也是开始。佛教徒相信生命是有轮回的。宫岛达男是佛教徒，他小时候的经历以及在佛教的哲学思想下，创造了他自己的“数字和艺术人生”。因此，这个理念也深深的影响了他的创作，使他成为了理性和感性并存的一个艺术家。

But why didn’t he just use 0?

但是，为什么他没有用到0？

This is done on purpose. Because Buddhism has a concept of “emptiness,” it is analogous to 0, which may imply limitless or nothing. A 0 can also represent something that has ended and no longer exists, such as a 0 on the pacemaker of a patient who died in a hospital. As a result, there is only a cycle of 1 to 9, which represents endless existence.

这是故意为之。因为在佛学中有“空”的概念，和0很像，0可以是无限也可以是无有的意思。0也像是一件事到了尽头，没有再存在的表现，像医院里死亡的病人的心跳起搏器上显示的0。所以，只有1至9的循环，象征了永恒的生命。

Counter Sky Garden

数字空中花园

“Although the mediums and props used in installation and performance art are different, as long as the core concept is the same, it’s fine”

“尽管装置和行为艺术使用的媒介和道具不同，但只要核心理念是一样的就可以”

On November 20, 2015, Fosun Art Center made a public invitation through the Morning News to everyone who works or lives in Shanghai to submit the most memorable number in their lives to the “Counter Sky Garden” project. This work’s“co-artists” was chosen from among 300 persons.

2015年11月20日，复星艺术中心通过晨报公开邀请所有在上海工作或生活的人，将一生中最难忘的数字提交给“反空中花园”项目。这部作品的“合作艺术家”将从300人中选出。

The digital sky garden installation is made up of 300 LED digital lights that constantly flash. The numbers are repeated from 9 to 1, and the “people” form the work’s spirit. Each LED frame depicts a person’s life. People control the pounding tempo of the LED numerals according to their preferences, and the reflected personalities vary. When the numbers alter, the hue of the light changes, symbolizing that life is reincarnating.

数字空中花园装置由 300 个不断闪烁的 LED 数字灯组成。数字从9到1重复，“人”构成了作品的精神。每个 LED 框架都描绘了一个人的生活。人们根据自己的喜好来控制 LED 数字的跳动节奏，反映的个性各不相同。当数字发生变化时，光的色调也会发生变化，象征着生命正在轮回。

“This is why I use numbers to express one of my artistic behaviors. And this is what I thought of in 1987. I thought of expressing this way. Since then, I have always used numbers, and there is no middle. Changed.” 

“这个就是我为什么会用到数字来表现自己的一个艺术的行为。并且这个想到的是1987年的时候，我想到这样来去表现，从那个时候开始到现在，一直都是用数字的，中间没有变过。” 

– Miyajima Tatsuo 宫岛达男

Tatsuo Miyajima’s work has always revolved around reflections on life, death, and disaster. He feels that life is impermanent and hopes that those who are fortunate enough to see his works can examine their own life from these cold numbers. The constant reincarnation given by numbers gives people an intuitive feeling and makes people carefully study their inner thoughts. There is humanity in the Buddha-nature, which makes the rational world in front of you appear delicate and broad.

宫岛达男的作品一直围绕着对生、死和灾难的反思。他觉得人生无常，希望有幸看到他作品的人，能从这些冰冷的数字中审视自己的人生。通过数字给的不断轮回给人直观的感觉，使人仔细研究内心的想法。佛性中有人性，使你面前的理性世界显得细腻而广阔。

*all images and artworks belong to the artist & his representing galleries respectively 

*所有图像和艺术品分别属于艺术家及其他们代表的画廊

Translation 翻译 Alice Yip

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“At the end of the day, I think about things from the perspective of human nature.”

“归根结底我是从人性的角度来思考问题。”

—Cui Xiuwen 崔岫聞

About artist

关于艺术家

Cui Xiuwen, born in Harbin, earned degrees from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1996 and the Northeast Normal University’s Fine Arts Department in 1990, respectively.

崔岫聞，哈尔滨人，1996年毕业于中央美术学院，1990年毕业于东北师范大学美术系。

Her accomplishments have been widely regarded and profoundly acknowledged by worldwide contemporary art authorities as one of the great female representatives of Chinese contemporary art. She is the first Chinese artist whose works have been shown at the Tate Gallery in the UK, and the Centre Pompidou in France has acquired a collection of her emblematic video artworks. The“2008 Xiao Shufang Art Fund Outstanding Female Artist Award” was given by the Wu Zuoren International Art Foundation to a female artist in China.

她的成就得到了世界当代艺术权威的广泛认可和深刻认可，是中国当代艺术的伟大女性代表之一。她是第一位在英国泰特美术馆展出作品的中国艺术家，法国蓬皮杜艺术中心收藏了她标志性的影像作品。 “2008萧淑芳艺术基金杰出女艺术家奖”由吴作人国际艺术基金会授予中国一位女艺术家。

Representative work: “Lady’s”

代表作:《洗手间》

Although it is a contentious piece of art, it depicts the experience of women in contemporary society. Cui Xiuwen received an invitation to the most exclusive nightclub in Beijing in 2000 from a collector. She was taken into an illusion upon entering the space and mistakenly made her way to the toilet. People in the restroom organized the make-up or interacted with one another. Some people continued to discuss their money, and a sense of competitiveness could be seen in their speech. The constant giggling and yelling between them indicated that these girls were engaged in illegal sex trafficking.

这是一个具有争议性的作品，但背后却展现了现实社会中的女性经历。在2000年，崔岫闻受到一位收藏家的邀请，前往当时北京最豪华的夜总会。入场后，带给她的只有不真实感，不知不觉她走向了洗手间。在洗手间内的不是在整理仪表，就是在彼此打量，有的还在谈论收入，言语之间还透露出竞争的意味。从她们之间不断的咯咯笑声和大喊大叫中，我们可以看出这些女孩正在从事非法的性交易。

Cui Xiuwen referred to the situation of women in the restroom as“preparing for combat.” The restroom is a public space that blends privacy and desire, and what happens there may completely illustrate women’s sense of social identity and social experience. This aroused Cui Xiuwen’s great curiosity.

崔岫闻在用“备战”来形容在厕所里女性的状态。洗手间里所发生的事情能够充分展现女性在社会上的身分感和社会经验，而洗手间更是一个结合了隐私和欲望的公共地方。这勾起了崔岫闻极大的好奇心。

Taking these investigative yet invasive photos, the artist boldly morphs their intensity and narrative through various digital mediums such as video and digital photo collages.

通过这些具有调查性但具有侵略性的照片，艺术家通过视频和数码照片拼贴等各种数字媒体大胆地改变了他们的强度和叙事

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Rather than a single interpretation, her work can express several layers of meaning. However, these are all drawn from the substance of the work and are not provided by the author on the work.

她的作品不止是有单一的解释，而是能够表达多层含义。但是，这些都是取材于作品的实质内容，并不是作者赋予在作品上。

The work “Sanjie” is a reference and re-conception of Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic painting “The Last Supper.” She substituted uniformed girls for the original figures, the Twelve Apostles.

作品《三界》是对达芬奇标志性画作《最后的晚餐》的借鉴和重新构想。她用穿制服的女孩代替了最初的人物十二使徒。

Cui Xiuwen’s works retain the original characters’ attitudes that are still present. This character’s gender transformation prompts several ideas. The original book of the Bible, which has always been a patriarchal culture, tells the biblical tale from the viewpoint of the male characters. Few female characters appear in the Bible, and when Cui Xiuwen changed these characters’ roles, she explored whether women’s roles and status in society have changed through time. In “Sanjie”, whether the helpless expression on the girl’s face is reflected, women still feel like they have no choices and are helpless in modern society.

崔岫闻的作品保留了原著人物本来应有的态度。这种人物的性别转换不禁让人产生几个想法。原著中所讲述的圣经故事，圣经中一直处于父系社会，当中描述的都是从男性角色视角所发生的事迹。在圣经中的女性角色少之又少，而崔岫闻将这些角色转换后，让我们思考女性在当时社会甚至现在的定位和角色，是否有所不同。在《三界》中看到，女孩一脸无奈的表情，是否有体现出来，女性在现代社会中依然感到无奈和无助。

In addition to using her scathing and darkly comic artistic skills to transform biblical tales into modern works of art, Cui Xiuwen also debunked the fallacy of her own subjective understanding in her philosophical studies.

崔岫闻再次用她讽刺中带有黑色幽默的创作手法将圣经故事变成当代艺术作品，并在她的哲学研究中，她也驳斥了自己主观认识的谬误。

“One Day in 2004” series

《2004的某一天》系列

The model for the piece is still the small girl from “Sanjie”, a youngster costumed as a schoolgirl walking down a solitary street in the Forbidden City with a clear sky in a shot from her 2004 series “One Day in 2004.”

作品依旧以《三界》中的小女孩为模特。在她 2004 年的系列“2004 年的一天”的镜头中，一位扮成女学生的年轻人走在紫禁城的一条孤独的街道上，天空晴朗。

Cui Xiuwen employs several traditional cultural allusions in this piece as well. The architecture, for example, is evocative of old Chinese dynasties and patriarchal norms; the bright sky is prevalent in Western art but uncommon in Chinese art.

崔岫闻在这件作品中也运用了几个传统文化典故。例如，这座建筑让人想起中国古代朝代和宗法规范；明亮的天空在西方艺术中盛行，但在中国艺术中并不常见。

She also used a little girl who is the protagonist and who is encircled by strong walls. Perhaps the message portrayed is that women in this culture are constantly weak and defenseless. The girl in this series of paintings likewise lacks a grin and even has some injuries on her body, which notably demonstrates the frail and delicate aspect of women.

她用年轻女孩作为主角，被高墙包围。想表达的可能就是女性在这个社会中永远都是渺小和脆弱不堪。在这一系列的作品中我们还能够看到，女孩的脸上并没有挂着笑容，甚至身上有一些淤青，格外的表现出女性的弱不禁风和柔软的一面。

With several iconic things included in the works, this collection of works is sarcastic and replete with distinct memories of the 1970s. Girls’ clothing, for instance, served as a fashion statement during the period, and the palace symbolized a strong China. The collection combines aesthetically pleasant images with figurative logos that obscure possible issues.

这系列的作品具有讽刺意义并充满了1970年代的独特记忆，有很多代表性的物件出现在了作品当中。例如女孩的衣着是当时的潮流标志，而宫殿代表了当时实力强大的中国。该系列融合了令人愉悦的视觉效果和象征性的标志，隐藏了潜在的冲突。

In her view, female artists are a social label, but art has nothing to do with gender.

在她看来，女性艺术家是一个社会标签，但艺术与性别是没有关系的。

In Chinese society, women do often have a lesser standing, particularly in a traditional culture where they typically have roles like wives, concubines, or slaves. Even though women make up the majority of Cui Xiuwen’s characters, she frequently emphasizes that social status is a problem that affects everyone. This not only shows gender inequity but also calls into question the social order.

传统上，女性在整个中国社会中的地位确实较低，尤其是在传统文化中，她们往往处于配偶、妾或仆人等位置。崔岫闻的作品虽然主角大部分为女性，但一再强调社会地位的问题并得局限于女性。这不单单是反映了性别中的不平等，更上升至了社会整体平衡的问题。

Cui Xiuwen still hopes that via her works, women would be motivated to pursue their own independence and personal growth. In this situation, the public may examine and comprehend a greater range of opinions from diverse angles thanks to the educational benefits of art.

