展览预告｜曾绿涵：时间的刺 The Sting of Time

时间的刺

The Sting of Time

2024.1.6 - 2024.2.8

（预约制/ By Appointment Only）

开幕 Opening:

2024.1.6 14:00 - 18:00

艺术家 Artist:

曾绿涵

Lvhan Zeng

策展人 Curator:

付若瑄

Roxane Fu

地点 Location:

BACKSTAGE ART

上海市黄浦区茂名南路57号兰心大戏院三楼

3F, No. 57 South Maoming Road, Lyceum Theatre, Shanghai

南柯画廊欣然宣布将呈现代理艺术家曾绿涵个展项目“时间的刺” (The Sting of Time)，展期自2024年1月6日至2024年2月8日，展览地点位于上海市黄浦区茂名南路57号兰心大戏院3楼。本次展览由 BACKSTAGE ART 提供场地支持。

Nan Ke Gallery is pleased to announce "The Sting of Time", a solo exhibition by represented artist Lvhan Zeng, from 6th January 2024 to 8th February 2024, at Lyceum Theatre, 3rd Floor, No.57, South Maoming Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai. The exhibition venue is supported by BACKSTAGE ART.

“时间”是一个永恒的命题。然而，时间的流淌却并不总是平滑无痕的。有时，它带着细密的刺，滚动经过躯体，在未察觉时就悄无声息地留下触动神经的伤口。曾绿涵的绘画使用柔软而细微的笔触，认真地对这些痕迹进行记录和描绘：她描绘孤独、甚至痛苦的记忆，也描绘在荒漠似的都市森林中所弥漫的，雨雾般的温情。

"Time" is an eternal proposition. However, the flow of time is not always smooth and seamless. Sometimes, it rolls through the body with fine thorns, leaving wounds that touch the nerves unnoticed. Lvhan Zeng's paintings use soft and subtle brushstrokes to carefully record and depict these traces: she depicts lonely, even painful memories, as well as the rainy warmth that pervades the desert-like urban forest.

曾绿涵 Lvhan Zeng

少女 Maiden, 2023

布面油画 Oil on canvas

100h x 140w cm

© Courtesy of the artist

艺术家曾绿涵（Lvhan Zeng）出生于中国南方的小城。狭窄老旧的房间，连同交杂溽热的水汽，组合成为仿佛上世纪末老电影般的视觉语言，构成了她审美与创作的基础。幼时，由于复杂的家庭环境，她经常辗转于各个地方，居无定所。因此，她对于亲密关系有着矛盾的情感，渴望与抗拒交织，角力。

Artist Lvhan Zeng was born in a small town in southern China. The narrow, antiquated rooms, accompanied by a mingling of humid vapors, weave a visual lexicon reminiscent of a film from the end of the last century, forming the foundational elements of her aesthetics and creative endeavors. In her formative years, the intricate dynamics of her family environment led her to transient residences and a lack of a fixed abode. Consequently, she harbors conflicting emotions towards intimate relationships, a tapestry of yearning and resistance, akin to an intense and profound wrestling match.

曾绿涵 Lvhan Zeng

没用的日子

Useless Days, 2023

布面油画 Oil on canvas

150h x 150w cm

© Courtesy of the artist

在蔡明亮的电影《洞》中，男女主人公在瘟疫横行的末世被隔离在一幢空荡的大楼里，各自填充独立的房间，而仅仅通过地板上不慎被留下的洞交流。被隔阂的肉身连同逐渐贴近的精神，戏剧化地表现出的亲疏维度，与曾绿涵的创作中对于情感的认知如出一辙。在作品《分享》中，时间被具象化为了钟表，又像披萨一样被分割开来。对她来说，她所向往的并不是全情灌注的亲密关系。亲密，就是可以将她所拥有的时间，像披萨这样用于分享的食物一样，分给对方一块。

In Tsai Ming-Liang's film Hole, the male and female protagonists find themselves isolated in an empty building in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a pandemic. Each occupies separate rooms, and their only means of communication is through an unintentional hole in the floor. The estrangement of their physical bodies, coupled with the gradually approaching intimacy of their spirits, dramatically portrays the dimensions of closeness and distance, mirroring the thematic exploration of emotions in the works of Lvhan.

In the piece "Share", time is materialized as a clock, and, akin to a pizza, it is segmented. For her, the aspiration is not for an all-encompassing intimate relationship. Intimacy, for her, is akin to sharing a pizza — being able to allocate a portion of her own time, much like sharing a slice of the food, with the other person.

