Thelma Golden: How art gives shape to cultural change

譯者: Lin Su-Wei(林書暐) 審譯者: Zhu Jie

The brilliant playwright, Adrienne Kennedy,

一位非常傑出的劇作家，安德恩 甘迺迪(Adrienne Kennedy)，

wrote a volume called

她寫了一本書，叫

"People Who Led to My Plays."

"引領我創作的人們"(People Who Led to My Plays)

And if I were to write a volume,

若要我來寫一本書，

it would be called,

書名會是，

"Artists Who Have Led My Exhibitions"

"曾經引領我策展的藝術家們"

because my work,

因為我的工作，

in understanding art and in understanding culture,

就是探討藝術和文化的事物，

has come by following artists,

這些都來自傾聽藝術家、

by looking at what artists mean

試圖了解藝術家的思想、

and what they do and who they are.

還有他們的行為、人格特質。

J.J. from "Good Times,"

像是來自"好時光(Goos Times)"的傑杰(Jay Jay)。(註：1974~79播放的美國喜劇影集)

(Applause)

(掌聲)

significant to many people of course

他對許多人來說意義重大，

because of "Dy-no-mite,"

因為他家喻戶曉的口頭禪"太爽拉"(dyn-o-mite)，

but perhaps more significant

但也許，更有意義的地方是

as the first, really, black artist

這是第一次，有黑人藝術家

on primetime TV.

在黃金時段的電視節目上現身。

Jean-Michel Basquiat,

吉恩-米切爾-巴斯奎特(Jean-Michel Basquiat)，

important to me because [he was]

對我來說是很重要的人物，因為

the first black artist in real time

他是當今第一位黑人藝術家

that showed me the possibility of

時時刻刻提醒我，

who and what I was about to enter into.

那些我該去了解的人事物的所有可能性。

My overall project is about art --

我全部的計畫都是有關藝術，

specifically, about black artists --

尤其是黑人藝術家，

very generally

大家都聽過他們的名字，

about the way in which art

他們所創造的藝術形式

can change the way we think

能夠改變

about culture and ourselves.

我們周遭的文化以及我們本身的思維。

My interest is in artists

我對藝術家很有興趣，

who understand and rewrite history,

他們了解歷史，甚至改變歷史，

who think about themselves

他們透過

within the narrative

全世界龐大的藝術史中

of the larger world of art,

尋找自我，

but who have created new places

而非那些開創了全新的領域

for us to see and understand.

讓我們去探索的藝術家。

I'm showing two artists here, Glenn Ligon and Kara Walker,

我跟各位介紹2位藝術家，葛倫-利根(Glenn Ligon)和卡洛-渥克(Carol Walker)，

two of many who really form for me

身為美術館館長的我

the essential questions that I wanted to bring

這二位給了我

as a curator to the world.

必須傳播給眾人的一些重要問題。

I was interested in the idea

這就是我今天要分享的主題

of why and how

是關於我 該如何並為何

I could create a new story,

創造一個新故事

a new narrative in art history

創造一個述說藝術歷史的故事

and a new narrative in the world.

創造一個全新的敘事體。

And to do this, I knew

為了做到這點，

that I had to see the way in which artists work,

我知道自己必須先去觀察藝術家是怎麼工作的，

understand the artist's studio

藝術家的工作室

as a laboratory,

就像一個實驗室，

imagine, then,

想像一下，

reinventing the museum as a think tank

美術館就像是一個智庫

and looking at the exhibition

而館內的這些展覽

as the ultimate white paper -- asking questions,

就像一張白紙，

providing the space

美術館會提出問題，並提供空間

to look and to think about answers.

讓人們去尋找並思考答案。

In 1994,

在1994年，

when I was a curator at the Whitney Museum,

當我還是惠特尼博物館(Whitney Museum)的館長時，

I made an exhibition called Black Male.

我策劃了一個展覽，名為"黑人男性"(Black Male)，

It looked at the intersection

內容是，從當代的美國藝術觀中，

of race and gender

觀察種族和性別議題所交會而成的

in contemporary American art.

十字路口。

It sought to express

展覽試圖表現出，

the ways in which art

藝術

could provide a space for dialogue --

能提供與觀眾對話的空間，

complicated dialogue,

複雜的對話，

dialogue with many, many points of entry --

各種不同角度的對話討論，

and how the museum could be the space

還有美術館是如何針對這種爭論性的議題

for this contest of ideas.

提供討論的空間。

This exhibition included

這次展覽

over 20 artists

有超過20名

of various ages and races,

年紀與種族非常多元的藝術家參加，

but all looking at black masculinity

他們都從非常特別的觀點

from a very particular point of view.

來觀察有關黑人的男性特徵。

What was significant about this exhibition

這個展覽最重要的地方是

is the way in which

提供了一個機會

it engaged me in my role

讓我能以

as a curator, as a catalyst,

館長的身分，像是某種催化劑的身份

for this dialogue.

