郑路
止水
“诗意的形象……并非是过往的回声。正相反，在一切形象的光辉中，遥远的过去发出了回响。”
--- 加斯东·巴什拉，《空间的诗学》
郑路的作品体现了艺术家在空间内整合不同材料的能力。本质上说，作品的感知和跨界并没有囿于传统主题和形态。在一定的语境下，材料和空间是自明的，具体材料的表现和运动，以及材料的物质表现的运动性成为处理作品特定场域性的基础，赋予作品综合的形态。
材料语言是郑路创作的核心，值得注意的是，这里的语言是体现材料本能的语言。郑路接受过美术学院的正统教育，从形式上倾向于具象，但在他看来，表现传统主题的现实主义风格和形式都明显过于保守。因此，在好奇心的驱使下，这位实力派的艺术家开始探索先在的材料语言。
带有机械性的作品，同时也像是个转瞬即逝的纪念碑，空间的时间也与形象的各种特征一致。艺术家通过形式表现出材料的辩证法和实验性，令作品丰富多样，各具特点。中国大陆的学院式教育模式和传统强调具象，然而郑路却能够和同时代的艺术家一起努力探索艺术创作的国际化语言，创造了许多系列作品，通过作品的标题和诗性的象征表达艺术家的归属。
从郑路雕塑的作品中，我们可以看到他并不完全依赖传统的意象和现实材料的动态特征，这也是其作品最有效的图式。作品有着深层的象征性，抛弃了历史传统中简单的修正主义，引起人们思考民族象征、夸大的超美学物性以及相对浪漫化的民族主义和身份认同共同作用下的历史。郑路引用了历史上著名的诗人和哲学家的作品---尽管我们每个人对这些作品的理解和方法的阐释不尽相同。将个人的具体现实与民族神话语境的整体谬误现实结合，是艺术家的高明所在，也是其无意而为。 在所有以诗歌为创作来源的当代艺术家中，郑路这种与模式化的传统主题的痛苦决裂恐怕是独一无二的。这是对大陆的传统学术、教化和重复的公式化做法或许是种贬低，然而艺术家的个人化表达也反映出对这些问题的阐释谬误和难以理解的迷恋。
对艺术家来说，与神话虚构的决裂看上去似乎代表着进步，是一种屈服，屈服于大陆正在经历的消费主义文化和全球化霸权影响下的道德混乱和传统价值的沦落。无论是当代艺术界的名人，还是普通的行人，抑或是好奇的旁观者，在观察的同时，也在思考这种非主流的处理方式的特别之处，寻找这种虚构的或称作非典型的灵感来源。在中国，雕塑创作的重点仍是历史的国家主义，要有体积，要有史诗感，有气势，像纪念碑，宏大得有些离谱。
尤其是作品通过空间内光线及其折射，还有对蕴涵的材料语言的阐释，都扩大了视觉的空间。不锈钢、多纤维或者即时性材料被纳入一个动态的语境中：所有的作品都表现出对视觉范式、视觉表现和空间整合的敏感性和巧妙的处理，这里同样包括装置和移动影像。这种视觉呈现的深度让人想起与中国美学具有一致性的传统，想起非线性时间中内在的诗性化的传递，这些都隐藏在历史结构和浪漫化的象征表达中。这种强烈的感觉不具有讽刺性，也并不是存在于幻想中的被大家称作“历史”的衍生物，而是文人艺术家想象的基本要素。雕塑的具体外在形式同时承载了神秘的文人诗。在这里，空间性大于想象性，表达特殊的艺术追求。这样的艺术手法，个人也好，非个人也好，都是非西方的，是对当代全球艺术创作和哲学文化中的欧洲中心主义的反拨。
通过分析“读空”（2010）、“淋漓”（2011）、“近于禅”（2012）等作品，我们不难发现艺术家以视觉的瞬间形式呈现了金属的延展性，在表达文人象征的同时，反思空间的美学。从外观上看，这些作品极其精致，似乎有些脆弱，无法确定它们在何种意义上会影响人们对雕塑艺术史的形而上思考，同时，我们还可以看到瞬间的诗意与不锈钢材料的持久性之间的张力。我们获得的作品潜在意义与其说是象征性，不如说是标识性的，即在当代的语境中，历史形式是荒唐的，而“沉默”是这些雕塑作品的精华部分，与光、影和空间形成了复杂的互动，摒弃了现代艺术的喧哗， 上演了一场无声的视觉戏剧。在理解郑路的作品时，我们不要忘记这样一个事实，即艺术家对于创作的认识和立场与西方的先锋派并无太大的联系，也不是对前人的雕塑实验的简单模仿。如果艺术家能够真正探索艺术本身（具有象征意义上的真实性）纵深与横向的即时性，而不是让传统的仿像凌驾于内在的诗学传统之上，将其颠覆，此时艺术就真正获得了动力。
“淋漓”借用了中国传统诗学和哲学的概念，将对自我的认知和接受作为精神升华的途径，仅仅通过静观池水，便可以得到内心的平静和安慰。不锈钢的螺旋或许代表着对自由之路的积极探索和认知，形成一种循环，令人想起自然。作品往往成系列出现，对概念的表达由内及外，复制了水的螺旋式循环模式，如瀑布般落下，同时具有中国传统中园林与盆景的象征性，预示着艺术家在后来的作品中会进一步探索如何将形式作为创作的基本方法。带有写实价值的诗意渐渐浮现，而金属作为工业原料具有的质感，消解了实际物体或者说图像原型。
