The radical beauty of Africa, in portraits | Iké Udé

翻译人员: 宽 彭 校对人员: Yolanda Zhang

In 1996, I was commissioned by the Guggenheim Museum

1996 年， 我接受 古根海姆博物馆的委任，

to execute a large body of work called "Uses of Evidence."

制作一个叫做 “证据的使用”的大型作品。

It was a cube --

它是一个立方体——

a very well large cube, at that.

一个非常大的立方体。

Each side had a window

每一面都设有窗户，

in order for the spectators to view the interior of the structure.

以便参观者看到内部的景象。

The exterior of the structure was a collage of Africa and Africans

立方体的外观是西方媒体 及文学作品中所描绘的

as portrayed in the Western media and literature.

非洲和非洲人的影像。

A look through the windows revealed a sharp contrast:

而窗户内则展现了 非洲截然不同的另一面：

within the cubes are tranquil, civilized, domestic images

立方体内部展现的是 安宁，文明的国内景象，

of African family members, friends

有非洲的家庭、 朋友、

and Nigerian professionals,

尼日利亚专家，

ranging from writers, poets, fashion designers, etc.

他们当中有作家、 诗人、 时尚设计师等。

The thing is,

重点是：

both the exterior and the interior images are quite true.

外观与内部展现的景象都是事实。

But the images captured by Western media

但是西方媒体捕捉到的景象，

overwhelmingly depict Africans as basically primitive at best,

都在尽力把非洲人 过度丑化成原始人，

or barely distinguishable from the African animals.

或只是能与非洲的动物 区分开的人类而已。

Not much has changed, I'm afraid, since 1996,

恐怕从 1996 年我创作这个作品至今，

when I executed this work.

这种情况仍旧没多大改观。

I began my professional photography practice in 1994,

我从 1994 年开始从事专业摄影，

but my passion and enthusiasm for photography

但我对摄影的热爱与激情

goes back to childhood,

要追溯到童年时期，

when my parents arranged for us to be photographed

那时我父母安排了 一个专业的摄影师

by a professional photographer

给我们拍照，

on almost a monthly basis.

几乎每个月就要拍一次。

It was also an opportunity for my siblings to dress up in our latest gear,

这也给了我和兄弟姐妹们一个机会， 去穿上裁缝为我们

made by our tailor.

最新缝制的衣服。

Later, when I was in boarding school,

后来，我去了寄宿学校上学，

my friends and I bought Polaroid cameras,

和朋友买了台宝丽来的相机，

and then I began to experiment with self-portraiture,

那之后，我开始试验拍自画像，

or what I would call

而我更愿意称之为——

"proto-selfie auto-portraits."

自动拍摄一成不变的自画像。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

"Cover Girl 1994" was my first major work

“封面女郎1994” 是我的第一个主要作品，

that was critically well received in the US and Europe

它在美国和欧洲颇受欢迎，

and quite instantly became a part of the school anthologies

并且立即被收录在了 各大学和学院的

at universities and colleges.

作品选集中。

With the "Cover Girl" series,

对于“封面女郎”系列，

I wanted to reimagine the magazine cover

我想用前所未有，但合情合理的意象，

with imagery totally unexpected, yet profoundly reasonable.

来重新定位杂志封面。

The "Cover Girl" series proposed a different way

“封面女郎”系列提出了 一个不同的方式，

the African can be represented in a more complex manner.

更为灵活多样地展现非洲的人像。

Like "Cover Girl," the "Sartorial Anarchy" series

跟“封面女郎”一样， “混乱服装”系列

也是由自画像组成。

is made up of self-portraits.

It is an ongoing body of work, started in 2010.

这是一个从 2010 年 持续至今的作品集。

In each image, I married disparate costumes

在不同的图片中， 我穿搭了风格迥异的服装，

from widely diverse traditions, countries and time frames.

取材于不同的传统文化与时代。

And in mixing eras, cultures,

在把不同的地区 与文化融合为一体时，

I was able to bring harmony, as it were,

我能够为它们之间 看似不可协调的差异中

to their similarly irreconcilable differences.

带来一种和谐之感。

These differences became a source

这些差异成为了深受启发的

of inspired artistic celebration.

艺术家的灵感源泉。

For example,

比如：

in "Sartorial Anarchy #4,"

在“混乱服装第4号作品”中，

I mixed a boater hat,

受到牛津与伊顿之间的

inspired by the traditional Eton-Oxford College Boat Race,

传统划船比赛的启发，我把船帽

with a green Afghan traditional coat

和绿色阿富汗传统外套，

and an American Boy Scout shirt --

以及一件美式童子军衬衫 混搭在了一起——

a culture clash that works.

这是一次效果不俗的文化碰撞。

In "Sartorial Anarchy #5,"

在“混乱服装第5号作品”中，

I wore a macaroni wig,

我戴上了通心粉假发，

inspired by eighteenth-century macaroni headgear from England.

