Alice Wang 王凝慧, Untitled 无题, 2017

Unitled, 2017 consists of a pot of mimosa pudica. The mimosa pudica is a plant often grown for one curious property: the leaves curl inward or droop when they are touched or shaken, shielding themselves from damage only to re-open minutes later. The viewer is immediately over-whelmed by a feeling of derailment: is it sufficient to visually enjoy this lavish spectacle or it is necessary to physically participate in it in some way, possibly and ideally with the touch of one’s fingers? Is it a living sculpture endowed with consciousness or is it the viewer who, by awakening his own consciousness, not only witnesses a small natural wonder, but can even become an active part of it, according to how he positions himself spatially and mentally? The piece questions what acting as an alert being actually means. The rather unique feeling of self-awareness that characterizes this humanized plant co-exists with the mixed reactions of the viewer, who may feel uncertain if a trick is being played on him (will something else happen?) or may just mechanically ignore changes that are too minimal for a fast eye that often confuses subtlety with nothingness.
含羞草是备受喜爱的盆栽植物，因其具有一种奇妙的特性——当被触碰或摇晃时，它的叶子会下垂或卷曲收缩，保护自己免受伤害，几分钟后又重新舒展开来。目睹这一场景的观者随即笼罩在一种仿佛脱轨的感受中。仅仅通过观看在视觉上享受这一美妙的奇观是否足够？还是必须以某种方式（或许是用手指触碰它）进行身体上的参与？这是一个有意识有生命的雕塑吗？抑或是，观者不仅见证了一场小小的自然奇迹，也通过唤醒自己的意识，根据他在空间和心理上的位置，成为了雕塑的一部分？
作品提出了这样的疑问——作为一个警觉的生命体究竟意味着什么？含羞草仿佛和人一样具有自我意识。同时，观者的心态也复杂微妙，他们或许疑心自己正在经历一个恶作剧（会有其他事情发生吗？），也或许会机械地忽略眼前微小的事件。急躁的眼睛往往无法区分细微与虚空。

Alice Wang 王凝慧

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Alice Wang 王凝慧

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