通过“弘仁山水印象”（2009），郑路再次以自己独特的风格，借助当代雕塑演绎了根植于诗学和历史的象征性。在对作品的复写中，我们可以看到艺术家对原作的形式编码和艺术价值的创造性偏离。这种视觉的阐释当然与传统水墨构图保持一定的距离，但是作品却以联想的逻辑性和条理性表达一种暗示：艺术家偏爱历史和传统范式，但在具体创作中有偏离，有阐释，具有具象价值。面对历史的修正和“全球化”神话的先决因素，有些艺术家开始放弃枯燥而无趣的主题和空洞的哲学思考，开始关注历史生命力 ---- 这样的思考也放大了许多中国当代艺术先行者们所遭遇的困境。
“观相”（2009）延续了艺术家传统的隐忍和创造的自觉。光投射于不锈钢的释迦摩尼像，然后经由金属表面反射。佛像作为精神的实体，散发出灵魂之光，完美结合了传统的寓意与富有创意的现代材料。作品是着意刻画代表着精神世界的佛像，尤其是其平静安详的表情，还是反映在想象力缺失的当下，亚洲最大的宗教信仰面临的境遇，我们不得而知。“闻语心觉”（2008）在捕捉观者的细微情绪变化的同时，指出了种种悖论，具有精神象征意义，同时，凝神静气的坐佛制造了宁静的气场，让人们停下已然模式般匆匆的脚步。我们不能对这里的物体作肖像学的解读，因为佛像代表了精神实体，其地位不可动摇，与非文字表述的历史经验主义同时存在。
2001年的“朽”标志着艺术家创作上的一次转折。在作品中，同样的诗学象征意义在作品中体现为规定性。这件由铁床、管道胶带和木头等为材料的新型戏剧装置作品，探讨了废弃物这一主题。边缘化的物体被聚集在一起，这时的艺术家如剧作家一样，对材料有着突出的组织能力，用无生命的物体将观众带入一场纯粹由时间导演的衰变戏剧。对照中国大规模的城市化背景，在疯狂的社会经济活动和政治行政手段面前，我们看到了大规模拆迁，有人也在现代化的名义下，因此失去了生存的空间，从这个角度看，这件作品的确意义深刻。这件作品同时也略有幽魅，将“朽”作为倒戈的戏剧手段，近乎完美地说明，艺术是经验世界的评价和拟像。
在探索独特的艺术表现方式和手段的过程中，郑路最先选择了装置和雕塑来表现中国的社会环境和普通工人的真实生活状态。2001年的“朽”是在废弃的建筑工地完成的现场装置。工人住着破旧工棚，周围随处可见黑色管道胶带，对于他们来说，生活就是挣扎度日。这里的生活状态给艺术家留下了深刻的印象。作品以一种隐喻的方式，具体而实在地呈现了工人的生活条件，同时又包含着文化异化、文化强势和贫穷等潜台词。这部作品再次说明，艺术家将艺术创作作为特殊的表达方式，这种方式描写的生活与媒体报道和社会文献中的生活截然不同。破烂的床垫、黑色的管道胶带和骨头构成了象征意义的仿样，作品的创作过程、主题来源及其结果共同记录了农民工的生活状态。
雕塑装置作品“三千烦恼丝”和“耳且”展现了艺术家驾驭空间和表现动感和量块的能力，在呈现大量块，或者是材料的具体化的同时，充分照顾到各个小细节。超细纤维金属与作品整体的“实体性”相得益彰，制造出舞台剧般的视觉动感，赋予作品特别的视觉特征，引起视觉错觉。这些与工业、材料和美学意义的构成相关的主题，可以说是艺术性的说明，而观众需要思考的则是量块的再造、作品的空间体积以及空间的创造对视觉的影响的巧妙综合。
郑路的作品中也有声音艺术的实践。他的声音装置作品同样涉及维度、感官知觉和经验的再现。作品“耳且”综合了表现对象的物理特性和声音的可能性，突显了二者间清楚明晰的关系。由近万个铝片打造了塔一样的缜密结构，阻碍球体的自由下落。高耸着的塔型物在世界都被赋予宗教的、精神化的象征意义。为了保证作品的平衡，艺术家投入了大量的时间和精力，将近万个金属球保留在“塔”內，无论从形式还是技术上都十分具有挑战性。每一次滴落的阻碍转化为声音，使整个阻力形成声场。
“喜从天降”（2008） 以上漆金属为材料，采用讽刺的空间书写方式，进一步反映了工业时代的特点及其对社会的破坏。醒目的空投炸弹和对军国主义的暗示着实令人吃惊，但观众的认知仍是视觉的，非文字的：因为艺术家没有提供任何有关时间和空间的线索，与具有时代视觉特征的媒体报道中提到的爆炸案和军国主义文化有很大不同。题目以讽刺性的幽默阐释了作品意义，对不通航地区的狂轰滥炸已经成为“国家”的合理手段，而“天”则是想象的和平之所。毁灭、暴力和暴力的非指向性构成了这件描写死亡和阴谋的讽刺性作品。
“洛水女神”（2008）拓宽了具象雕塑的界限，其中的诗歌典故来自于艺术家的文学积累。作品中的女性蜷着身体，也许是在休息，也许是在熟睡，留下的身影十分对称。起点缀和装饰材料的光泽与透射在人物身上成角度的影子并置，形成了诗歌语言和空间动感的共生，赋予人物的形式戏剧化，之间的张力得到极大的升华。
“未知的圆周”（2015）是一个具有视觉复杂性的雕塑装置，涉及到光的反射、球的原理和物体的重复与复制等。在这件现场的装置中，一个个小球沿着视觉平面非对称摆放，因镜面效应反光，产生相对的形象。“未知”往往是球形物体的特点，空间的片断性具体表现在三维空间内。从形而上的意义来说，这仿佛脱离了哲学和物理意义上的圆（象征意义上的源头）的直线和持续运动。这种有趣的形态表明，艺术家相信可以借空间时间说明隐性的主题，而对可折射光线的球形物体的特性则引向一个结论：观众能够思考，却无法做出预测。
