Through The Lens Of Art : Brendan Tang【當中國古典雕塑遇上現代機械】
Written by Brendan Lee Satish Tang
Translated by Xiaoyi Du
Images Courtesy of the Artist
從小，我便對藝術有著強烈的熱情，它打開了許多未知的大門。在加拿大的小城鎮裡長大，我們家是唯一的華裔家庭，也是少數民族的代表。而繪畫讓我領略到一個充滿幻想的世界，成為了我的一種表達方式。繪畫是我跟其他同學的溝通方式之一。
My most known body of work is called Manga Ormolu, a series of ceramic sculptures that combine classical Chinese vessels with robotic elements, inspired in part by the aesthetics of Japanese Manga comics. The work is a hybrid of traditional blue and white porcelain from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, robotics, and futuristic technologies. Inspired by anime and popular culture, the work also references the 18th century French practice of taking imported Chinese ceramics and adding rococo filigree to the form.
我最知名的作品 Manga Ormol，是一系列陶瓷雕塑，創作的部分靈感來自於日本漫畫美學。這幅作品是中國古典雕塑與現代機器元素的結合，把中國元、明、清傳統青花瓷的美，與未來機器人的科技元素融為一體。同時也借鑑了十八世紀法國進口中國陶瓷並在其上添加洛可可式細絲的裝飾方法。
All of my work is created using traditional methods such as wheel throwing, hand/slab building, and hand painted glazes. Fine details such as applied rivets and hardware are sometimes added as final touches. I am inspired by not only the beauty of the blue and white work, but also by the thousands of unnamed artisans and craftspeople who worked anonymously to create work of such high calibre. I am also inspired by the notion that these highly specialized forms became symbols of Chinese culture and identity across the globe. I admire Ai Wei Wei (Chinese), Li Lihong (Chinese), Sin-Ying Ho (Chinese Canadian), and Howie Tsui (Chinese Canadian).
我的所有作品都是採用傳統方法製作的，例如拋輪、手繪釉料等，在完善細節上添加諸如鉚釘和其他硬件類的裝飾。在創作上，我不僅從藍白色青花瓷受到啟發，也從千百名無名工匠和手工藝人的作品中得到啟示。這些高度專業化的作品成為中華文化在世界的身份象徵，我也為此受到鼓舞。我敬佩的藝術家有：艾未未、李立宏、何善影（華僑陶瓷藝術家）和徐浩恩（加拿大華人）。
I was a recipient of the Vancouver Mayor’s Arts Award in 2018 and the RBC People’s Choice Award in 2017. In addition, I have been a finalist for several prestigious art awards such as the Sobey Art Awards and the Loewe Crab Prize. My work has been shown around the world and is found in many public collections, including a piece on permanent display at Canada House in Trafalger Square, London. All that said, I feel my biggest accomplishment is to simply continue to live and work as a artist full time. It’s not an easy life sometimes, so it makes me proud to be able to maintain my status as a professional artist.
我是2018年溫哥華市長藝術獎的獲得者，也在2017年榮獲加拿大皇家銀行人民選擇獎。此外，我在多個知名藝術類獎項評選中進入決賽評選環節，例如 Sobey Art Awards 和 Loewe Crab Prize。我的作品現已在世界各地展出，可以在許多公共收藏館裡見到；包括在倫敦特拉法加廣場的加拿大館里永久展出的作品，每天都有國家元首和高管欣賞。我認為我最大的成就即是可以當一名藝術家。有時這並不是一件輕鬆的事，所以我每天都為可以當一名藝術家而感到自豪。
Sponsored by Piaget.
In 2016, La Maison Simons invited me to create a piece of public art for a new store opening in Mississauga, Ontario. The piece was to be an oversized Manga Ormolu sculpture, and upon completion, would be on permanent display in the store’s atrium. This project is especially memorable because it allowed me to increase the scale of my work by approximately 500% and to work with industrial fabricators to see how that process functions. Entitled “Rain City Robot”, it stands at 10’6” tall, is 46” at its widest point, and is composed of fiberglass, steel and is painted with high-grade automotive finishes. I love that this work was installed for public consumption and enjoyment.
“Installation art in its many forms is able to shift the paradigm of reality; it allows you to let go and escape for the moment, and for me, art has always walked the line between escapism and an intense involvement with your reality. 我很喜歡多樣化的裝置藝術，它可以改變現實的模式，讓你短暫逃離此時此刻。對我而言，藝術總是讓我在逃離現實與回到當下間徘徊。”
2016年，La Maison Simons 邀請我為他們在安大略省密西沙加市開張的新店設計一件公共藝術品。作品是一件超大的 Manga Ormolu 雕塑，完成後將在商店門廊里永久展出。我對這個項目印象非常深刻，不僅是因為它的工作規模相當宏大，幾乎是平時工作量的五倍，還因為它給了我一個與工業製造商合作的機會，接觸了藝術與工業的共同運作模式。這部作品名為雨城機器人（Rain City Robot），高10呎6寸，最寬處為46呎，由玻璃纖維和鋼構成，塗有高檔汽車塗飾。我很享受看著這件藝術品安裝在這裡供人們欣賞。
Looking ahead, I would like to create more public and large scale art, increasing the global recognition of my work. I may explore installation art because of the immersive and interactive narrative capabilities in that type of work. I will also continue to collaborate with other artists and other mediums to explore notions of cultural and material hybridity and identity.
If there is anything I would like to see created to improve the state of the world, it would be something that would effectively address global climate change in a way that inspires all of us to get on board. I firmly believe the time has come to address this issue on a global level, and solutions can be as concrete as affordable electric cars and infrastructural systems to support them, and as abstract as the drabing and implementation of new legislation that will change the way we are consuming the earth’s resources. The future of art depends on the future of artmakers.
在未來，我希望有更多的機會去創作公共大型藝術品，同時也提升我的作品在全球的認可度。我非常享受裝置藝術這項工作，因為它有著能讓我沉浸其中的互動敘事能力。我想繼續尋找與其他藝術家和平台合作的機會，進一步了解文化、身份與物質的碰撞結合。
要是問我希望看到世界上哪些方面變得更好，我想說應該是希望全球氣候問題得到更多人的關注，並且得到改善。我堅信此刻便是解決這個問題的時候了。解決方案可以很具體，例如改進電動汽車和基礎設施系統的運作；也可以很抽象，例如新立法的執行和實施，以改變人們消耗地球資源的方式。而藝術的未來，將由藝術家們的未來決定。
About the Artist, Brendan Tang
