<the world · us>
by Rita Lee
The Book of Rites, written during China’s Qin Dynasty, whose central ideas rooted from Confucianism, discusses the idea that the vastness of all things had been generated from compilation of single events. For example, sparks of light made up all the stars in our universe; sands made up our lands, which in turn made up our landscapes. All small events in history made up the entire history of mankind.
<the world · us> is Irene Chang’s artwork and dialogue with the human history and world events she has experienced and learned through life. The painting depicts various historical and current events, showing how human and natural disasters have always been our greatest challenges that we had to deal with. Floods have always been a natural global phenomenon throughout our history, starting from Biblical story of Noah’s ark dated roughly around 4000 BC, the Chinese fable of Yu from Xia Dynasty dated 4000 years ago, to the recent floods around the world. The anger of our land turning into earthquakes and volcanic eruptions also continue to shake us: just to name a few, from Pompeii’s collapse dated 79 AD, Tangshan Earthquake dated 50 years ago, to today’s frequent earthquakes and tsunamis around the world. The world also faced hurricanes, typhoons, tornados, forest fires, temperature hikes and drops, and landslides, which constantly remind us of our role in nature.
Additionally, Locusts and other pests that consumed our plantations and crops, which brought forth famine, have also been problems we faced. Irene chooses to place a scene where an aged farmer looking hopeless and devastated, crying out loud on the barren land, in the middle of <the world · us>, reminding us of how we are not in control in front of nature. Pandemics and viruses have also infiltrated our lives. Furthermore, when facing devastating events, humans in history have shown their aggression and tended to fight for limited natural resources and lands. To the right-hand side of <the world · us>, we see soldiers fighting amongst columns that look like dried woods, which are in fact incinerators, symbolizing the diseases and dead bodies burnt and the pollutions created. Natural disasters have always re-occurred; human flaws and errors have always been repeated; so have wars been frequently started by men throughout our history.
For 8000 years, human civilization had been telling the same cyclical stories, and we have witnessed the new beginnings and falls of numerous civilizations. Irene uses the symbols of “O” and “X” to formulate the entirety of her painting. Many details are replaced by symbols of different meanings. In Irene’s words, “We live in a world that’s made up of reality and illusions. Os and Xs represent many meanings: judgements of right or wrong, good or bad, true or false, cycles or interferences. These intertwining intricacies made up our stories. In our stories, we seek for hope and truth.”
Irene’s <the world · us> artwork is six meters in width, two meters in height - the biggest piece she has attempted to work on. She enjoys working on big canvases because it allows her to have more space to expand her imaginations, curiosities, explorations, and have a dialogue with the world. While painting her view on the history of mankind, she also gets to learn more about herself and to allow herself to be surprised, rejuvenated, and inspired. The vitality in the painting itself also grows as the artist learns and grows.
In this arduous process of completing <the world · us>, Irene submersed herself in the struggle between judgements of right or wrong, true or false, yes and no, where every stroke she made was focused and precise. Having to go through this process and stayed patient till the work was nearly finished, she realized that this piece of work had transformed into a magnificent landscape that allows us to walk in both our past and present. Although many scenes depict the sorrows and the pains humans had endured, the color scheme renders a sense of strength, balance, vitality, and hope. What are Os or Xs at the moment are hard to see and conclude, but they surely shape the look of our current society. Problems and difficulties will remain, but we will continue to search for light and truth, and we will move forward.
