Installation View, Artworks ©魏子翔 Zixiang WEI
“我想抓住的是那种游走在极为狭窄的管道之中却不碰触到管壁的感觉”
魏子翔的绘画是没有命名的，就算是便于流通，作品名也是用作品自身属性进行“编号”。创作一旦完成，作品就具备了主体性，子翔选择退居其后，带着与其他人不同的陌生感，去读取它。
Zixiang Wei's paintings are unnamed; even when a name is used for circulation purposes, it serves as a "code" based on the intrinsic attributes of the work itself. Once a creation is completed, the artwork attains its own subjectivity. Zixiang chooses to step back, approaching it with a sense of unfamiliarity unlike others, to interpret it.
Installation View, Artworks ©魏子翔 Zixiang WEI
这次展览的作品是他近两年创作面貌的呈现，"20025015122023"是他极致理性下对画面的控制结果。魏子翔竭尽全力让作品跳出具象、抽象的二元范式，努力平衡其不倾向于任何一边。
The works in this exhibition represent his artistic expression over the past two years. "20025015122023" is the result of his extreme rational control over the canvas. Zixiang Wei strives to break free from the binary paradigm of figurative and abstract art, aiming for a balance without leaning towards either.
Installation View, Artworks ©魏子翔 Zixiang WEI
魏子翔是以他创作安全区里的终点为起点，打破它，走进未知，再重构它。
For Zixiang, the end point of his creative comfort zone becomes the starting point for breaking it down, venturing into the unknown, and then reconstructing it.
Installation View, Artwork ©魏子翔 Zixiang WEI
“绘画是很诚实的”
"Painting is very honest."
魏子翔 Zixiang WEI, 20025015122023, Oil on canvas 布面油画, 200 x 250 cm, 2023
魏子翔的创作并不依赖于一个常规的物象，而是排除掉这些，画笔先行，带动他的思绪，产生情绪和画面，再把它放回到画布上。人类极致敏感的触角的局限被打破了，超越创作主体的微妙情绪出现了，艺术家反过来在作品里捡拾散落的个人碎片。
Zixiang's creation does not rely on conventional objects. Instead, excluding these, his brush leads the way, stirring his thoughts and emotions, creating images, and then transposing them back onto the canvas. The limitations of human sensitivity are broken, and subtle emotions that transcend the creator emerge. The artist then picks up scattered personal fragments within the work.
魏子翔 Zixiang WEI, 16013021102022, Oil on canvas 布面油画, 160 x 130 cm, 2022
艺术家生产它，并让它成为了它。
The artist produces it and lets it become what it is.
魏子翔 Zixiang WEI, 161.5129.505122023, Oil on canvas 布面油画, 161.5 x 129.5 cm, 2023
Q：简单描述一下你的实践路径？
A：我的目前的工作不借助草稿、图片、电脑或参照物等等可视物，在面对空白画布的时候，甚至都不太借助思考，不管是什么先直接画，画出的这些最初的感受成为了我的底稿，接下来的工作就像解题一样，利用已有的“辅助线”进行演变，有时会完全推翻重来，有时一气呵成，它是一个长时间的过程，不是有方向的结果。
Q: Can you briefly describe your practice approach?
A: My current work does not rely on sketches, images, computers, or reference materials. When facing a blank canvas, I barely even rely on thinking. I start by painting whatever comes to mind. The initial feelings captured become my draft. The subsequent process is like solving a puzzle, evolving with the "assist lines" already drawn. Sometimes I start over completely, other times it flows naturally. It's a long process, not goal-directed.
Installation View, Artworks ©魏子翔 Zixiang WEI
Q：你的作品往往被理解为是从纯审美通道入手的，那么如何进一步将观念附着在这些作品之中？
A：我认为没有所谓的纯审美或纯观念，它们是一体两面，互为表达。
我不需要有意识的去附着，绘画是很诚实的，也许一个人自己都不知道自己想表达什么，但是它的画面却说的很明白，甚至让他自己吓一跳。
Q: Your works are often perceived as purely aesthetic. How do you incorporate concepts into them?
