古巴藝術家 阿拉姆娜．孔蒂諾＆艾利克斯．埃爾南德 雙個展

曾代表古巴參展威尼斯雙年展（2019）的藝術家：阿拉姆娜．孔蒂諾與艾利克斯．埃爾南德將首次來台舉辦個展，出生藝術家世家的孔蒂諾對紙張美學情有獨鍾，以精巧的技法創作靜謐 、細膩的紙雕作品；埃爾南德則擁有醫生科學家族背景，他對視覺設計的天賦，加上對科學實驗的熱忱，探索自然與文明發展間的拉扯。兩位藝術家除了將帶來曾於威尼斯雙年展展出的作品外，更將展出一系列以台灣議題為核心的數據紙雕新作。 展覽將於2月6日開始，歡迎大家與我們一同感受藝術實踐中的美學與美德。

This spring, Nunu Fine Art is going to present duo solo of Ariamna Contino and Alex Hernandez Duenas, who both participated in 58th Venice Biennial 2019 representing Cuba. Contino was born into a family of artists. Dedicated in paper-cut, Contino creates serene and delicate works with her refined technique. On the other hand, both of Hernandez’s parents are doctors. Through the talent in visual design, and the passion for science experiment, he dig into the relationship between mother nature and human civilization. The featured art works include the ones exhibited in Venice Biennial (2019), and also the new series of paper cut works centred various issues in Taiwan. Their first exhibition in Taiwan will be opened on Feb 6th. Please be invited to discover the aesthetics and ethics in Ariamna Contino and Alex Hernandez Duenas’s artistic practice.

 

創作中的孔蒂諾及埃爾南德

 

失去訊號的紙造機房 No Signal in the Paper Control Room

2014年開始，古巴藝術家孔蒂諾和埃爾南德便以夥伴身份創作一系列風格極簡、背後卻深藏社會政治數據的紙上作品：《美學鬥志》系列。此系列創作不輟，首次來台展覽更展出一系列以台灣數據為背景的新作。該系列的展出讓人彷彿置身被無數監控螢幕環繞的電腦機房，惟不似機房難解的混亂，反而靜謐、神秘、暗藏不祥。儘管每件作品名皆指向特定的統計數據，但唯有精密裁切如圖表的形狀暗示了作品的語境：簡潔的畫面實由一連串研究演繹而成，繁瑣的調查過程皆為純淨的白紙所噤聲。

In a collaborative effort by Ariamna Contino and Alex Hernández-Dueñas, a minimalist array of what appear to be numberless graphs and charts make up the series Aesthetic Militancy, which they began in 2014 and remains ongoing to this day. In this first show in Taiwan, the artists even work on a series of new works based on Taiwan statistics. Despite its reminiscence to a computerized control room in which one is surrounded by a chaotic spread of graphic screens that tends to become so visually stimulating that little data can be deciphered without some degree of difficulty, their series of paper cut-outs are quiet, shrouded by an air of mystery that is both tranquil and ominous at the same time. While each piece is titled to indicate its portrayal of a highly specific statistic, the only indication of any contextual information is the expertly cut shapes that mimic conventional visualizations of data, such as pie or bar charts. Yet each frame is deceitful in its simplicity, as each are in fact composed of a lengthy amount of research that have been silenced by the sterile façade of white paper.

 

Ariamna Contino｜阿拉姆娜．孔蒂諾 〈Corridor of the Caribbean Sea｜加勒比海長廊〉｜2018
Paper cut, Sthramore acid free paper｜手工裁紙、無酸紙 183 x 120 x 4 cm｜72 x 47.2 x 1.6 inches

 