參與這次對話。

One of the things that happened

在這次展覽中

very distinctly in the course of this exhibition

最特別事情就是，

is I was confronted with the idea

我體認到

of how powerful images can be

畫作是多麼的有力量

in people's understanding of themselves and each other.

而且讓人們互相的體認了解。

I'm showing you two works, one on the right by Leon Golub,

讓我給各位看看2幅作品，右邊那幅是里昂-古勒博(Leon Golub)的作品，

one on the left by Robert Colescott.

左邊這幅是羅伯特-柯爾史考特(Robert Colescott)的作品。

And in the course of the exhibition --

在展覽期間，

which was contentious, controversial

是經常受到爭議的

and ultimately, for me,

而展覽對我而言，

life-changing

基本上改變了我的生命，

in my sense of what art could be --

還有我對藝術的觀感，

a woman came up to me on the gallery floor

在畫作展示室裡，有個女人走向我

to express her concern about the nature

對我闡述她所關心的議題

of how powerful images could be

闡述這些圖畫帶來的震撼度

and how we understood each other.

以及不同種族之間如何認識彼此。

And she pointed to the work on the left

她指著左邊這幅作品

to tell me how problematic this image was,

並告訴我這幅作品會延伸出許多麻煩，

as it related, for her, to the idea of

對她而言，這作品涉及到

how black people had been represented.

過去黑人所代表的負面形象。

And she pointed to the image on the right

然後，他又指著右邊的作品說

as an example, to me, of the kind of dignity

這是一幅有關黑人尊嚴的作品

that needed to be portrayed

需要再加以深刻描繪

to work against those images in the media.

才能平反一般大眾媒體對黑人的印象。

She then assigned these works racial identities,

她將這些作品冠上種族的身分

basically saying to me that the work on the right,

她認為右手邊這幅作品

clearly, was made by a black artist,

是黑人藝術家的作品，

the work on the left, clearly, by a white artist,

而左手邊的是白人藝術家所做，

when, in effect,

恩，事實上

that was the opposite case:

正好相反。

Bob Colescott, African-American artist;

包柏-柯爾史考特，是一位非洲裔的美國藝術家，

Leon Golub, a white artist.

里昂-古勒博，則是一位白人藝術家。

The point of that for me was

對我來說，這件事

to say -- in that space, in that moment --

在特定的空間裡，在那一刻裡，

that I really, more than anything,

我最想要做的，

wanted to understand

就是去了解

how images could work, how images did work,

這些圖畫的繪製過程，以及

and how artists provided

藝術家們是如何

a space bigger than one

提供了一個想像空間

that we could imagine in our day-to-day lives

比我們在日常生活中所能想像到的範圍

to work through these images.

還要更為巨大。

Fast-forward and I end up in Harlem;

把時間往後推移，後來我離開了哈林地區，

home for many of black America,

這裡是屬於許多美國黑人的家，

very much the psychic heart

這裡充滿了

of the black experience,

屬於黑人精神的傳統文化，

really the place where the Harlem Renaissance existed.

是哈林文藝復興運動的地點。

Harlem now, sort of explaining

目前哈林這個地方，

and thinking of itself in this part of the century,

正在思考詮釋自身在這個世紀裡的定位，

looking both backwards and forwards ...

不但向前看，也會回顧過去。

I always say Harlem is an interesting community

我總是認為哈林是個有趣的社區，

because, unlike many other places,

這裡會不同於其他的地方，是因為

it thinks of itself in the past, present

這裡總是會思考著過去的歷史，

and the future simultaneously;

同時也會思考目前的定位以及未來的展望。

no one speaks of it just in the now.

在這裡，沒有人只會討論當下。

It's always what it was and what it can be.

時時刻刻都在想過去是什麼，以及未來會是什麼。

And, in thinking about that,

所以，各位想一想，

then my second project, the second question I ask is:

在我的第二個專案中，我要提出第二個疑問。

Can a museum

一間美術館

be a catalyst in a community?

是否能夠成為某群體進步的催化劑呢?

Can a museum house artists

博物館內的藝術家們

and allow them to be change agents

是否能成為變革的媒介

as communities rethink themselves?

讓某群體內的人能重新思考自身價值?

This is Harlem, actually, on January 20th,

事實上，在1月20日這天，

thinking about itself in a very wonderful way.

是自我反省的好時點。

So I work now at The Studio Museum in Harlem,

我目前在哈林工作室博物館工作，

thinking about exhibitions there,

思考著館內的展覽，

thinking about what it means to

思考著這些展覽

discover art's possibility.

對於發現藝術的其他可能性有何意義?

Now, what does this mean to some of you?

而這些展覽又對各位有什麼意義?