作品“等待戈多”源自著名的同名戏剧中的情景，表达了存在、虚无和哲学的不确定性，彰显了作者贝克特近乎数学般精确的舞台驾驭能力。以时序性、公共干预和电子实验为基础的时间因参与者的物理存在/干预而中断，时间与对时间的记录在石头间转移，成为具有概念所指的形态，颠覆了以电子和亚形态序列形式存在的文献记录。这件装置作品表达了绝对惯性、“虚无”/静态平衡、矛盾的在场/不在场以及虚拟的记录等主题。
郑路的作品的材料多样，具有不同的象征意义和视觉的动感，客观地说，由于艺术家大胆的艺术实验，才有了对现场/材料/空间概念的不同理解。这种经验主义的行动模式将创作和空间中的物性不仅看做是独特的主题，更重要的是，对周围“环境”因素的意义和动态关系。借助于对雕塑行为和空间中“光”的强调，艺术家有意消解了艺术崇拜的传统，让观众参与到创造的活动中。当我们接受了模拟和想象的视觉结构时，面对具体而清晰的材料以及次要效果的易逝性，我们会思考雕塑潜在的张力，探索光的动态轨迹，剖析空间和虚构时间等各个维度。
因此，视觉关注的直接性让观众和艺术家同时参与到作品中来，在对传统和欧洲中心主义范式的诘问中，形成了动态的关系话语，体现了作品的客观性。郑路的创作材料多样，对真实材料的处理体现了艺术家的娴熟视觉表达技巧和对艺术的理解，使其将创造、消失、轨迹和对形而上世界的追问化成瞬间存在的可能性。
艺术品带给观众空间的体验，也是对新的物性或本质主义话语的体验，强调了时间和物体本身的吸引力。当具体化的主体的图解受到主流的美学印象后成为客体，形成了新的本体论前提之时，我们就会看到，雕塑行为本身就是感觉的记录，即基于体验的本体是自明的。
R. A. Suri 西安 2017年5月27日
Zheng Lu
Water without Motion
“The poetic image […] is not an echo of the past. On the contrary: through the brilliance of any image, the distant past resounds with echoes.”
Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space
The chief locus of the artist, Zheng Lu, operates on the extraordinary implementation of diverse materials incorporated within spatial contexts. Essentially, the perceptual and interdisciplinary aspects of his creations demand an investigation which lies beyond the confines of traditional leitmotif and modal considerations. In context, the axiomatic condition of material and spatial device, the irregularity of the means of execution weighing on the actual material and kinesis with that of the material bearing as fulcrum on the implementation of the site specific aspect of creation enacts a comprehensive modality.
The language of material is a predominant aspect of the creative trajectory of Zheng Lu, noteworthy, the visceral quality of the language employed. While the academic instruction of the artist induced an appreciation for the figurative and representational of form, the realism and modal consecutive of serial traditional leitmotif proved overtly conservative, the curiosity and caliber of the artist led him to explore material language a-priori.