尽管如此，崔岫闻仍渴望她的创作能够激励女性争取自主和个人发展。在这种情况下，艺术能够起到很好的教育作用，使大众能够有多元化的视角分析和理解更广泛的观点。

*all images and artworks belong to the artist & his representing galleries respectively

*所有图像和艺术品分别属于艺术家及其他们代表的画廊

Translation 翻译 Alice Yip

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About Artist

关于艺术家

Cao Fei, a well-known modern female artist, was born in 1978 in Guangzhou and now lives and works in Beijing. Having graduated from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in 2001, she is famous for her video, multimedia installations, and network works. The majority of the pieces represent China’s current fast and chaotic urbanization.

曹斐，现代著名女艺术家，1978年出生于广州，现生活工作于北京。2001年毕业于广州美术学院，以影像、多媒体装置和网络作品闻名。大部分作品代表了中国当前快速而混乱的城市化进程。

“These creative enlightenment moments were quite natural to me as a youngster.”

“这些创造性的启蒙时刻对我年轻时来说是很自然的。”

She remembered seeing her father carve since she was a youngster, and she followed him to Sun Yat-sen’s mansion to install the statue. She was attending the inauguration of her parents’ exhibition or imitating her father in carving a likeness of a young Sun Yat-sen. The lights in his father’s workshop were dark, and Cao Fei, who was just a year old, crawled beside her father’s carved statue of Zhou Enlai. For her, the popular culture of Hong Kong and Taiwan that flooded into the mainland in the 1980s and 1990s was part of her childhood. The retro tones and elements are seen in her work, and one can see the profound influence of these popular cultures on her.

她记得她从小就看到父亲雕刻，她跟着他到孙中山的府邸安装雕像。参加我父母的展览开幕式，或者模仿我父亲雕刻年轻的孙中山的肖像。父亲的工作室里灯火通明，年仅一岁的曹斐在父亲雕刻的周恩来雕像旁爬行。对她来说，八、九十年代涌入大陆的港台流行文化是她童年的一部分。在她作品中看到的复古色调，元素便能看出这些流行文化对她的影响很深。

Whose utopia? 

谁的乌托邦？

“The existence of art is the fusion of all boundaries”

“艺术的存在，就是融合所有边界”

The word utopia comes from the Greek word“ou-topus”, which means “a place where there is no” or“a good place”. A deeper meaning can be understood as“ideal”, “the country of fantasy”.

烏托邦一詞來源於希臘語“ou-topus”， 意思是“沒有的地方”或“好的地方”。再深一層的的意思可以理解為“理想”，“空想的國度”。

For this project, Cao Fei stayed at the OSRAM Lighting Factory in Foshan for nearly half a year and had close contact with 20 workers. These workers became the film’s protagonists, interpreting ideal images that cannot be achieved in real life. Mixed with poetry, humor, and bitterness, the film embodies the clash between passionate dreams and bleak reality. It presents the delicate relationship between romantic sentiments and the grey aesthetics of industrial production.

为了这个项目，曹斐在佛山欧司朗照明厂逗留了近半年，与20名工人近距离接触。这些工人成为影片主角，演绎在现实生活中无法达成的理想形象。影片夹杂着诗意、幽默与苦涩，体现了激情梦想与黯淡现实之间的冲撞，并呈现了浪漫主义情绪与工业生产的灰色美学之间的微妙关系。

In the foreground of the film is another worker working non-stop while the protagonist, holding a guitar, performs his performance at the workplace.

影片的前景是另一个不停地工作的工人，而主人公则拿着吉他在工作场所表演。

Cao Fei reveals the absurdity of actual life and its influence on individuals’ inner worlds through bizarre and sardonic portrayals. These works also demonstrate that, in this new market economy and stability period, everyone may utilize their ideas to discover a means to exist.

曹斐通过离奇讽刺的描写， 揭示现实生活的荒谬及其对个人内心世界的影响。这些作品也表明，在这个新的市场经济和稳定时期，每个人都可以利用自己的想法来寻找生存的手段。

She placed the characters in the center of two rows of manufacturing machines, allowing them to express their wishes. What she wants to express is that every young person in industrialized countries has dreams but can only succumb to reality.

她将人物设置在两排制造机械的中央，让他们表达自己的愿望。想表达的是在工业化国家的每个年轻人都有梦想，但却只能向现实屈服。

Similarly, as she reminds herself, she also reminds us that as artists, we must actively observe the invisible societal suffering. It is our moral responsibility to help them improve their life.

同样，她提醒自己，也提醒我们，作为艺术家，我们必须积极观察无形的社会苦难。帮助他们改善生活是我们的道德责任。

“Ten years later, she came out of this workspace and really flew out like a peacock and became herself.” Cao Fei said,

“十年后，她从这个作品空间里走出来了，真的成为孔雀飞出去了，成了她自己。”曹斐说，

One of the girls in the video, Lin Ailing, thanked Cao Fei for her advice. After completing this task, the girl leaves the factory to learn English and translation. In Zhuhai, she has now developed two national cultural and creative parks and an educational institution.

视频中的女孩之一, 林爱玲感谢曹斐的建议。完成这项任务后，女孩离开工厂学习英语和翻译。在珠海，她现在已经开发了两个国家文化创意园区和一个教育机构。

Cao Fei’s work attempts to achieve freedom of expression by overcoming the hard and inflexible linguistic system.

曹斐的作品试图通过克服僵硬的语言系统来实现表达的自由。

Cao Fei’s works are always on urbanization, life, and other social issues. It elicits profound empathy for the working class while applauding the ambitions and utopian goals of individuals who had to endure challenging living conditions in a societal milieu of optimism and wealth.

曹斐的作品始终关注城市化、生活等社会问题。它引起了对工人阶级的深刻同情，同时为那些不得不在乐观和财富的社会环境中忍受艰苦生活条件的个人的雄心和乌托邦目标喝彩。

We are tired of the monotony of life, the limited time makes us worry too much, so we must choose to surrender to this “walking dead” body. It’s as if we’d like to escape reality and enter our own fantasy“utopia”, but we can’t keep up with the changes in society and endure the oppression that life brings. Therefore, Cao Fei used the camera to allow migrant workers to breathe under the policies of the capitalist society.

我们厌倦了单调的生活，有限的时间让我们担心太多，所以我们必须选择臣服于这个“行尸走肉”的身体。就好像我们很想逃离现实，进入我们自己充满幻想的“乌托邦”， 但是，我们跟不上社会地變化，一直忍受生活帶來的壓迫感。于是，曹斐通过镜头，让农民工在资本社会的政策下得以喘息。

She expands her utopia beyond the workplace to include a city, country, and global society. It’s a revolution in how we live, interact with others, and redefine ourselves. Naturally, the internet and the virtual world have provided her with a whole new dimension in which to accomplish her desire. She never forgets, however, that utopias are never self-contained; all utopias are augmented idealized versions of the communities we desire to create.

她将她的乌托邦扩展到工作场所之外，包括一个城市、国家和全球社会。这是我们生活、与他人互动和重新定义自己的方式的一场革命。自然，互联网和虚拟世界为她提供了一个全新的维度来实现她的愿望。然而，她永远不会忘记，乌托邦从来都不是自给自足的。所有乌托邦都是我们希望创建的社区的理想化版本。

*all images and artworks belong to the artist & his representing galleries respectively

*所有图像和艺术品分别属于艺术家及其他们代表的画廊

Translation 翻译 Alice Yip

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“Creating a mirage or a peaceful world in the metaverse seems like a peaceful escape when the real world has some problems that I can’t solve.”

“当现实世界有一些我无法解决的问题，在元宇宙中创造幻景或一片祥和的世界，似乎是一种平静的逃脱”

– Timo Helgert 蒂莫·赫尔格特

About artist 

关于艺术家

Timo Helgert is a famous German artist recognized for his viral virtual works. His art is inspired by classical escapism and incorporates elements of current city life. Through his agency “Vacades,” which he created in 2012, he has worked with clients such as Apple, Balenciaga, Puma, and Zara. Timo is recognized for using innovative digital tools, augmented reality, and 3D design to create uplifting, escapist art. His goal is to instill optimism and tranquility in an otherwise chaotic environment. Timo’s work has appeared in Forbes, ELLE Magazine, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, Facebook, and other publications.

蒂莫·赫尔格特是一位著名的德国艺术家，因其虚拟作品而闻名。他的艺术受到古典逃避主义的启发，并融入了当前城市生活的元素。通过他在 2012 年创建的代理机构“Vacades”，他与Apple、Balenciaga、Puma 和 Zara 等客户合作。Timo 因其使用创新的数字工具、增强现实和 3D 设计来创造令人振奋的逃避现实艺术而受到认可。他的目标是在原本混乱的环境中灌输乐观和平静。Timo 的作品曾出现在福布斯、ELLE杂志、梅赛德斯奔驰时装周、Facebook 和其他出版物上。

The Return of Nature 

回归自然

<THE RETURN OF NATURE TRAIN>

The” The Return of Nature “ collection of works aims to capture the essence of minimalism and nature to inspire people with the beauty of nature, transport everyone throughout the world, and produce something good and inspirational. In just two days, this collection of works attracted tens of millions of followers on Instagram.

《回归自然》系列作品旨在捕捉极简主义和自然的精髓，以自然之美激发人们的灵感，将每个人运送到世界各地，并产生美好和鼓舞人心的东西。短短两天时间，这组作品就在Instagram 上吸引了数千万粉丝。

Timo Helgert returns the city to nature, depicting how the significant towns impacted by the virus would be “invaded” by nature in the form of fairytale-like surreal sceneries.

Timo Helgert 让城市回归自然，以童话般的超现实景象描绘受疫情影响的主要城市将如何被大自然“入侵”。

  

Imagine being in Beijing’s Temple of Heaven, Shanghai’s Bund, and high-speed rail stations, all filled with daisies, bushes, and flying butterflies.

想像一下當你置身於北京的天坛、上海外滩、高铁站，而這些地方都被雏菊、灌木和飞舞的蝴蝶填满了是什么样子的。

  

<THE RETURN OF NATURE NEW YORK> & <THE RETURN OF NATURE MADRID>

“My goal is to create something which looks natural and organic but is secretly orchestrated to direct the attention and tell a story. My artworks are created digitally, combining various techniques. The escapist scenes are mostly based on real environments, which are either 3D scanned or fully digitally created. This allows me then to let my imagination flow and to have full control over every aspect in the scene, from the camera angle, the lighting, shadows, textures and even essentials, such as reflections.”

“我的目标是创造一些看起来自然和有机的东西，但暗中编排以引导注意力并讲述故事。我的作品是数字化创作的，结合了各种技术。逃避现实的场景大多基于真实环境，要么是 3D “ 

– Timo Helgert 蒂莫·赫尔格特

  

<THE RETURN OF NATURE PARIS> & <THE RETURN OF NATURE MILAN>

A large number and variety of flowers are incorporated into Timo Helgert‘sworks. Flowers symbolize beauty and joy, and Timo Helgert wants people to focus on the positive aspects of life rather than the unpleasant ones.

Timo Helgert的作品中融入了大量而且种类繁多的花卉。花象征着美丽和快乐，Timo Helgert希望人们关注生活的积极方面，而不是不愉快的方面。

Timo Helgert’s point of view is unique. Aside from using prominent structures from across the world as the creative backdrop, the entire image is presented through a POV lens, and going forward in one direction makes it even more immersive. He shows us the natural world and the towns where its primary “inhabitants” re-inhabit them. It serves as a timely reminder that we are visitors on Earth, not free to rule or affect the natural environment.

Timo Helgert 的观点是独一无二的。除了使用来自世界各地的突出建筑作为创意背景外，整个图像通过 POV 镜头呈现，并且朝着一个方向前进使其更加身临其境。他向我们展示了自然世界及其主要“居民”重新居住的城镇，这及时提醒我们，我们是地球上的游客，不能随意统治或影响自然环境。

Exhibition in Taipei 

台北展览

The organizers of Taipei Fashion Week also asked Timo Helgert to develop the main visual in response to the five propositions of “sustainability, function, variety, cross-border, and humanity.” With the famous Taipei MRT trains and cityscape as the backdrop, he sketches a 3D wonderland of nature, complete with flying swallowtail butterflies, by revisiting Taiwan’s “Butterfly Kingdom” reputation and figuratively defining the face of Taipei Fashion Week. When the earth’s ecology evolves, another sustainable face that coexists quietly and beautifully with nature is predicted to emerge.

