As a conceptual artist, I'm constantly looking for creative ways to spark challenging conversations. I do this though painting, sculpture, video and performance. But regardless of the format, two of my favorite materials are history and dialogue.
作為一個概念派藝術家 我一直搵緊創意嘅方式 去引起激烈嘅對話 於是我通過畫畫、雕塑、視頻 同表演完成呢件事 但唔計形式 我最鍾意嘅兩種材料係歷史同對話
In 2007, I created "Lotus," a seven-and-a-half-foot diameter, 600-pound glass depiction of a lotus blossom. In Buddhism, the lotus is a symbol for transcendence and for purity of mind and spirit. But a closer look at this lotus reveals each petal to be the cross-section of a slave ship. This iconic diagram was taken from a British slaving manual and later used by abolitionists to show the atrocities of slavery. In America, we don't like to talk about slavery, nor do we look at it as a global industry. But by using this Buddhist symbol, I hope to universalize and transcend the history and trauma of black America and encourage discussions about our shared past.
2007 年,我創作咗「蓮」 一個直徑七呎半 重 600 磅嘅玻璃蓮花 喺佛教裡邊,蓮花係超脫 同內心純潔嘅象徵 但係我哋行進啲睇呢朵蓮花 就會發現每個花瓣都係一艘 運奴船嘅切面 敢諷刺嘅畫面黎自一本英國奴隸手冊 佢之後仲俾廢奴主義者拎黎 做證明奴隸主暴行嘅證據 喺美國,我哋唔鍾意講關於奴隸嘅嘢 我哋亦都唔鍾意將佢睇成係 一個全球性嘅產業 但係通過呢個佛教嘅標誌 我希望等更加多嘅人 知道美國黑人呢段歷史同創傷 再激發關於我哋歷史嘅討論
To create "Lotus," we carved over 6,000 figures. And this later led to a commission by the City of New York to create a 28-foot version in steel as a permanent installation at the Eagle Academy for Young Men, a school for black and latino students, the two groups most affected by this history. The same two groups are very affected by a more recent phenomenon, but let me digress.
為咗創作「蓮」,我雕咗六千幾幅人仔 呢幅作品之後,等紐約嘅一個委員會 用鐵再整咗個二十八呎大嘅版本 作為老鷹男子學校嘅永久雕塑 佢係一間專門俾黑人同拉丁裔 即係受呢段歷史影響最大嘅 兩個種族嘅學校 呢兩個種族宜家俾一個 正在發生嘅現象影響緊 但係先等我講下其他嘢
I've been collecting wooden African figures from tourist shops and flea markets around the world. The authenticity and origin of them is completely debatable, but people believe these to be imbued with power, or even magic. Only recently have I figured out how to use this in my own work.
我一直收藏緊非洲嘅木雕 從旅遊商店又好,從世界 各地嘅舊貨市場又好 好多人拗緊佢哋係咪堅嘢 同埋佢哋嘅起源 但係啲人相信佢哋充滿咗力量 甚至係魔法 呢排我先知我要點將呢啲 用系我嘅作品裡面
(Gun shots)
(槍聲)
Since 2012, the world has witnessed the killings of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice and literally countless other unarmed black citizens at the hands of the police, who frequently walk away with no punishment at all. In consideration of these victims and the several times that even I, a law-abiding, Ivy League professor, have been targeted and harassed at gunpoint by the police. I created this body of work simply entitled "BAM."
從 2012 年開始,美國就發生咗 特雷沃馬丁事件 米高布朗、艾力加納、 山島布蘭德、蒂米爾萊斯事件 同埋真係數唔清嘅 謀攻擊力嘅黑人公民俾警察誤傷嘅事件 但係呢啲警察經常唔會受到任何懲罰 諗到呢啲受害者 同埋好幾次我 呢個守法嘅常春藤教授 都好幾次俾警察盤問過、同用支槍指住 所以我創造咗呢套叫做「BAM」嘅作品
It was important to erase the identity of each of these figures, to make them all look the same and easier to disregard. To do this, I dip them in a thick, brown wax before taking them to a shooting range where I re-sculpted them using bullets. And it was fun, playing with big guns and high-speed video cameras. But my reverence for these figures kept me from actually pulling the trigger, somehow feeling as if I would be shooting myself. Finally, my cameraman, Raul, fired the shots. I then took the fragments of these and created molds, and cast them first in wax, and finally in bronze like the image you see here, which bears the marks of its violent creation like battle wounds or scars.
重要嘅係要抹走每個人仔嘅特徵 等佢哋都睇起來一樣,唔容易俾人拎清 所以我將佢哋擺起好濃嘅棕色嘅臘裡邊 再將佢哋攞去靶場 用子彈打佢哋黎重新造型 敢樣 用槍同高速攝像頭創作,其實好好玩嘅 但係我對呢啲人仔嘅尊敬 等我唔敢真係開槍 因為我有時覺得我系度打緊自己 最後係我嘅攝像師 Raul 開嘅槍 我再攞果啲碎片去做模 先用臘整出初稿 最後用銅整出定稿 就好似你哋宜家睇島嘅 帶住受過暴力對待嘅痕跡 就好似戰鬥過嘅傷口或者疤痕
When I showed this work recently in Miami, a woman told me she felt every gun shot to her soul. But she also felt that these artworks memorialized the victims of these killings as well as other victims of racial violence throughout US history.
我嘅作品呢排喺邁阿密展出 有個女人同我講佢覺得 每一槍都打系佢嘅心口 但係姖又覺得呢啲作品 紀念緊各種事件中喪生嘅受害者 同埋美國歷史裡頭受過 種族暴力嘅其他受害者
But "Lotus" and "BAM" are larger than just US history. While showing in Berlin last year, a philosophy student asked me what prompted these recent killings. I showed him a photo of a lynching postcard from the early 1900s and reminded him that these killings have been going on for over 500 years. But it's only through questions like his and more thoughtful dialogue about history and race can we evolve as individuals and society.
但係「蓮」同「BAM」反映嘅 唔止係美國歷史 舊年喺柏林展出嗰陣 一個哲學系嘅學生問我 係咩嘢激發最近嘅事件 我俾佢睇咗一張 20 世紀早期對黑人 執行死刑嘅明信片 再提醒佢,呢啲殺戮已經 進行咗五百幾年 但係淨得通過好似佢呢啲問題 同埋更加多深入嘅 關於歷史同種族嘅討論 我哋先可以進化為真正嘅個人同社會
I hope my artwork creates a safe space for this type of honest exchange and an opportunity for people to engage one another in real and necessary conversation.
我希望我嘅作品可以 為咁樣嘅坦承交流創造一個安全嘅空間 為大家互相進行真實必要嘅對話 提供一個機會
Thank you.
多謝
(Applause)
(掌聲)