The works serve as quasi-mechanical ephemeral monuments, spatial time corresponding with the parameters of the imaginary. In the sense of the inclination of the artist to embrace a modal execution wherein the materials dialectic combines with an emergent experimentation, we have a series of artistic creations of great variation and particular distinction. Whereas academic formula and tradition within the mainland dictate figurative representational mannerism, the artist belongs to a generation who have sought to explore global languages in creation, and multiple series indicate their origin of a Chinese artist’s works by way of title and poetical allegory.
The parameters of sculptural creations which denote the extenuation of traditional legacy, heritages imaginary and the actual kinesis with material are the operative schemata. Allegory beyond facile parallelism deters sheer revisionism of the ascribed tradition in historical impetus, rather, affords one the query as to where history is written or encoded by national fabulate, the annals of an exaggerated and hyper-aesthetic of object-hood, and the relative romanticized mores of nationalism and identification. The artist cites poets and philosophers renowned in time, through time, albeit we return to the singular thoughts and methods of interpretation of the individuals in question. To pivot the concrete reality of the individual with that of the overall fallacy of the national mythological context is a clever and unintentional development by the artist. This method of poignant rupture with encoded historical leitmotif is near unique to Zheng Lu amid those whom work with the poetical as source fabric within the contemporary sphere. A detraction may be known in the slight against the historical academia within the mainland and the trend of didacticism and repetitive formulaic imperatives, yet, the individual voice of the artist reflects the same dimension of interpretative fallacy and paradigm of occult fascination.