不論是〈各國海洋塑料與資源回收〉、〈台灣各類耗能〉透過水資源與耗能數據反映的自然殖民史省思，或寄託於〈台灣的資源回收〉中的環境永續思維，觀者在深入數據後的驚愕與懊悔中，浸入人類既掠奪亦受害的環境深思。而〈台灣貿易關係〉〈外交關係〉深埋的近五十載政經學，則指向國家間的依賴、國家獨立與經濟發展的兩難，以及殖民主義和帝國主義遺跡的歷史大問，紙面上的黑色亦化身霸權暗影的明喻。 更曖昧者如〈移動數據〉裡台灣的傲人成績，究竟是知識的真金，亦或真實卻荒謬的成癮；〈台灣與亞洲各國主要宗教〉裡幾不可見的黑色，是否指向亞洲某處以血凝成的宗教清洗或由政府掌控的宗教旗幟？──  非關文化挪用，《美學鬥志》代表的是開放的跨文化對話與知識交流，並在有意為之的模稜兩可中，以台灣反映全球、表達人類學式的世界觀；立足古巴，卻以事實與美學丈量世界。

While “Plastic sea and recycling” or “Energy consumption rates by sectors in Taiwan” may have reflected the relationship of human and environment,  ” Recycling in Taiwan” turns to the question of human’s commitment to sustainability and belief-conflict behavior.  It appears that the spread of modern humans has represented a significant challenge to all elements in the world, and this reflection is fed with the viewer’s consternation and remorse when they dig into the data behind the works. Both the “Taiwan’s trade relationship” and “Comparison between Taiwan and China behavior about diplomatic relations ” point out the economic development and dependence between nations, as well as one of the legacies of colonialism and imperialism, by indicating the nearly fifty-year history of politics and economics hidden underneath the works. The chosen black therefore went beyond symbolic forms and employs a simile of the global superpower and hegemony. Even more ambiguous, could the golden leaf employed in “Mobile Data” refer to the true gold of knowledge, or real but absurd addiction? The almost invisible black in “Most practiced religion in Asia” pointed to a blood-clotted religious cleansing occurred in Asia or religious establishments controlled by government?

Aesthetic Militancy is about knowledge and open intercultural dialogue. Not about appropriating other countries or cultures. With the deliberate ambiguity, the artists express the anthropological worldview by holding the mirror in front of us the viewer, and ask who we are in the whole picture. Based in Cuba, the artists measure the world with facts and aesthetics.

 

Ariamna Contino &Alex Hernández Dueñas ｜阿拉姆娜．孔蒂諾 和 艾利克斯．埃爾南德 〈Aesthetic Militancy｜美學鬥志〉｜2020
Hand cut paper｜手工裁紙, Dimensions variable｜依場地而定

 

如藝術史學者Amy Mutza所言，此系列的命題「美學鬥志」指出了當代「視覺與暴力的交纏」，孔蒂諾和埃爾南德以明晰的藝術手段，闡述當代社會中發生於台灣與古巴的各種政治控制與社會審查─儘管兩個島嶼地緣相差甚遠，卻因此相連。

As suggested by the title of their series, “Aesthetic Militancy” implies “the entangling of visuality and violence in contemporary times” as coined by art historian Amy Mutza. Themes of legibility and censorship become tools for Contino and Hernández-Dueñas to express the current political repression of contemporary society that exists within both Taiwan and Cuba, closing the distance between these geographically disconnected islands.

 

Ariamna Contino &Alex Hernández Dueñas｜阿拉姆娜．孔蒂諾 和 艾利克斯．埃爾南德
〈Taiwan’ s trade relationship, comparison between imports and exports 2018 台灣貿易關係：2018 年台灣進出口貿易比較〉｜2020
Hand cut paper and graphite over paper｜手工裁紙並並以石墨覆蓋 58 x 53 x 3.5 cm｜22. 8 x 20.9 x 1.4 inches

 

Ariamna Contino &Alex Hernández Dueñas｜阿拉姆娜．孔蒂諾 和 艾利克斯．埃爾南德
〈Taiwan comparison with other country about most practiced religions in Asia. Comparison by country 2019
2019 年台灣與亞洲各國最主要宗教〉｜2020 Hand cut paper｜手工裁紙, 53 x 53 x 3.5 cm｜20.9 x 20.9 x 1.4 inches

 