曾绿涵 Lvhan Zeng

分享Share, 2023

布面油画 Oil on canvas

120h x 150w cm

© Courtesy of the artist

向来，时间与感情的联结都有着微妙的联系。在茨威格笔下，爱如对方口袋里的怀表。 “ 这根发条在暗中耐心地为你数着你的钟点，计算着你的时间，以它听不见的心跳陪着你东奔西走，而你在它那嘀嗒不停的几百万秒当中，只有一次向它匆匆瞥了一眼。” 这与曾绿涵的创作不谋而合。她希望自己的画作也可以仿佛钟表，流转到不同的地方，不同的人面前；给予彼此匿名的亲近，和面目模糊的陪伴。

The connection between time and emotions has always been delicately intertwined. In the words of Stefan Zweig, love is akin to a pocket watch. "This spring patiently counts your hours in the dark, calculates your time, and with its inaudible heartbeat, accompanies you as you rush about, while in its incessant ticking of several million seconds, you only glance at it in haste once." This sentiment aligns seamlessly with the creations of Lvhan Zeng. She hopes her artworks can be like a clock, circulating to different places and in front of different people; providing anonymous closeness and blurry companionship to each other.

曾绿涵 Lvhan Zeng

无人在意的选择

Unnoticed Choice, 2023

布面油画 Oil on canvas

90h x 160w cm

© Courtesy of the artist

在曾绿涵的画作中，不乏对日常生活中物件的再现。她将自己的感情态度通过物件的隐喻来传递：在《等待被使用》中，她描绘一盒崭新的香皂。在她看来，香皂就像她自己，等待着消耗自身来奉献他人。长期在亲密关系方面的匮乏，让她曾习惯性地赋予自己牺牲，而乃至自毁的角色。而一次次失败和受伤的求索，也难以避免地在她心里留下深深的烙印。

In the artworks of Lvhan, there is no lack of depictions of everyday objects. She expresses her emotional attitudes through the metaphor of objects. In "Waiting to be Used", she portrays a brand-new box of soap. In her eyes, the soap is like herself, waiting to be consumed to serve others. The prolonged lack of intimacy in her relationships led her to habitually assign herself the role of sacrifice, even self-destruction. The repeated quests for connection, marked by failures and injuries, inevitably leave profound imprints on her heart.

曾绿涵 Lvhan Zeng

等待被使用 Waiting to be Used,2022

布面油画 Oil on canvas

150h x 150w cm

© Courtesy of the artist

但她对于“贴近”又是向往的，积极的。仿佛行进在沙漠中的人对于绿洲的，犹如信仰般的渴望。在随后的作品《我和你一起》中，曾绿涵对于亲密和付出的认知延续着，冰块也如同香皂一样，需要消磨自身来靠近他人。但不同的是，画作内容方面的表现从单一的献祭转化为了互相的陪伴。在悲情与疏离的底色之上，逐渐弥漫开的温情随着冰块一起融化，流淌。

However, her yearning for "closeness" is positive and aspirational. It's like the fervent desire of someone traversing a desert for an oasis, a belief-like longing. In the subsequent artwork, "To Be with You," Lvhan's understanding of intimacy and devotion continues. Ice, like soap, needs to erode itself to get closer to others. The difference lies in the shift from a singular act of sacrifice to mutual companionship in the content of the artwork. Amidst the backdrop of melancholy and alienation, a gradually diffusing warmth, akin to the melting of ice, begins to flow.

曾绿涵 Lvhan Zeng

我和你一起 To Be with You,2023

布面油画 Oil on canvas

120h x 160w cm

© Courtesy of the artist

如果说艺术家对于亲密关系的态度是矛盾的，那么她对于孤独的态度也同样如此。孤独一方面是敲骨吸髓的消耗与折磨，另一方面也是令人上瘾的精神乐园。在曾绿涵的笔下，孤独往往不带有任何情绪，而仅仅是作为人存在的一种状态的形式出现。不管是零落的高跟鞋，空荡的冰箱；还是走廊尽头的通道，独自一人的剪影，似乎都是通过细腻朦胧的笔触，和独特的艺术语言对“孤独”这一哲思的捕捉。

If the artist's attitude toward intimate relationships is contradictory, the same can be said for her attitude toward loneliness. Loneliness, on one hand, is a bone-deep consumption and torment, while on the other hand, it is an addictive mental paradise. In Lvhan's portrayal, loneliness often appears not laden with any specific emotion but merely as a form of existence. Whether it's scattered high heels, an empty refrigerator, or the end of a corridor with a solitary silhouette, it seems that through delicate and hazy brushstrokes, and unique artistic language, she captures the essence of "loneliness" as a philosophical concept.

