The radical beauty of Africa, in portraits | Iké Udé

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

In 1996, I was commissioned by the Guggenheim Museum

1996 年，古根漢美術館委託我

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

進行一項大型的作品， 叫做《證據的使用》。

It was a cube --

它是一個立方體，

a very well large cube, at that.

非常大的立方體。

Each side had a window

每一面都有一扇窗，

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

讓觀眾可以看到結構的內部。

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

結構的外部，是非洲 和非洲人的拼貼，

as portrayed in the Western media and literature.

且呈現的是西方媒體 和文獻中描述的形象。

A look through the windows revealed a sharp contrast:

透過窗戶，則會看到強烈的對比：

within the cubes are tranquil, civilized, domestic images

在立方體內的影像，是寧靜的、 文明的、家庭的影像，

of African family members, friends

人物是非洲家庭成員、朋友，

and Nigerian professionals,

還有奈及利亞專業人士，

ranging from writers, poets, fashion designers, etc.

作家、詩人、時尚設計師等等都有。

The thing is,

重點是，

both the exterior and the interior images are quite true.

外在和內在的影像都是十分真實的。

But the images captured by Western media

但西方媒體報導中的影像

overwhelmingly depict Africans as basically primitive at best,

全都把非洲人描繪成 頂多像原始人那樣，

or barely distinguishable from the African animals.

或是和非洲動物沒什麼差別。

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

恐怕自從我於 1996 年 做了這作品之後，

when I executed this work.

仍然沒有多少改變。

I began my professional photography practice in 1994,

我從 1994 年開始做職業攝影，

but my passion and enthusiasm for photography

但我對攝影的熱情和熱愛，

goes back to childhood,

從小時候就有了，

when my parents arranged for us to be photographed

當時我父母安排我們合照，

by a professional photographer

由一位職業攝影師拍攝，

on almost a monthly basis.

且幾乎每個月都拍。

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

那也是個機會，讓我的 兄弟姐妹們可以穿上

裁縫師為我們做的最新裝扮。

made by our tailor.

Later, when I was in boarding school,

後來，當我進入寄宿學校，

my friends and I bought Polaroid cameras,

我朋友和我買了拍立得相機，

and then I began to experiment with self-portraiture,

接著我就開始實驗自我人像攝影，

or what I would call

我則將之稱為

"proto-selfie auto-portraits."

「頭號自拍肖像」。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

"Cover Girl 1994" was my first major work

《封面女郎 1994》 是我的第一件大作，

that was critically well received in the US and Europe

在美國和歐洲都得到好評，

and quite instantly became a part of the school anthologies

很快，它就變成了 學校選集的一部分，

at universities and colleges.

大專院校都看得到。

With the "Cover Girl" series,

有了《封面女郎》系列，

I wanted to reimagine the magazine cover

我想要重新思考雜誌的封面，

with imagery totally unexpected, yet profoundly reasonable.

用完全沒被預期到 卻又非常合理的圖像。

The "Cover Girl" series proposed a different way

《封面女郎》系列提出了 一種不同的方式，

the African can be represented in a more complex manner.

用比較複雜的手法 將非洲人描繪出來。

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

如同《封面女郎》， 《男裝無秩序》系列

is made up of self-portraits.

也是用自拍肖像做成。

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

這作品從 2010 年就開始， 目前還在進行當中。

In each image, I married disparate costumes

在每張影像中，我都 結合了迥然不同的服裝，

from widely diverse traditions, countries and time frames.

來自廣泛多樣的 傳統、國家，以及時期。

And in mixing eras, cultures,

透過混合不同的時代及文化，

I was able to bring harmony, as it were,

可以說，我得以將和諧感帶到

to their similarly irreconcilable differences.

它們看似水火不容的差異上。

These differences became a source

這些差異變成了一個源頭，

of inspired artistic celebration.

富有靈感之藝術讚頌的源頭。

For example,

比如，

in "Sartorial Anarchy #4,"

在《男裝無秩序 #4》，

I mixed a boater hat,

我混合了一頂平頂硬草帽，

inspired by the traditional Eton-Oxford College Boat Race,

靈感來自傳統的伊頓-牛津大學船賽，

with a green Afghan traditional coat

加上綠色的阿富汗傳統外套，

and an American Boy Scout shirt --

以及美國童子軍上衣——

a culture clash that works.

這是有效的文化衝突。

In "Sartorial Anarchy #5,"

在《男裝無秩序 #5》，

I wore a macaroni wig,

我戴著通心麵假髮，

inspired by eighteenth-century macaroni headgear from England.

靈感來自十八世紀 從英格蘭來的通心麵髮飾。

This was paired with a British Norfolk jacket,

它搭配的是英國諾福克外套、

Yoruba Nigerian trousers,

優魯巴奈及利亞褲子，

and, improbably, a South African Zulu fighting stick.