Ariamna Contino &Alex Hernández Dueñas｜阿拉姆娜．孔蒂諾 和 艾利克斯．埃爾南德
〈Energy consumption rates by sectors in Taiwan. Comparison between sources clean energy and fossil energy, 2019
2019 年台灣各部門能源消耗比及綠能和化石能源的比較〉｜2020
Hand cut paper｜手工裁紙, 83 x 83 x 3.5 cm ｜32.7 x 32.7 x 1.4 inches

 

Ariamna Contino &Alex Hernández Dueñas ｜阿拉姆娜．孔蒂諾 和 艾利克斯．埃爾南德
〈Comparison between Taiwan’ s and china behavier about diplomatic relations with other countries in different decades
外交關係：台灣與中國之外交行為比較〉｜2020
Hand cut paper｜手工裁紙, 93 x 73 x 3.5 cm｜36.6 x 28.7 x 1.4 inches

 

Ariamna Contino &Alex Hernández Dueñas ｜阿拉姆娜．孔蒂諾 和 艾利克斯．埃爾南德
〈Taiwan comparison with other country about used highest number of mobile dataconsumem per citicen, 2017
移動數據：台灣與他國國民每人移動數據最高使用量比較〉｜2020
Hand cut paper and Golden leaf｜手工裁紙、金箔 48 x 48 x 3.5 cm｜18.9 x 18.9 x 1.4 inches

 

Ariamna Contino &Alex Hernández Dueñas ｜阿拉姆娜．孔蒂諾 和 艾利克斯．埃爾南德
〈Recycling in Taiwan｜台灣的資源回收〉｜2020
Hand cut paper｜手工裁紙 43 x 43 x 3.5 cm｜16.9 x 16.9 x 1.4 inches

 

Ariamna Contino &Alex Hernández Dueñas｜阿拉姆娜．孔蒂諾 和 艾利克斯．埃爾南德
〈Plastic sea and recycling, percentage of plastic waste that the polluting countries discharge into the sea. And the most efficient countries in recycling｜
各國家的海洋塑料與資源回收：海洋廢料塑化物百分比與回收效率〉
Hand cut paper (acid free sthramore paper)｜手工裁紙(絲蒂摩無酸紙) 94 x 94 x 3.5 cm ｜37 x 37 x 1.4 inches

 

干預與適應 Nature’s Adaption to Industrial Interference 

古巴過去十數年投入眾多生技科研究，艾利克斯．埃爾南德則選擇運用家鄉的資源，結合科學方法與藝術過程，創作出跨學科領域的裝置作品。此作品受邀於2019威尼斯雙年展古巴館展出時，埃爾南德在論述中寫下：「《自然的狀態》是一個進行中的實驗，數個蜂窩的內部結構在過程中被轉化。」他與哈瓦那當地的養蜂人合作，將蜜蜂從原棲息地移居至人造蜂窩。透過將原本的六角蜂巢室替換成人造蜂巢，埃爾南德試圖控制實驗、並觀察蜜蜂如何回應迥異於牠們生理直覺的人造結構，研究在不同結構中引導蜜蜂採取新築巢路徑、適應新結構的可能性。

Amidst Cuba’s investment in the sciences, Alex Hernández-Dueñas embraces the resources of his homeland to create an interdisciplinary installation that bridges the scientific method with the artistic process. In his statement for the Venice Biennale, where the piece was previously exhibited, he writes, “Natural state is an experiment in progress for which the internal structure of several honeycombs of the Apis honeybee was transformed”. He collaborates with a group of local beekeepers in Havana, transporting the insects by the colony from their original environment into ones that were man-made and therefore under his control throughout the experiment. By replacing the organic, hexagonal wax cells with artificial honeycombs, Hernández-Dueñas seeks to observe how the bees respond to synthetic structures that are alien to their biological intuition and investigate the possibility of inducing them into adapting a new construction line that aligns with the new formation.

