ACENTRICSPACE八月新展
驻地艺术家闫嘉芮个展
认知的过程：嘎嘎和我
开幕时间：2023年8月27日（周日）下午4点
展览时期：2023年8月27日 – 9月17日
ACENTRICSPACE August Upcoming Exhibition
Resident Artist Gaga Yan‘s Solo Exhibition
The Process of Cognition: Gaga and Me
Opening: August 27th (Sunday) 16:00, 2023
Duration: August 27th to September 17th, 2023
关于艺术家 About the Artist
Ins: @gaga_yan
闫嘉芮（Gaga Yan）的绘画和媒介与绘画的结合中，自我反思,思想意识的矛盾，个人意识觉醒和画面中描绘的浪漫又矛盾的氛围令人联想偏偏。通过深入剖析过去，闫嘉芮将她的个人感受——经历，疑惑，矛盾，和不同教育文化，种族文化，社会文化下对于个人自我意识觉醒到人格建立有不同程度的影响。闫嘉芮希望通过剖析自己的经历并以细腻的自我反思令她的感受更详细和具体化。闫嘉芮认为细腻的情感表达能够使画面更具有直击观众心灵的感染力。
闫嘉芮在中国度过了童年，她的父母对“完美主义”的精神对她对自我要求和了解自己产生了巨大的影响。她的父亲对自身苛刻的“完美”要求和在日本求学经历让她自小在“一丝不苟”， “尽职尽责”和“男强女弱”的观念里成长，而她母亲的温柔善良与随和让她看到了“标准”的女性形象。闫嘉芮自幼就读于半军事化管理的寄宿学校，在青春期即将开始时就独自去到加拿大留学，这让她在半形成的个人观念里受到了西方教育观念的加入。这样的成长经历，使得闫嘉芮经常处于自我矛盾的状态，也让她逐渐养成了“第三视角”思考的习惯。探索自己的认知和成长经历贯穿于闫嘉芮的作品中，揭示了她作为当代女性的自身感受和她逐渐觉醒的女性独立意识与自我意识的深入探讨。
2020年，闫嘉芮在加拿大安大略省艺术设计大学OCAD University（Ontario College of Art & Design University) 学习纯艺Drawing and painting专业。
Gaga Yan’s artwork and the combination of media and painting reflect self-reflection, conflicting thoughts, personal consciousness awakening, and the paradoxical romantic atmosphere depicted in her artworks, evoking a sense of association. Through a deep analysis of her past, Gaga Yan incorporates her personal experiences, uncertainties, contradictions, and the varying degrees of influence that her different educational, racial, and societal backgrounds have on her emotional self-awareness and character development. By dissecting her experiences and engaging in nuanced self-reflection, she aims to make her emotions more detailed and specific. Gaga Yan believes that expressing delicate feelings can imbue her artworks with a compelling impact that resonates directly with the audience.
Having spent her childhood in China, Gaga Yan’s parents greatly influenced her self-expectations and self-understanding through their spirit of perfectionism. Her father’s stringent pursuit of “perfection” and his experiences studying in Japan shaped her upbringing with ideals of meticulousness, diligence, and traditional gender roles. Her mother’s gentleness and affability exposed her to the notion of the “ideal” feminine image. Gaga Yan attended a semi-militarized boarding school from a young age and embarked on her journey to study abroad in Canada during her adolescence, introducing Western educational concepts into her partially formed personal beliefs. Such a background led to internal contradictions within Gaga Yan and nurtured her habit of adopting a “third-person perspective” in her thoughts. Exploring her cognition and growth experiences is a recurring theme in her artworks, revealing her contemporary female experiences and the in-depth exploration of her evolving consciousness of female independence and self-awareness.
In 2020, Gaga Yan pursued a major in Fine Art /Drawing and Painting, at OCAD University (Ontario College of Art & Design University) in Ontario, Canada.
部分展览作品 Selected Works
Oil Painting on Canvas，Ceramic craft
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。画布和陶泥上的每一笔、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。画布和陶泥上的视觉元素，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 and clays, 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 and clays, 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.
英雄自画像系列 Self-Portrait Series of Heroes
Oil Painting on Canvas 布面油画
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.
看不见的脚印 Invisible Footprints
Ink on linen, stone, dead wood
水墨在亚麻布上，石头，枯木
尺寸可变
2023
在朱家角驻地一段时间后，这里对于我来说更像是时间寂静的沉思、孤独的个体、悠哉的灵魂的存在。我好奇这里的石拱桥和石子路与现代化的商业街的共存，当我身处于古老的建筑物中并看到湖对面的商业化的现代别墅区时；我打趣着对旁边的人说，自己好像站在了“时间”的另一端。自然可以记录一些转瞬即逝的时间。我开始在朱家角附近收集不起眼却又随处可见的石头和枯木。将画布垫在石头与枯木下面，并在石头和枯木上涂满墨汁，经过一段时间的大雨，慢慢的形成出有机的痕迹。
在我的作品中，我通过当地生态循环系统的概念来概括我眼中艺术在地性的“本质”。这个作品我尝试“捕捉”时间的痕迹，体现了我对这个地方的体验与思考。我的作品代表了我对个人“自我”与周围环境之间共生相互作用的看法。
After spending some time in Zhujiajiao, it feels more like a place of quiet contemplation, a solitary individual, and the presence of a leisurely soul. I’m curious about the coexistence of stone arch bridges, gravel roads, and the modern commercial street here. When I’m in the ancient buildings and see the commercialized current villa area across the lake, I jestingly tell those around me that it’s as though I’m standing at the other end of ‘time.’ Nature can record fleeting moments. I began collecting inconspicuous yet ubiquitous stones and dead wood near Zhujiajiao. I placed a canvas beneath them and covered the rocks and wood with ink. After a period of heavy rain, organic traces slowly formed.
In my artwork, I encapsulate the ‘essence’/ ‘intrinsic quality’ of local artistry through the local ecological cycle system concept. This work represents my attempt to ‘capture’ time traces, reflecting my experiences and contemplation of this place. My artwork embodies my perspective on the symbiotic interaction between the individual ‘self’ and the surrounding environment.
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