A: I believe there's no such thing as pure aesthetics or pure concepts; they are two sides of the same coin.
I don't consciously attach meanings to my work. Painting is honest. Sometimes, even the artist may not know what they're expressing, but the artwork speaks clearly, sometimes even surprising the artist themselves.
索卡艺术 Installation View, 2023, Artworks ©魏子翔 Zixiang WEI
Q：你认为观众们会如何理解你作品？作品为何以这种方式命名？
A：除了同样作为观众的我，我不会去设想它人如何理解，但我愿意成为听众，这更有意思。因为对于画面我与其他人有着不同的陌生。
对于去掉“命名” ，这和我的工作方法有关，我在画画整个活动里，脑中很少出现与画面有关的文字语言，都是一些形象的闪念和日常事务琐碎以及音乐旋律等杂糅，有正义的念头有邪恶的念头，有大公无私也有小肚鸡肠，所以绘画的过程也是一个不断发现收集自我角落尘土的探索和记录的过程。这个过程中形式笔触是语法，画面就是语言，我和画面互为对话，互为因果。
Q: How do you think the audience interprets your works? Why are they named in such a manner?
A: Other than myself, as part of the audience, I don't speculate on others' interpretations but am willing to listen, which is more interesting. I'm as unfamiliar with the paintings as others.
As for avoiding "naming," it relates to my working method. During painting, my mind seldom involves words related to the artwork; it's more about fleeting images, everyday matters, and music melodies, among other thoughts. Painting is a process of discovering and recording the dusty corners of self. In this process, forms and strokes are the grammar, and the painting itself is the language. The painting and I converse, causing and effecting each other.
魏子翔 Zixiang WEI, 808009072022, Oil on canvas 布面油画, 80 x 80 cm, 2022
A：和无名不同，《无题》是一个“拒绝命名方案”，仍是妥协之后的名字，而我想表达的是绘画在没有命名前的状态，无《》的，甚至都不是画，是没有文字以前的“语言”，就像没有文字语言之前的岩洞壁画，它是一种语言的例句或类似思维记录的东西。然而若是非要定位这些画面，我也只能用它本来的“皮肤”——尺寸，材料，重量，时间，去作为它们的“条形码”便于流通，但名字是需要缺失的。
Q: Why not use "Untitled" then?
A: Unlike "Unnamed," "Untitled" is a "naming refusal scheme," still a name after compromise. What I want to express is the state of painting before naming, without brackets, not even as a painting, but as a "language" before the invention of writing, like prehistoric cave paintings. If I have to label these paintings, I use their "skin"—size, material, weight, time—as their "barcode" for circulation. But they are meant to be nameless.
魏子翔 Zixiang WEI, 904012312022, Oil on canvas 布面油画, 90 x 40 cm, 2022
Q：这次展览的主题“4479”，不是一个名字吗？它的的含义是什么呢？
A：数字它是世界通用符号，不会造成识读困难或歧义，任何群体的人都可以以自己的文化识读出来，选题的最初，4479是承担名字的作用的，也是有明确的意义的，但如今已不重要，你可以当它是一串编号，一种便于记录的浮标，只要我不去解读，它就变相地造成了去名化的状态。而意义或者说是猜想应该留给包括我在内的所有观众。对于未知所带来的不安和不信任，相信每一个观众都有自己的解决办法。就像侏罗纪公园里说的「生命會找到自己的出路Life will find its way out）同样观者也会很自然的找到自己的观看方法。
Q: Isn't "4479," the theme of this exhibition, a name? What does it mean?