Ruptures with the mythic seem apparently cathartic in the artists evolution and genuflects the confused morality and loss of traditional appreciation, in the literal sense, amidst the brutal intervention of consumerist culture and globalized hegemony as experienced within the mainland. The observers, whether the elect of the contemporary art sphere, random pedestrian or curious by-passer are left to enquire as to the virtue of the deviations, equally, return to ponder on the fabulae or origin, mythical and pronounced atypical variations of the sources of inspiration. The ballast of the sculptural creations in China remains those of a historical state-ism, grand, heroic and majestic casts cover the visual horizon, with a tendency towards the monumental and grandiose bearing to the point of absolute ridicule.
In particular, the spatial light and refraction of these works, with their annotation of material language incarnate, lends to a broader visual spectrum. Stainless, poly-fiber or ephemeral materials are situated in a context of kinetic strength: installation and video projections apart to the overall pageant which has proven convergent in this artist’s dexterity with visual paradigms, presentation and awareness of the importance of spatial integration. Therein, the depth of the visual display enacts a definite reminiscence of traditions syncretic with Chinese aesthetics, the innate and poetical illustrated in the non-linearity of time...proven as an embedment in historical configuration and romanticized allegorical testament. This sense of poignancy is not satirical nor derivative of locus’ imagined and collectively called “history,” rather the rudiments of an imagination employed by the artists with a literati actuality. This concurrent presence of occult literati poetics projected upon the concrete manifestations of sculptural enactments, wherein the spatial rather than imaginary context prevails, indicates an origin of an exceptional artistic vision. These enactments, whether individual or collective, prove non-Occidental and devalue the omnipresence of Eurocentric contemporaneous leitmotif as being the quantifying principle in the international sphere of artistic creation and philosophical basis.
An emphatic statement might be derived from analysis of his works such as Nonexistence (2010), Water in Dripping (2011) or Almost Zen (2012), where the tensile strength of metal is suspended in visual employ that ruminates on spatial poetics while attesting the literati allegorical elements. Delicate and apparently fragile, their speculative role in sculptural art-historical positions proves non-definable, the ephemeral poetical counters the enduring quality of the stainless steel used in their creation. Emblematic rather than symbolical, their latency is in a statement which reads historical modality is being ludicrous in the contemporaneous situation, while the quintessential “silence” of these sculptural creations, with their intricate interplay with light, shadow and space, determine a visual drama of the silent rather than erratic “noise” of the spectacle of modern art. The point made towards an understanding of that which underlies the creative trajectory of Zheng Lu: his operational position does not equate with a “neo” or “quasi” association with Occidentals' avant-garde nor possessed by the facile replica (as common) of antecedent sculptural experimentation. The impetus appears as one engaged with the erect and tensile immediacy of art (in allegorical certitude) rather than subordination of inherent poetical tradition and subversion towards the pale simulacra of convention.
The concept derived from traditional poetics and philosophy, “Water Dropping” refers to the recognition of self as a path of enlightenment, the question of gazing into a still pool meditative, affording the individual inner calm and solace. With the spiral traces of stainless, one has the impression of an active cognition of the path towards liberation, circular and reminiscent of nature. The works evolve as a series, conceptual expression extending to the outermost, replica of water cyclic spirals, cascades and the symbolic potency of traditionally cultivated Chinese trees bespeak the tendency of the artist to experiment further with form as an elemental process. Poetical content submerges with the actual representational value, while the stark presence of industrial materials, in this case, metal, accentuates the deviation from the original actual object or Iconic prototype.
With An Impression of Hong Ren’s Landscape (2009) we have an immediate reference to the mannerism of the artist, the engage with a contemporary sculptural manifestation rooted in the poetical historical allegory. An immediate replication in work, there yet exists a deviation of the codification of form and aesthetic values accorded to the original. The visual interpretation, obviously, desists the quality of a depth of composition as akin to ink-wash productions while the associative logic of the work insinuates that travesty, re-interpretation and representational values may co-exist in a paradigmatic fascination with the past. The association accentuates the dilemma of many pioneers of Chinese contemporary art, while revisionism has come to occur and the international myth of “global” symbolic pre-determinants arises, we have the persistence of a few whose address lies in the blood of history while desisting vapid leitmotif or philosophical vacuity.
