闫嘉芮 ​Gaga Yan

ACENTRICSPACE第107位驻地艺术家

2023年8月驻地艺术家

闫嘉芮

 

No. 107 ACENTRICSPACE Resident Artist

August Resident Artist, 2023

Gaga Yan

 

 关于艺术家 About the Artist 

Ins: @gaga_yan

13926830301yjr@gmail.com

 

闫嘉芮，青年艺术家，加拿大安大略省艺术设计大学OCAD University（Ontario College of Art & Design University) 在读。她关注女权主义，平权与女性意识觉醒和个人意识醒。她通过反思自身的成长环境与经历来探索女权主义与个人意识觉醒对自身的影响与帮助。闫嘉芮常以第三者的视角思考当下的环境，这与她自幼独自去到加拿大留学有着密不可分的关系；起初的中国教育背景使她到了加拿大后感受到了西方教育对她个人观念的冲击。这样的经历使她经常处于自我矛盾的状态，也让她养成了以第三视角思考的习惯。闫嘉芮认为不同文化背景下对于个人的自我意识觉醒有着不同程度的影响，而自我意识的觉醒在她看来是学会自爱的关键一步。闫嘉芮想以委婉的方式向观众展现她的观点，并在她看来每个人都可以是自己世界的中心。

Gaga Yan, a young artist, is currently studying at OCAD University (Ontario College of Art & Design University) in Ontario, Canada. She focuses on feminism, gender equality, women’s consciousness awakening, and personal self-awareness. Gaga explores how feminism and emotional self-awareness impact and assist her by reflecting on her upbringing and experiences. From a third-person perspective, Gaga often contemplates the current environment, influenced by her decision to study abroad in Canada from a young age. Coming from a Chinese educational background, she felt the impact of Western education on her identity upon arriving in Canada. These experiences lead Gaga to frequently grapple with self-contradiction and cultivate a habit of thinking from a third-person viewpoint. She believes that different cultural backgrounds have varying degrees of influence on personal self-awareness, and she sees self-awareness as a crucial step in learning self-love. Gaga wanted to show the audience her point of view in a euphemistic, and in her view, everyone can be the center of their own world.

 过往作品  Previous Works 

痛经 Dysmenorrhea

丙烯颜料，油画颜料，亚麻床单

Acrylic paint, oil paint, bed linen

尺寸可变 Size Variable

4.15-7.10, 2023

我将痛经时期深刻的情感转化为抽象的表达，试图揭示女性痛经这个经常被忽视的话题。我致力于通过作品建立一个围绕这一自然现象进行公开对话的平台，消除任何羞耻感，并强调承认和解决女性痛经经历的重要性。我从自己亲身经历的这种情况中汲取灵感，我通过行动画派/“手势抽象”强调绘画的身体行为。通过我的手势和动作将痛经时期的感受以可视化呈现。在作品展示方面，我运用了悬挂。这是为了营造观众与艺术互动；艺术作品悬挂提供了交流、唤起情感并营造房间氛围的空间。所有这些都是为了提高观众的意识并鼓励女性在这个充满挑战的时期优先考虑自我保健。

 

I transform the intense emotions during my dysmenorrhea period into abstract masterpieces, aiming to unveil the often overlooked topic of women’s menstrual pain. I am dedicated to creating a platform for open dialogue around this natural phenomenon through exceptional artwork, eradicating any sense of shame， and emphasizing the importance of acknowledging and addressing women’s experiences with menstrual pain. Drawing inspiration from my encounters with this situation, I use action painting or ‘gestural abstraction’ to emphasize the physical act of painting. Through my gestures and movements, I visually present the sensations of the menstrual period. In terms of showcasing the artwork, I employ hanging. This fosters interaction between the audience and the art; hanging artworks provide a space for communication, evoke emotions, and create the room’s atmosphere. All of this is done to raise awareness and encourage women to prioritize self-care during this challenging time.

 

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英雄自画像系列 Self-Portrait Series of Heroes

Oil Painting on Canvas 布面油画

40x40cm

120x120cm

120x100cm

2023

我的作品探索了我在过去看的好莱坞电影中观察到的男性凝视时的认识，在以往的好莱坞电影里女性经常被物化。漫威的女性英雄体现了我渴望已久的品质。但直到我被出轨，我才质疑自己为什么要追逐“完美身材”和性格的理想。我质疑这些观念背后的健康和舒适。我的反应是矛盾的；我意识到需要拥抱真实的自我，并重新定义我的“美”。这启发了我创作了此自画像系列，描绘了一种无视社会规范的“完美”。通过背景和人物冲突矛盾的关系，我的目标是展现一部分当代女性的处境。我的本意是想传达，每个人都有潜力成为自己的英雄，超越标准化的理想。在一个没有明确标准的世界里，英雄的出现有着多样的叙述。

My work delves into the perceptions I’ve observed in the male gaze present in Hollywood movies I’ve watched in the past, where women are often objectified. The female heroes of Marvel embody qualities I’ve long desired. However, it wasn’t until I faced infidelity that I questioned why I was pursuing the ideals of a ‘perfect body’ and personality. I challenged the health and comfort underlying these notions; my response was contradictory. I realized the need to embrace my authentic self and redefine my ‘beauty.’ This led me to create self-portraits that depict a ‘perfection’ that disregards societal norms. I aim to showcase contemporary women’s plight through conflicting relationships between background and character. I intended to convey that everyone has the potential to be their hero, transcending standardized ideals. In a world without clear standards, the emergence of heroes holds diverse narratives.