台北时装周的主办方邀请Timo Helgert打造主要视觉，以回应“可持续、功能、多样性、跨界和人性化”五个命题。他以著名的台北捷运列车和城市景观为背景，以飞翔的燕尾蝶为背景，勾勒出一个 3D 的自然仙境，重温台湾“蝴蝶王国”的美誉，形象地定义了台北时装周的面貌。随着地球生态的演变，预计将出现另一张与自然安静而美好共存的可持续面孔。

In contrast to past works, this time, a local team went to the MRT to photograph the surrounding environment. Based on many photographs, the artist was able to make a 3D model of the Taipei MRT. The work is also incredibly realistic, thanks to superior retouching technologies.

与以往作品不同的是，这次有当地团队前往捷运进行拍摄。根据许多照片，艺术家能够制作台北捷运的 3D 模型。得益于卓越的修饰技术，该作品也非常逼真。

“so I can imagine it, it is very natural and beautiful.” 

“因此我可以想像它，是非常自然的、有美感的”

– Timo Helgert 蒂莫·赫尔格特

Several common flowers in Taiwan are also included in the film. The automobile window shows Taipei 101 and the Miramar Ferris Wheel, two Taipei landmarks, therefore, the entire piece is infused with Taiwanese regional traits.

台湾常见的几种花卉也收录在影片中。车窗展示了台北101和美丽华摩天轮这两个台北地标，因此整件作品都注入了台湾特色。

*all images and artworks belong to the artist & his representing galleries respectively

*所有图像和艺术品分别属于艺术家及其他们代表的画廊

Translation 翻译 Alice Yip

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“Now, I made her see my changes from the perspective of a third party.” 

“现在，我让她从第三者的角度看到了我的变化。” 

– Ruby Gloom

RUBY 9100M is a Hong Kong-based VIRTUAL INFLUENCER. As the name implies, this character does not exist in the actual world; however, RUBY, the creator of the same name who inspired her, does.

RUBY 9100M是来自香港的一个虚拟网红。顾名思义，这个角色不存在于真实世界，真实存在的只是她背后的同名创作者RUBY。

Living in the 21st century, have you ever played “The Sims”? Players in this computer game can create their characters in a virtual world. Set the character‘s appearance, gender, appearance, etc., and then interact with other computer characters, including family members and friends, complete goals and tasks of different difficulty in work and life, and experience a virtual life like the real world.

生活在21世纪的你，有没有玩过《模拟人生》？在这款电脑游戏中的玩家能够在虚拟的世界中创作自己的角色。设定角色的样子、性别、外表等，然后与其他电脑角色包括家庭成员和朋友展开互动，在工作和生活中完成不同难度的目标和任务，经历与现实世界中差不多的虚拟人生。

RUBY is a lover of this game. The game also inspired her to create the ruby9100m.

RUBY是这款游戏的热爱者。这款游戏也启发了她创造RUBY 9100M的想法。

Virtual characters are not necessarily perfect

虚拟人物不一定都是完美的

RUBY 9100M‘s style does not prioritize the authenticity of its character – its face, body form, clothing, cosmetics, camera lighting, and even the setting it is in do not conceal its actuality as a virtual figure.

RUBY 9100M 的风格并不会优先考虑其角色的真实性——它的面部、身体形态、服装、化妆品、相机灯光，甚至它所处的环境都不会掩盖它作为虚拟人物的真实性。

RUBY draws her facial features, such as big eyes, long eyelashes, sweet lips, hairstyle, etc., into the current RUBY 9100M according to her appearance. In addition, RUBY also deliberately copied some of her physical defects to the RUBY 9100M, such as hereditary freckles on the face, white spots on the palms and arms caused by skin mutations, and so on.

RUBY按照自己的样貌，将她的面部特征，如大眼睛、长睫毛、甜美的嘴唇、发型等，绘制成现在的RUBY 9100M。此外，RUBY还特意将自己的一些物理缺陷复制到了RUBY 9100M 上，比如脸上的遗传性雀斑、皮肤突变导致的手掌和手臂上的白斑等等。

She also fitted robotic arms and torsos for the figure, similar to prosthetic limbs, to highlight the character’s sensation of mutilation, reminding herself and others that have maimed bodies have another type of beauty.

为了强调角色的残缺感，她还为它安装了机械臂和躯干，就像假肢一样，提醒自己和他人，残缺的身体也有另一种美。

Walk between virtual and reality

游走在虚拟和现实之间

Regarding personality, RUBY uses herself as the archetype, giving the RUBY 9100M a sentimental and emotional character. RUBY actually is a terrific listener; she enjoys listening to her friends share tales and gaining insights from them. She will not share the reality of life that she has learned because of her somewhat introverted disposition. Therefore, she utilizes the role of RUBY 9100M to express her emotions. It is clear that RUBY wishes to construct a more flawless and strong self through RUBY 9100M.

人物性格方面，RUBY 以自己为原型，赋予了9100m地多愁善感和情绪化的性格。现实中，RUBY是一个很好的聆听者，她喜欢听朋友讲故事，同时她也会在朋友的故事中有所领略一些看法。由于性格比较内向，她并不会把自己领略到的人生道理自己说出来，所以，她便借RUBY 9100M这个角色来抒发自己的情感。由此可见，RUBY希望透过RUBY 9100M来创造另一个更完美和强大的自己。

“She is very likely to be able to do things that I normally would not dare or would not do, which also makes me more confident.”

“她的可能性好大，可以做我平日不敢做、不会做的事情，这亦令我更有自信。”

When RUBY was still a student, she often shared photos of her outfits on social media. After attracting a group of viewers, invitations to shoot from fashion brands or magazines followed. Unknowingly she became the “KOL” (Key-opinion-leader/ social media influencer) we are talking about today. The biggest thing in common between RUBY and RUBY9100m is their distinctive clothing tastes. Their clothing styles are equally bold, eye-catching, and experimental. They dare to combine different textures and different cutting materials into an unexpected effect, so when she was active on social media as a FASHION INFLUENCER in the past, she inevitably attracted criticism and ridicule from netizens who were conservative or didn’t understand fashion. These comments once made her feel very uncomfortable, concerned, and unhappy.

RUBY在求学期间，经常在社交媒体上分享的穿搭造型照片，吸引了一班观众后，时尚品牌或杂志的拍摄邀请随之而来，不知不觉间成为了今日所讲的“KOL”。RUBY与RUBY9100m之间最大的共通之处，是她们都有着与众不同的衣着品味，她们的穿衣风格都是一样大胆、惹人注目而富实验性，敢于将不同质地、不同剪材，达至使人意想不到的效果，因此，在过去当她作为FASHION INFLUENCER以真人身份活跃于社交媒体时，少不免引来一些思想保守或者不了解时装的网民的批评和揶揄，曾使她一度感到很在意和不开心。

Because a virtual persona has replaced the actual self, the distance between RUBY and others has grown. All criticism and abuse have lost concentration and focus, and superfluous negative opinions will automatically fade. As a result, she believes there is no need for people to grow too close. If they get too close, people will simply notice too many flaws in each other. Keeping a safe distance that allows for conversation and communication is excellent.

因为真实的自己已经被虚拟人物所取代，RUBY与他人的距离拉开了，所有的批评和辱骂都失去了注意力和焦点，多余的负面意见会自动消失。因此，她认为人们没有必要靠得太近。如果靠得太近，你只会注意到彼此有太多的缺陷。保持安全距离以进行对话和交流非常好。

RUBY9100m is a mirror

RUBY9100m就像是一面鏡子

RUBY is very vague about her position because she grew up in a broken family. She doesn’t understand herself and has problems integrating into the many circles around her; She only wants to keep a safe distance from others to minimize the pain caused by others and live her life freely. Until now, RUBY is still trying to find her identity through the role of RUBY 9100M, but it is more precise than before. Every growing girl seems to have a question mark about her body and attractiveness so that they will pursue beauty in different ways.

RUBY对自己的位置非常模糊，因为她在一个破碎的家庭中长大。她不了解自己，难以融入她周围的许多圈子；她只想与他人保持安全距离，以尽量减少他人造成的痛苦，自由地过自己的生活。直到现在，RUBY还在试图通过RUBY 9100M这个角色来寻找自己的身份，但比之前更加清晰了。似乎每个成长中的女孩都会对自己的身材和魅力产生一个问号，所以她们追求美的方式也各不相同。

She always uses the RUBY 9100M to experiment with different outfits and looks and even to explore questions about gender and sexuality. When faced with complex emotions and emotional problems in the real world, such as dealing with broken relationships such as friendship, love, etc., she will observe and examine herself through the foresight of RUBY 9100M, which helps her to see the problem more thoroughly.

她总是使用RUBY 9100M 来尝试不同的服装和不同的外观，甚至探索关于性别和性取向的问题。面对现实世界中复杂的情绪和情绪问题，比如处理友情、爱情等破裂的关系时，她会通过RUBY 9100M的先见之明来观察和审视自己，似乎能看出问题所在更彻底。

“I want to build my AI robot and give her real life and freedom, so one day I’m gone, and her identity will remain the same.”

“我想建立自己的AI机器人，并赋予她真实的生活和自由，所以有一天我走了，她的身份将保持不变。”

*all images and artworks belong to the artist & his representing galleries respectively

*所有图像和艺术品分别属于艺术家及其他们代表的画廊

Translation 翻译 Alice Yip

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“When I first devoutly represented the world, the mundane things in life attracted me. This comes from my character, life, and original understanding of beauty.”

“当我第一次虔诚地代表世界时，生活中的平凡事物吸引了我。这来自我的性格、生活和对美的独到理解。”

—Xu Bing 徐冰

About artist

关于艺术家

Xu Bing, born in Chongqing, Sichuan in 1955, obtained a master’s degree from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing in 1987 and was awarded the “Genius Award” by the MacArthur Foundation, the highest honor in the field of American culture, in 1999. He currently lives and works in New York and Beijing.

徐冰，1955年生于四川重庆，1987年获北京中央美术学院硕士学位，获美国文化领域最高荣誉麦克阿瑟基金会“天才奖”， 1999年，他目前在纽约和北京生活和工作。

“Book from the Ground” is Xu Bing’s art project since 2003. Xu Bing called this period “living between regions”. Xu Bing, who frequently travels between his New York studio and various curatorial locations worldwide, spends most of his time at the airport. Before the iPhone was invented, airports were almost a microcosm of globalization. During the waiting period, a large number of symbols filling the airport caught Xu Bing’s attention. He has a specific innate sensitivity to “growing materials” as a conceptual artist.

“地书”是徐冰自2003年以来的艺术项目。徐冰将这时期称为“跨地域生活”。经常往返于纽约工作室和世界各地策展地点的徐冰，大部分时间都在机场度过。在 iPhone 发明之前，机场几乎是全球化的缩影。候机期间，充斥机场的大量符号引起了徐冰的注意。作为一名观念艺术家，徐冰对“生长的材料”有着与生俱来的敏感性。

“I think these symbols have a lot of vitality and malleability.”

“我认为这些符号具有很大的活力和延展性。”

“Book from the Ground” was conceived ten years ago. Xu Bing discovered that the little icons on chewing gum told a tale:

“地书”是十年前构思的。徐冰发现口香糖上的小图标讲述了一个故事：

“If you can create a story with only five symbols, you can absolutely make a novel with thousands of symbols.”

