展期 Period：
2023.8.5—2023.9.12
艺术家 Artist：
策展人 Curator：
地点 Venue：
新闻稿 Press Release：
伯年艺术空间将于2023年8月5日至9月12日推出艺术家迈克尔·麦格拉斯（Michael McGrath）在中国的首次个展“翅眼”。由王垚力担任策展人，展览呈现艺术家新近创作的布面油画及纸本综合材料绘画作品。
迈克尔·麦格拉斯的创作，受自身对宗教、神话与神秘学的热爱所影响，在此同时，作品也反映着他对世俗话题投入的观察与思索。自然界里真实存在的动物、昆虫、植物，是反复出现在他的绘画中的重要形象，它们常常被艺术家以近乎源于孩童般天马行空的想象所进行着转译和传达——大胆而富有冲击力的用色，搭配着时常出现在宗教艺术中大面积的纹样覆盖，使麦格拉斯的绘画在充斥着童趣色彩的笔触中，多了一丝感知层面的神性表达。
当泛灵论在17世纪被德国思想家格奥尔格·恩斯特·斯塔尔（Georg Ernst Stahl）提出，其提倡者认为世间万物皆拥有生命、灵魂或精神，虽然围绕泛灵论产生的争议一直持续至今，但此概念传达了一个人类认知世界的特殊视角。泛灵论以一种区别于现代科学的方式，为人类给“物”赋予生命和精神的这一行为，提供了更具诗意和人性温度的解读。
树木、房屋、云朵和许多不具名的怪诞“生物”，这些原本并不拥有感官功能或并不存在（并未被觉察）的“物”，在麦格拉斯的笔下，被赋予了人类的眼睛、鼻子和嘴。麦格拉斯通过绘画与“万物”产生感知与连结，让“物”以人类的方式感知着世界，虽然这是以他自身经验作为中心向外延伸出去的，但在此关系中所映射的是生命与世界之于他最为真实的情感体验。
像迈克尔·麦格拉斯在创作中也会探讨关于死亡与衰败，但如他所说，所有的结束也将同时带来重生与希望。展览题目“翅眼”，所指的是蝴蝶翅膀上类似“眼睛”的花纹，它也是常常出现在麦格拉斯作品中的重要符号之一。蝴蝶的翅眼是大自然拥有的那双眼睛，此次个展以“翅眼”为题，意邀请观众通过迈克尔·麦格拉斯的绘画，随着他温柔而平等的目光去重新感受生活、自然和世界。
BONIAN SPACE is pleased to announce the first solo exhibition in China, Night Float, by the artist Michael McGrath from August 5th to September 12th, 2023. Curated by Wang Yaoli, the exhibition features the artist's oil paintings and mixed media on paper works created in recent years.
Michael McGrath's works are influenced by his curiosity for religion, mythology, and mysticism, at the same time, it reflects his observations and reflections on secular topics. The animals, insects, and plants found in the natural world are critical recurring images in his paintings. These creatures are often translated and conveyed through the artist's almost childlike and imaginative mind – bold and impactful colors, combined with patterns reminiscent of those seen in religious art, add a touch of divine expression to McGrath's paintings amidst the childlike naive strokes full of whimsical colors.
When animism was put forward by the German philosopher Georg Ernst Stahl in the 17th century, its advocates believed that everything has life, soul, or spirit. Although the controversy surrounding animism has continued until now, this concept represents another perspective of human cognition of the world. In a way that distinguishes it from modern science, animism offers a more poetic and humane interpretation of how humans give life and spirit to "things."
In McGrath's paintings, trees, houses, clouds, and many unnamed bizarre "beings," originally without sensory functions or awareness, are endowed with human eyes, noses, and mouths. Through his art, McGrath establishes a connection and perception with these "beings," allowing them to perceive the world in a human-like way. Although this relationship is extended outward from his own experiences, it maps the most authentic emotional experiences of life and the world for him.
Just like Michael McGrath, who explores themes of death and decay in his creations, he believes that all endings bring rebirth and hope. The exhibition's Chinese title, "Chì Yǎn," refers to the eye-like patterns on butterfly wings, also important symbols frequently seen in McGrath's paintings. The butterfly's wing eyes represent the eyes of nature. Through this exhibition, Chì Yǎn, the audience is invited to rediscover life, nature, and the world through Michael McGrath's paintings, guided by his gentle and equal vision.