 

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布局 Composition

陶瓷颜料，丙烯材料，陶瓷盘子

Ceramic paint and acrylic material on a porcelain plate

30cm*14cm

30cm*30cm*2

30cm (disc)

2023

 

作品通过锐利瓷砖下棋的意象，展现了对父权意识形态的深刻探索。棋盘上的象征性棋手体现了根深蒂固的性别规范，他们的战略举措反映了权力动态和社会结构。

 

这件艺术品的焦点是一组四块瓷器碎片，每块都装饰着精美的绘画，捕捉了女性人生旅程的关键阶段。从出生的纯真到组建家庭的复杂性，这些阶段象征着社会对女性的期望和角色。从浪漫主义和洛可可法式瓷器中汲取的灵感，为场景注入了梦幻般的气质和浪漫气息，与所描绘的严酷现实形成鲜明对比。

破碎碎片的并置及其随后的重新组装形成了艺术品的中心主题。这个过程反映了我的自我发现和从传统规范的束缚中解放出来的旅程。故意选择拆除这些图像意味着背离既定的理想，并寻求发掘“我”的真实身份。

 

通过断裂与重组的相互作用，我阐明了从内在规范到赋予真正自我定义的权力的转变。这种变形在视觉上表现为瓷器碎片被精心拼凑在一起，体现了我面对过时信仰的胜利进化。最后的画面证明了艺术家拥抱个性和摆脱社会期望束缚的胜利之旅。

 

我考虑到以下棋闻名的马塞尔·杜尚和以打牌者的沉思场景而闻名的保罗·塞尚等艺术家的历史背景，这件艺术品与这些艺术家对策略、沉思和象征主义的探索进行了对话。利用国际象棋的策略元素和纸牌游戏的深思熟虑的氛围来传达艺术家叙事的复杂性，实现丰富而层次的描绘，邀请观众思考社会规范、自我发现和拥抱之间错综复杂的相互作用和个人真实性。

 

The artwork explores patriarchal ideology through the imagery of a chess game played with sharp porcelain tiles. The symbolic players on the chessboard embody deeply ingrained gender norms, and their strategic moves reflect the power dynamics and societal constructs at play.

 

The artwork’s focal point is a set of four porcelain fragments, each intricately adorned with paintings that capture pivotal stages of a woman’s life journey. From the innocence of birth to the complexities of forming a family, these stages symbolize the societal expectations and roles imposed on women. The inspiration drawn from Romanticism and Rococo French porcelain infuses the scene with dreamlike qualities and an air of romance, strikingly contrasting the harsh realities depicted.

 

The juxtaposition of shattered fragments and their subsequent reassembly forms a central theme of the artwork. This process mirrors my journey of self-discovery and emancipation from traditional norms. The deliberate choice to dismantle these images signifies a departure from prescribed ideals and a quest to unearth the “I” authentic identity.

 

I articulate the transformation from internalized norms to the empowerment of genuine self-definition through fracture and reassembly. This metamorphosis is visually represented as the porcelain fragments are carefully pieced together, embodying the victorious evolution in the face of outdated beliefs. The final tableau stands as a testament to the triumphant journey of embracing individuality and breaking free from the constraints of societal expectations.

 

Considering the historical context of artists like Marcel Duchamp, who famously played chess, and Paul Cézanne, known for his contemplative scenes of card players, the artwork engages in a dialogue with these artists’ exploration of strategy, contemplation, and symbolism. The strategic elements of chess and the thoughtful atmosphere of card games are harnessed to convey the complexities of the artist’s narrative, allowing for a rich and layered depiction that invites viewers to ponder the intricate interplay of societal norms, self-discovery, and the embrace of personal authenticity.

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认知的过程 Cognitive process

Oil Painting on Canvas 布面油画

30x40cm

2023

 

我的作品旨在概括人类认知的旅程，追踪从原始感知到当代理解的轨迹。通过非具象绘画的媒介，我努力提炼出这种演变的本质。画布上的每一笔、每一种颜色、每一种形式都是一种视觉隐喻，捕捉了人类从最原始的开端到我们目前的理解状态的复杂发展过程。

 

作品中的非具象反映了认知本身固有的抽象，反映了我们智力进化的复杂性和深度。正如人类认知的发展是一个多方面、错综复杂的过程一样，作品的非具象本质也体现了我们错综复杂的认知旅程。

 

我的作品深入探讨了人类理解的各个层次。视觉隐喻的使用可以细致入微地描绘人类认知的阶段和转变。画布上的视觉元素，无论是笔触、颜色还是形式，都和谐地传达了认知发展的进展。

 

通过拥抱非具象并邀请观众参与自己的解释，该艺术品与人类认知如何通过解释、理解和重新解释而演变的概念相一致。正如国际象棋游戏的解释或纸牌游戏的细微差别会随着时间而改变一样，我们对世界的理解也会随着时间的推移而发展和加深。

 

My artwork aims to encapsulate the journey of human cognition, tracing the trajectory from primal perception to our contemporary understanding. Through the medium of non-representation painting, I strive to distill the essence of this evolution. Every stroke, every color, every form on the canvas serves as a visual metaphor, capturing the intricate process of humanity’s progression from its most primitive beginnings to our current state of comprehension.

 

The non-representation within the artwork mirrors the abstraction inherent in cognition itself, reflecting the complexity and depth of our intellectual evolution. Just as the development of human understanding is a multifaceted and intricate process, the non-representation nature of the artwork embodies the intricacies of our cognitive journey.

 

My artwork delves into the layers of human understanding. Visual metaphors allow for a nuanced portrayal of the stages and transformations in human cognition. The visual elements on the canvas, whether strokes, colors, or forms, work in harmony to convey the progression of cognitive development.

 

By embracing the non-representation and inviting viewers to engage in their interpretation, the artwork aligns with how human cognition evolves through interpretation, understanding, and reinterpretation. Just as the variations of a chess game or the nuances of a card game can change, so does our knowledge of the world evolve and deepen over time.