In some cases, I know that many of you

在某些情況下，我知道在場的其中一些人

are involved in cross-cultural dialogues,

會想說，這有跨文化的意義，

you're involved in ideas of creativity and innovation.

有些人會想說，有創意與創新的意義。

Think about the place that artists can play in that --

美術館是藝術家遊戲的地方。

that is the kind of incubation and advocacy

我努力，讓這裡成為一個

that I work towards, in working with young, black artists.

培養和宣傳年輕黑人藝術家的地方。

Think about artists, not as content providers,

別老認為把藝術家是內容提供者，

though they can be brilliant at that,

雖然他們的作品總是絢麗璀璨，

but, again, as real catalysts.

但應該要認為他們是實體的催化劑。

The Studio Museum was founded in the late 60s.

哈林工作室博物館成立於60年代晚期。

And I bring this up because it's important to locate

我會來到這裡，是因為

this practice in history.

它在歷史上的特殊定位，

To look at 1968,

回頭看看1968年(註：此博物館開幕)，

in the incredible historic moment that it is,

非常不可思議的歷史性時刻，

and think of the arc that has happened since then,

想想看從那時候所發生的一切，

to think of the possibilities that we are all

想想看我們

privileged to stand in today

現在能安然站在這裡的可能性，

and imagine that this museum

想像一下當時這間美術館

that came out of a moment of great protest

從激烈抗爭中誕生的那一刻，

and one that was so much about

重要的是

examining the history and the legacy

它如何檢視歷史，以及

of important African-American artists

保存這個國家的藝術歷史上

to the history of art in this country

重要的非裔美國藝術家遺產，

like Jacob Lawrence, Norman Lewis,

像是 雅各布-勞倫斯(Jacob Lawrence)、諾曼-路易斯(Norman Lewis)、

Romare Bearden.

羅馬-貝爾登(Romare Beardon)。

And then, of course,

當然，還有

to bring us to today.

它帶給當今人們的事物。

In 1975, Muhammad Ali

在1975年，穆罕默德-阿里(Mohammed Ali，世界級拳王)

gave a lecture at Harvard University.

在哈佛大學舉辦了一場演講。

After his lecture, a student got up and said to him,

在演講之後，一位學生站了起來並對他說：

"Give us a poem."

"給我們一首詩吧"(註：阿里在比賽前都會作詩，來預測第幾回合擊倒對手)

And Mohammed Ali said, "Me, we."

阿里就說："我，我們"(Me, We)

A profound statement about the individual and the community.

這對於個人和社會的深奧陳述，

The space in which now,

就在目前美術館這個空間裡，

in my project of discovery, of thinking about artists,

我的計畫在於利用這個空間去發現、思考藝術家們、

of trying to define

以及試著定義出

what might be

黑人文化運動

black art cultural movement of the 21st century.

在21世紀中的動向。

What that might mean

而對於此刻中

for cultural movements all over this moment,

所有的文化運動來說，

the "me, we" seems

"我，我們"這短句裡

incredibly prescient

非常的有先見之明，

totally important.

非常重要。

To this end,

為了達到這個目的，

the specific project that has made this possible for me

我策劃了

is a series of exhibitions,

一系列的展覽，

all titled with an F --

這些展覽的名稱都是F字頭，

Freestyle, Frequency and Flow --

自由風格(Freestyle)、頻率(Frequency)、流動(Flow)

which have set out to discover

這些展覽已經發掘、

and define

和闡明

the young, black artists working in this moment

一些當代的年輕黑人藝術家，

who I feel strongly

這些藝術家都是我認為

will continue to work over the next many years.

將會在未來數年繼續不斷活耀的人。

This series of exhibitions

這一系列展覽

was made specifically

舉辦的特別之處

to try and question

都是在嘗試和質疑

the idea of what it would mean

一個想法，

now, at this point in history,

這想法就是，在目前這個時刻

to see art as a catalyst;

該如何把藝術當作催化劑，

what it means now, at this point in history,

在目前這個時刻，

as we define and redefine culture,

我們該如何定義和重新定義文化

black culture specifically in my case,

尤其是黑人文化，

but culture generally.

而非一般的文化。

I named this group of artists

我將這些

around an idea, which I put out there

圍繞在這些問題方向的藝術家，

called post-black,

稱為"後黑派"(post-black)。

really meant to define them

這是為了定義那些

as artists who came and start their work now,

前來創作的藝術家們，

looking back at history but start in this moment, historically.

他們回顧歷史，同時又為了歷史性的這一刻而努力。

It is really in this sense of discovery

在這個過程中

that I have a new set of questions that I'm asking.

又引發我提出了另一問題。

This new set of questions is:

這新的問題就是：

What does it mean, right now,

就目前而言，

to be African-American in America?

國內的非裔美國人又代表著什麼涵義?