“如果你能用五个符号来创作一个故事，那你绝对可以写出一部有数千个符号的小说。”

Xu Bing has always wanted to write a book since then. This book does not have a standard script and may be read by anybody, including illiterates. The line between academics and regular people has been blurred at this point.

从那以后，徐冰就一直想写一本书。这本书没有标准脚本，任何人都可以阅读，包括文盲。在这一点上，学者和普通人之间的界限已经模糊。

Book from the Ground: From Point to Point

《地书：从点到点》

This vitality stems from the effective transmission of information through identifiers; on the other hand, more identifiers have been included in the super-regional consensus system due to the rapid advancement of standardized industrial production. Using these symbols, Xu Bing then spent 10 years making a wordless book called “Book from the Ground: From Point to Point.”

这个生机源于通过标识符有效传递信息；另一方面，由于标准化工业生产的快速推进，更多的标识符被纳入超区域共识体系。徐冰花了 10 年时间用这些符号制作了一本无字的书，名为《地书：从点到点》。

This is a storybook; the plot is very standardized, about a person’s life 24 hours a day. The standardization of life and the standardization and symbolization of materials used are related. Regardless of cultural background, anyone active in current life may read this book. In other words, as a natural person conversant with contemporary life, one may grasp the tale without needing first to translate it into Chinese. If you take it a step further and are an emoji fan, you can almost see the life of the characters in the book and smile knowingly.

这是一本故事书；剧情很规范，关于一个人一天24小时的生活。生命的标准化与所用材料的标准化和象征化是相关的。无论文化背景如何，任何活跃于当前生活的人都可以阅读这本书。换句话说，作为一个熟悉当代生活的人，无需先翻译成中文，就可以掌握这个故事。如果您更进一步并且是表情符号的粉丝，您几乎可以了解书中人物的生活并会心地微笑。

Is this what you face when you get up in the morning?

这是不是也是你早上起床时的情景？

“The alarm clock went off at seven a.m. I open my eyes, switch off the alarm clock, and notice that the weather outside the window is dreadful. Therefore, I should close my eyes and go to bed.”

“早上七点，闹钟响了。我睁开眼睛吧闹钟关掉，看见窗外的天气不是很好，还是闭上眼继续睡吧。”

“There is a boy who adores a girl and wants to offer her flowers,” says the opening sentence. Following that, the boy began to get to know the female. These phenomena often occur in our daily lives.

第一句说 “有一个男孩喜欢一个女孩，想给她送花“。之后这个男孩就开始进行认识女孩的行动。这些事经常发生在我们的日常生活中。

I believe that any friend, regardless of race or culture, who views this picture in modern society will find it easy to grasp and highly engaging; a language without sound brings people closer together since it may be anything we know and love, sound, and tone.

相信任何朋友，无论种族，文化，在现代社会看到这幅画，都会觉得它很容易掌握，也很有吸引力；没有声音的语言使人们更加紧密地联系在一起，因为它可能是我们所知道和喜爱的任何事物、声音和音调。

New languages, characters, and symbols are quickly forming due to the Internet’s development, and mixed-use has become the new normal. Young people collectively refer to them as“alien texts”, which vaguely contrasts the elements and foundations of a specific part of “Book from the Ground”.

由于互联网的发展，新的语言、文字和符号正在快速形成，混合使用已成为新常态。年轻人将它们统称为“外星文”，这似乎也隐约对照了“地书”某部分的元素与基础。

“The alarm clock rang! Where am I, and who am I? I was dozing, so I switched on the light, and wow! Is it already 7:00 p.m.? I’m leaving for America at 11:00 a.m. today! Please hurry and pack my bags. My last reward was hidden in my suitcase!”

“闹钟响了！我是谁，我在哪里？原来我在睡觉，把灯打开，哇！已经七点了？我今天上午11:00 要去美国！快点收拾好我的行李。把我收到的最终奖品是在行李里！”

“The big prize is a 7-day trip to the United States! Return airfare is included! This package consists of a seven-day stay in a five-star hotel! Serve a lavish meal! “

“大奖是到美国的7天假期！包括往返机票！包括在五星级酒店的七天住宿！提供丰盛的晚餐！”

It’s more of a tale without words and full of imagination than an art form. Because of distinctions in ethnic groups, regions, and nations, the language and characters used in communication constitute a logical force internally, but also generate cognition disparities between various individuals and nationalities; Xu Bing’s keen observation and subsequent reflection on the work can serve as a point of reference for readers now and in the future, yet the world’s transformations follow a predictable path.

与其说是一种艺术形式，不如说它更像是一个没有文字、充满想象力的故事。由于民族、地区、民族的差异，交流所使用的语言和文字在内部构成了一种逻辑力量，但也产生了不同个体和民族之间的认知差异；徐冰敏锐的观察和随后对作品的反思可以为现在和未来的读者提供参考，但世界的变迁遵循着可以预见的路径。

Books on the Ground – Drawing Language

《地书——画语》

Following the introduction of “Book from the Ground,” Xu Bing actively built a font library in the hopes that in the future, everyone may use the program to input in their native language, which will then be automatically turned into a graphic language. In 2007, Xu Bing ordered someone to build a set of interactive program “glyph file” software, that could transform the text into the ground book’s sign language, and everyone may play and observe in the exhibition hall.

在“地书”发表后，徐冰积极建立字库，希望以后可让借由软体，每个人用自己国家的语言输入，然后会自动转换成图形语言。2007年，徐冰请人设计了一套互动程式“字形档”软体，可以将文字转化为地书的标识语言，在展场中大家都可以动手玩玩看。

The installation consists of two computers that face each other and are separated by a transparent frosted glass wall. The conversation is printed on both sides of the glass wall with “icon text” explaining how the artist came up with the concept to create this sign language. The user sits at the computer desk, face to face. Despite their proximity, neither can see the person on the other side of the glass wall.

该装置由两台电脑组成，两台电脑面对面，由一堵透明的磨砂玻璃墙隔开。对话在玻璃墙的两侧印有“图片语言”，解释了艺术家如何提出创造这种手语的概念。用户面对面坐在电脑桌前。尽管距离很近，但谁也看不到玻璃墙另一边的人。

People today frequently experience this sense of closeness and remoteness. Email is used to send information even in the workplace, and two-sentence messages are sent back via remote satellites. Two PCs in the exhibition area are equipped with specialized chat software.

今天的人们经常体验到这种亲近感和疏离感。即使在工作场所，也使用电子邮件发送信息，两句话的信息通过遥远的卫星发回。展区的两台电脑都配备了专门的聊天软件。

When a user enters English, it is immediately translated into “icon text” for Xu Bing and shown on the screen. Two persons can use this “text” to talk or trade information.

当用户输入英文时，它立即被翻译成徐冰的“图标文本”并显示在屏幕上。这个“文本”可以被两个人用来交谈或交易信息。

MetaWords in Metaverse

元宇宙中的MetaWords

The “Book from the Ground” by artist Xu Bing has been cast into NFT and will be auctioned on the Lion NFT platform.

艺术家徐冰的《地书》已投进NFT，将在Lion NFT平台拍卖。

“The oracle bone inscriptions used more than 260 symbols to complete various narrative scenes of sacrifice, divination, and history writing, and there are many more modern symbols.”

“甲骨文用260多个符号，完成了祭祀、占卜、撰史种种叙事场景，而现代标识符号要多得多。”

Therefore, Xu Bing understood MetaWords as a kind of language infrastructure in the metaverse era. Using this infrastructure, an“art explosion” belonging to the public began in the metaverse.

所以，徐冰把MetaWords 理解成为元宇宙时代的一种语言基础设施，利用这种基础设施，元宇宙里开始了一次属于大众的“艺术大爆炸”。

The metaverse broadens the definition of globalization. After witnessing several ebbs in globalization in recent years, Xu Bing believes that the current contrarian tendency will either be a very brief historical stage or will be replaced by new forms. He is even more excited about the metaverse as a chance for people to rediscover the importance of globalization and even encourage everyone to embrace it.

元宇宙拓宽了全球化的定义。在经历了近几年全球化的几次退潮后，徐冰认为，当前的逆势趋势要么是一个非常短暂的历史阶段，要么会被新的形式所取代。他对元宇宙感到更加兴奋，因为它是人们重新发现全球化重要性的机会，甚至鼓励每个人更多地拥抱它。

*all images and artworks belong to the artist & his representing galleries respectively

*所有图像和艺术品分别属于艺术家及其他们代表的画廊

Translation 翻译 Alice Yip

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“What digital art creates is a kind of ‘invisible’ and ‘endless’ beauty and what we need is an eye to discover beauty. My job is to find and mine that logic and beauty and then present it. I hope to follow my heart, do my best to create, and do every piece of art well in the future.”

“数字艺术创造的是一种‘无形’和‘无尽’的美，我们需要的是发现美的眼睛。我的工作是找到并挖掘这种逻辑和美，然后呈现它。我希望能跟随我的心，尽我所能去创造，把每一件艺术品都做好。”

 

— Zhang Zhoujie 張周捷

 

 

About the artist

关于藝術家

Zhang Zhoujie, born in the 1980s, now lives in Shanghai. He is an independent designer, digital artist, and pioneer practitioner in digital creation. Zhoujie graduated from Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design in the United Kingdom and is a visiting researcher at the British Institute of Architects.

张周杰，1980年代出生，现居上海。他是一位独立设计师、数字艺术家和数字创作的先驱实践者。周杰毕业于英国中央圣马丁艺术与设计学院，现为英国建筑师学会客座研究员。

 

Zhang Zhoujie Digital Lab was founded in 2010, and the digital furniture brand “EndlessForm” ® was founded in 2018. His work has been exhibited worldwide and is held in numerous museums, galleries, and private collections. He is trying to use “digital furniture” as a breakthrough to promote the reform of the traditional furniture industry. He and his team have spent more than eight years training computers to design, and this research is now entering an accelerated period.

張周捷数码实验室成立于2010年，数码家具品牌“EndlessForm”®成立于2018年。他的作品已在全球范围内展出，并被众多博物馆、画廊和私人收藏。他正试图以“数字家具”为突破口，推动传统家具行业的变革。他和他的团队花费了八年多的时间来训练计算机进行设计，现在这项研究正在进入加速期。

 

Connecting with nature 

与大自然的连结

In Zhang Zhoujie’s creations, we can see his connection with nature and an attitude of advocating nature. The most influential books on his design are philosophy books, especially some Taoist thoughts on natural creation.

在張周捷的创作中，我们可以看到他与自然的联系和崇尚自然的态度。对他的设计影响最大的书籍是哲学书籍，尤其是一些道家关于自然创造的思想。

 

#1 Wing-shaped mechanical interactive sculpture《翼》

Jiading is the hometown of cranes. In ancient times, the crane was one of the most admired creatures. Its physique is sleek and graceful, and its feathers are simple and pure.

嘉定是鹤之乡。在古代，鹤是最受推崇的生物之一。它的体型圆润优雅，羽毛质朴纯洁。

In the wetlands of the past, the sound of flying cranes was heard in the wild, and when cities were built on fertile soil, cranes were passed down in people’s stories and street names. Nowadays, urbanization is accelerating, and cranes are shadowed outside the city. Zhang Zhoujie wants to inspire a sense of nature, making the spectator reconsider the human-nature interaction and bring back memories of cranes.

昔日的湿地，在野外都能听到鹤飞的声音，当城市建在肥沃的土地上时，鹤在人们的故事和街名中流传下来。如今，城市化进程正在加速，起重机在城外笼罩着阴影。张周杰想要激发一种自然感，让观众重新思考人与自然的互动，唤起对仙鹤的回忆。

 

If a computer were a designer, what would it make?