曾绿涵 Lvhan Zeng

背叛 Betrayal,2022

布面油画 Oil on canvas

60h x 50w cm

© Courtesy of the artist

这样平铺直叙的表达娓娓道来，使人不必继续联想到“寂寞”、“忧伤”之类的形容词。而只是发现“孤独”是一种永续的状态，是我们的身体在世界上完全独立的事实的陈述。曾绿涵的画作带我们回到认真观察每一个物件，去认知世界的太初，荒凉的意境，和一望无际的冷色。每个人都各自漫无目的地走，彼此不打招呼。

This straightforward expression unfolds, allowing people to refrain from associating it with adjectives like "lonely" or "sad" Instead, it invites the realization that "loneliness" is a perpetual state, a statement of the fact that our bodies exist entirely independently in the world. Lvhan's artworks take us back to earnestly observe each object, to comprehend the primordial aspects of the world, the desolate atmosphere, and the vast expanse of cool colors. Everyone wanders aimlessly, without exchanging greetings.

曾绿涵 Lvhan Zeng

爱的形状 Shape of Love,2023

布面油画 Oil on canvas

150h x 210w cm

© Courtesy of the artist

但在曾绿涵的笔下，孤独却并不是无法消解的冷意。而是亲密之前的蓄力，或穿插其中的休憩。孤独与孤立是现时的状态，而对于贴近和联结的渴望也由此显而易见，在肃杀的冰冷中灌注着温情的调剂。在画作《爱的形状》中，飞扬的白色布料依然带有冷清的色彩，但仿若被暖风撑起，奔向春日的动态，则恰是艺术家对她所认可之“爱”最好的描绘与注解。

But in Lvhan's writing, loneliness is not a coldness that cannot be dissipated. Instead, it is a build-up of strength before intimacy or an interspersed spice. Loneliness and isolation are the present states of affairs, and the desire for closeness and connection is thus evident, infusing a warm flavor into the coldness of the austere. In the painting "Shape of Love", the flying white fabric still has a cold and clear color, but the dynamics of being lifted by the warm wind and running towards springtime is the artist's best depiction and illustration of what she recognizes as "love".

曾绿涵 Lvhan Zeng

电影书 Film Book,2023

布面油画 Oil on canvas

120h x 160w cm

© Courtesy of the artist

在创作和生活的过程中，曾绿涵也逐渐将自己打开，去寻找痛苦的根源，再想办法和解或者逃离。曾经，她靠绘画来具象化地记录自己的痛苦；以期将伤口存档，作为苦难发生过的证明。她以这样的方式安慰自己，用自我见证来模仿正义的伸张。而现在，她则尝试着扩大自己的感知，不论是范围还是方式。她试图从生活的小事，微妙的情绪和与他人的联结中获取灵感，将画布作为电影中的“一帧”，将电影眼所观察到的东西记录和定格。

In the process of both creating art and living life, Lvhan has gradually opened herself up to seek the roots of her pain and find ways to resolve or escape from it. In the past, she used painting to concretely document her suffering, aiming to archive the wounds as evidence of the hardships endured. In this way, she comforted herself, using self-witnessing to emulate the pursuit of justice. However, now she is attempting to broaden her perception of self, both in scope and approach. She endeavors to draw inspiration from the minutiae of life, subtle emotions, and connections with others, treating the canvas as a "frame" in a movie, capturing and freezing what the cinematic eye observes.

曾绿涵 Lvhan Zeng

一场约会 Dating,2023

木板油画 Oil on wood panel

60h x 60w cm

© Courtesy of the artist

曾绿涵的作品尺寸迥异。既有极具私密性、需要贴近才能欣赏的大小，又有大型沉浸式场景。但无论大小，曾绿涵细腻的感知和表达让自己的画作看似笼罩在梦幻般的面纱中，通过笔触在画面上制造纹理，与现实拉开距离，成为另外一个熟悉又陌生的时空。每一幅画面也正如线性的时间中扎下的、点状的“刺”，展现的不是宏大绝对的叙事，而是艺术家捕捉到的瞬间而恒久的情愫。

Lvhan's artworks vary greatly in size. Some are intensely private, requiring proximity for appreciation, while others are large, immersive scenes. Regardless of size, Lvhan's delicate perception and expression make her paintings appear shrouded in a dreamlike veil. She uses brushstrokes to create texture on the canvas, distancing the viewer from reality and immersing them in another space that is both familiar and unfamiliar. Each image is also like a "thorn" stuck in linear time, showing not a grand and absolute narrative, but a momentary and constant sentiment captured by the artist.

