Kong Lingnan 孔令楠
Sponge Divers 采海绵的人, 2022
oil on wood 木板油画
37.5 x 49 cm
15 x 19 1/2 in
15 x 19 1/2 in
Rooted in Kong Lingnan’s on-going exploration of the inner world, the work bridges the human and the unseen worlds through her journey to the Greek islands following the physical and...
Rooted in Kong Lingnan’s on-going exploration of the inner world, the work bridges the human and the unseen worlds through her journey to the Greek islands following the physical and spiritual paths of the late American poet Robert Lax (1915 - 2000). Portraying scenes inspired by real-world experience, the work reflects psychological landscapes. Realized with glazing and other ancient techniques commonly used in classical painting, its delicate and nuanced surface shimmers in a mystic aura that transcends specificity of time and space.
Robert Lax’s poetry employs minimal vocabulary to create rhythm through chanting of repetition and unexpected change of pattern, conjuring a sense of serenity and timelessness reminiscent of the constant waves in the ancient waters of Greece, where Lax lived in seclusion for decades. Fascinated by the poems, Kong followed Lax’s path on the islands of Kalymnos and Patmos, piecing together his life experience through recollection of local communities. Sponge Divers (2022) is inspired by the historically prominent and extremely dangerous local industry of sponge harvesting in Kalymnos. In the nineteenth century, sponges were primarily harvested in shallow waters through free diving. Divers typically descended without underwater breathing equipment, holding their breath as they plunged to the seabed to cut sponges by hand or with a small knife. The irregular forms cross the painting evoke the stone weights that divers carried to aid their descent, whereas the flames illuminate the black water, guiding divers through the tangled seaweed up towards the surface.
作品延续了孔令楠长期以来对内在世界的探索。艺术家追随已故美国诗人罗伯特·拉克斯（Robert Lax，1915-2000年）的生活轨迹和心路历程，前往希腊群岛。作品以该旅程为线索，通过描绘源于现实经历的场景来映射精神图景。画家使用古典绘画的罩染技法，使细腻轻灵的绘画闪耀着神秘隽永的幽光。
罗伯特·拉克斯的诗歌语言简练，时有重复，经常将一个词拆成两三个音节上下排列，由此构建出独特的韵律感，仿佛希腊亘古海洋无休无止的潮汐起落，宁静绵长，耐人回味。受其诗歌的吸引，孔令楠来到拉克斯隐居了三十余年的卡林诺斯岛（Kalymnos）和帕特摩斯岛（Patmos），通过当地居民的回忆，拼凑出这位诗人生命最后数十年的生活线索。《采海绵的人》（2022）灵感来源于卡林诺斯岛历史上最主要的经济来源——海绵采摘行业。十九世纪的海绵采集主要通过人工潜水方式在浅海进行。潜水员通常不携带水下呼吸设备，屏息潜入海底，用手或小刀割取海绵。画面中不规则的形状象征着潜水员下潜所携带的石制配重，火焰照亮了幽暗的深海，指引着潜水者穿越缠绕的海藻，游向光明的水面。
Robert Lax’s poetry employs minimal vocabulary to create rhythm through chanting of repetition and unexpected change of pattern, conjuring a sense of serenity and timelessness reminiscent of the constant waves in the ancient waters of Greece, where Lax lived in seclusion for decades. Fascinated by the poems, Kong followed Lax’s path on the islands of Kalymnos and Patmos, piecing together his life experience through recollection of local communities. Sponge Divers (2022) is inspired by the historically prominent and extremely dangerous local industry of sponge harvesting in Kalymnos. In the nineteenth century, sponges were primarily harvested in shallow waters through free diving. Divers typically descended without underwater breathing equipment, holding their breath as they plunged to the seabed to cut sponges by hand or with a small knife. The irregular forms cross the painting evoke the stone weights that divers carried to aid their descent, whereas the flames illuminate the black water, guiding divers through the tangled seaweed up towards the surface.
作品延续了孔令楠长期以来对内在世界的探索。艺术家追随已故美国诗人罗伯特·拉克斯（Robert Lax，1915-2000年）的生活轨迹和心路历程，前往希腊群岛。作品以该旅程为线索，通过描绘源于现实经历的场景来映射精神图景。画家使用古典绘画的罩染技法，使细腻轻灵的绘画闪耀着神秘隽永的幽光。
罗伯特·拉克斯的诗歌语言简练，时有重复，经常将一个词拆成两三个音节上下排列，由此构建出独特的韵律感，仿佛希腊亘古海洋无休无止的潮汐起落，宁静绵长，耐人回味。受其诗歌的吸引，孔令楠来到拉克斯隐居了三十余年的卡林诺斯岛（Kalymnos）和帕特摩斯岛（Patmos），通过当地居民的回忆，拼凑出这位诗人生命最后数十年的生活线索。《采海绵的人》（2022）灵感来源于卡林诺斯岛历史上最主要的经济来源——海绵采摘行业。十九世纪的海绵采集主要通过人工潜水方式在浅海进行。潜水员通常不携带水下呼吸设备，屏息潜入海底，用手或小刀割取海绵。画面中不规则的形状象征着潜水员下潜所携带的石制配重，火焰照亮了幽暗的深海，指引着潜水者穿越缠绕的海藻，游向光明的水面。