 

Alex Hernández Dueñas ｜艾利克斯．埃爾南德
〈Natural state: 1700 Slave Trade Ship｜自然的狀態：1700 年奴隸貿易船〉｜2018-2021

Left｜左
Printing on cotton paper ｜印刷於：紙
50 x 45 x 3.5 cm｜20 x 17.7 x 1.4 inches
Edition ｜版次：1/3

Right｜右
Plastic, wood, natural wax, bees honey｜塑膠、木材、天然蠟、蜂蜜
30 x 56 x 6 cm｜11.8 x 22.1 x 2.4 inches
Edition ｜版次：Unique ｜唯一

 

藝術家將壓克力覆蓋上蠟、製成新巢室，巢室的幾何結構則取材自社會干預與工業化機制─包含監獄、城市、測謊儀、航空母艦、軍隊等─再將其轉化，創造一系列回應上述建物、機物的視覺圖案。最終，這些實驗的成果呈現出巨大的差異，部分人工蜂巢的新構造成功地引起了蜜蜂的適應性反應、呈現驚人的構造轉變，有些蜂巢則不被蜂群接納。為凸顯此長期計畫所牽涉的技術複雜性，埃爾南德有意強調實驗的真實程序，展示出創作過程中的關聯物件，包括人造蜂窩、實驗過程中產生的蜂巢、埃爾南德創作的人造結構圖騰、和它們的抽象起源─建物與機物照片。

The new cells were constructed of methacrylate and covered in wax, their geometric composition derived from conceptual interpretations of images depicting human intervention and industrialisation. These include prisons, urban plots, polygraphs, aircraft carriers, military formations, and more, which Hernández-Dueñas used to create a series of visually corresponding patterns to form each set of cells. The results were largely varied, some compositions successful in prompting an adaptive response from the bees wherein astonishing new formations of hives were realized while others were rejected by the colony. As a means of showcasing the technical intricacy involved throughout the long-term project, he exhibits the installation in a way that highlights the process as an authentic scientific experiment, displaying the objects used throughout including the artificial honeycombs and their resulting hives as well as the compositions of Hernández-Dueñas’ synthetic structures pictured next to the images they were based off of.

 

Alex Hernández Dueñas ｜艾利克斯．埃爾南德 〈Natural state: Pilgrims on their Way｜自然的狀態：朝聖之路〉｜2018-2021

Left｜左
Printing on cotton paper ｜印刷於：紙
50 x 45 x 3.5 cm｜20 x 17.7 x 1.4 inches
Edition ｜版次：1/3

Right｜右
Plastic, wood, natural wax, bees honey｜塑膠、木材、天然蠟、蜂蜜
30 x 56 x 6 cm｜11.8 x 22.1 x 2.4 inches
Edition ｜版次：Unique ｜唯一

 

人類的狂妄假設 The Audacity of Human Assumption 

有趣的是，將《自然的狀態》的跨領域藝術表現與全然的科學實驗區別開來的決定性因素，即是「消失的假設」。科學實驗中，「假設」代表了科學家在蒐集資料前形成的意見主張、被視為是定義科學研究最重要的元素之一；而消失的假設則將此作品昇華成一種探討文明與自然共存的紀實研究，透過刻意將蜜蜂高度自然的棲息地，置換成人類工業化的環境象徵，埃爾南德創造出人造結構與自然結構的對比；並置兩種元素，凸顯了人造與既存自然構造、時序間的相對關係，似乎也成為人類創造力的絕佳隱喻。這個計畫本質上是對大自然的觀察，也因此並無傾向任何結果，或許埃爾南德深藏於作品下的主觀，意在批判人類普遍的狂妄假設——即便大自然也應順應人類改變。

Interestingly, there exists a single element in “Natural State” that distinguishes the installation as an interdisciplinary artistic endeavour from a definite scientific experiment – the lack of a hypothesis. While the hypothesis can perhaps be considered one of the most important components defining the scientific process, as it solidifies the informed opinion of the scientist prior to data collection, its absence transforms Hernández-Dueñas’ project into somewhat of a research-based commentary on the coexistence between civilization and nature. By intentionally interfering with the highly biological environment of bees with new environments conceptualised from expressions of human industrialisation, he creates a platform for comparison between elements designed by man and those organically formed by nature, their juxtaposition assembling somewhat of a metaphor for the newness of human creation relative to pre-existing natural structures against the chronological timeline of the earth. While the project itself remains largely observative in nature and therefore void of bias in its results, perhaps Hernández-Dueñas’ initial objective behind the work is in fact a subjective critique towards the shared societal assumption that nature can and even should adjust according to human will.