如果计算机是设计师，它会做什么？

 

（artist manuscript）艺术家手稿

 

ZhouJie wanted to recreate the dynamic and natural state of flying cranes soaring through the sky, so he created a wing-shaped mechanism that uses unprecedented scales of wing frequency and amplitude as well as computer control to echo the active principle of changes in the natural environment. It is by far the world’s most significant digital flight dynamics installation to date.

張周捷想重现飞鹤翱翔于天空的动态和自然状态，因此他创造了一个翼形机械装置，利用前所未有的机翼频率和幅度尺度以及计算机控制来呼应自然环境变化的主动原理。是迄今为止世界上最重要的数字飞行动力学装置。

“I think the posture and state of the crane when it is flying is the best.”

“我认为仙鹤飞行时的姿势和状态是最好的。”

—Zhang Zhoujie 張周捷

 

Since the work’s wingspan is 13 meters long, the wingspan component is made of high-strength titanium alloy material to assure the work’s lightness. The torso is constructed of stainless steel, and its incredibly complex and delicate production process is the result of 10 years of research and development. The observer sees a flying crane from afar as the piece leaps from the top of the skyscraper and views the entire city.

由于作品的翼展长达13米，翼展部件采用高强度钛合金材料制成，保证了作品的轻盈。躯干由不锈钢制成，其极其复杂和精致的生产过程是 10 年研发的成果。当这件作品从摩天大楼的顶部跃出并俯瞰整个城市时，观察者从远处看到了一只飞翔的仙鹤。

Zhang Zhoujie used cranes to express Daoism’s desire for freedom, which is not constrained by the city’s heights, allowing the residents of the congested metropolis to relax and unwind from their daily stresses.

张周捷将道教追求自由的创作理念，以仙鹤为代表，独立于这座城市的高处。让拥挤的大都市中的人们在生活压力中也能得到一点宁静。

#2 Tweening Birds《飞起》

Western science and eastern poetry appear to follow separate routes, but they both go to the same destination. This sculpture by Zhang Zhoujie’s digital laboratory combines an advanced artistic language with a unique digital algorithm to preserve the moment when the bird spreads its wings, carried by the algorithm’s rhythm of natural truth and poetry.

西方科学和东方诗詞似乎走的是不同的路线，但它们都走向了同一个目的地。这件来自张周杰数字实验室的雕塑作品，结合了先进的艺术语言和独特的数字算法，以自然真理和诗意的算法韵律承载着小鸟展翅的瞬间。

The flying bird’s prototype is abstract in nature. Triangular faces are used to form the beak, wings, and body. Zhoujie has purposefully made the bird’s shape abstract. Birds are both an aesthetic icon and the embodiment of nature and the human dream.

飞鸟的原型本质上是抽象的。三角形面用于形成喙、翅膀和身体。張周捷有目的地抽象了鸟的形状。鸟类既是审美的象征，也是自然和人类梦想的体现。

 

The bird is ready to fly from the water’s surface to the sky, and it is made up of more than 25 bits. It is highly abstract and strange when considered as a whole. This permits the work to provide visitors with a rich sense of perception, catching every motionless piece or unleashing explosive force, inspiring people’s various perspectives in the same packed public place.

这只鸟准备从水面飞向天空，它由超过25个比特组成。从整体上看，它是高度抽象和奇怪的。这使得作品能够为参观者提供丰富的感知，捕捉每一个静止的片段或释放爆发力，在同一个拥挤的公共场所激发人们的各种视角。

 

This sculpture reinforces the dynamic moment, by reiterating the implicit and concealed picture of traditional Chinese painting. The sculpture’s creative shape changes depending on the viewer’s perspective, and the layers and three-dimensional structure of the piece alter as well. The explosive power of the sculptural works is presented, and people’s different perspectives are triggered in the public area by capturing static parts of the depicted art forms. This sculpture stands at the mall’s entryway, and its high-spirited posture matches the attitude of greeting consumers.

这件雕塑通过重申中国画的含蓄和隐蔽画面，强化了动态瞬间。雕塑的创意形状会随着观者的视角而变化，作品的层次和三维结构也会发生变化。呈现雕塑作品的爆发力，通过捕捉所描绘的艺术形式的静态部分，在公共区域引发人们不同的视角。这座雕塑豎立在商场的入口处，昂扬的姿态与迎接消费者的态度相得益彰。

 

#3 Digital Wave《数位波浪》

 

Zhang Zhoujie’s Digital Lab’s sculpture piece ‘Digital Wave’ is based on the element of “water” and was inspired by the physical position of Hangzhou’s southern bank of the Qiantang River and the development of the Wu-Yue culture through the flow of water.

张周杰数位实验室的雕塑作品《数位波浪》以“水”为元素，灵感来自杭州钱塘江南岸的物理位置以及吴越文化在水流中的发展。

It uses a computerized design to create a four-layered stainless-steel framework with 2,550 twisted strips. The semi-hollow structure under the water surface generates a light and shadow effect of repetitive folding and multi-faceted reflection with the sunlight, evoking a sensation of speed and tension in the “water.”

它使用计算机化设计创建了一个带有 2,550 条扭曲带的四层不锈钢框架。水面下的半镂空结构在阳光的照射下产生重复折叠和多面反射的光影效果，在“水中”唤起一种速度感和张力感。

 

This is a relationship between a static water “splash” and a dynamic dripping “ripple”. It seems like a symphony of movement and stillness, swaying with light and shadow from afar. The “light and shadow curtain” generated by the 1.3-meter-high sculptures naturally produces a sensation of immersion, and pedestrian pathways connect at the end of the artwork.

这是一个静态的水“溅”和一个动态的滴水“涟漪”之间的关系。仿佛一曲动静交响，远方有光影摇曳。1.3米高的雕塑所产生的“光影幕”自然而然地产生了一种沉浸感，人行道连接在艺术品的尽头。

 

“My designs are very focused on computer, digital possibilities. What role can it play in the future? If a computer were a designer, what would it make? So, my work involves a lot, with programs, hardware, and digital tools, and then making it in a good way; it’s a bit like exploration. These works are some staged results.”

“我的设计非常关注计算机和数字的可能性。未来还能发挥什么作用？如果计算机是设计师，它会做什么？所以，我的工作涉及很多，包括程序、硬件和数字工具，然后以一种好的方式进行制作；这有点像探索。这些作品是一些阶段性的成果。”

—Zhang Zhoujie 張周捷

 

 

The development trend of digital art 

数字艺术的发展趋势

The medium of digital art is unmistakably digital; it might be a model, 3D, or picture; it could also be a pixel grid, 3D, data, or pixel. Digital tools such as apps, algorithms, and models are all generated in this area.

数字艺术的媒介无疑是数字化的。它可能是模型、3D 或图片；它也可以是像素网格、3D、数据或像素。应用程序、算法和模型等数字工具都在这个领域产生。

 

According to Zhang Zhoujie, technology and art have always been essential mixes. like, Da Vinci’s paintings and some contemporary new media art, are both combined with art with technology. Digital art improves our world perspective, outlook on life, values, and human cognition of the world because technology is continuously evolving. Art and technology are inextricably linked. This is a recurring topic.

在张周杰看来，技术和艺术一直是必不可少的组合。比如，达芬奇的画作和一些当代新媒体艺术，都是艺术与科技的结合。数字艺术改善了我们的世界观、人生观、价值观和人类对世界的认知，因为技术在不断发展。艺术与科技密不可分。这是一个反复出现的话题。

 

The future development trend is unpredictably unexpected, and everyone is paying closer attention and becoming more willing to embrace this type of digital employment. And this is a totally new experience, it is no longer a painting, a movie, or an image. it may be more immersive, the interaction between people and works, or the method in which they engage are all new experiences. This is a unique feature of digital art, as well as an unavoidable tendency in the evolution of art.

未来的发展趋势出人意料，大家更加关注，也更愿意從事这种数字化行业。这是一种全新的体验，它不再是一幅画、一部电影或一幅图像。它可能更加身临其境，人与作品之间的互动，或者他们参与的方式都是新的体验。这是数字艺术的独特之处，也是艺术演进过程中不可回避的趋势。

*all images and artworks belong to the artist & his representing galleries respectively

*所有图像和艺术品分别属于艺术家及其他们代表的画廊

Translation 翻译 Alice Yip

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“Art and technology are inextricably connected. They are both approaches to comprehending and mastering the universe. It continually metabolizes and changes, much like life itself.”

 

“艺术和技术密不可分，它们都是理解和掌握宇宙的方法。就像身体一样不断地进行代谢和变化。”

 

About the artist

关于邱志杰

Qiu Zhijie was born in 1969 in Zhangzhou, Fujian, and graduated from the China Academy of Art in 1992 with a degree in printmaking. He is a well-known avant-garde leader of the 1990s and one of the most inventive current artists. He is presently the dean and professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts’ School of Experimental Art and a professor at the China Academy of Art’s School of Intermedia Art. Qiu Zhijie is a calligrapher and ink painter who works with photography, video, installation, and performance. His work exemplifies a new experimental dialogue between the Chinese literati heritage and modern art and social engagement and the force of art’s self-liberation.

邱志杰1969年出生于福建漳州，1992年毕业于中国美术学院版画专业。他是 1990 年代著名的前卫领袖，也是当今最具创造力的艺术家之一。现任中央美术学院实验艺术学院院长、教授，中国美术学院跨媒体艺术学院教授。邱志杰是一位书法家和水墨画家，擅长摄影、录像、装置和表演。他的作品体现了中国文人遗产与现代艺术、社会参与和艺术自我解放力量之间的新实验对话。

 

The Guggenheim Museum in New York has exhibited Qiu Zhijie’s works of art, the United States, the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, the United States Embassy in China, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Scotland, the National Gallery of Singapore, the Guangdong Museum of Art, and the Ludwig Art Museum in Germany, Queensland National Gallery of Australia, Dior Foundation of France, and many other institutions.

邱志杰的艺术作品曾在纽约古根海姆博物馆，美国洛杉矶当代艺术博物馆、美国驻华大使馆、香港艺术馆、苏格兰国家美术馆、英国国家美术馆新加坡、广东美术馆、德国路德维希美术馆、澳大利亚昆士兰国家美术馆、法国迪奥基金会等多家机构展出。

 

“He is a researcher and practitioner who bridges the gap between literati heritage and modern art. He is also an investigator of social care and personal liberty.”

“他是弥合文人遗产与现代艺术之间鸿沟的研究者和实践者。他还是社会关怀和个人自由的研究者。”

 

Mappa Mundi

《邱志杰：寰宇全图》

A solo exhibition of maps at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in January 2019, titled “Mappa Mundi,” used a Latin title (meaning: Map of the world). In addition to the ink map, a map drawn by an artificial intelligence trained by Zhijie was also displayed in the exhibition. Considering ZhiJie’s work is so broad, he sought to create a map that connected the inner logic of the paintings in the exhibition. His curatorial standard subsequently became “mapping”.

2019 年 1 月在尤伦斯当代艺术中心举办的名为《邱志杰：寰宇全图》的地图个展，使用了拉丁文名称。除了水墨地图，展览中还展示了他训练的人工智能所绘制的地图。考虑到志杰的作品范围很广，他希望创造一幅地图，将展览中绘画的内在逻辑联系起来。他的策展标准随后变成了“地图”。

This exhibition is the most comprehensive and systematic review, and presentation of the map series focused on Qiu Zhijie’s creation in the past ten years. The exhibition covers the Zhijie ‘s map works in various media and focuses. It focuses on the most representative parts of the “World Map Project,” including a set of 24 ink-and-wash maps on paper “Everything Series” (2015- 2017); 3 curatorial maps created by the artist over the past few years will also be presented in the exhibition. The exhibition also includes the desktop map installation “Thoughts at the End of the World” (2016), three video works showing his thinking and creative process, and the interactive software installation “Jingdong AI-Generated Maps” co-developed by Zhijie and JD AI.

