My Retained World
By Liu Libin
Jianshu Song's acquisition of the current state of creation began with the refusal of the “cartoon generation” positioning. When he completed the undergraduate courses and graduated from the univeristy, he refused the artistic style that seemed to bring hope. In fact, from then on, Jianshu Song chose to reject the “readability” works and prefer “perceptual” works. The former style's over-explicit pursuit for “meaning” made him feel increasingly far from life. However, the “ineffability” of the latter one let him feel closer to the truth of life.
Jianshu Song's perception is acute. The “cartoon” art and the unified world full of “meaning” have an isomorphic relationship, and this unified world is built on the ignorance of individuals and identity of collective. Although “cartoon” art often raises the banner of “age” and attempts to give it its own. its original intention of pursuit of “readabilitr” has often caused its wishes
to go contrary and slipped into the logic of the "Cultural Revolution" propaganda painting. In such an environment, individuals who are conscious of the value of life tend to choose "perceptual" art. In recent years, there have been more and more young artists of this kind, and the previous creations of Guangle Wang and Xinguang Yang have given people a distinct feeling. At present, Jianshu Song's creation also reveals such a clue, and his artistic creation is different from the former two.
When many artists are faced with the conceptual "object", they will unconsciously abstract their own thinking. Good artists can solve this problem, and their ways vary from each other. In fact, we can refine ourselves only by constantly concretizing the problems we face. Jianshu Song's method to break through the general idea of "object" is to find concrete materials and advance them based on their characteristics. The method of transformation is to "sharpen up", that is, "carving". Unlike “modeling”, the "carving" is to remove the additional false ornaments, so that the characteristics of the materials can become live, which can also be called activation.
What is the standard of "activation”? It is the artist's own choices and alternatives. The artist's discovery of “I" is the premise, which then can realize the treatment of the material properties. Jianshu Song called it "sharpen up". In this way, the specific relationship between "I" and the characteristics of materials in the flowing time and space is clarified, and the encounter between "I" and "world" is also presented through the works.
In 2009, the hometown accidentally haunted by boar terrified Jianshu Song, which created an extraordinary scenario. In this scenario, the originally remote concern for life draws near. At this time, Jianshu Song scraped the bamboo into the weapon for aggression. In such a scenario, such material processing is undoubtedly the "most accurate". In fact, the basis of "accuracy" is Jianshu Song's vigilance on his own situation at that time. He discovered the direct danger to his body and discovered a different "I". For this "I", the material characteristics of bamboo are different from the former ones — aggressiveness, and it is no longer an ordinary building material or water tool.
It now appears that the emphasis on "accuracy" is actually based on accidental events. How did such "accidents" become the starting point for Jianshu Song's creation? What kind of "necessity" was behind this *accident”? In fact, Jianshu Song discovered the new connection between "I" and the specific materials "bamboo" "by chance". The novelty of this connection inspired him to begin thinking about the new relationship between him and his surroundings. Thus, he looked at the world in a brand-new perspective and a different perception.
After this, Jianshu Song created two pieces of works with wood as the specific material - "The Last" and "Hey! Baby". Both works seem to use the method of "sharpening up", but in my opinion there are substantial differences. In the former, Jianshu Song sharpened and polished the upper part of a locust tree and metaphorized his own growth. In the latter, Jianshu Song picked up the "core" of the abandoned mahogany and coked its outer skin. The difference between the two is that the former one is more of a visualization of Jianshu Song's personal experience, while the latter one is more of a manifestation of the material characteristics. The former one is more inclined to perform, while the latter one is more inclined to present. Relatively speaking, the latter one is more in line with his starting point for dealing with "relationships", namely, the manifestation of specific material characteristics.
The *Untitled” that was also created using the method of "sharpening up" is a "negative" way to achieve the positive effect of “Hey! Baby”. If you say “Hey! Baby” directly presented the original characteristics of this redwood (the wooden core is detached from the inside and other parts). Then “Untitled” is the geometric surface treatment of the locust tree, and through the disavowal of geometric surface treatment of the locust tree (the surface of the creature has no geometry), which directly integrated the life characteristics of the locust tree with the inanimate characteristics of the wood.
By the time the “The Thinner, The More Enjoyable,” Jianshu Song has changed the above “concentration” into juxtaposition”. He forged a part of an aluminum plate which was 10 mm thick, until it was thin enough to be no longer thinner. What should the aluminum plate be like? When these two kinds of appearances are juxtaposed on one surface, the challenges encountered by common sense make it possible for us to look back at ourselves. This may be exactly what Jianshu Song wanted. In his almost raging forging process, he may be repeating the hardships he has experienced. What kind of hardship did Jianshu Song want us to face? To perceive rather than explain.
Similarly, Jianshu Song is still dealing with the problem of the existence of “I” in the work “Fading Out”. A paper that has been kneaded and formed is transferred to a three-dimensional sculpture machine and copied in bulk as a crease. In the narrative mode of modernism, the biggest challenge to personality comes from alienation, which is to cancel your personality. However, Jianshu Song tells us that the biggest challenge for your personality comes from replicating your personality. This had to remind me of a piece of speech that Jisu Huang had said some time ago: When everyone was hiding in the bar and stating their unique feelings every day, three or four years later, they discovered that your differences are almost the same as the differences of others.
I've always been looking for the homoorganicity among the artists' artistic language, creation method and their way of facing the world. In my opinion, the homogeneity of the three is one of the signs that the artist is mature. Jianshu Song formed a unique works language in his attention to concrete materials. “Sharpening up” became his main creative technique. In the end, he wanted to tell everyone about the way he faced the world.
Translated by Cui Tianzhi
