展期 Period：
2024.7.27—2024.9.8
艺术家 Artist：
策展人 Curator：
地点 Venue：
狮語画廊 Leo Gallery（上海）
前言 Foreword：
“持续关注生活周边公共环境的变化，是我创作实践的出发点。”——方阳
方阳的创作根植于当下社会景观，对日常生活与周边环境的持续观察思考是他一直以来的兴趣所在，他借用简洁的形式和触手可及的材料，在限制中寻找相对自由的表达方式。“土地、植物、建筑以及日常物品在我的创作实践中逐渐成为一种精神符号，我用它们记录过往和当下发生的故事，并转化成为作品”。
近年来世界各地频发的生态灾难是自然给人类敲响的警钟。生存发展和生态保护之间的博弈一直是一个复杂的问题，从20世纪60年代末出现的大地艺术（Land art）、到90年代开始形成的生态艺术（Ecology art），再到近些年热议的生态女性主义（Ecofeminism），艺术家们一直在以各种艺术形式表达对自然、对生态的关注。
从概念上说，“生态艺术”包涵自然生态、社会生态和文化生态三组相关的内容和探讨话语。从这个角度去看，方阳“近处的风景”系列雕刻作品亦可以被看作是“生态雕塑”。
一直以来，通过速写和摄影等方式及时记录生活环境变化的习惯，为方阳的创作积累了大量素材。艺术家尝试通过创作记录和表达与他密切相关的公共环境问题，所以经常使用在城市建设过程中产生的废弃材料和现成品，通过排列组合、雕刻、翻模浇筑等方式进行雕塑和装置创作。
展览主题《近处的风景》取自方阳从2022年开始创作的一个新的系列，在近处的风景中，几棵树，一个人，一座房子……作品外表上看似宁静，但内核具有极强的社会批判性和反思性。在目之所及的范围之内，艺术家通过现场收集材料，现场写生雕刻和工作室创作完成的一批“风景雕刻”作品，表达了对当代中国极速城市发展、城市变迁过程中人的生存状态的关注，人与社会之间关系的变化以及人与自然相处模式的变化。
驻足当下，深入生活，持续关注身边生活环境的变迁，我们会看到不一样的风景。
撰文 / 宁文
Continuously observing the changes in the public environment around me is the starting point of my creative practice. - Fang Yang
Fang Yang's creations are rooted in contemporary social landscapes. His ongoing interest lies in observing and contemplating daily life and the surrounding environment. Using simple forms and readily available materials, he seeks relatively free modes of expression within constraints. "Land, plants, buildings, and everyday objects gradually become spiritual symbols in my creative practice. I use them to record past and present stories, transforming them into artworks."
The frequent ecological disasters worldwide in recent years are nature's alarm bells for humanity. The conflict between survival development and ecological protection has always been a complex issue. From the emergence of Land art in the late 1960s, to the formation of Ecology art in the 1990s, and the hotly debated Ecofeminism in recent years., artists have been using various forms of art to express their concerns about nature and ecology.
Conceptually, "ecological art" encompasses natural ecology, social ecology, and cultural ecology, addressing related content and discourse of the three topics. From this perspective, Fang Yang's “Nearby Scenery” sculpture series can also be seen as "ecological sculptures."
Fang Yang's habit of promptly recording changes in the living environment through sketching and photography has accumulated a wealth of material for his creations. The artist attempts to document and discuss public environmental issues closely related to him through his works. He often uses discarded materials and ready-made objects generated during urban construction, creating sculptures and installations through arranging, carving, molding, and casting.
The exhibition theme Nearby Scenery is derived from a new series Fang Yang began in 2022. In these nearby sceneries, lie a few trees, a person, a house...The works appear tranquil on the surface but possess strong social critique and reflection at their core. Within the visible range, the artist collects materials on-site, and creates a batch of "landscape sculptures" by sketching on the spot and creating in the studio. These works express concern about the survival state of people amidst the rapid urban development and transition in contemporary China, the changing relationships between people and society, and the evolving modes of interaction between humans and nature.
By pausing in the present, delving into life, and continuously observing the changes in the surrounding living environment, we will see a different landscape.
Text / Ning Wen