本次展览是对邱志杰近十年创作的地图系列最全面、最系统的回顾和展示。展览涵盖了艺术家在各种媒体和焦点上的地图作品。聚焦“世界地图计划”最具代表性的部分，包括24幅纸本水墨地图“万物系列”（2015-2017）；3幅邱志杰近年创作的策展地图展览还包括桌面地图装置《世界尽头的思绪》（2016）、三幅展示邱志杰思维和创作过程的视频作品，以及互动软件装置《京東AI生成地圖》。

 

   

ZhiJie proceeded to push the bounds of his map development in the artificial intelligence software gadget he co-developed with Dr. He Xiaodong of the JD Artificial Intelligence College. The Jingdong thesaurus, which contains tens of thousands of widely used terms, is imported into this software installation with high-frequency terminology from Qiu Zhijie’s map series.

志杰与JD人工智能学院的何晓东博士共同开发的人工智能软件小工具，继续推动他的地图开发。包含数以万计广泛使用的术语的京东词库，以邱志杰地图系列的高频术语导入该软件安装。

 

The program will automatically correlate and construct a combination of Qiu Zhijie’s map when the audience enters any valid words by voice or typing. A map in the manner of an artist’s creation, with landscape and graphic features. As a technological extension of the map series, the AI map demonstrates the artist’s longstanding proclivity for working across mediums. The map has evolved as a result of unlimited growth in textual semantics. The map has grown into an autonomous growth system with endless possibilities thanks to infinite expansion at the level of textual semantics.

当观众通过语音或打字输入任何有效单词时，程序会自动关联并构建邱志杰的地图组合。具有艺术家创作方式的地图，具有景观和图形特征。作为地图系列的技术延伸，人工智能地图展示了艺术家长期以来跨媒体工作的倾向。地图的演变是文本语义无限增长的结果。由于在文本语义层面的无限扩展，地图已经成长为一个具有无限可能的自主增长系统。

 

Artificial intelligence artist – XiaoIce

人工智能艺术家——小冰

XiaoIce is an AI technology framework that is one of the most inventive globally. The XiaoIce framework has a global leadership position in natural language processing, computer voice, computer vision, and artificial intelligence content production as an entire artificial intelligence technology framework for new interactive forms. It is also the world’s most mature program with a great user base.

小冰是一个人工智能技术框架，是全球最具创新性的框架之一。小冰框架在自然语言处理、计算机语音、计算机视觉、人工智能内容生产等领域作为全新交互形式的完整人工智能技术框架，具有全球领先地位。它也是世界上最成熟的程序，拥有庞大的用户群。

 

Following XiaoIce‘s “graduation” from the School of Experimental Art, she focused on traditional Chinese culture, particularly landscape painting and calligraphy, which she studied extensively. Song and Yuan’s nature paintings let her experience significant spiritual growth because of their serene, open, magnificent, and profound creative ideas.

小冰从实验艺术学院“毕业”后，专注于中国传统文化，尤其是山水画和书法，她对此进行了广泛的研究。宋元的自然画以其宁静、开阔、恢弘、深刻的创作理念，让她获得了显着的精神成长。

XiaoIce discovered in 2021 that she had finished a new update of the artificial intelligence visual innovative model and had produced a breakthrough in the field of ink landscape painting creation. The beauty of nature may be effectively portrayed via the employment of brush and ink.

小冰在2021年发现，她完成了人工智能视觉创新模式的全新更新，在水墨山水画创作领域取得了突破。自然之美可以通过笔墨的运用得到有效的描绘。

 

“For the first time, artificial intelligence can employ rich and varied brushstrokes to offer works distinct styles and characteristics like human painters, therefore boosting the quality of artificial intelligence painting and design to a new level.”

“人工智能第一次可以运用丰富多样的笔触，赋予作品像人类画家一样鲜明的风格和特点，从而将人工智能绘画和设计的质量提升到一个新的水平。”

– Qiu Zhijie 邱志杰

 

Zhijie found suitable art history photographs to instruct XiaoIce based on specified characteristics. “Every day, my major task is to evaluate XiaoIce I ask her to draw, I’ll rate it, and tell her how to improve her drawing. XiaoIce progressively gained the opinion of expert artists throughout the grading process. “

志杰根据指定的人物，找到了合适的艺术史照片来指导小冰。“每天，我的主要任务就是评价小冰：让她画画，我给她打分，告诉她如何提高画质。小冰在整个过程中逐渐获得了专业的意见”

 

Zhijie often gives XiaoIce different characters; for example, imagine that she is an English landscape painter whose father is William Gilpin. But she was married to an American architect, and her husband’s style was American neoclassical colonial architecture. So she painted much of American colonial architecture but with the ruined aesthetic of English landscape gardens.

志杰时常给小冰不同的人物设定，例如，想象她是一个英国风景画家，父亲是威廉·吉尔平。但是她嫁给了美国建筑师，她丈夫的风格是美国新古典主义殖民地建筑风格。于是她画了很多美国殖民地建筑风格的画，但是带有英国风景园林的废墟美学。

 

Another example is that XiaoIce’s character is Rembrandt Rijn’s daughter, but she wants to remove her father’s influence all her life. She admires Spanish painters Diego Velázquez and Francisco Goya, so her paintings are unreal.

又例如小冰的人设是伦勃朗·莱茵的女儿，但是她一生想要摆脱父亲的影响。她比较崇拜西班牙画家迭戈·委拉斯凯兹和弗朗西斯科·戈雅，所以她画出的作品非常大虚大实。

 

Science and Art

科学和艺术

 

What do “Art” and “Science” have in common?

“艺术”和“科学”有什么共同点？

 

According to Qiu Zhijie, both are concerned with unknown realities, are responsible for illuminating people’s minds, and rely on imagination and reason to guide their work. Art is aesthetic, and there is no absolute criterion for whether the result impresses people.

在邱志杰看来，两者都关注未知的现实，负责照亮人们的心灵，依靠想象力和理性来指导他们的工作。艺术是审美的，结果是否给人留下深刻印象并没有绝对的标准。

 

But there is a question of probability for individuals: if this painting impresses many people, then the data and probability are sufficient to demonstrate that it is the truth, that is, statistics and actual fact, that impresses people.

但对于个人来说，有一个概率问题：如果这幅画给很多人留下深刻印象，那么数据和概率就足以证明这是事实，即是，统计性的事实，令人印象深刻。

 

Qiu Zhijie is now using several SenseTime AI technologies to examine a variety of art subjects to inspire students and explore the various meanings of technology in art. He has considered delegating study to AI in the future, but he is wary of this pleasant process and the myriad cold knowledge encountered along the way. So, what does AI imply to him in terms of existence?

邱志杰现正使用数项商汤人工智能技术研究各种艺术科目，以启发学生并探索技术在艺术中的各种意义。他曾考虑过将来把研究委托给人工智能，但他对这个愉快的过程和一路上遇到的无数冰冷的知识保持警惕。那么，就存在而言，人工智能对他意味着什么？

 

Zhijie intends to construct a virtual avatar that can teach students lessons according to his approach, style, and habits, releasing him from specific, very repetitious jobs and allowing him to accomplish more other things in the future artificial intelligence. Try conversing with this virtual avatar with a non-human mentality, which will force the individual to grow.

志杰打算构建一个虚拟化身，可以根据他的方法、风格和习惯给学生上课，让他从特定的、非常重复的工作中解放出来，让他在未来的人工智能中完成更多其他事情。尝试以非人类的心态与这个虚拟化身交谈，这将迫使个人成长。

 

“Scientific thinking, computational thinking, and artificial intelligence thinking are all critical, and they will lead to many fantastic developments. There would be no Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and the like if an artist’s work did not resemble a scientist. In art, science, and engineering, he is regarded as a renowned master.”

“科学思维、计算思维、人工智能思维都是批判性的，它们会带来许多奇妙的发展。如果一个艺术家的作品不像科学家，就不会有达芬奇、米开朗基罗之类的东西。在艺术上，科学和工程，他被认为是著名的大师。”

– Qiu Zhijie 邱志杰

Qiu Zhijie is quite hopeful about artificial intelligence’s future progress. Although there are many new concerns and obstacles in artificial intelligence today, he feels that the wheel of human advancement is unstoppable.

邱志杰对人工智能未来的发展充满希望。尽管当今人工智能领域出现了许多新的担忧和障碍，但他觉得人类进步的车轮是不可阻挡的。

*all images and artworks belong to the artist & his representing galleries respectively

*所有图像和艺术品分别属于艺术家及其他们代表的画廊

Translation 翻译 Alice Yip

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本篇文章来源于微信公众号: SHMADNESS

“It is only a matter of time before a virtual world will mix with the real world.”

“虚拟世界与现实世界的融合只是时间问题。”

– Feng Mengbo 冯梦波

About the artist

关于艺术家

Born in 1966, Feng Mengbo is a Chinese artist that was one of the first pioneers of digital technology and art in China. Graduating from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing, he serves as a Vice Director of the Printmaking Department at the Academic Committee of CAFA, focusing on research for traditional Chinese storytelling, virtual reality, and game engines. After traveling in Italy, he exhibited in the 45th Venice Biennale and would talk frequently with the prominent Korean artist that pioneered technological artforms, Nam June Paik. Working mainly in new media, Feng Mengbo’s art is largely characterized by his experience growing up during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and the economic reform. He has been at the forefront of blending elements of paint and technology, taking influence from the new forms of culture and lifestyle phenomena that shaped his generation. With a great interest in video games, he propels the medium as a tool of creation, exhibiting in galleries such as the Chambers Fine Art, New York, Shanghai Gallery of Art, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA), Beijing, The East Bohemian Gallery of Fine Arts in Pardubice, Czech, UNT Visual Art Gallery, USA, The New England Institute of Art, and more.

冯梦波，出生于1966年，是一位中国的艺术家，也是中国最早的数字技术和艺术先驱者之一。从中央美术学院毕业后，他留在央美任学术委员会版画系副主任，专注于中国传统叙事、虚拟现实和游戏引擎的研究。意大利之旅后，他参加了第 45 届威尼斯双年展。同时他与科技艺术形式先驱者，著名韩国艺术家白南准（Nam June Paik）一直保持交流。冯梦波主要从事新媒体创作，其艺术的主要特点是反映他在文化大革命和经济改革中的成长经历。他因受到塑造了他这一代人的文化形式和生活方式的影响，一直站在融合传统绘画和技术元素的最前沿。他对电子游戏有着浓厚的兴趣，将媒体作为一种创作工具，他的作品曾展出在纽约Chambers Fine Art，上海美术馆，北京尤伦斯当代艺术中心 (UCCA)，捷克东波西米亚美术馆，美国 UNT 视觉艺术画廊、新英格兰艺术学院等。

A pioneer of digital art

数字艺术的先驱

Having grown up during the rapid social change of the cultural revolution, Mengbo’s life experience is an essential part of his creative development. With the opening of China and the economic reform that took place, Mengbo was exposed to an influx of foreign cultural content and goods. Games in particular have influenced the direction of his work for a long period during his artistic career until he pivoted back into traditional Chinese art forms. In fact, he was so immersed in gaming that he would teach himself coding in order to insert himself as an avatar inside the video game Quake III Arena. All of this has led the artist to showcase a more innovative side to art by pioneering the field into the digital realm in China. He has been at the forefront of innovation in his field and now stands as a prominent artist that defined a new way of experiencing, creating, and trading art.