A: Numbers are universal symbols, avoiding reading difficulties or ambiguities. Initially, "4479" served as a name with a clear meaning, but it's no longer important. It can be seen as a serial number, a buoy for recording. As long as I don't interpret it, it effectively becomes nameless. The meaning or guesses should be left to all viewers, including myself. Each viewer finds their own way to deal with the unknown, just like in Jurassic Park: "Life will find its way."
魏子翔 Zixiang WEI, 309012192022, Oil on canvas 布面油画, 30 x 90 cm, 2022
Q：绝大部分作品中都具有像是生物局部羽毛的元素，这些元素对你来说有何意义？
A：内容是对我没有意义的，去画这些内容是有意义的，至于内容所表现的结果是很多因素形成的，肌肉记忆，思维惯性，等等，羽毛的映射就是这样，还有一些早期画中存在的烟火，云彩等等这些才是刻意为之。我目前在有意识的避免形象化的同时具有形象感，这个难度挺大的，稍有不慎又掉进了二元化的抽象具象之分，但我也想的开，毕竟理想不是用来抵达的，是用来不断接近的。
Q: Most of your works feature elements like partial feathers of a creature. What do these elements mean to you?
A: The content itself is meaningless, painting it is meaningful. The result is formed by various factors, like muscle memory and thinking habits. The representation of feathers is like that. I'm consciously avoiding definitive imagery while maintaining a sense of imagery, a challenging balance to prevent falling into the binary of abstract and figurative. But I'm open-minded; after all, ideals are for constant pursuit, not for achieving.
Installation View, Artworks ©魏子翔 Zixiang WEI
Q：可以聊聊“避免形象化的同时，具有形象感”又控制不掉入“二元化的抽象具象之内”具体是指？
A：形象化（也就是说有明确指向性的形象）对我的画面而言属于一种舒适区，像一副人要倒下时的拐杖，而我想抓住的是那种游走在极为狭窄的管道之中却不碰触到管壁的感觉，这里的管壁可以是形象化也可以是抽象。
形象感是具体但不明确的意象，我所坚持的所谓形象感，也是有意识的让画面从观感上或从行业定义上不在抽象绘画的范畴，即便很多人认为我是“抽象派”，我接受，但不认同。对我而言绘画的结果无论是导向抽象还是形象，都太容易了，而现在这个方向对我是一种挑战。
Q: Can you elaborate on "avoiding being figurative while maintaining a sense of imagery" and not falling into the binary of abstract vs. figurative?
A:Figurativeness, or having a clearly directed image, represents a comfort zone for my paintings, like a crutch for someone about to fall. However, what I aim to capture is the sensation of moving through a very narrow passage without touching its walls. These walls can represent either figurativeness or abstraction.
Imagery, in the sense I pursue, is concrete yet not explicit. I consciously maintain this form of imagery to ensure that my work, in terms of perception or industry classification, doesn’t fall squarely into abstract painting. Even though many consider me part of the "abstract" school, I accept this view but don't agree with it. For me, whether a painting leans towards abstraction or figuration is too easy an outcome. The direction I'm currently exploring presents a real challenge.
Installation View, Artworks ©魏子翔 Zixiang WEI
Q：很多人认为你的绘画属于抽象绘画，可是你自己认为它是具象的，我想知道你是如何看待抽象和具象的
A：在艺术行业话语体系外，无论怎样讨论都是合理的。而在行业话语体系中讨论的话，那必然应该有标准，例如如果评价一个作品用抽象和具象来划分，其实就是在二元论，非黑即白。作品像人，人本身是没有左派人或右派人，只是针对具体的事（对绘画来说就是‘具体的人’），相比较谁更左或更右，画也是，当对比两幅画，一幅画相对另一幅画，在不同人的理解上可以说偏抽象或偏具象，当然这种对抽象和具象的讨论对很多画家包括我在内已经无效了，大众把它消解并极简化个人化，它已无法用来判断，也不合时宜，是陈旧的偏狭的概念。
这其实在对于业内的讨论中是很重要的，因为如果一旦二元论了，那就把作品永远钉死在十字架上了，成了一成不变丧失了解读空间的耶稣，而艺术家是想把努力的成果变成那钉子，既能杀死耶稣又能固定营帐保护人，也能成为绘画的工具之一等等，钉子可以无所不是无处不在，也不用非黑即白，我也经常简单粗暴的去定义一张画面，但是现在我要反思的是当我能很快说出评判的时候，我是否也应该想想所面对的作品有我没有注意到的“钉子”。而那些也许恰恰才是艺术家最可贵的星星之火。
所以抽象和具象这对极致的情侣就让它们随着现代艺术时期一起去软埋吧，之所以软埋，是因为他不会消失，仍会阴魂不散，只不过毫无威胁，也不再参与对如今严肃绘画的审判。
Q: Many consider your paintings abstract, but you see them as figurative. How do you view abstract and figurative art?