文/付若瑄

Text by Roxane Fu

艺术家Artist

曾绿涵Lvhan Zeng

曾绿涵 （Lvhan Zeng)

1995年出生于广东省汕头市，现居杭州。毕业于韩山师范学院。作品曾于2022年展出于北京树美术馆的展览“时代浪潮中的不快捷方式”；并于2020年展出于上海民生现代美术馆的“约翰·莫尔绘画奖（中国）作品展”。

艺术家所感受到的过于强烈而不明确的痛苦促使她将闪现的画面记录下来，并由此对痛苦进行溯源。在绘画过程中，她习惯于平稳地用颜料铺满整个画面，达成一种被包裹的安全感。在这样的创作中，艺术家的情感被掩饰在冷静理智的每一笔之下，映射着自己的外在形象。而柔和、避免冲突的画面，则暗示了艺术家的处世之道。

在艺术家看来，绘画和电影有很多相似之处，都是一种讲故事式的自我表达。而不同的是，电影画面是连续的，绘画则是截取了其中的一帧，用以表现和叙事。在绘画探索过程中，艺术家完成了自我治愈，慢慢打开、接受世界的其他面。

Lvhan Zeng

Born in 1995 in Shantou, Guangdong Province, now lives in Hangzhou. Graduated from Hanshan Normal University. Her works were exhibited at the Tree Art Museum in Beijing in 2022 in the exhibition "Inexpedient Ways in the Wave of Time" and at the Minsheng Art Museum in Shanghai in 2020 in the exhibition "John Moore Painting Prize (China)".

The overly strong and unclear pain felt by the artist prompts her to record the flashing images and thus trace back. In the process of painting, she used to smoothly spread the paint over the whole picture to reach a sense of security of being wrapped up. In such a creation, the artist's emotion is concealed under each stroke of calm and rationality, mapping her external image. The soft, conflict-avoiding images, on the other hand, hint at the artist's way of being in the world.

In the artist's view, there are many similarities between painting and film, both are a kind of story-telling self-expression. The difference is that film images are continuous, while paintings intercept a frame to express and narrate. In the process of exploring painting, the artist completes self-healing, slowly opening up and accepting other aspects of the world.

策展人Curator

付若瑄Roxane Fu

付若瑄（Roxane Fu）是南柯画廊的驻馆策展人。她毕业于爱丁堡大学，获电影，展览与策展专业硕士学位。毕业后任职于伦敦日本画廊，负责文献研究和策展工作。继而在Royal Academy of Arts工作，同期在进行“链的故事”（Tale of the Chain）独立策展项目。

策展方面，她追求基于作品的热忱和真实，并努力以完整而清晰的叙事贯穿展览，帮助艺术家和观者在轻松安全的环境进行真诚的对话。在策展实践中，她喜爱以小说式的故事线整合展品，把展览看作三维的文学，诚实地传递和表达艺术家最为真挚的想法。

Roxane Fu currently serves as the Curator-in-Residence at Nan Ke Gallery. She graduated from the University of Edinburgh with an MA in Film, Exhibition, and Curation. After completing her studies, she worked at the Japan Gallery in London, where she was responsible for documentary research and curatorial tasks. Following that experience, she joined the Royal Academy of Arts and contributed to the independent curatorial project 'Tale of the Chain.'

In her curatorial practice, Roxane Fu endeavors to amplify the passion and authenticity inherent in artworks. She is dedicated to constructing a comprehensive and coherent narrative within exhibitions, fostering genuine dialogues between artists and viewers within a relaxed and secure environment. Roxane's approach involves integrating exhibits into a storyline, akin to crafting a novel, transforming exhibitions into three-dimensional literature. Her goal is to faithfully convey and articulate the artist's most sincere ideas.

作品垂询请邮件至

Please email for inquiries about the artwork.：

info@nankegallery.com

本次展览为预约制

观展需添加南柯画廊微信客服号预约：

This exhibition is by appointment only.

To visit the exhibition, please add Nan Ke Gallery's WeChat service account to make a reservation.

Nan Ke GalleryXBACKSTAGE ART

上海市黄浦区茂名南路57号兰心大戏院三楼

3F, No. 57 South Maoming Road, Lyceum Theatre, Shanghai