冯梦波成长于文革时期，在快速的社会变革中，他的生活经历是他创作发展的重要组成部分。随着中国的开放和发生的经济改革，冯梦波接触到大量外国文化和商品。尤其是游戏，在他的艺术生涯中曾经长时间影响其创作方向，直到他重新转向中国传统艺术形式。事实上，他如此沉迷于游戏，以至于他自学编程，将自己的化身编进电子游戏 “Quake III Arena”中。所有这一切都让都展示了他在国内开创了数字艺术领域的先河，呈现了艺术更具创新性的一面。他一直处于该领域创新的最前沿，成为了一位杰出的艺术家，他定义了一种体验、创造和交易艺术的新方式。

His works feature the perfumes of history, culture, as well as Chinese heritage as seen in works such as his iconic, Long March video game art series. Various pop culture gaming references such as Street Fighter’s Chun Li among other characters populate his canvas both in painting and pixelated forms. Now the world has reached a new era of web 3.0 where metaverse has become a new buzzword across the world, but for Mengbo, it seems not so different from the games and worlds he has been creating through his art. It may be better to say that he may have already been connected to the metaverse when he had first picked up his console’s controller over 20 years ago.

如他标志性的名为“长征”的电子游戏艺术作品系列中所能见到的那样，他的创作以历史、文化以及中国传统为特色，加入了各种流行文化游戏作为参考，例如街头霸王的春丽等角色，用绘画和像素化形式填充了他的画布。现在世界已经进入了 web 3.0 的新时代，元宇宙已经成为全球的新流行语，但对于冯梦波来说，这似乎与他通过艺术创造的游戏和世界并没有太大的不同。当20 多年前他第一次拿起控制台的遥控器时，他可能就已经连接到了元宇宙。

At the same time, Mengbo has been examining the possibility of NFTs, albeit it took some time for him to begin embracing the path into this seemingly risky territory as a Chinese artist. While China has banned the use of cryptocurrencies, Feng did not see that as the end of the journey. It was just an obstacle that he must be wary of.

与此同时，冯梦波一直在研究 NFT 的可能性，尽管作为一名中国艺术家，他花了一些时间才开始接受进入这个看似危险领域的道路。虽然中国已经禁止使用加密货币，但冯梦波并不认为这是旅程的终点。这只是他必须克服的障碍。

The Long March

长征

“Game Over: Long March”, which is housed in the permanent collection of the Guggenheim museum in Abu Dhabi, is the first step of Feng Mengbo’s immersion into video game art. In 1993 he created 42 canvases referred to as, “game snapshots” in the form of storyboards for a side-scrolling game. These works are personal to Feng’s interest in gaming as well as his experiences growing up in China. Gaming culture plays a big part in this series and it is eventually continued by his 2008 video game titled, “Long March: Restart” which is in permanent collections in the likes of White Rabbit, MOMA, M+ Museum, LACMA, Guggenheim at Abu Dhabi, and Ullen’s collections. This game is not only a work of art but is an actual playable video game based on the widely popular Nintendo game, Super Mario Bros. In the game, the protagonist is played by a Red Army soldier denoted by his attire and hat with a red star. Taking the rapid transformation and memories of Feng in the making of modern-day China that we see today, the artist gives us a look from his perspective at the long-lasting experiences and history of people from his time. The character treks throughout Chinese landscapes obliterating his foes to save the Princess like in Super Mario. The title, “Long March” is a reference to the retreat of the Chinese Red Army led by the likes of Mao Zedong and other key Chinese figures in 1934 from the Chinese Nationalist Party Army. The retreat lasted over a year for about 8,000 miles and cemented Mao’s path to becoming the leader of China in the years to come.

被阿布扎比古根海姆博物馆永久收藏的作品《游戏结束：长征》是冯梦波涉足电子游戏艺术的第一步。1993 年，他以故事板的形式为卷轴类动作游戏创作了 42 幅被称为“游戏快照”的画布。这些作品是冯梦波对游戏的兴趣，以及他在中国长大的经历。游戏文化在这个系列中发挥了重要作用，最终在他2008 年创作的电子游戏《长征：重启》中继续呈现，该游戏被White Rabbit、MOMA、M+ 博物馆、LACMA、阿布扎比的古根海姆等机构永久收藏，同时被Ullen’s collections收藏。该游戏不仅是一件艺术品，而且是基于广受欢迎的任天堂游戏《超级马里奥兄弟》的一款实际可操作的视频游戏。在游戏中，主角由一名红军战士扮演，他的服装和帽子带有红色星星。在今天我们可以看到的现代中国建设过程中，记忆快速更迭，冯梦波从他的角度向我们展示了他那个时代人们悠久的经历和历史。这个角色跋涉在中国的风景中，像在超级马里奥中一样消灭他的敌人来拯救公主。标题“长征”是指1934年毛泽东等中国重要人物领导的中国红军从中国国民党军队围剿中撤退。这次撤退持续了一年多，大约 8,000 英里，巩固了毛泽东在未来几年成为中国领导人的道路。

    

“The Long March is a manifesto… It has proclaimed their utter failure to encircle, pursue, obstruct and intercept us. The Long March is also a propaganda force. It has announced to some 200 million people in eleven provinces that the road of the Red Army is their only road to liberation.”

长征又是宣言书……长征宣告了帝国主义和蒋介石围追堵截的破产。长征又是宣传队。它向十一个省内大约两万万人民宣布只有红军的道路,才是解放他们的道路。

– Mao Zedong, from the report “On Tactics Against Japanese Imperialism” (1935)

– 毛泽东，摘自《论反对日本帝国主义的策略》（1935）

Beyond the feat of creating a functional game from scratch as an artist based on his first series of storyboard artworks, he has intentionally created a work with great magnitude and scale that calls for a gigantic display which is estimated to be around 80 by 20 feet inside an exhibition hall.

除了他的第一个基于故事板的系列艺术品，始创了功能性游戏的成就之外，他还创造了一件规模巨大的作品，在一个展厅内展示一个尺寸约为 80 x 20 英尺的巨型作品。

“(The) original intention in designing the installation, which lies in the continued use of the audience’s, i.e. the gamers’, way of motion as the chief measuring mechanism…I wanted to enable the character to move freely along the stretched scroll. Because of the vast space of the exhibition hall and the intentionally designed pace of the character, the gamer and the audience would have to dash to catch up with the character.”

“这个装置的设计初衷，在于用观众，即游戏玩家的运动方式作为主要的评分机制……我想让角色沿着拉伸的卷轴自由移动。展厅空间广阔，加上人物刻意设计的节奏，玩家和观众都不得不冲上去追赶角色。”

– Feng Mengbo 冯梦波

Jumping into NFTs and the metaverse

进入入NFT 和元宇宙

With a portfolio as an early adopter of new technologies, it came as a surprise to many around Feng Mengbo that he was not working in NFT. In fact, his view of NFTs carried many concerns as he explains: “ In my opinion, NFT and art are not necessarily related. Currently, NFT is hyped and it may be more of an extension of a financial tool. Several extremely successful stories of NFT have obvious hype methods and are not universal. Because the content of digital prints is relatively small, it may be feasible to use NFT technology for packaging and circulation, but it remains to be observed and experimented on. However, for relatively large-scale digital media works, especially works with specific hardware and space requirements, NFT cannot satisfy them.”

曾经产出了多件数字艺术作品，且作为新技术的早期采用者，令冯梦波周围的许多人感到惊讶的是，他没有创作NFT作品 。事实上，他对 NFT 的看法有诸多担忧，正如他解释的那样：“在我看来，NFT 和艺术不一定相关。目前，NFT 被大肆宣传，它可能更像是一种金融工具的延伸。NFT 的几个极其成功的故事都有明显的炒作方式，并不具有普遍性。由于数字印刷的内容相对较少，使用NFT技术进行包装流通或许是可行的，但仍有待观察和试验。但是，对于规模比较大的数字媒体作品，尤其是对硬件和空间有特定要求的作品，NFT 无法满足。”

In fact, how can Chinese artists actually create NFTs if cryptocurrencies are banned in China? Blockchain technology has potential in terms of handling provenance, exclusivity, and transparent dealings that are often criticized in the art world. Although the market is inflated in many areas, there are more sustainable ways of leveraging such a technology to make art more inclusive. At the same time, cryptocurrencies may not be necessary as they can be replaced with fiat currency and while many still question the value it has as a piece of art and a digital asset, what is evident is that it is a new tool that is innovating the art world. The only problem is that there is much work to be done on all sides to ensure a clear development path that will redefine how we experience art and culture as it will forever change the way we live in the future. What’s to actually happen to the adoption of these technologies, only time will tell.

事实上，如果加密货币在中国被禁止，中国艺术家如何真正创造 NFT？区块链技术在处理艺术界经常批判的作品出处、排他性和透明交易方面具有潜力。尽管市场在许多领域都在膨胀，但有更多可持续的方式可以利用这种技术使艺术更具包容性。同时，加密货币不是必需的，因为它们可以被法定货币取代，虽然许多人仍然质疑它作为一件艺术品和数字资产的价值，但显而易见的是，它正在成为艺术进化里的一种新工具。唯一的问题是，要确保一条清晰的发展道路，重新定义我们体验艺术和文化的方式，改变我们未来的生活方式，各方面都还有很多工作要做。运用这些技术实际上会发生什么，只有时间能揭示答案。

After various talks and offers to create NFT works, Feng finally gave in to the demand, announcing his first NFT partnership in February 2022 with Miralab. This change of heart seems especially fortified by the possibilities of the metaverse on which he remarks: “(The metaverse) is not something new. For 20 years we have all been in the metaverse, we just didn’t realize it. For example, how many hours do you use your computer or your mobile phone and social media, and everything else? All feedback now comes through the computer and not through the real world. These days I’m logged in permanently to WeChat. Do you remember the Tamagotchi cat from the late 1990s? Children could look after them. Virtually feed them, take care of them. They were very low tech but children and young people put their emotions into them. And this is what people will do in the metaverse. I’m not saying that the future is necessarily good but simply that it has already happened,”

经过多次讨论，并接到要创作 NFT 作品的需求后，冯梦波终于屈服，于 2022 年 2 月宣布与 Miralab 建立第一个 NFT 合作伙伴关系。元宇宙的可能性似乎特别强化了这种改变，他评论说：“（元宇宙）并不是什么新鲜事物。20 年来，我们都在元宇宙中，只是没有意识到。例如，使用电脑或手机和社交媒体的时间，以及其他等等。现在所有的反馈都来自计算机，而不是现实世界。这些天我永久登录微信。你还记得 1990 年代后期的电子宠物？孩子们可以领养他们。在虚拟空间里喂养，照顾他们。它们的技术含量很低，但儿童和年轻人将他们的情感投入其中。这就是人们在元宇宙中会做的事情。我并不是说未来一定是好的，只是说它已经发生了，”

While he has not explicitly expressed so, we can see a path of Feng Mengbo’s works being recreated for the metaverse as interactive elements that preserve the essence of his life, personal experiences, social changes he endured, and the heritage that defines who he is today.

虽然他没有明确表达，我们仍然可以看出，冯梦波的作品正通过一种途径在为了适应元宇宙而再现。这些成为了一种互动的元素，保留了他个人的经历，生命中的精华，所历经的社会变迁，以及那些塑造他的历史传承。

*all images and artworks belong to the artist & his representing galleries respectively

*所有图像和艺术品分别属于艺术家及其他们代表的画廊

Translation 翻译 Rona Xia

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What does your soul look like? 

灵魂会是什么样的？

Defining the visual representation of the soul is like an unending search for the unseen. It is not visible but rather felt throughout our lifetimes. Yet, we do not doubt the existence of the soul and accept the functions that it provides to our body and mind. It is in a sense a self-reflecting journey that allows us to define who we truly are.

