脆弱的豐盛
明亮的色彩、自由的筆觸、奔放的線條，難辨根源、長相殊異的人物身處於張揚的奇想之中，動物們狀似喜悅地穿梭於森林與人境，更讓人難以忽視老虎臉上的鬱鬱寡歡……法蘭西斯卡．芬納特作品中的繪畫元素令人過目不忘，引觀者深入流連忘返的隱喻森林。
Bizarre human figures translocate to the fantasy reserves and seemly happy animals travel between imaginative forest and human land. Yet it takes only a short while until the viewer recognize tiger’s melancholy. Channeling viewers’ engagement, all elements in Franziska Fennert’s paintings deliberately come with vibrant even “girlish” colours, distinctive and stylized brushworks. Should the universe be a forest of symbols, the narrations and elements in Fennert’s works invite viewers to dive into it.
〈Romance between Traces of the Anthropocene｜人類遺跡的浪漫〉2020 Acrylic on canvas
壓克力於畫布 120 x 80 cm｜47.2 x 31.5 inches
法蘭西斯卡出生於德國，現居印尼日惹，曾在印尼與德國獲得藝術獎項。在德國、上海、印尼等多地接受的藝術影響，使她發展出豐富的視覺語言。中國水墨、日本版畫的自由凝鍊，峇里傳統繪畫裡無處不在的神話、俄羅斯聖像畫的莊嚴冥想、中世紀波斯細密畫裡扁平的璀璨空間，和後表現主義的魔幻寫實張力，不著痕跡地融合為藝術家的主觀意見與個人宇宙。
Franziska Fennert, a young artist of German origin and now living in Yogyakarta, has received art awards in Indonesia and Germany. Studying in Germany and traveling around in Europe, China and Indonesia, she develops a very personal visual uniqueness that emphasizes upon metaphors. The freedom and concentration in Chinese ink painting and Japanese wood prints, the myths in Javanese paintings, the meditation and prayer associating with Russian icons painting, flat technique and stunning space in the medieval Persian miniature (Note),and the Magic Realism of Post-expressionist─ these aforementioned artistic activities left their traces and merge effortlessly into the artist’s works, wonderful representation of her opinion, mission and biography.
〈Fragile Abundance | 脆弱的豐盛〉2020 Acrylic on canvas
壓克力於畫布 160 x 140 cm｜63 x 55.1 inches
除了美術史流派的影響，文學作品也是法蘭西斯卡藝術生命中不可或缺的一環。情感強烈的德國童話傳統，俄羅斯文學乃至後蘇聯作家筆下怪誕的人獸傳奇，埃及神祕主義和印尼神話，大量的史哲書籍與小說……這些東西方的深刻精神表述， 不只輕盈串起法蘭西斯卡的作品伏線，更形塑了她看似童趣的畫風中，對現實世界的深刻詰問與定見——「我的作品是由童話、傳說、奇幻故事為養分，自行灌溉成長的。」法蘭西斯卡所言不虛。
Another source of Franziska Fennert’s imagination is literature. Mystifying German folk tales, Russian literature including the vivid werewolf tales by post-soviet writer, mythical Hermeticism from ancient Egypt, Indonesian myths, history and philosophy texts and novels… these spiritual expressions, from East and West, not only connect the common cause of Fennert’s works, but construct her attempt to seek alternatives or to take a critical stance against reality—”My work nourishes itself from the fertile ground of fantastic traditions, fairytales and legends” she said.
理想家園欲往何處？
如甘地所言「地球供給人的所有需求，但無法負荷人的貪婪。」《消逝的豐收》、《人類遺跡的浪漫》妍媚的雨林中，瀕危的蘇門答臘虎與紅毛猩猩狀似在充滿愛的畫面中生活、相擁，叫人險些忽略人類遺留下的塑膠垃圾與電器；一面指陳人類扮演生態中蠻橫獨裁的統治者，以利益之名剝奪生物棲息地，更反映當代消費生活與不可回收的產品如何消耗地球資源。法蘭西斯卡看似歡愉的畫作是她對於世界的嚴肅建言：掠奪者最終往往招致自我毀滅，人類能做的其實還很多。
Where to go?
Mahatma Gandhi once said “The earth has enough resources for our need, but not for our greed.” In the enchanting rain forest of “Lost Abundance” and “Romance between Traces of the Anthropocene,” the endangered Sumatran tiger and Orangutan live and hug in the frame of love, so much so that one could overlooks the plastic garbage and electronic devices. Both work talk about how mankind, being peremptory dominator and predator in eco system, deprive the habitat of living beings, and reflect how modern consumption lifestyle and non-recyclable products deplete the natural resources. Seemingly pleasant paintings are equipped with serious capacities: greed may lead to world-wide destruction, there are so much more mankind can do.