其灵感来源于18世纪 英国的通心粉发式。

This was paired with a British Norfolk jacket,

与之搭配的是英国诺福克上衣，

Yoruba Nigerian trousers,

约鲁巴尼日利亚裤，

and, improbably, a South African Zulu fighting stick.

还别出心裁的配上了 一根南非祖鲁格斗棍。

All harmoniously coexist on one body.

所有这一切都和谐的 共存于一体。

And with "Sartorial Anarchy," I began to invest more

有了“混乱服装”之后， 我开始将设计重心转移到

into the organization of my pictures.

如何组织我的图片。

I also began to investigate the vast possibilities of color:

我同样开始研究颜色广泛的可能性：

its emotional values,

它可能带来的情感上的价值，

psychological impulse,

心理上的冲动，

poetic allure

诗意的暗示，

and a boundless capacity beyond the realm of meaning and logic.

和它超越逻辑和 实际意义的无穷的能力。

Now, enter Nollywood.

现在，说一说“诺莱坞”。

In October of 2014,

在2014年的10月，

I returned to Lagos, Nigeria, after over three decades away

我在结束了三十年的离别之后， 回到了尼日利亚的首都拉各斯，

and took photographs of 64 Nollywood personalities.

并为64名“诺莱坞”的 名人拍摄了照片。

I captured a cross section of the industry,

我捕捉到了这个产业 代表性的一部分，

as well as the next generation of rising stars.

以及下一代的新星。

Nollywood is the first time that you have a school of African filmmakers

“诺莱坞”是你能在非洲看到的 首个制片人学校，

truly, truly, profoundly in charge of telling African stories.

真实的，深谋远虑的担负着 将非洲的故事告诉世人这一使命。

In their varied movies --

在他们各种各样的电影中——

from romantic movies, horror films, gangster movies to action movies --

从爱情片，恐怖片， 警匪片，到动作片——

one sees Nigerians portrayed with many layers of complexities.

人们可以看见对尼日利亚的 多层次复杂情况的描绘。

All the Nigerian, or "Naija," archetypes, if you allow, are there --

所有尼日利亚的，或者叫 “尼加”的文化原貌，都将在这里呈现——

from the divvers, the "Shakara," the coquette,

不论是傻子，炫耀之人，贵妇，

the gangsters, the rich, the corrupt politicians,

还是歹徒，富人，受贿的政治家，

the whore, the pimp --

妓女，皮条客——

all in their swagger.

都能被扮演得活灵活现。

And of course, you have the lowlifes and the losers, too,

当然，你同样也能看到 社会底层的人和失败者，

all vividly portrayed.

他们都被生动的刻画了出来。

Nollywood is Africa's mirror par excellence.

“诺莱坞”是完美地 映衬出非洲的一面镜子。

Typically, I direct all of my portraits,

一如既往，我指导了 所有的肖像作品，

from the way my subject conducts his or her head,

包括这些主人公头部的位置，

the way the neck is tilted,

脖子的倾斜程度，

the expression of the fingers,

手指的表现形式，

the gestures of the hands,

手的姿势，

to the gaze

到凝视的目光，

and overall bearing and countenance.

以及所有的举止和表情。

Let me describe some of the photographs for you.

我来描述一下其中的几张照片。

吉纳维芙 · 纳吉，

Genevieve Nnaji.

She is the reigning queen of Nollywood.

统治着“诺莱坞”的女王。

Here, I was quoting from the grand, Pharaonic African cultures

在这里，我借鉴了 来自尼罗河流域文明的

of the Nile Valley civilizations;

宏伟的非洲法老文化，

namely, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia,

包括了埃及，苏丹和埃塞俄比亚，

so as to imbue her with a stately, ironic, calm grandeur.

以此来赋予她高贵， 冷漠和平静的庄严。

Taiwo Ajai-Lycett is the grande dame of Nollywood.

蒂亚 · 奥阿杰-莱赛特 是“诺莱坞”的贵妇人，

Every aspect of her being commands attention.

她的每一面都令人为之侧目。

So I posed her with her back to the audience.

所以我将她的背部展现给观众。

Her face turned to meet us with a redoubtable gaze.

她的脸转向我们， 凝视的目光令人敬畏。

She doesn't need to seek our approval.

她不需要得到我们的认可，

She's all that.

她就是如此出众！

Sadiq Daba.

萨迪克 · 达巴。

There was an unspoken authoritarian and imperial bearing

当你见到他时，会发现他身上自然而然

that Sadiq Daba exudes upon meeting him.

流露出的独裁和专断。

In this portrait, he simply sat

在这幅肖像中，他仅仅是坐着，

and allowed his massive, massive Nigerian caftan

让他无比宽大的尼日利亚长袍

to signal his status.