A creation, Observation, (2009), proves a stoic testament to a similar pedigree of creative impetus amid traditional forbearance. The sentinel figure of Sakyamuni cast in stainless with a particular distinction lent to the creation by the visceral refraction of light upon highly reflective stainless alludes to the spiritual light emanating from the incarnate spiritual entity, a symbolic gesture of traditional imbue & (yet) directly contemporary creative material employ. What is the “Observation”? Is it the serene countenance of a silent specter of spirituality or that imposed upon the icon of Asia’s predominant spiritual faith by the modern pedestrian/ spectator? The nuance of spectator, paradox and spiritual symbol exists in the creation, Revelation (2008), wherein we witness the seated figure of the Buddha in meditation, the ritual dynamic quietened by the presence of absolute stasis. Iconographic readings of the object are rendered void, we have the indissoluble of the presence of the spiritual incarnate cast in a statement contemporaneous which embraces the non-literal of historical empiricism.
A radical departure signature in 2001, Decay, renders a similarity of poetical allegory as a pre-script in the interpretation of the works of Zheng Lu. A metal bed, tape and wood are enacted in a neo-theatrical installation which impacts upon the theme of disuse, what is cast off and left to rot. The marginal objects are made cohesive in the display, we have the compositional strength of a dramaturge awaking inanimate objects to engage the observer with a spectacle of the licentious decay of time alone. A particularly poignant work amid the colossal urbanization of contemporary China, with the associative discord among people’s immediate and mass relocation, the dispossessed on modernity as the nation’s struggles with brute socio- economic imperatives and political dictates. The work has a spectral quality and the construct of “decay” in animus as spectacular device annotates with near perfection the act of art as comment and simulacra of the experiential.
The search for alternative expression led him first towards installation and sculptural works which reflected the social climates and actual experience of the average worker in China. This epitome was captured in the work created in an abandoned construction site, Decay (2001). Workers living in derelict beds and black duct tape being strewn about, evidence of the survivalist tendency which remains their “quotidian” experience were the chief source of inspiration. Metaphorical while specifically materially evident of the actual workers condition, with the subtext of cultural alienation, duress and abject poverty, the work insists on artistic creation being an alternative means of expression, one which depicts a life void of accurate depiction in media and social documentation. The recuperation of the original materials of the mattress, black duct tape and use of bones to effect a symbolic replica, the documentation of migrant workers is somehow encrypted in the artworks execution, origin and end result.
Sculptural installations such as 3000 Meters of Woe and Re-sist-ance serve to appreciatively attest to the potential of spatial kinetics and mass display. The creations both operate with attention to minutiae as well as mass form and material embodiment. Visual parameters and the sense of optical illusion are enacted upon: the relative equation of micro- fiber metallic component and the collective “entity” work towards the rendering of a visual dynamic of performance spectacle. Correlative themes of industry, material evidence and aesthetic configuration prove to be the artistic commentary, while the observer is left to ruminate on the machinations of the mass reproduced, the spatial mass of the work and visual impact of the spatial creation.
The phenomena of sound is not apart from the artist’s trajectory of experimentation, with a new sound installation that equally operates on dimension, sensorial perception and the spectacle of experience. The work Re-sist-ance pivots on the combination and unequivocal relationship between physical properties and sonorous potential. Force being applied to a free falling body halts the movement amid approximately 10,000 aluminum plates, arranged to simulate a tower. The artist holds that there exists a powerful symbolism associated with the tower, an iconic force throughout the world with both religious and spiritual significance. The work was created with great attention and diligence, to manage the equilibrium in the design wherein the aluminum structure would prevent the ten thousand metal balls from escaping the “tower,” an act of modal and technical ingenuity. The same prevention, accompanied by sound, creates a sound field engaged with the act of resistance.