〈Power For All｜全體的力量〉2020 Acrylic on canvas
壓克力於畫布 70 x 55 cm｜27.6 x 21.7 inches
失衡生態下的他種選擇
法蘭西斯卡透過創作表達人類文明對自然產生的傷害之外，更起身而行，與日惹當地社群加入由 Iwan Wijono 創辦的公共農場。《在家務農》中珍禽鳥鳴、碩果纍纍，人類再度與土壤和生物循環相連，承襲傳統生活的智慧，為人類提供消費生活型態外的另一種可能。《全體的力量》中，動物歡愉地勞動、交流、玩耍，背景卻隱約出現半透明的野獸獠牙，牠是無所不在的新型冠狀肺炎？還是現代人過度仰賴消費所誕生的野獸？為了滿足消費需求，過度開發資源將可能導致生態浩劫，法蘭西斯卡不願被資本主義擊垮，透過身體力行與她的創作傳遞自己的使命。
Other options
While continuing her creation of works with this serious evocation, Franziska Fennert also work with the local community in Yogyakarta and contributes to the project “public farm,” which is established by Iwan Wijono, stepping up natural farming adoption. Along with animals and plants, man in “Home Farming” is once again connected with the soil, the beings within biological cycle, and the wisdoms inherited from traditional life patterns. Here Fennert provides an alternative other than consumerism. In “Power for All,” animals work, and play joyfully, but the semi translucent mask with large tusks appears in the background. Is it a substitute of COVID-19 or an invisible beast created by excessive consumption? The increase in human consumption is directly proportional to environmental degradation. Fennert refuses to be defeated by capitalism and stands up to communicate her mission, through her lifestyle and creations.
〈The Branches We Let Grow & Fused to Raise an Equal Conscious Mind｜成長的分支與平等的意識〉
2009-2014, Sewed canvas, filling material, acrylic and wire
帆布、填充材料、壓克力和電線 280 x 500 x 300 cm｜110 x 197 x 118 inches
複雜與合一：多面連體的調解人
在法蘭西斯卡作品中常出現的多面人物，往往意味著人類間緊緊相依、無法獨活的緊密關係。多面形象的靈感來自羅馬神話中負責解決爭端的過渡之神雅努斯(Janus)，使作品也成為相對性、多元性、權力與對立的隱喻；不只揭示了她對溝通交流的樂觀信念，也說明了她對環境保育與人類利益間的拉扯、人類外在行為和內在情感的衝突、資本主義經濟掛帥的價值落失、殖民主義與帝國主義造成的資本控制與地緣政治等問題的憂思。
The multifaceted mediator of unity
Fennert’s installation of one body with several faces often refers to the impossibility of separating them, because one part cannot live without the other. Taken and extend from Janus, the god of transition and settling of disputes from Roman mythology, the soft sculpture becomes a perfect metaphor of relativity, pluralism, power and polarities. While revealing her optimism in communication and diplomacy, her concerns are rather obvious: conflicts between environment and mankind, differences between human’s behavior and belief, the alienated value in capitalism dominated economy, and the capital and geopolitical control by the history of colonialism and imperialism.
〈We Are One｜共體〉2015-2020 Sewed canvas, filling material, acrylic and wire
帆布、填充材料、壓克力和電線 85 x 50 x 5 cm｜33.5 x 20 x 2 inches
在《共體》中，眾多臉容聚集於象徵後世的魚尾上，在世代輪替間交織淺意識的面貌，暗示人類的多面向，投射全球文化交融的縮影。《平等的意識》中，米白色的章魚縫織了多個面孔，暗示了人類脣齒相依，多元文化融於一體的力量，而章魚觸手象徵的權力控制，意味著全球政治的權力轉移、國家的通信監控、抑或提示我們：力量就是我們自身？《返回圖班的鳥兒》中，因落實保育政策、鳥禽重返的叢林裡，出現印度教的創造與智慧之神梵天；祂守護著人類與各式物種，也寄託了藝術家烏托邦的希望和夢想。
An epitome of time and unity of spiritual and earthly phenomenon, “We Are One” featured a fish tail clustered with faces. This symbol of posterity refers to mankind subconscious of generations and possibilities of fusing various aspects from different cultures. And we also have to be aware of power and diplomacy. The “Fused to Raise an Equal Conscious Mind” is reaching out its soft tentacles, with four faces directed against each other but sharing one same body, Implying the global dynamics and necessity of communication and sharing. Do octopus’ tentacles, wonderful symbol of control and power, talk about power transition in global politics, government’s global spying activities, or simply remind us: everyone is his or her own ruler? In “The Return of Birds to Tuban,” Brahma, the creator and wisdom god in Hinduism appears to be guarding human and all species, is summoning birds in the forest, where conservation policies have been implemented. Fennert has entrusted Brahma with her utopian hopes and dreams.
法蘭西斯卡曾說「我們只要對某事抱有確信，它就會成真、化為現實。積極的想像力就是這樣運作的。」揉合現實與夢境、當代社會與奇想、烏托邦與反烏托邦、合一與多樣、尊嚴與連接，法蘭西斯卡的作品是對現在與未來的提案與建言；在民族、保守與種族主義當道的離散世界中，她期盼人們消弭物種、種族、文化的差異，儘管文化之間、人與生態間的衝擊持續發生，但面向多元、彼此抗衡且萬物相息的世界，是達到理想與永生家園的唯一途徑。
Franziska Fennert once mentioned that “If we believe in something it can become true, become reality. That’s how active imagination works.” Blending reality and dream state, contemporary society and fantasy, utopia and dystopia, unity and diversity, dignity and connection, Fennert’s works are proposals and suggestion to the present and future. She aims to pinpoint the simple truth: mankind should be sharing and being together on an equal level, especially true while the nationalist, conservative, and racist ideologies have recently become more visible across the globe. The sensible vision, presented in her work, of a multifaceted and conflicted, belonging together and equal world might be the only path leading to to the ideal and eternal homeland.
註：波斯細密畫是畫面精緻、細膩的小型繪畫，為中世紀重要的一門藝術派別。
Note: Persian miniature is a richly detailed small scale painting. It is considered as one of the important art genre in medieval period.
文章來源：Nunu Fine Art
