黃炳 |《你要熱烈地親親爹哋》
開幕: 2017年2月9日, 6-8pm
展覽日期: 2017年2月10日至3月11日
Wong Ping | Who’s the Daddy
Opening: 9 Feb 2017, 6-8pm
Dates: 10 Feb – 11 Mar 2017
Venue: Edouard Malingue Gallery
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馬凌畫廊將於今年二月榮幸地推出藝術家黃炳在香港的第二次個展《你要熱烈地親親爹哋》(Who’s the Daddy)。展覽將展出兩部探索家庭磨難的全新動畫作品，除此之外藝術家還通過雕塑作為其動畫的延伸，使觀者沉浸在虛構的視覺世界中。黃炳於1984年生於香港，他把長期以來對社會的觀察融入作品之中，所使用的視覺語言既駭人聽聞又令人忍俊不禁，他的創作將蒙昧粗俗與爛漫色彩結合，圍繞性壓抑、個人情緒和政治約束展開敘事。閃爍的畫面，波普般的影像和獨特的音效是構成他藝術實踐的基本元素。
與展覽同名的作品《你要熱烈地親親爹哋》，片名和靈感來自於一首膾炙人口的兒歌，雖然有著歡快的影像和滑稽的人物描繪，觀眾卻感受到顯而易見的陰暗意味。黃炳以其個性化的霓虹色彩和直白風格講述了一個寡廉鮮恥的男人無意間成為父親而養育孩子的故事。對政治身份的探討和無謂確認貫穿影片始終，片首主角將性與左/右翼政治運動作比較，顯然是淺薄的。接著觀眾看到男人試圖以分析約會軟件中潛在對象的側顏照片來判斷其政治信仰。他最終選擇的「匹配對象」是一個有嚴格宗教信仰的女人，兩人之後的感情發展揭示了男人恬不知恥地沉溺在自己的征服欲中，而後對其童年回憶的平行敘事又進一步探索他對於征服欲的盲目迷戀。男人可鄙的懦弱無能，加上女人空洞的宗教信仰使得男主角最後成為了冷酷無情的單身父親。
展覽還將展出一系列源自黃炳動畫的立體作品。通過雕塑、燈箱、霓虹燈和立體印刷，栩栩如生地表現動畫人物及其虛構生活中的特殊時刻。比如作品《M》(2016)展示了《你要熱烈地親親爹哋》中一個殘忍的場景：母親毫無母性地將男主角推到在地，把高跟鞋的細鞋跟刺入他的左眼球，想用這種懲罰消除他可恥的慾望。燈箱作品呈現了近似的影片主題，但更聚焦於父母身份中的陰暗面，它展示了與傳統母親和嬰兒之間親密關係相反的形象，嬰兒吊在母親的手臂中，手臂上沾滿了淋漓的鮮血，那是仍舊與嬰兒身體相連的臍帶裡滴落下來的。道德的非理性和存在的脆弱感進一步通過母親墮胎傳達出來，這雖是一種殘忍行為，但也像是一種救贖。
控制或約束的概念貫穿黃炳動畫的始終；展覽《你要熱烈地親親爹哋》通過一系列行為、幻想和事件，呈現了極端的慾望和痴迷，但它們亦是構成了我們每個人內心深處「邪惡」的羞恥感。儘管如此，黃炳動畫作品的最終意圖並非使人灰心，它們也是歡愉的，只不過以一種陰暗扭曲但又極盡現實的方式表現。通過這樣一種原始和粗糙，他的作品提供了一種非典型的舒適感：即使是最深最私密的情緒或行為也會在他人身上找到共鳴。從這一層面說，黃炳的作品是解放性的也是誠實的，它們宣洩了日常生活中的苦難。
黃炳是備受矚目的香港新晉藝術家。他與M+，NOWNESS和Prada都有過委約合作，近期獲透視雜誌的「四十驕子(Perspective’s ’40 under 40’)」大獎 (2015)。最近，他在巴塞爾邁阿密海灘藝術博覽會(Art Basel Miami Beach)的「青藝初見(NOVA)」 展區展出了個人獨立項目(2016)。他曾在曼徹斯特中國當代藝術中心（CFCCA）完成駐留項目(2015)，並在包括曼徹斯特、香港、伊斯坦布爾、柏林和巴黎在內的全球諸多地區舉辦展覽。他的動畫作品深受比利時、英國、墨西哥以及澳大利亞的國際動畫節青睞，並獲得《紐約時報》《牆紙(Wallpaper)》《藝術節(LEAP)》《亞太藝術(ArtAsiaPacific)》等出版物的廣泛報導。黃炳的作品還被包括香港M+在內幾個博物館永久收藏。
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Flashing, pop-like imagery; visual and auditory narrations that explicitly touch upon sex, politics and social relations; vibrant installations that extend into three dimensions the artist’s fantastical animation world – these are but cornerstones of Wong Ping’s (b. 1984, Hong Kong) practice that combines the crass and the colourful to mount a discourse around repressed sexuality, personal sentiments and political limitations. Hong Kong born and raised, Wong Ping discusses his observations of society, from teenage to adulthood, using a visual language that sits on the border of shocking and amusing. Edouard Malingue Gallery is pleased to present ‘Who’s the Daddy’, Wong Ping’s second solo show in Hong Kong, featuring his new animation works which explores the trials and tribulations of parenthood. In addition to the central animation, after which the exhibition is titled, ‘Who’s the Daddy’ features a second video presented on a notebook, as well as several sculpture works, extending the artist’s visual world throughout the gallery space, immersing the viewer in his challenging fictional sequence.