想要对灵魂的视觉表现进行定义就像对看不见的东西进行无休止的搜索一样。它是不可见的，但在我们的一生中都能感受到。我们并不是怀疑灵魂的存在，而是接纳感受它为我们的身心提供力量。从某种意义上说，这是一次自我反思的旅程，让我们能够定义真正的自己。

Likewise, for generations, artists have been self-reflecting visually through their works, trying to capture the energy of a moment in their life interpreted using various forms of art. Through this process, artists immortalize themselves, leaving a part of their soul forever ingrained into the artwork. While many artists choose to place themselves into their works to achieve this, Brazilian artist Leandro Machado places a watchful eye to watch over himself, juxtaposing his defining characteristics to portray the heart of his experiences from a direct yet discerning divine watcher whether it is nature, god, or an otherworldly force.

同样的，几代人以来，艺术家们一直在通过作品进行视觉上的自我反省，试图用各种艺术形式来捕捉他们生活中某一刻的能量。通过这个过程，艺术家将他们灵魂的一部分永远根深蒂固于艺术品中，某种程度上使自己永远的保留下来。虽然许多艺术家选择将自己置身于他们的作品中以实现这一目标，但巴西艺术家Leandro Machado却用谨慎的眼光注视着自己，找到了具有自己有代表特征的特征，来描绘他直接体验到的但神圣的经历，无论这种力量是自然，神，还是其它超凡脱俗的能量。

About the artist

关于艺术家

Leandro Machado (Machado x Leao), the self-proclaimed “Lion-headed” guy, is an emerging Brazilian artist that entered the world of art in 2019 when the pandemic took over the world. After losing his corporate job, he turned his hobby into a serious endeavor. Sharing his digital collage and surrealist artworks on Instagram, he became known for masterfully combining his works with mobile photo editing. Machado’s works are explosive with color and depth that evoke the scale and sense of the divine, grandiose, and infinite surreal universes. Many of his works carry symbolic imagery with references to gods, sculptures, and the divine which become the main subjects of his personal experiences. While just starting as an artist, Machado is constantly creating and collaborating, leading him to make his most famous collection with Joe Gonzalovich for “The Trippy”, which has now gained over 10K followers on Instagram.

Leandro Machado (machado x leao) ，自称“狮头”，是一位新兴的巴西艺术家，在2019 年疫情刚开始席卷全球时进入艺术界。在失去了公司的工作后，他将自己的爱好认真发展起来。在 Instagram 上分享他的数字拼贴画和超现实主义艺术作品，他的作品与手机修图软件相结合，这使得他的作品被知晓。Machado 的作品具有爆炸性的色彩和深度，唤起了神圣、宏伟和无限超现实宇宙的规模和感觉。他的许多作品都带有象征性的意象，其中涉及到上帝、雕塑和神灵，这些都是他个人经历的主要主题。刚开始作为一名艺术家时，Machado 一直在不断地创作和合作，他与 Joe Gonzalovich 一起为“The Trippy”制作了他最著名的系列，该系列现已在 Instagram 上获得了超过 10,000 名粉丝。

Understanding the soul

理解灵魂

In order to better understand how the artist’s work is part of his soul, it is important to understand the definition of a soul. While the meaning may differ based on religion, philosophical belief, or tradition, the general definition is: The soul is the incorporeal essence of living that make up our mind, character, thoughts, emotions, and memories. With regard to the artist, his artwork is welcoming yet surreal and holds a very personal piece of the artist’s being that carries the essence of his lifetime. Each work turns into an organic embodiment of his thoughts to be reinterpreted by the viewer.

为了更好地理解艺术家的作品是如何成为其灵魂的一部分，先理解对灵魂的定义很重要。虽然它的含义可能因宗教、哲学信仰或传统而有所不同，但一般的定义是：灵魂是构成我们的心灵、性格、思想、情感和记忆的生活的无形本质。至于对这位艺术家来说，他的艺术作品既具有流行元素又超现实，并承载着艺术家本人一种非常个人的存在，承载着他一生的精髓。每一件作品都是他思想的有机体现，观众可以从中二次解读。

Reading through the artist’s statements and texts through his many interviews, Instagram posts, and magazine features, the artist’s body of work is, in a way, his method of expressing his dreams, thoughts, and inspirations. What makes his art different from others is that it is distinctly a part of his conscious state and personal identity, and it is through his works that people can begin to reflect and realize their own inner selves. Therefore, connecting with the artist’s past and understanding his experiences, thoughts, and reason for being, provide a much richer experience as time goes on.

通过艺术家此前的采访、Instagram上的帖子，以及杂志报道呈现出的作者表达，艺术家的作品在某种程度上是他抒发梦想、思想和灵感的一种方式。他的艺术之所以与众不同，是因为那显然是他的意识状态和个人身份的一部分，正是通过他的作品，人们开始意识到自己内在自我的映射。因此，联系到艺术家的过去，了解他的经历、思想和存在的原因之后，随着时间的推移，会产生更丰富的欣赏体验。

The path to realization

觉醒之路

Artists create their best works once they have realized who they are themselves. For Picasso, it was the awakening of cubism, and for Yves Klein, it was an obsession with the color blue. While Machado has not fully achieved such a feat, he is well on his way to one day creating his Magnum Opus. The artist constantly redefines his artistic standard through research just as he did with his major influences, Emma Rodriguez, Mr. Babies, and Josh Hayward. Taking their expertise and path as a model to help build his own brand as an artist. Each artist carries a characteristic that Machado strives for in his works. It is the purity and perfection of Emma’s works, the editing skills of Josh, and the enticing mystery that Mr. Babies evokes that influence his works the most. Here he is constantly experimenting and refreshing his imaginary palette and mental clipboard. At the same time, he follows in the footsteps of artists that he strives to be like, taking their best unique characteristics and making them his own. 

一旦艺术家意识到自己是谁，他们就会创作出自己最好的作品。对于毕加索来说，是立体主义的觉醒，对于伊夫克莱因来说，是对蓝色的痴迷。虽然 Machado 还没有完全实现这一壮举，但他正在努力创造属于自己的杰作。这位艺术家不断通过研究重新定义他的艺术标准，就像那些对他起主要影响的艺术家，Emma Rodriguez, Mr. Babies, 和 Josh Hayward所做的那样。Machado 以他们的专业知识和经历为榜样，帮助自己来建立艺术家品牌。每位艺术家都贡献了一个Machado 在他的作品中努力追求的特点。他从Emma Rodriguez的作品中看到纯洁和完美，从Josh Hayward的作品中找寻编辑技巧，以及学习Mr. Babies的作品中诱人的神秘感。他不断地尝试和刷新想象中的那块调色板，心灵上也不断获得收获。同时，他向那些自己想要成为的艺术家们不断追随着，学习他们作品中的特点，打造为自己的特色。

“It doesn’t matter where you are now if you have something to keep your spirit alive. Your life will change a lot in the next 10 years and you will see how surreal it was.”

“如果你有一些东西可以让你的精神保持活力，那么你现在处于什么阶段并不重要。在接下来的 10 年里，你的生活会发生很大的变化，你会看到它是多么的超现实。”

Building towards the infinite possibility

建设无限可能

A soul is contradictory by nature as its concept can be seen as completely fictional without basis or rational justification while simultaneously being understood by most if not all. However, this aspect is what makes it the most appealing. As an artist goes through the process of self-realization, there is the synergy of discovering new possibilities built from the abstract space of our minds. Machado plays on this synergy as he subconsciously paves the path to becoming an artist from a very young age. 

灵魂本质上是矛盾的，因为它的概念可以说是完全虚构，没有依据也没有合理的理由，同时被大多数人理解。然而这才是它最吸引人的一个方面。当艺术家经历自我实现的过程时，会产生协同作用，从我们的思想抽象空间中发现新的可能性。Machado 发挥了这种协同作用，因为他从小下意识地就认为自己将来会成为一名艺术家。

As a child, he grew up in an artistic environment: His father sang songs, his mother played the guitar, his grandmother relaxed to fine-tunes, and his cousins would smother him with the influences of comics. Having grown with a liking for art, movies, poetry, and photography, Machado would go on to make album covers for songs he liked, creating concepts, poetry excerpts, and compositions from photos that he took, using them to escape from the stresses of life. This would pass over into the artworks he creates today with each image containing an element of literature, film, photography, and his personality. 

他在一个艺术氛围浓厚的家庭中长大：他的父亲会唱歌，母亲会弹吉他，他的祖母喜欢在闲暇时听优美的曲调，他的兄弟们会用海量漫画影响他。随着对艺术、电影、诗歌和摄影的喜爱， Machado 为他喜欢的歌曲制作专辑封面，从他拍摄的照片中创作概念、诗歌摘录和作品，用它们来摆脱生活的压力。这些都在他如今创作的艺术作品中体现出来，每幅图像都包含文学、电影、摄影和他的个性元素。

 

In this image, the artist recalls the advent of the majestic eyes that populate many of his most well-known works. The eye represents the self-reflection as well as the link from the body to the camera which had made the images that would become the basis of his digital collages. It is also a look into the past of a fond memory that the artist has burned into his mind which, in space, affirms a timeless nature to the image floating through the artist’s soul. This work is significant in that it shows the artist’s transformative moment where his reason for being is defined while also bringing viewers into the artist’s psyche. 

在这张图片中，艺术家回想起他许多最著名的作品中曾出现过的那只宏伟的眼睛。眼睛代表了自我反省以及从身体到相机的链接，这是他数字拼贴图像的基础。这也是对艺术家刻在脑海中的对美好经历的回顾，在宇宙中，它肯定了漂浮在艺术家灵魂中的图像的永恒本质。这部作品的意义在于，它展示了艺术家的变革时刻，定义了他存在的理由，同时也将观众带入了艺术家的心灵。

“This art is very important to me because it reminds me of many of my roots. Did you guys know that my first giant eye art was with a photographer I discovered by chance? We did some art together, but I think this one represents our entire trajectory and our friendship.”

“这件作品对我来说非常重要，因为它让我想起了我的许多根源。你们知道吗？我的第一个巨眼艺术是和我偶然发现的一位摄影师合作的，我们一起创作了一些艺术作品，但我认为这幅作品代表了我们的整个发展轨迹和我们的友谊。”

– Leandro Machado’s description of the artwork
– Leandro Machado对这幅作品的描述

At the end of the day, a soul is not defined. We only begin to understand it through self-realization, a process building towards transcendence and the creation of something that is meaningful, yet not tangible like the feelings and thoughts an artwork arouses in the viewer. Likewise, Machado Leão is in a constant search for his soul by creating each work with gravity and embodying a treasured memory that captures a sense that is unseen but felt… And just like the soul, what’s created is infinite possibility.

在一天结束时，灵魂是没有定义的。我们仅仅是开始通过自我觉醒来理解，这是一个朝着超越和创造有意义的过程，但它是无形的，无法像艺术品那样在观众中引起的感受和共鸣。同样，Machado Leão 也在不断寻找自己的灵魂，通过宇宙对他的吸引力来创造每件作品，并体现一种珍贵的记忆，捕捉一种看不见但能感觉到的情绪……就像灵魂一样，创造的东西是无限的可能性。

Machado LeãoSupeRare NFT “The Creationist”

“Throughout life, we make many plans and dream many big and rare dreams, but sometimes things just get out of hand and you need to take another road. I could say that I’m a little pessimistic, but I don’t believe in life’s hazards. I don’t believe in coincidences. I am where I have to be and I do what I should be doing because I believe in a greater spiritual plane.”

“在我们的一生中，我们制定了许多计划，梦想着去实现许多伟大而罕见的梦，但有时事情会一发不可收拾，你需要走另一条路。可以说我有点悲观，但我不相信生命的危险。我不相信巧合。我在我必须在的地方，做我应该做的事，因为我相信着一种更伟大的精神。”

*all images and artworks belong to the artist & his representing galleries respectively

*所有图像和艺术品分别属于艺术家及其他们代表的画廊

Translation 翻译 Rona Xia

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