A: Outside of the art industry's discourse, any discussion is valid. Within it, there should be standards. For example, classifying a work as abstract or figurative is a binary, black or white view. People are not purely left or right-wing; they differ on specific issues (or, in painting's case, specific people). Similarly, a painting may seem more abstract or figurative compared to another. But for many artists, including myself, this binary classification is outdated and narrow.
This is actually very important in industry discussions, because once you fall into dualism, it effectively crucifies the artwork, turning it into an unchanging Jesus that loses interpretive space. The artist aims to transform their efforts into the nails: these can kill Jesus and also fix the tent to protect people, and become one of the tools in painting, among other roles. The nail can be omnipresent and not strictly black or white. I often crudely define a painting, but now I reflect: when I quickly pass judgment, should I also consider the unnoticed “nails” in the work? Perhaps those are the artist’s most precious sparks.
Therefore, let the ultimate couple of abstraction and figuration be gently buried along with the modern art period. They are 'gently buried' because they will not disappear, lingering like ghosts, yet posing no threat and no longer participating in the judgment of today's serious painting.
Installation View, Artworks ©魏子翔 Zixiang WEI
Q：聊聊你是如何找到目前的这个绘画路径的，你早期的作品还是能看出明确物象的。
A：其实现在也是有明确的物象，只是不好说它是什么，这个呈现效果我也没刻意去找，可能我还是想让画面尽量脱离开对文字语言的倾向，例如，看我以前的画，很快会想出方向并加以描述，而现在需要多想一秒，这一秒对我很重要。
Q: How did you find your current painting path? Your earlier works had more definite imagery.
A: There are still definite images now, just not easily describable. This effect wasn't intentional; I might be trying to detach the paintings from a linguistic tendency. With my earlier works, one could quickly find a direction and describe them, while now, it takes an extra second of thought, and that second is significant to me.
Installation View, Artworks ©魏子翔 Zixiang WEI
Q：可以聊聊不管是语言还是内容还是画面以外与之相关的你都坚持艺术家不去给作品下定义而是让作品自己表达？
A：这只是对我自己个人，每个人都有自己坚持的（或者说本能的）表达逻辑。我不认为我的想法有什么前卫性或特别之处，之所以这么做是因为我的创作初心一直是这样，无论是现在的绘画还是以前做的观念作品、摄影等等。
Q: Can you discuss your insistence on not defining your works, letting them express themselves?
A: This is just a personal approach. Everyone has their own inherent or instinctive logic of expression. I don’t consider my thoughts to be particularly avant-garde or unique. The reason I work this way is that it's always been my foundational approach to creation, whether in my current paintings or in my previous conceptual works, photography, etc.
Installation View, Artworks ©魏子翔 Zixiang WEI
Q：未来的创作重点是什么？
A：重点是继续做，开弓没有回头箭，做就是方向，至于会到哪里，只有做了才知道。
Q: What is the focus of your future creations?
A: The focus is to continue the act of creation. Once the bow is drawn, there's no turning back. The act itself is the direction. As for where it will lead, that can only be discovered through the process of doing.
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