“当代”这个词汇，在某种意义上说在任何一个时期都适用，作为一种精神指向和对时下境遇的反馈，每个时期都有其比较“当代”的作品，因此可以说，无数个“当代”的过去式构成古典，无数个古典在当时都以当代的面貌呈现。在艺术史上，当代和古典实为相辅相成的孪生兄弟，穿透时间的古典作品，无论其作品语言或者题材内容，总有某个点落到“现世”层面，形成对当时的一种标签式痕迹，一如碳14在地壳中留下的印记一样。

    因此，对于艺术家而言、尤其是对于当代艺术家而言，对“当代”的态度就显得至关重要。态度是个体的事，在人群这个综合体范围内，每个时期对当代的态度并不相似，甚至在有些时候，态度是以“没有特征”作为内容而存在的。所以反过来看，当我们以艺术家作为主体时，当代，就是艺术家投射进态度的镜像内容：以什么样的态度面对当代，当代就以什么样的角色存在。艺术家的态度，决定了“当代”在他的作品里担负着什么样的地位。

   曾浩在2008至2013年的架上系列作品，以“泡泡”为图像形式，以“欲望”为情绪线索，构成了一种当代“浮世宝鉴”的现实反讽。这5年的作品，是曾浩进入成熟期之后非常完整的系列。虽然在更早的时候，他以写实、具象的画面，在“艳俗玩世”这一中国当代艺术重要流派中占有一席之地，但也正从2008年开始，他跳脱出了原有的作品框架，消解掉图像本身的仪式感，转而在图像的象征和碰撞之中有了新的意味。

   作为一个土生土长的中国人，曾浩对中国式审美和中国式视角的切肤之感毋庸置疑。这种切肤之感早就成为血液中的因子流淌在艺术家身体的每个角落。这就是在他作品中很多中国人对他所用的色彩、图像元素都能“会心一笑”的缘由。但这不是重点，重点在于曾浩有他的态度，而这态度才是作品最为有价值的所在。在他这一时期的作品中，我们可以看到，举凡政治性代表物（天安门）、社会性代表物（央视大楼）、民众眼中的明星建筑（鸟巢、水立方）、以及日常生活代表物（各种大楼），在曾浩有意设置的“泡泡人”或“泡泡动物”张牙舞爪的行为中，呈现出了一种戏噱和滑稽感，而人物和画面的各种夸张，以及贯穿始终的粉色色调，又使“欲望”这个情绪主题给予观众以直观的感受。那么，这些物象和情绪，都是什么呢？曾浩的答案是，它们都存在，但它们都是会消散的泡影。

   中国人都记得， 2008年北京奥运会开幕，在那一时期，像水立方（国家游泳中心）、鸟巢（国家体育场）等一批新兴建筑崭露于人们视野之中，它们和天安门、央视大楼等建筑一起各自构成象征。曾浩并不简单停留在使用这些象征物的浅表层面，而是通过画面的虚幻、夸张，让有些人感受到了一个疑问：它们是象征吗？它们构成的象征到底是什么？这种象征是否对人之生存本意有真正的价值？我们可以看到，几乎所有涉及此类象征物的作品中，最抢视觉焦点的并不是这些象征物，而是粗暴抢镜的各种猪形人物或者猪形狮子，这些人或狮子（动物）又有一个共性即肚子极大，那种一看便知的对欲望、贪婪的渴盼很容易想起中国传说中最为贪食的动物“饕餮。”因此我们完全有理由想见，曾浩对那些具有时代印记的象征物并不感兴趣，他对它们的态度也毫无鼓吹或批判之意，他的重点是在：即使在现实社会中充满能量和权力的各种象征，在贪婪、欲望面前，根本唱不了主角。

   但并不表示曾浩是个批判现实主义艺术家。他的作品里尽管有很多物理现实性的元素，但更重要的他并不以此作为标的，那些元素只是为了他所思考的命题而作的铺垫，一如网络世界是虚拟的但也需要有电缆光纤连接。曾浩是个感受型的艺术家，现实层面的刺激对于他的作用只是折射内心所思所想的契机。因此，除了那些象征物之外，我们还可以更多地看到抽离掉现实的、直接表现概念的作品，比如他的《欲像》系列、《泡泡》系列。应该这样认为：现实象征物可以成为了解曾浩、打开曾浩作品的一扇门，但这扇门并不是他的主旨所在。在这样的前提和脉络下，我们完全可以想见，只要他愿意，任何现实象征都可以成为他作品的元素，他也可以抛弃任何现实象征。这就是曾浩作品的一道自由之路。因为，曾浩对当代的态度是他作品的关键，态度，就像溶解剂一般可以溶解许多东西而进入作品。

   在农历2014年末以及2015年上半年，曾浩以“泡影”为主题元素在北京两个重要美术馆分别做了架上绘画和装置的个展。“泡影”是近年来曾浩的艺术主线之一，但它的发端，恰恰缘自于2008—2013年的这批绘画。佛教经典《金刚经》中说道“一切有为法，如梦幻泡影，如露亦如电，应作如是观”，尽管这类言说在中国人之中早已被咀嚼得滚瓜烂熟，可是作为一种修为，能窥见其要义的没几个，能不断向它靠近的更没几个。因而不妨认为，在人越活越明白的时候，“泡影”是一种渐渐流露而非主动追求到的境遇和意象。曾浩从来没有主动去追逐这种境界，艺术也从来不会教导人去靠拢哲学或宗教，艺术家的作品是种呈现，它只会无意中展露了艺术家对当下周遭环境的态度。