An Unexpected Gift from Heaven (2008) further compounds statements of an industrial era and havoc with an ironic spatial depiction in lacquered metal. The immediate recognition of aerial bombs and militaristic allegory shock the observer, while in fact, the cognitive remains visual rather than literal: there is no associative indication of time or space, of an actual bombardment or instance of the militaristic violence so frequent in the media saturated visual culture of our era. The title itself insists on a caustic humor in the interpretation of the work, random and indiscriminate bombing of peoples amid zone’s non-navigable have become the licensed action of militaristic “statehood,” while the heavens’ remain the terrain of an imagined peace. Annihilation, violence and the anonymity of terror might be ascribed as the creative impetus of this highly ironic depiction in due discourse of strategic death and the militarist machination.
The confines of the figurative representational sculptural act are challenged in the work, The Goddess of the Luo River (2008), while the poetical allusion of past literati is read a-priori. The sculpture reveals a coiled body of a female form, at rest or in slumber, whose shadow is cast in perfect symmetry. The glitter of the material veneer juxtaposes the angular shadow projected beyond the original figure, a vision both a symbiotic of poeticism and spatial kinesis, rather remarkable in the sublimation of dramatic tension in the rendering of her innate form.
Unknown Circle (2015) is a visually intriguing sculptural installation whose scope envisions reflection, orb and repetition of object. A site specific installation, the individual orbs are placed in asymmetry along the visual plane, akin in their refraction of light and oppositional image due to their mirror effect. “Unknown” is the dynamic accredited to circular unity, herein, spatial fragments are embodied in three dimensional contexts, as though a metaphysical rupture with the aligned and eternal movement of the circle (allegorical origin) as accredited in philosophical and physical terms. This curious morph signals a departure of the artist towards a greater conviction to render spatial time in illustration of themes latent, the intentional codification of the spherical object’s with their refractive light operate to insist upon the observation: the spectator is left with little to divine while contemplation is yet enacted upon.
The creation Waiting for Godot, a direct derivation of the thematic situation of the legendary drama, being, nothingness, philosophical incertitude with an accent upon the quasi- mathematical stagecraft of Beckett. Essentially a time based chronology, public intervention, electronic experiment which is interrupted by physical presence/intervention of participants, time and its record transfers from stone to stone, a conceptual referential mode that subverts documented presence in serial electronic, sub-modal instances. Absolute inertia, “nothingness”/ stasis and the paradoxical of presence/non-presence and virtual record are the underlying messages encoded in the installation.
While the variations of material, symbolism and visual dynamics are of great difference, the objective interpretation of the creative trajectory of Zheng Lu may be ascribed to the accentuation of experimentation of aesthetic re-interpretation amid the locus of site/material/ spatial construct. The locus is an empirical modal operation which enacts one to observe creations and the potentiality of spatial object-hood not only as regards the individual subject, yet further, the importance and kinetic relation with the surrounding “atmospheric” quality. This sense of accentuated sculptural actions and spatial “light” transgresses with the conventions of artistic idol, rather, immersing the viewer within the creative act. As we embrace realities virtual and imaginary optics, the quality of concrete manifest material and the ephemeral spectrum of delicate fragility of the secondary effects, make for a pivotal query beyond the latent tension of sculpture to that of the dynamic kinesis of light, space and mythical time.
Hence, the immediacy of visual absorption acts for a simultaneous participatory role of the audience with that of the author, objectivity at the fore of a kinetic relational discourse that desists conventions and paradigm’s Eurocentric in their determinant. Polyvalence of material and visually dexterous ventures with the actual material, an intimate predisposition of Zheng Lu, allow for visceral visual impact with singular instances of ephemeral entity of the experiential luster of creation, erasure, locus and metaphysical deference.
There is no direct accord with a new object-hood or essentialist discourse reliant, the spatial experiences offered by the artist denote with emphasis the spectral of time and the allure of the object. The schematic employment of subject incarnate as object transgressed with predominant aesthetics and illustrates the promise of a new ontological premise, a chart of the sensorial within the sculptural act: the axiomatic of experiential ontology.
R. A. Suri, Xi’an, 2017-05-27