本色美术馆馆长

　　从2008年底开馆以来，本色美术馆在实践中摸索，逐渐形成了自己独特的美学定位: 以“二十一世纪的东方美学”为主要学术方向，通过策划主题展览，举办学术讲座等各种途径，发掘当代中国，乃至亚洲地区的艺术新力量，梳理突破传统的艺术新思路，力求多角度、多层面集中展现中国及亚洲地区当代艺术的整体风貌。本色美术馆希望藉此与西方发达国家有着悠久历史的美术馆拉开距离，同时以清新的面貌立身于国内美术馆之林。

　　但在国内，尤其是在苏州这样传统文化氛围较浓的城市，私人美术馆从事当代艺术仍颇多艰难。虽然中国当代艺术的发展已有几十年历史，但仍有相当多的人还是不接受、不理解。有的人把当代艺术等同于搞怪和哗众取宠，有的人认为只要活在当下的艺术家创作的作品就属于当代艺术，有的人则简单地以创作媒介来区分是否为当代艺术。比如身边常常有朋友如此介绍初次见面的艺术家朋友，这是某某艺术家，原来是画国画的，现在搞当代艺术。其实所谓的搞当代艺术，也只是改用丙烯、油画或其它媒介进行创作而已。可见在很多人的观念中，国画就等同于传统，与当代艺术无关。

　　第一次看到项丽萍的策划方案《笔墨终结之后: 中国式风景》时我就感到很振奋，它让人感觉很中国，很当代，正是我所希望的。项丽萍没有那样简单地理解当代艺术和国画，反而为二者架起了互通的桥梁。在她看来，当代艺术不仅是时间问题、媒介问题，更重要的是态度问题。从本次展览主题的设置中，就可以看到她严谨的思考。“笔墨终结之后”是针对国画和传统问题而言，笔墨的终结，并不是说笔墨从此消亡了，而是笔墨主导地位的终结，新的多元价值时代的开始，相当于西方艺术中“再现模仿时代”的结束，现代艺术的到来。对于国画的承续问题，她认为应该突破媒材的束缚和对笔墨要求的束缚，从而探寻更多的可能性。“中国式风景”则针对中国当代艺术问题而言，在追求当代的时候要有底线、要有所收敛，不能数典忘祖，不能照搬西方。这底线不是保存笔墨，也不是保存水墨媒材，而是中国精神、中国特质。只要守住这样的底线，那么一切媒材和手法都可以为我所用，而不用担心作品沦为洋奴; 只要守住这样的底线，就可以畅游于传统资源之中，而不会为之束缚，落入前人窠臼。

　　Message from Museum

　　Director

　　Hans Chen

　　Director

　　True Color Museum

　　Ever since its opening in 2008, the True Color Museum has established its own aesthetic positioning after much exploration: based on the concept of “oriental aesthetics of the 21st century”, the Museum aims to hold exhibitions and lectures to showcase the development of contemporary art in China and the rest of Asia so that an overall picture can be presented in an original manner from various perspectives. In this way, the Museum hopes to differentiate itself from established western art museums and bring a fresh look to domestic art museums.

　　In China, in particular in a traditional city like Suzhou, there are many challenges for a private museum dedicated to contemporary art. Even with decades of development in China, contemporary art is still not well accepted or understood. Some think of contemporary artworks as strange or superficial, while many others think that all artworks created by living artists are contemporary. When a friend introduces an artist to me, he might say that the artist used to paint traditional Chinese paintings and is now creating contemporary art. For them, contemporary artists should use media such as acrylic and oil and traditional Chinese paintings have nothing to do with contemporary art.

　　When I read the proposal by Ms. Xiang Liping, the curator, for “The End of the Brush and Ink Era: Chinese Landscape”, an exhibition that is both Chinese and contemporary, I was greatly inspired and thought that this exhibition was exactly what I had hoped for. Ms. Xiang doesn’t consider contemporary art and traditional Chinese paintings as two separate entities. On the contrary, she has built a bridge between the two. For her, contemporary art is not only about time and media, but, more importantly, about attitudes. We could see her reasoning from the title of the exhibition. The first half of the title, “The End of the Brush and Ink Era”, is about Chinese paintings and tradition. The argument that “the Chinese painting is over” refers to the end of a “brush-and-ink-dominated” era, rather than saying that the brush and ink and the Chinese paintings should be banned. We are seeing the emergence of a diversified value system. This is similar to the end of “representation and imitation era” and the emergence of modern art in western art history. She believes that traditional Chinese paintings should break free from the shackles of brush, ink and other media in seek of more means of expression. The second part of the title, “Chinese Landscape”, on the other hand, defines the bottom line which helps maintain the “Chinese-ness” of the contemporary developments of Chinese art, drawing a line between what is Chinese and what is west and setting the threshold to the extent of which the west approaches may be referred to. This is a bottom line which applies to neither the media nor the means of creation, but which speaks only of the Chinese spirit and Chinese traits. As long as the bottom line is not breached, all kinds of media, techniques and references can be used without the risk of becoming a slave to western art or our own tradition.

　　This exhibition is truly mind-liberating. As one of the most important categories of Chinese art, traditional paintings will have to become contemporary before there is any real contemporary art in China. Chinese contemporary art shall be rooted in local and traditional sources and find inspiration for original works from Chinese culture. Chinese paintings should break away from the restrictions of the conventional media and find more contemporary means of expression while making use of extensive traditional resources. And only when it is based on local cultures and traditions will contemporary Chinese art become sophisticated and justified.

　　It is worth mentioning that this show is based on solid artistic exploration and creation, rather than an exhibition that only replies on empty theories and buzzwords. The artworks in this exhibition by Lang Ching-shan, Wu Guanzhong, Shang Yang, Shen Fan, Xia Xiaowan, Lin Jiunting, Qiu Anxiong, among others, will give visitors a distinctive sense of Chinese-ness and contemporariness. They bring back the memories of long-standing cultural traditions and sparkle with, nonetheless, the flourishing contemporary spirits as forms of new experiment and refreshing exploration.

　　I believe that contemporary art should also be a kind of lifestyle and part of our daily lives. The world around us is the best experimental ground. I hope that the Museum can become a similarly exceptional experimental ground by holding exhibitions regularly in its Huizhou-style old houses and organizing Guqin concerts, tea ceremony shows and gourmet weeks.