 

Alex Hernández Dueñas ｜艾利克斯．埃爾南德 〈Natural state: Wall Street (NYSE) Stock Exchange｜
自然的狀態：華爾街紐約證券交易所〉｜2018-2021

Left｜左
Printing on cotton paper ｜印刷於：紙
50 x 45 x 3.5 cm｜20 x 17.7 x 1.4 inches
Edition ｜版次：1/3

Right｜右
Plastic, wood, natural wax, bees honey｜塑膠、木材、天然蠟、蜂蜜
30 x 56 x 6 cm｜11.8 x 22.1 x 2.4 inches
Edition ｜版次：Unique ｜唯一

 

Alex Hernández Dueñas ｜艾利克斯．埃爾南德〈Natural state: Hurricane Destruction｜
自然的狀態：颶風災害〉｜2018-2021

Left｜左
Printing on cotton paper ｜印刷於：紙
50 x 45 x 3.5 cm｜20 x 17.7 x 1.4 inches
Edition ｜版次：1/3

Right｜右
Plastic, wood, natural wax, bees honey｜塑膠、木材、天然蠟、蜂蜜
30 x 56 x 6 cm｜11.8 x 22.1 x 2.4 inches
Edition ｜版次：Unique ｜唯一

 

Alex Hernández Dueñas ｜艾利克斯．埃爾南德 〈Natural state: Police and Civil Confrontations｜
自然的狀態： 警民衝突〉｜2018-2021

Left｜左
Printing on cotton paper ｜印刷於：紙
50 x 45 x 3.5 cm｜20 x 17.7 x 1.4 inches
Edition ｜版次：1/3

Right｜右
Plastic, wood, natural wax, bees honey｜塑膠、木材、天然蠟、蜂蜜
30 x 56 x 6 cm｜11.8 x 22.1 x 2.4 inches
Edition ｜版次：Unique ｜唯一

 

Alex Hernández Dueñas｜艾利克斯．埃爾南德 〈Natural state: Berlin wall｜
自然的狀態：柏林圍牆〉｜2018-2021

Left｜左
Printing on cotton paper ｜印刷於：紙
50 x 45 x 3.5 cm｜20 x 17.7 x 1.4 inches
Edition ｜版次：1/3

Right｜右
Plastic, wood, natural wax, bees honey｜塑膠、木材、天然蠟、蜂蜜
30 x 56 x 6 cm｜11.8 x 22.1 x 2.4 inches
Edition ｜版次：Unique ｜唯一

 

島嶼後裔的回身凝望 The lookback of descendants on the island

古巴與海洋的關係，是其文化核心、亦是歷史身分 。不論是神話、本質還是命運，孔蒂諾認為孤島不僅定義了她作品中對世界的獨特感知，同時也是形塑她、使她區隔於世界他處的特殊意義─《加勒比海長廊》誕生於這種矛盾的關係，指向島嶼後裔與限制作戰的世代存在和感知；「孤立因此轉化成對遙遠他方的持續關注。島嶼本就是一塊流浪的土地，遙望著大陸。古巴和台灣或許有著相似的脈絡。」─孔蒂諾。

Insularity has marked the identity of Cuba throughout its history and one of the core concepts of its culture. Insularity defines a very particular perception of the world that is projected in Contino’s work. It unites her and contradictorily, separates her from the rest of the world. “Seascape” is based on this complex and conflicting relationship and refers to an abstraction that defines the being and the feeling of those of us who were born on islands and who try to fight against limits. “The idea of isolation becomes a constant concern for the other, the distant; hence the Island, as a wandering piece of land, has the Continent as its point of view. Cuba and Taiwan share this concern,” Said Contino.

 

Source: Nunu Fine Art