Welcome
Miao Zijin
During the past one year and a half since Tan Tian’s first solo exhibition finished, the artist came across some events that touched him. Tan Tian transformed the events or words related to the events into artworks, in order to express his feelings when he was involved in those events. For example, the installation Group Show Curator represents a conversation between a curator and an artist, when the former is asking the latter to provide an artwork of smaller size and brighter color to fit a new gallery show, though this request has little to do with the conceptuality of the work in relation to the exhibition. Through his works, Tan Tian demonstrates the current situation of contemporary art, which is largely driven by the art market: certain artists are loosing their independence.
To some extent, Tan Tian’s artistic practice shares the critical legacy with conceptual art. He regards “displaying the current situation of contemporary art” as an idea and an action. That is, the conceptuality of the work is of primary importance while the material form of it is secondary. Therefore, we can see the words are painted in a relaxing manner, and the works are created in such a light-hearted and anti-formal way that they look like random events or conversations taking place right in front of us. However, the exhibition as a whole does not seem to be making any radical statement like “during the exhibition the gallery will be closed”, or “artworks exhibited are not for sale”. Quite the opposite, most of the works are still presented in an objectified form. The texts or gestures imbedded in these art objects are ingratiating with the audience (especially the collectors) in the standard salesman’s smile, saying that “welcome”.
What’s the criticality of displaying the current situation without an attempt at changing that situation? Criticality, as Irit Rogoff points out, is “taking shape through an emphasis on the present, of living out a situation, of understanding culture as a series of effects rather than of causes, of the possibilities of actualizing some of its potential rather than revealing its faults.” This is not suggesting that living out or displaying the situation per se could set a critical distance between the artist and the situation he dissents from automatically. Rather, the state of “living out” implies the fact that a critique coexists with what it criticizes. So the artist needs to consider whether his practice could criticize the current situation effectively, or reinforce it? Maybe it is a neutral but strategic decision of the artist to simply render the situation visible among the public, before he could realize some critical potential.
Actually, “Welcome” as Tan Tian’s second solo exhibition is one chapter of the artist’s long-term conceptual project of questioning. That is, Tan Tian identifies what kind of artist he does not want to become by making works according to some problematic artistic methods. To be more specific, Tan Tian questions if an contemporary artist could be formulated by studying the way other successful artists create art in his first solo exhibition; in the second solo exhibition, Tan Tian questions if it is worth sacrificing one’s artistic independence in exchange for commercial recognition. In essence, the artist is constantly materializing his questioning via artworks. On the other hand, the artist’s questioning project remains unfinished, unless he figures out what kind of artist he wants to be. Currently, it is the course of his exhibition history that counts, because this path founded on questioning might lead to an alternative identity and reality of the artist in the future.
欢迎光临
缪子衿
在谭天的第一个个展结束后的一年半中，艺术家经历了一些发生在他周围，并让他有所感触的事情。他把这些事情或与之相关的对话转化为艺术作品，从而表达他经历这些事情时的感受。例如，装置《群展策展人》再现了谭天听到的一位策展人和一个艺术家之间的对话：前者要求后者根据画廊的特质提供一件尺寸更小、颜色更鲜艳的作品，尽管这种选择作品的方式和展览主题无关。谭天试图通过他的作品展现当代艺术的现状：在艺术市场的影响下，一部分艺术家逐渐失去了创作的独立性。
谭天的艺术实践在某种程度上体现了观念艺术所具有的批判性特征。他把“展示当代艺术的现状”当作一个概念和一个行为。换言之，作品的观念性比其物质形式更为重要。因此，艺术家的创作没有特定的形式，并散发出随性的气质，如同不经意间发生在观众面前的事件或对话。然而，展览本身没有激进到宣称“展览期间画廊将关闭”，或“展出的作品不可销售”。相反，大部分作品终究是以易于销售的、物化的形式存在。这些艺术品带着标准的推销员式的微笑，对观众（特别是藏家）讨好道：“欢迎光临。”
艺术家展示现状而不试图改变现状的实践是否具有批判性？批判性，对于伊力特•卢戈夫而言，在于“对当下的重视，经历某一状况，将文化理解为一系列反应，开发某种事物的潜能而非揭露其过错”。 这并不是说，艺术家只要经历或展示现状，就会自动地在他和他所质疑的现状之间构建一个批判性距离。事实上，“经历” 暗示了批判与被批判对象的共存状态。因此，艺术家需要考虑的是，他的实践将有效地批判现状还是加固现状？也许，艺术家在找到使其批判生效的方法之前，把现状呈现给公众，不失为一个中性但具有策略性的选择。
谭天的第二个个展“欢迎光临”其实是艺术家长期进行的质疑式观念艺术项目的一个阶段性展示。谭天根据他认为有问题的艺术方式创作艺术作品，并由这些作品表明自己不希望成为怎样的艺术家。具体来说，在谭天的第一个个展中，他质疑了当代艺术家是否可以通过学习其他成功艺术家的创作模式得到认可；而谭天的第二个个展质疑了艺术家牺牲其创作独立性所获取的商业成功。实质上，艺术家始终在通过作品把他的质疑进行物质化。谭天的质疑式艺术项目似乎将保持在一个未完成的状态，直到他找到自己认同的艺术方式。在当下，重要的是由质疑构成的展览历程，因为这个历程将在未来赋予谭天一个不同的艺术家身份和现实。