Despite drawing its name and inspiration from a popular Chinese nursery rhyme, the playful imagery and comically-illustrated characters in ‘Who’s the Daddy’ (2017) depict scenes with a much darker undertone than an initial glance might suggest. Introducing the tale of a disgraceful man who has unexpectedly stumbled across the path of child-rearing, Wong Ping’s characteristically neon hues and explicit style explore the challenges of fatherhood. The futility of political identity is addressed throughout the film beginning with the protagonist’s seemingly superficial comparison of sexuality to left/right-wing political dynamics. The viewer follows the man’s dating app trial as he attempts to evaluate potential partner’s political beliefs by analysing their profile photos. His eventual ‘match’ with a strictly religious woman, and their ensuing relationship, reveals the man’s shameful satisfaction with subjugation, a fetish that is further explored by a juxtaposition of references to his childhood memories. Through a combination of the man’s contemptible powerlessness and the woman’s tenuous religious beliefs, the protagonist ultimately takes on the merciless role of a single father.
Extending throughout the exhibition space are a series of three-dimensional elements, born from Wong Ping’s animated sequences. Segments of the films take the form of two sculptures, a hanging lightbox, a neon sign and two further 3D prints, bringing to physical life their characters and singular moments of their fictional lives. ‘M’ (2017), for example, illustrates a vicious scene from ‘Who’s the Daddy’ where the woman, in an unmother-like manner, pushes the protagonist onto the floor, piercing his left eye-ball using her stiletto heel with the intention of squashing shameful desire through punishment. The lightbox entitled ‘Mammy’ (2017) similarly addresses the film whilst focusing on the darker side of parenthood by presenting a confronting portrayal of traditional mother and child imagery, the baby hanging in her arms replete with dripping blood from the still-attached umbilical cord. The irrational nature of morality and the fragility of existence is further conveyed by the mother’s abortion of her foetuses, an act that seems both cruel as well as a form of atonement.
Running throughout Wong Ping’s animation work is the concept of control or limitation; introducing the poles of desire and obsession, ‘Who’s the Daddy’ presents acts, visions and scenarios that are brutally honest, or indeed, compose our personal, ‘evil’ shame. Ultimately though, Wong Ping’s animations are not meant to be discouraging. They are happy, in a darkly twisted yet realistic manner. Through their rawness, his works provide a sense of uncharacteristic comfort in that even our deepest and most private sentiments or acts are shared by others. In this way, Wong Ping’s work is liberating and perversely honest – a cathartic twist on the trials rooted in daily life.
Wong Ping is one of Hong Kong’s most exciting emerging artists. His animations have been commissioned by M+, NOWNESS as well as Prada and he has recently received one of Perspective’s ’40 under 40’ awards (2015) for his work. Moreover, Wong Ping recently presented a solo project in the NOVA Sector at Art Basel Miami Beach (2016), held a residency at the Chinese Centre for Contemporary Art (CFCCA) (2015) and has held exhibitions internationally in Manchester, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Berlin and Paris, amongst other locations. His animation films have been presented at numerous festivals internationally, form Belgium and the UK to Mexico and Australia, and have been reviewed in the New York Times, Wallpaper, LEAP, ArtAsiaPacific and other publications. Wong Ping’s work is held in several permanent collections including M+, Hong Kong.