What can artwork say about this?

藝術品能針對此點表達什麼嗎?

Where can a museum exist

現存的哪座美術館

as the place for us all

能夠提供一個空間

to have this conversation?

提供給我們這樣的對話?

Really, most exciting about this

老實說，最讓人感到興奮的地方，

is thinking about the energy and the excitement

就是那些年輕藝術家所能帶來的

that young artists can bring.

能量與激情。

Their works for me are about,

他們的作品對我來說，

not always just simply

簡單來說

about the aesthetic innovation

都是一種美學上的創新，

that their minds imagine, that their visions create

這來自於他們心中的意象、想像力

and put out there in the world,

然後呈現在眾人面前，

but more, perhaps, importantly,

但，或許更重要的是

through the excitement of the community

透過這些黑人群體的熱情

that they create as important voices

他們發出了不可忽視的聲音，

that would allow us right now to understand our situation,

這讓我們了解到當今的處境，

as well as in the future.

還有未來的定位。

I am continually amazed

我一直感到吃驚的是

by the way in which

透過這種

the subject of race

有關種族的主題，

can take itself in many places

可以帶我們遊覽到那些

that we don't imagine it should be.

我們從未想像到的境界。

I am always amazed

另一個讓我感到吃驚的是

by the way in which artists are willing

這些藝術家願意

to do that in their work.

針對這些主題創作的手法。

It is why I look to art.

這就是我關注藝術的原因。

It's why I ask questions of art.

這就是我會對藝術提出問題的原因。

It is why I make exhibitions.

這就是我策展的原因。

Now, this exhibition, as I said,

就如同我剛說的，這個展覽，

40 young artists done over the course of eight years,

耗費了40位年輕藝術家8年的時間，

and for me it's about considering the implications.

對我來說，這展覽有其他涵義。

It's considering the implications of

這涵義就是

what this generation has to say to the rest of us.

這些年輕一代要對其他人傳達的對話。

It's considering what it means for these artists

而這涵義也包括了

to be both out in the world as their work travels,

當他們的作品展露於全世界的意義，

but in their communities

還有在同類群體中的意義，

as people who are seeing and thinking

就像人們會觀察且思索

about the issues that face us.

自身所面對的問題一樣。

It's also about thinking about

這展覽也對

the creative spirit and nurturing it,

創意精神和該如何培養創意進行了思索。

and imagining, particularly in urban America,

想想看，尤其是在美國的都會區，

about the nurturing of the spirit.

該如何培養這種精神。

Now, where, perhaps, does this end up right now?

現在，喔，或許該做個結尾了?

For me, it is about re-imagining

對我來說，是時候去重新思考

this cultural discourse in an international context.

在國際化背景下的文化交流。

So the last iteration of this project

在這個計畫的最後

has been called Flow,

稱為"漂流"(Flow)，

with the idea now of creating

這展覽的概念是要建構

a real network

能將世界各地藝術家串聯起來的

of artists around the world;

真實網絡，

really looking, not so much

它並不是只關注哈林地區或是周圍，

from Harlem and out, but looking across,

而是到全世界。

and Flow looked at artists all born on the continent of Africa.

"流動"關注所有出生於非洲的藝術家。

And as many of us think about that continent

如同我們思索著這片大陸

and think about what if means

思索著在21世紀中

to us all in the 21st century,

這片大陸對我們的意義，

I have begun that looking

我已經開始

through artists, through artworks,

透過藝術家，透過藝術品，

and imagining what they can tell us about the future,

推測他們能說出怎樣的未來，

what they tell us about our future,

推測他們對我們未來的闡述，

and what they create in their sense of

推測他們所創造的內涵為何，

offering us this great possibility of watching

這讓我們更能去觀察

that continent emerge as part

這片能提供各種不同對話的

of our bigger dialogue.

一部份。

So, what do I discover

所以，當我關注藝術品時

when I look at artworks?

究竟有什麼發現?

What do I think about

當我思索著藝術時

when I think about art?

究竟想到了什麼?

I feel like the privilege I've had as a curator

我感覺到，過去身為館長的好處

is not just the discovery of new works,

並不只限於發掘新作品、

the discovery of exciting works.

或是發掘令人興奮的作品，

But, really, it has been

而應該是

what I've discovered about myself

對於自我的探索，

and what I can offer

以及我在這展覽的空間中

in the space of an exhibition,

能提供什麼給大眾，

to talk about beauty, to talk about power,

不管是探討美、探討力量，

to talk about ourselves,

探討自身，

and to talk and speak to each other.

或是探討彼此對話的主題。

That's what makes me get up every day

而我每天早上起床後，

and want to think about

都會去思考有關

this generation of black artists and artists around the world.

當今全世界的黑人藝術家與其他藝術家的意義。

Thank you. (Applause)

謝謝各位。