《世界 · 我們》 / 文 李淑圓
對與錯，歷史與⼈類的交錯平衡。
《禮記 · 中庸》：「今夫天，斯昭昭之多，及其無窮也，日月星辰系焉，萬物覆焉。今夫地，一撮土之多，及其廣厚，載華岳而不重，振河海而不泄，萬物載焉。今夫山，一拳石之多，及其廣大，草木生之，禽獸居之，寶藏興焉。今夫水，一勺之多，及其不測，黿鼉、蛟龍、魚鱉生焉，貨財殖焉。」
禮記中庸的第⼆⼗六章，說明了萬物的廣袤，都原由於許多單⼀的事物所堆疊⽽成，點點光明累積成⽇⽉星辰，黃沙礫⽯沉積為遼闊⼟地，乘載著江河⼭景。所有看似微不⾜道的⼩事，隨著時間流逝卻可創造⼈類歷史⽂明。
《世界 · 我們 》就是張佩瑤與⼈類歷史洪流對話的過程。畫⾯中交錯著不同的⼈們⾯臨的困境。天災⼈禍頻傳，是遠古⾄今時代共同的憂患。天災在古時，就有許多的故事流傳：⼤洪⽔時期爆發，諾亞⽅⾈的鑄造，東⽅社會的⼤禹治⽔，這是⼈們⾯對⽔患的求存。龐⾙城的陷落、唐⼭⼤地震，⼤地的怒氣成為火災與地震震撼著⼈類。直到現今社會仍舊有颶風與海嘯，南亞⼤海嘯、紐奧良颶風。並且各地仍舊野火頻傳，澳洲森林⼤火、亞⾺遜雨林⼤火、東加火⼭爆發，昭告著⾃然⼒量的反撲。
蝗災蟲害也在侵略著沃⼟糧食稻穀，靠天吃飯的農⺠只能無⼒地在地上吶喊哭泣。⾯對這樣的⽣活，⼈性卻更加揭露出了侵略的本性，爭奪資源引發戰爭與饑荒，病毒也在這樣的過程裡入侵⼈類。《世界 · 我們 》畫作右側⼀柱柱的枝幹看似乾枯的樹⽊，其實是矗立的焚化爐，⼈們企圖⽤焚燒消滅屍體與髒污、罪惡與病痛，卻也因此排放出更多的有害物質。天災不變，⼈禍也從未吸取教訓，善於爭⾾的⼈性從未消失，駕著⾺⾞，拿著盾牌、⼸箭的戰爭⾄今不過也演變成另⼀種⽅式，⼿裡拿改為科技更為進步的步槍、⼿榴彈⽽已。
⼀直以來，八千多年的⼈類⽂明歷史都在說著同樣的故事。無論世界有多麽的廣⼤，我們都在同樣的歷史循環裡，不斷的⾒證各種⽂明的開端與消亡。張佩瑤在畫作中不斷的⽤抽象的打圈「Ｏ」與打叉「Ｘ」堆疊建構了整體的畫⾯感，每⼀個畫⾯的細節，不是以具體物件原有的線條來構成，⽽是充滿隱喻性的繪畫⽅式來呈現。張佩瑤說：「畫圈與畫叉，就像是這個世界充滿了批判，什麼是對的？什麼是錯的？⼈們陷入在這樣的輿論爭端裡，這樣⼆元對立的論述也存在於各種⼈⽣階段與階層中。」
張佩瑤此幅《世界 · 我們》六米的巨作，是過去未曾嘗試過的創作規模，過往只需⼀⼈在閣樓畫室作畫的她，需要眾⼈協助才能將畫布立起，開始為期長達數⽉的創作過程。她⼗分享受其中，在與如此巨⼤的空⽩畫作相處時，嬌⼩的她忙上忙下，卻在這樣的作品裡發展深化她對於探索世界的好奇，繪畫⼈類的歷史使其不斷覺察⾃⼰，因發現⽽驚喜，並獲得活⼒與啟發。藝術創作者⾃⾝不斷的轉變，就像是這幅畫作也在轉變成長⼀樣，彼此都是充滿⽣命⼒的展現。
在漫長作畫的過程裡，張佩瑤允許⾃⼰浸泡在批判與對錯拉扯之中，每⼀筆⼀畫都是專注⽽精細的投入。經歷這樣的過程，直到畫作幾近完成的那刻，當她抽⾝⼀看，六米的畫作藉由這樣重複的圈叉創作筆觸⽽完成了⼀個廣袤宏觀的世界。「今夫山一卷石之多，及其廣大，草木生之，禽獸居之，寶藏興焉。」原來，我們的世界就是⽤這樣無數的對錯穿插，創造出了屬於⼈類的⽂明歷程。就像畫作遠看的整體體驗，⾊彩平衡協調，即便畫下⼈類需乘載的災難與苦痛，在張佩瑤的筆下卻充滿⼒量與平衡，單⼀的事物點點累積，能長出萬物，能孕育⽣命，能看⾒⽣命的寶藏所在。對錯是否重要？也許還是沒有⼀個肯定的答案，但對錯絕對建構了⽬前的⼈類社會樣貌。難題⼀直都存在，⽽我們也仍舊在持續向前⾏走著。
Photos by Irene Chang Studio
