展期 Period：
2023.10.17—2023.11.16
艺术家 Artist：
策展人 Curator：
王春辰 Wang Chunchen
地点 Venue：
美术文献艺术中心 Fine Arts Literature Art Center
前言 Preface：：
李继开是70后代表性艺术家之一，他经历了中国当代艺术获得全球关注最火爆的年代。那是2000年之后的几年，一批新锐年轻的艺术家登上艺术的舞台，甫一亮相，就获得艺术界的热情首肯。原因就是国际化的中国艺术现场需要年轻一代去驰骋，这也是历史的必然。在时代的节点上，这批70后艺术家就脱颖而出，此后，李继开的名字在业内所知晓，关于他的绘画艺术也屡屡被探讨。
李继开的出场与他的绘画语言有关，与他很契合地捕获了人的当下感知有关：不希望被肤浅遮蔽了双眼，也拒绝一时的流行热闹。李继开的绘画恰好与这些背道而行，画自己想表现的面貌。他的绘画的松弛与紧密总是如影相随，耐看而不迷离，引人入胜又激发观看的想象。它们是超现实的，但又有世间的痕迹；一个看似忧郁的少年总有点行迹不定，但脚步是踏实的。少年总会长大，即便处在情绪的矛盾中，所以他一定会拥有他眼前的世界。
研究70后的一代艺术家，可以看到他们承上启下。他们走出50、60年代生人的那种现实语境，不做平铺的叙事；他们成长于90年代，从而获得更丰沛的艺术资源，视觉经验由此扩容，为他们的艺术滋养了新的图示语言。他们这代艺术家的绘画不以现实表象作为画面景观，而总是试图构建一种独有的超然图景，他们不想重复固定的模式，但努力地拉开与前代人的距离。他们的画面的阐释度大为提高，这是由于他们接受了新的视觉语言的观念化洗礼，它们既不是对现实的图话解读，也不是对绘画的再绘画，它们阐述的是一代人的心理症候，具有普遍的共性。因此说这一批70后的绘画是一种开局，从十多年前的兴起，到今天的积淀，抗击住了时间的考验。浮华过滤掉后留下的是一个年代的痕迹，它们构成了新一代的视觉记忆，它们努力在心灵启示的层面上，启迪人们，从而达至一种新的绘画格局。
本次展出的李继开新作，依然彰显了他的沉着，让我们看到他保持着绘画的敏锐，保持着他的思考着力点。艺术史的定律是：不看一个年轻艺术家出道迅猛，而是长期跟随他们、看他们保持了艺术创作的状态，那股做艺术、创新艺术劲头依然刚健。方如此，才是艺术史的胜出者，而不是城头变幻大王旗，只有三五年的流行。定力、心力、气力、思考力都必须相伴而行，这样才使得一个艺术家成为持久的艺术家，从而最终成为艺术史的艺术家。以是观李继开，自当是得到了艺术波动的验证。如其作品名所言，“隐于林间”，这实际是一种潜行于艺的心志表达；“林间”乃真理隐匿之地，需沉思乐道的心志方可寻得。对于艺术及其绘画，莫不如此。
今天的喧嚣就需要这样能够沉浸在艺术史中的人。
祝李继开新作展览圆满成功。
王春辰，2023年10月19日·于武汉途中
As a representative of the Post-70s Ego Generation, Li Jikai went through a special period when Chinese contemporary art received the most attention from the world. It was a few years after 2000 when a group of talented young artists began to enter the realm of fine arts that their artworks were well appreciated by the whole realm. Their success is partly because the globalization of Chinese art can’t be achieved without younger generations of Chinese artists. The Post-70s Ego Generation, therefore, rose to prominence in a very short space of time. Ever since then, Li Jikai and his artworks
have become well known and frequently discussed in the art world.
Li Jikai’s presence relates to his painting language which well captures human’s current feelings and perceptions. He doesn’t want himself to be deceived by superficial appearances or to be misled by the passing trends. He always follows his own path and expresses his true self through painting. He remains chillaxed yet tensed in his painting process, thus making his artworks durable, clear and attractive. His artworks, though surrealistic, still preserve some realistic traces. A pessimistic boy is often found wandering in his paintings, but the boy’s steps remain firm. This teenage boy is growing up with conflicting emotions and he is bound to embrace his own world.
The Post-70s Ego Generation serves as a connecting link between generations. These artists are not trapped in the realistic context or in the flat narratives that were quiet popular among Chinese artists born between the 1950s and 1960s. Growing up in the 1990s, they have access to abundant artistic resources which enlarge their visual experience and nourish their graphic languages. Realistic scenes can hardly be found in their paintings, because their common aim is to create their unique transcendent pictures, rather than to follow the fixed patterns invented by previous generation. As they have learned and accepted new visual languages, their artworks are neither graphic interpretations of the realistic world, nor recreations of the existing works. It may leave more room for their art interpretations. Their paintings present certain psychological symptoms that are common to the 70s generation. It can be said that the Post-70s Ego Generation has created a new beginning. Emerging from ten years ago, their artworks have really stood the test of time. After blundering elements are filtered out, traces of their era are thus preserved and constitute visual memories of the new generation. Their major aim is to give the audience a kind of spiritual enlightenment so as to be able to create their new pattern of painting.
Li Jikai’s calmness, artistic sensitivity, and deep thoughts are well preserved and fully reflected in his new exhibition. It accords with one universal law of art history. If a talented young artist always indulge himself in past success, his art is to become nothing but a passing fad. Only those who are able to maintain their great enthusiasm for innovation, concentrated state of painting and profound reflection on art over years are to be remembered in art history. Li Jikai’s story is the best proof of that. The title of his new exhibition “Hidden in the forest” clearly shows his years of concentration on and dedication to painting. Only by devoting oneself fully to art can an artist find the truth in the forest of art.
In this chaotic world, artists like Li Jikai deserve appreciation for being fully immersed in the history of art.
I wish Li Jikai’s new exhibition a full success.
Li Chunchen, October 19th, 2023·On the journey to Wuhan