   事实上，艺术家的态度是构成艺术的最美妙的成分之一，只是由于它太过虚化，以致使人们常常抓摸不到态度究竟是什么，就如同镜中月水中花一般。但是，态度这玩意儿又真实存在。一定程度上，曾浩的作品具有直接、坦白的特性，并不需要过多的转折即能感受到某种气息，因此，当我们能从这条线索转一个弯思考一下曾浩“为何如此”，再结合他的作品，就能真切领会到艺术家的态度在哪里，这便是曾浩的“镜月”所指。

“The Metaphor of the“Mirror Moon”

/ Yaofeng Gu

 “Contemporary” is a word that applies to any era. It’s a spiritual guidance and a response to the concurrent circumstance. Every period has “contemporary” works to its time. Hence, we could say that countless “contemporary” in the past constructed the classics, and the countless classics were represented as the “contemporary” to those eras. In the history of arts, the contemporary and the classics complement each other like twins. The classics are baptized through time, in spite of its language or subject matter, something will become an iconic impression of the past, like the marks Carbon-14 left in the earth’s crust.

Therefore, the attitude towards “contemporary” is especially crucial to contemporary artists. Attitude is a singular matter, but in the context of society, every period has a different attitude towards “contemporary”. Sometimes, attitude even exists as “no specification”. To look at it from the opposite side, when the artist is the main body, “contemporary” is the mirror image of his attitude – The way he looks at the contemporary society is the way “contemporary” exists in the society. Artist’s attitude decides what role “contemporary” plays in his works.

In Zeng Hao’s works between 2008 and 2013, he adopted “bubbles” as the form of representation, “desire” as the emotional lead, and constructed a contemporary “Ukiyo-e Treasures” as the irony to reality. Zeng’s works from the past 5 years are very holistic series in his mature stage. Although he is recognized as an important figure in the “Cynical Kitsch” stream of Chinese contemporary art, he has abandoned the existing blueprint of his works, and discarded the ceremonial feelings of the images. Instead, he’s found new significance in the symbolism and conflicts of imageries.

As a Chinese born and bred, Zeng Hao feels an extreme close connection to the unique Chinese aesthetics and perspectives. This sense of closeness has long been particles in his blood vessels that flow in every corner of his body. This explains the hearty laugh many Chinese viewers give when looking at his artworks. But more importantly, Zeng has an attitude. His attitude is the most valuable core to his works. We could see political icons (Tiananmen Square), societal icons (CCTV Building), citizen voted celebrity architectures (Bird Nest and Water Cube), and other mundane icons (other buildings) in his works from this period. Zeng has purposefully designed extravagant postures of the “bubble men” and the “bubble animals” to imply a sense of ludicrous and sneer. The pink tone of the images provides the most immediate emotional implication to the theme – “desire”. However, what are these imageries and emotions? Zeng’s answer is that they exist in the form of bubbles that could vanish anytime.

Every Chinese should remember the year of Beijing Olympic Games. The Water Cube, the Bird Nest, and the other new buildings arose among Tiananmen Square, CCTV building and become icons of their own. Zeng Hao doesn’t satisfy on merely using the physical looks of these icons. He uses elusive and abstract imagery to make the viewers ask questions: Are the paintings symbolic? What do they symbolize? Does this symbolism contribute to the meaning of human survival? Among all the symbolic artworks, the real eye catchers are not these icons, they are the pig-shaped men and lions (animals). The big belly is a common trait for these pig-shaped figures. It is a depiction of desire and greed, and it reminds the viewers of the Chinese mythical voracious creature “Tao Tie”. Therefore, we see that Zheng Hao is not interested in glorifying or criticizing these social icons. He wants to express that the icons for power and strength in the society are always beaten by greed and desire.                    

But it doesn’t mean Zeng Hao is a critical realism artist. Although there are many physical realistic elements in his artworks, those elements are foreshadows for his thinking, like the internet is virtual but it requires light fibers to connect. Zeng Hao is an artist that relies on his feelings. The stimulations in reality give him an opportunity to reflect his inner feelings. Therefore, beyond the symbolic paintings, we can see more conceptual and surreal artworks, such as his “Desires and Imagery” and “Bubbles” series. We could understand Zeng Hao this way: Physical icons are a gateway to which we understand the artist. But this gateway is not his focus. Under this premise, we can imagine that any physical icon could become elements in his works, and he could easily abandon them. This is the freedom in Zeng Hao’s works. Therefore, Zeng Hao’s attitude towards “contemporary” is the key to his creations. Attitude is like a solution that dissolves many elements into his creations.

Between the end of 2014 Lunar year and the first half of 2015, Zeng Hao held two solo paintings and installations exhibitions themed “Bubbles and Mirage” in two important galleries in Beijing. “Bubbles” is one of the artist’s main artistic explorations in recent years, but this theme originated from his works between 2008 and 2013. According to the Buddhist classic “Diamond Sutra”: All things contrived are like

Dream, illusion, bubble, shadow

and as dewdrop or lightning

They should be regarded as such.”

Although this idea is familiar to the Chinese, but it’s rarely adopted as a way of being. Therefore we could think of it this way – “Bubbles” is a metaphor of the state of being that cannot be pursued. It appears when people can grasp the gist of life. Zeng hao has never actively pursued this state of being, and his art doesn’t force people to proactively approach philosophy or imagery. An Artist’s artwork is used to present, it will unintentionally reveal the artist’s attitude to his surrounding environment.

In fact, Artist’s attitude is the most beautiful component to an art piece. But since it’s too abstract, it’s often difficult for the viewers to grasp, just like the reflection of a flower in the water. But attitude truly exists. On some level, Zeng Hao’s works are very direct and honest, they don’t require the viewers to have a deep understanding to feel the emotions of the paintings. Therefore, when we read beyond these emotions of the paintings, we will truly be able to comprehend the artist’s attitude, and this is the meaning of Zeng Hao’s “Jing Yue”.