身體陪伴靈魂
的
20個生活行動
20 Exercises for the Body to Be the Soul’s Companion
中國澳門 Macau, China, 2023
梁祖賢個展及藝術書籍出版
Solo Exhibition and Artist Book Publication of Joein, Leong Chou In
策展人 Curator：林小雯 Sio Man Lam
藝術家 Artist： 梁祖賢 Joein, Leong Chou In
展覽日期 Exhibition Period：2023. 4. 7 - 5. 1
展覽地點 Venue：澳門 At Light, Macau
主辦單位 Organizer： 埋欄文化 MyLand Culture
出版序
小城如澳門，也許容不下許多職業的藝術家，卻自有人將生活「活」成了藝術。倘若藝術不僅是物質與財富，而是一種活法，藝術家所創造的和與世界分享的，也許是以藝術為名的時間。
—— 寫在前
對時間和周遭環境的細膩感受，一直是祖賢創作的靈感來源。
在她早些年的錄像作品《永永遠遠》（2018）中，水滴逆轉倒流，波濤洶湧後退；不過數十秒時光，便截斷了感受時間的慣性，拮穿關於永恆的假象。
《詭變日常遇見各種荒誕》（2021）以一系列看似寫實的影像為基礎，呈現各種超現實的情節——石屎森林中的窗格在平移，黃昏路邊的燈柱無限攀升，山間田野內的雞隻在雲上被飼養……詭變的時空，並不指向新的寓言，卻暗示日常的另一種可能。
《身體陪伴靈魂的二十個生活行動》看似是截然不同的行為創作與出版計劃，卻始終貫徹作者對人類如何回應身處時代和社會環境的思考。
它從每個人自身出發，嘗試去問「我是誰」？靈魂能代表「我」嗎？還是我們物質性的身體？還是身體與靈魂的合一，被作者稱為「我們」的集合體？
書中一個又一個的練習，都在嘗試提示讀者，如何關注內心，洞察身體，照料好「我們」。而這種身體與靈魂的回歸，正是一切改變的開始。如同當代女權主義作家奥德雷．洛德（Audre Lorde）所說：「照料自己不是自我放縱，而是自我保存，那是政治戰爭中的行為。」
走過變幻而超乎想像的這些年，我們或多或少感受到個人力量的卑微，集體無力不僅是後現代社會的特徵，更是我們這個時代的共同病癥。這本書引導我們從幾分鐘的閱讀出發、從力所能及的行動開始，改變我們的習慣，扭轉我們對約定俗成的事情的看法，甚至敢於「與世界短暫對立」。
也許你會質疑，這樣微小的改變有意義嗎？我們無法從社會和生活中完全撤離，但作者提醒我們，是那每一個微小的瞬間，構成了時間長河中的「我們」。與自己連結，與自然和宇宙連結、與一切非生命連結，去獲得一種感知世界的不同方式吧。當那些不相依更不相知的「我們」找到了彼此，也許我們就可以在看似無縫的現實時空中成就微小的革命。
Preface of the Publication
While small cities like Macao may have little room for artists’ professional growth, the creatives have never ceased producing original work, and some of them have even turned their everyday lives into art. If art is not just material possession and wealth, but a way of living, then perhaps what an artist creates and shares with the world is an experience of time in the name of art.
—Prologue
Joein’s subtle feelings about time and her surroundings have always been her muse.
Her earlier work, Eternal (2018), a less-than-a-minute video that shows water dropping up and waves rolling backward, disrupts our habitual perception of time and reveals our illusion about eternity.
A Variety of Absurdities in a Bizarre Daily Life (2021) features surreal storylines made with seemingly realistic imagery – buildings’ window openings sliding horizontally, a roadside lamppost stretching up to the sky at dusk, chickens from a field raised amid clouds…. Rather than comprising a new type of fable, the varied odd scenes hint at another possibility in daily life.
Despite appearing disparate from her previous projects, Twenty Exercises for the Body to Be the Soul’s Companion also continues Joein’s contemplation over how humans can respond to their times and society.
The book starts with a question that concerns each of us: “Who Am I?” Am I my soul, my body, or my soul and body, which the author dubs “We”?
The exercises in the book guide readers on how to be attentive to their inner worlds and bodies - a way to take care of “We.” When we turn our attention back to them, everything begins to change. As the contemporary feminist writer Audre Lorde put it, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
After these eventful and unimaginable years, we feel more or less powerless as individuals. Collective powerlessness is not only the characteristic of Postmodern society but also a symptom of our times. The book, with thought-provoking texts and simple exercises designed to bring changes in our way of living our everyday lives, enables us to see what we have taken for granted in a different light and even emboldens us to “confront the world.”
However, you may question the significance of these small changes. Though we cannot retreat from society altogether, the author reminds us that every little moment counts because together, they give birth to “Us”, the embodiment of time. Connect with yourself, nature, the universe, and all the lifeless beings if you desire a refreshing perspective on the world. When our mutually independent and unacquainted “Wes” find each other, we may be able to accomplish a small revolution in the seamless-looking space of reality.
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攝影師 Photographers：Cathie Lam
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