来彰显他的地位。

Quite an accomplishment.

多么令人仰慕的威严！

Belinda Effah.

贝琳达 · 艾法赫，

Belinda Effah's portrait allowed me to indulge my passion for color,

她的肖像让我能 纵情于我对于色彩的狂热，

dressed in a long, fitted blue dress that emphasizes her curves,

穿上一件长而得体的， 凸显她曲线的蓝色连衣裙。

seated on an upholstered green velvet bench.

坐在垫上绿色天鹅绒的长凳上，

I gamely employed the multicolored carpet

我大胆地运用了五彩的地毯

and a vibrant color,

和活力十足的颜色，

in order to evoke the splendor of the multicolored painted bunting bird.

让人联想起色彩绚丽的 丽彩鹀所带来的光辉。

Everything was designed to harmonize the figure of Belinda within the frame.

一切都是为了将贝琳达的 体态和谐的融入画面中。

Monalisa Chinda is, shall we say,

莫那里萨 · 琦达，或者说——

the epitome of the luxe existence and lifestyle.

奢华的存在和生活方式的缩影。

Her picture, or portrait, pretty much speaks for itself.

她的图片，或者肖像， 完美的表达了这一切。

Alexx Ekubo is a sharp study

亚历克斯 · 埃库博 是一个突出的例子，

in simplified elegance and dignity

包含了精简的优雅和庄严，

and a harmony in blue and white, as well.

还有蓝与白的和谐。

Enyinna Nwigwe is a Nollywood matinee idol.

恩那 · 尼格韦是一位 日场的“诺莱坞”偶像，

There is whiff of the rake about him,

他身上有一丝放荡不羁的气息，

and that gives him an enchanting edge.

这带给了他迷人的光环。

That's what I felt when I designed and organized the portrait.

这些就是我在设计和组织 肖像照时所感受到的。

Now, Nollywood is a new phase of Africa.

“诺莱坞”是非洲新的阶段。

It is modern, post-modern,

它代表着现代，后现代，

meta-modern, bold

超现代，大胆的，

sexy, shrewd

性感的，精明的，

and with a contagious attitude worth catching.

还有值得注意的 极富感染力的态度。

As the finale of the project,

在项目的最后，

I assembled the Nollywood stars

我把“诺莱坞”的明星们

into a group grand portrait of 64 subjects,

集合成了壮丽的64人群体肖像，

called "The School of Nollywood,"

称之为“诺莱坞学院”。

which was inspired by Rafael's "School of Athens,"

这一想法是受到 拉斐尔“雅典学院”的启发，

that was done circa 1509.

那幅作品大约是1509年

It is at the Vatican.

在梵蒂冈完成的。

This grand group portrait

这幅壮丽的群体肖像，

is the exact same size as Rafael's "School of Athens."

尺寸与拉斐尔的“雅典学园”完全相同，

It measures roughly 27 feet in width

宽约27英尺，

by six and a half feet in height.

高为6尺半。

Nollywood also exemplifies a type of modernity

“诺莱坞”同时诠释了 一种全新的现代感，

never before seen in Africa.

是非洲前所未有的。

Think of it:

试想一下：

there has never been anything so ubiquitous

自尼罗河流域文明以来的 埃及，苏丹，埃塞俄比亚，

with such iconic optics

还从未有过任何事物

to come out of Africa

像这般无处不在，

since the Nile Valley civilizations

带着这样标志性的色彩，

of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia.

走出非洲。

Outside of Nollywood,

在“诺莱坞”之外的世界中，

the image of Africa remains frozen in the old "National Geographic" mode

非洲给人们的印象仍停留于 陈旧的“国家地理”模式，

and safari perspective.

或是一处野外旅行的地方。

But as Africans continue to step and see themselves portrayed by Nollywood

但当非洲人持续进步， 看到他们自己被“诺莱坞”

in their varied and fantastic complexities,

用一种多样而令人狂热的精巧所描绘，

they will, in turn, propagate and perpetuate

他们会变得愿意传播并坚持

the positive image of themselves.

他们自己的积极形象。

This is what Hollywood did and continues to do for the West.

这是好莱坞一直以来 对西方文明的贡献。

As shocking as this may be,

尽管听起来可能令人震惊，

it is almost a taboo in the art world

但这在艺术世界中 几乎是被禁忌的，

to show Africans in a modern framework --

不应该用现代的框架 来衬托非洲人像——

that is to say, as polished, dry-cleaned,

也就是说，不能出现 美化的，整洁的，

manicured, pedicured and coiffed.

做过美甲和美发后的造型。

(Applause)

（掌声）

Part of my job is to keep beautifying Africa for the world,

我工作的一部分就是 每次用一幅肖像，不断为世界展现

one portrait at a time.

更美的非洲。

Thank you.

谢谢！

(Applause)

（掌声）