
流傳有緒
To the Provenance
Curator
CHU lok Ting, Natalie
Participating Artists
CHU lok Ting, Natalie CHUI Suet Wai, Doris LAI Wing Yee, Vicky LAU Lee Bowen SAI
策展人
朱樂庭
參展人
朱樂庭、徐雪慧、黎穎兒、劉莉、Bowen SAI
6 June 2021 -- 25 June 2021
Cheng Ming Building, New Asia College, CUHK
2021年6月5日至2021年6月25日
香港中文大學新亞書院誠明館
When learning history, we may rely on the internet, textbooks, documentaries, and other resources. But who authors these materials are, and can their content be fully trusted? Every book can be rewritten, every painting redrawn, and statues, buildings, and dates can be renamed or revised at will. This kind of manipulation may be happening every day, every minute, every second. Apart from the eternal present, nothing else truly exists.
The mainstream narrative of history is often linear, and singular. Only the most decisive figures and events that have the greatest impact on future generations are deemed worthy of documentation, while everything else is considered peripheral. However, history is three-dimensional; countless events occur in the same time and space, yet only a few are recorded.
The writing of mainstream history is inevitably one-sided. Whether we look at textbooks or other historical writings, even documents or historical archives, none of these truly represent history itself. As long as history is written and interpreted through human words and perspectives, it is bound to be subjective, and no record can be fully trusted. If the past still exists, it can only be seen in silent objects.
The exhibition title "To the Provenance" originates from the concept of antiquity collection, implying that every step in the transmission of an artifact is marked by labels, inscriptions, seals, and documentary evidence, making the process of transmission clear and reliable. From a collecting perspective, the spirit of artifact collection is essentially the collection of history itself. This concept also applies to objects that bear history. From ancient times to the present, objects possess a characteristic of transmission that the traces or records left during this process actually document and witness history. By examining the transmission of objects, we can uncover numerous cultural messages that lead to a deeper understanding and interpretation of history.
In this exhibition, participants will embody both artist and researcher roles to confront historical objects. They will sift through fragmented clues, extract logical threads from various historical materials, and use artistic interpretation to combine, reimagine, and piece together fragments that more closely resemble the original state of history. This endeavour aims to uncover the forgotten branches of history or respond to the rigid narratives of mainstream history, challenging the singularity of mainstream historical writing. Reconstructing history cannot rely solely on the one-sided perspectives of those in power; everyone can become a recorder and writer of history. Art provides us with the medium to imagine and recreate history, allowing us to further reflect on our identity and the relationship of our land, and examine the present by revisiting the past.
學習歷史,我們可能透過網絡、教科書、紀錄片等去了解。但這些資料是由誰編寫,當中的內容又能否盡信?每一本書都可以經過改寫,每張圖畫經過重繪,雕像、建築、雕像可以換了名字,每個日期都隨意修訂。這種改頭換面的工作,可能每天每分每秒都在進行。除了永恆的現在外,什麼東西都不存在。
主流歷史的陳述和編纂方式是線性且單一的。往往只有最具決定性、對後世影響最大的人與事才值得被記載,其餘一切被視為旁枝。但歷史是立體的,在同一時空裏,無盡的事情正在發生,但只有寥寥幾樣被記載。
主流歷史的書寫必然是片面,無論看教科書或是其他撰寫的歷史書,甚至文獻或歷史檔案,這些都並不代表歷史本身。只要歷史經由人的言語、視角去編寫、詮釋,就難免是主觀的,沒有一個紀錄可以盡信。如果過去還存在的話,那只能在無言的物件中看到。
展覽名稱「流傳有緒」來自於一文物收藏的概念,意指文物流傳、轉手的每一個步驟都有明白無誤的標記、題款、鈐印、文獻檔案等的證明,其流傳過程明白、可靠。 從收藏的角度來說,收藏文物的精神其實就是在收藏歷史。此概念用於代表歷史的物件上亦然。自古至今,物件都有流傳的特性,一件物件在流傳過程中每每留下的痕跡或紀錄,其實就是記錄歷史、見證歷史的過程。透過檢視物件的流傳,發現物件上諸多的文化訊息,便能達到追本溯源,詮釋歷史的效果。
在是次展覽中,參展者將融合藝術家和研究者的身分,面對象徵歷史的物件,梳理零碎線索,在不同的史料中抽取邏輯線,並運用藝術語彙組合、詮釋及拼湊出更貼近歷史原貌的片段,藉此發掘歷史被遺忘的旁枝,或回應已僵化的主流歷史,顛覆主流歷史編寫恆常的單一性。重組歷史並不能只靠當權者的片面角度,每個人都可以成為歷史的記錄者和書寫歷史的人,而藝術就正正為我們提供了想像和重現歷史的媒介,讓我們藉以進一步思考自身與身分和土地的關係,回顧過去,檢視當下。

CHU Lok Ting, Natalie 朱樂庭
Steles in Kennedy Town 堅尼地城石碑
Ink rubbing on paper, stones 水墨拓印紙本、石頭
2021

LAU Lee 劉莉
No Replacements Found
Photos, paper 相片、紙
2021


CHUI Suet Wai, Doris 徐雪慧
Agarwood 牙香
Ink and colour on silk 水墨設色絹本
2021

LAI Wing Yee, Vicky 黎穎兒
BENEATH THE SUN
Oil on canvas 油彩布本
2021

Bowen Sai
Consent
Ink on paper, projector, the Basic Law
水墨紙本、實物投影機、基本法
2021
Bowen Sai
Censored
The Basic Law 基本法
2021