Liu Wei (b.1965)
Untitled 1-20(Painted in 2013)
Mixed media on paper
70 × 130 cm. 27 1/2 × 51 1/8 in.
Signed in Chinese twice on middle left
Liu Wei's Encoded Garden
A Handwritten Manifesto to Our Time

Liu Wei's legendary oeuvre started from the early 1990's critical art movement “Cynical Realism”. As a leading figure, his creative expression transformed iconography of the past, and boldly inserted content of societal criticism as a response to questioning traditional aesthetics and ideology. In 1989, Liu graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in printmaking, and joined many international events, such as the China Modern Art exhibition, São Paulo Biennale, and the Venice Biennale. Following, his works are widely collected by major museums and institutions, such as the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Hong Kong M+ Museum.

Contemporary Proverbs: “Too Young to Die, Cherishing the Time”

Completed in 2013, Untitled 1-20 is an iconic work of Liu's Ink Landscape on Paper series, The confluence of ink and paper, generated by seamless brushwork creates a form of rhythmic dance, a celebratory beat in remembrance of Chinese traditional ink. While flowers and birds are known to be main theme in Liu's Ink Landscape series, Untitled 1-20 presents Chinese characters amongst an abundance of flowers, allowing symbolism to be filled across the entire surface, and extends the topic of life, which is crafted by our knowledge of wording, idioms and pictorial imagery. Such pairing of words and visual language also challenges our preconceived notion of ink painting, while it constructs an unprecedented response to Modern narrative.

Across the luxurious flower scenery, a thick tree branch is introduced and portrayed from right to left in one smooth brushwork. This important narrative not only creates depth and composition, but also highlights Chinese written format of right to left, and guides viewers to a panoramic view of Liu Wei's encoded garden. The array of flowers conveys the season of Spring, while the centre of the plane situates an oriole bird. On the right, a message of life is apparent by the depiction of skeletons hanging from the branches on the right of the painting. Compared to the abundance of life represented by the flowers, the skeletons are a clear symbol of life. In reference to Adam and Eve, the skeletons in Liu Wei's narrative may be dry and dead, but their remains are purposeful, as they are derived from dust from the ground, created by God. On the left of the branch are two large fruits – a strong indication of vitality provided by nature's environment. As noted, written characters are instilled ambiguously in the background of the flowers and near the skeletons, stating wordings like “God Angel”, “Too Young To Die”, “No Zou To Die”, “No Work No Die”, and “If Work Then No Die”. Such phrases surrounding the notion of ‘work' not only reflects the action of ‘work' in Contemporary society, but also a reminder to live our lives to avoid regrets. Furthermore, these phrases in English and Chinese are a strong demonstration of Liu's perspective and understanding of every era. As the confluence of tradition and contemporary appears, it also signals the lost of the past, a passing of his youth in Liu's memory. As noted in Ming Dynasty's Popular Collection of Traditional Chinese Wise Sayings, the oriole and flowers are indications of spring, and we must cherish the time we have, to live and to teach while freedom exists.

劉煒 (b.1965)
無題1-20(二〇一三年作)
複合媒材 紙本
70 × 130 cm. 27 1/2 × 51 1/8 in.
款識
劉煒 劉煒（左中）

劉煒的繁花密碼
給時代的素箋宣言

作為90年代「玩世現實主義」的領軍人物，劉煒以其標誌性的變形手法，大膽顛覆傳統審美，藉以表達對當下現實處境和社會文化的批判，藝評家栗憲庭曾讚其為「才情畫家」，以「潰爛之處，艷若桃李」來形容其畫風。1989年於中央美術學院版畫系畢業，劉煒自90年代起與方力鈞共同引領詼諧潑皮的玩世現實主義風潮，自此頻頻亮相於中國現代藝術展、聖保羅雙年展等重要國際盛事，並成為首位於1993、1995年連續兩屆獲邀於威尼斯雙年展參展的中國藝術家。其作曾為紐約大都會藝術博物館、舊金山現代藝術博物館、香港M+藝術館等收藏。

鶯花猶怕春光老，豈可教人枉度春

「我畫畫非常尊重自己的心理感受，用自己的方式、方法解讀我眼中的風景，大家一看就知道是我畫的，只有畫家畫得有感覺，才能觸動觀者，才談得上美。」

――劉煒

作於2013年的《無題1-20》為藝術家深具代表性的「繁花素箋」系列之作，承接自2008年開展、達十年之久的水墨風景創作，劉煒由版畫、黑白油彩的創作形式，在此系列中回歸至傳統工筆畫，以細密、繁複和純粹的文人墨韻，召喚對美的感知，正如其所言：「從視覺上來說，這樣的筆觸形感，就是節奏和韻味」。其以花鳥題材的主體外貌，反叛地加入極度個人性、帶挑釁意味的符號言說關乎生命課題的探討，畫中夾雜的題識話語，更變為具自由意志的書寫，以挑戰傳統水墨譜系的姿態，構建鮮活的當代圖景。

作品中，一根橫向貫通畫面的枝條，引導視線的流動，連綿不絕的筆墨如同載於信箋的殷殷之語，不留一絲縫隙地打造著繁花盛景的風情。而當朵朵素花盛放、鳥雀俏立枝頭的美好不斷延伸之時，懸於右端的一對骷髏人卻在靜默中訴說著生死恆常、繁榮與消亡皆為一瞬的辯證性。他們如同「亞當與夏娃」的化身，面如枯槁，肉體卻豐盈如生，垂於枝頭的姿態，與左側結出的兩顆飽滿果實構成生動呼應，在物象的變化和對立中，建立敘事圖景。而若細看其中，兩具骷髏中央寫有「天使 God Angel」，戲謔地闡述著「凡人如花，一世一枯榮、只有神明方可長生」。而那大膽對外展示的青春肉身，正呼應中央勾畫的中英標語「Too Young To Die（把握青春年華）」、「 No Zou To Die（不作而死）」、「不作不死」、「作就不死」。劉煒在此以無定式、無規則的「作」的繪畫姿態，貫穿傳統與現代，將膾炙人口的流行時代語，以中英文對照的多樣性作出關乎「青春易逝」的表述，結合畫中的鮮花與骷髏，化為訴說時代精神最為有力的工具。作品如同明代《增廣賢文》中「鶯花猶怕春光老，豈可教人枉度春」警示之言的當代刻寫，化作一封留存世間的信箋，他以恣意之言、靈動之筆解構水墨古韻，真實而幽默地實踐著藝術家的醒世之思。

回看畫中那悠然自得的鳥兒，濃墨暈染處滲透著意志的昂揚，夾雜的細筆書寫著率性的話語，如實表達著語言與意象在時代中的並進，化為新生的不朽思辨之力。