還有最不可能的： 南非祖魯的打鬥用木棍。

All harmoniously coexist on one body.

都很和諧地共存在一個身體上。

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

有了《男裝無秩序》， 我便開始投資更多

into the organization of my pictures.

在我照片中的組織上。

I also began to investigate the vast possibilities of color:

我也開始研究顏色的廣大可能性：

its emotional values,

它的情緒價值、

psychological impulse,

心理衝動、

poetic allure

詩意誘惑，

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

以及在意義與邏輯領域 之外的無限空間。

Now, enter Nollywood.

現在，進到奈萊塢。

In October of 2014,

2014 年 10 月，

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

我在 30 年之後重返 奈及利亞的拉哥斯，

and took photographs of 64 Nollywood personalities.

為 64 位奈萊塢名人拍照。

I captured a cross section of the industry,

我捕捉到了這個產業的典型，

as well as the next generation of rising stars.

以及下一個世代的新興之星。

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

奈萊塢是第一間有非洲製片人學校，

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

真正是在負責訴說非洲的故事。

In their varied movies --

在他們各式各樣的電影中——

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

從愛情片、恐怖片、 黑幫片，到動作片——

one sees Nigerians portrayed with many layers of complexities.

都能夠看到對奈及利亞人的描繪 有著多層次的複雜度。

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

所有奈及利亞人，或在電影中 稱為「Naija」的原型全都在，

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

從愚蠢的人、炫耀者、調情女子、

the gangsters, the rich, the corrupt politicians,

黑幫分子、有錢人、腐敗政客、

the whore, the pimp --

妓女、皮條客——

all in their swagger.

通通都神氣活現。

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

當然，也有下層階級的人和魯蛇，

all vividly portrayed.

全都鮮明地刻劃出來。

Nollywood is Africa's mirror par excellence.

奈萊塢是非洲出類拔萃之鏡。

Typically, I direct all of my portraits,

通常我指導所有的拍照，

from the way my subject conducts his or her head,

如何擺放攝影對象的頭、

the way the neck is tilted,

脖子傾斜的方式、

the expression of the fingers,

手指的表現、

the gestures of the hands,

手的姿勢、

to the gaze

眼神的凝視，

and overall bearing and countenance.

以及整體的體態和面容。

Let me describe some of the photographs for you.

讓我為各位描述其中一些照片。

Genevieve Nnaji.

格內維芙內吉，

She is the reigning queen of Nollywood.

她是奈萊塢現任的皇后。

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

在這裡，我引用的是偉大、 有代表性的非洲文化，

of the Nile Valley civilizations;

來自尼羅河流域的文明，

namely, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia,

也就是埃及、蘇丹，以及衣索比亞，

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

讓她充滿一種莊重、 諷刺、平靜的華麗。

Taiwo Ajai-Lycett is the grande dame of Nollywood.

泰沃阿傑莉錫特是奈萊塢的貴婦人。

Every aspect of her being commands attention.

她存在的每一個面向都吸引目光。

So I posed her with her back to the audience.

所以，我幫她設計背向觀眾。

Her face turned to meet us with a redoubtable gaze.

她的臉轉過來，用令人 敬畏的凝視看著我們。

She doesn't need to seek our approval.

她不用尋求我們的同意。

She's all that.

她就是那樣。

Sadiq Daba.

沙迪克達巴。

There was an unspoken authoritarian and imperial bearing

見到達巴時，他會散發 一種不言而喻的

that Sadiq Daba exudes upon meeting him.

權力主義且宏大的氣度。

In this portrait, he simply sat

在這張照片中，他只是坐著，

and allowed his massive, massive Nigerian caftan

讓他那件厚重、有腰帶的 長袖奈及利亞服飾

to signal his status.

來傳達他的地位。

Quite an accomplishment.

很不簡單的成就。

Belinda Effah.

貝琳達埃芙法。

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

貝琳達埃芙法的照片 讓我能滿足對顏色的熱情，

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

她穿著很長、很合身的 藍色禮服，強調她的曲線，

seated on an upholstered green velvet bench.

坐在有裝上墊的綠色絲絨長凳上。

I gamely employed the multicolored carpet

我很大膽地採用了多色的地毯，

and a vibrant color,

以及明亮的顏色，

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

以帶出多色巫屬鳴鳥的光彩。

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

所有的設計，目的都是要讓 貝琳達和整個畫面能夠很和諧。

Monalisa Chinda is, shall we say,

蒙娜莉莎秦達可以說是

the epitome of the luxe existence and lifestyle.

奢侈存在和生活風格的縮影。

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

她的照片，或肖像， 無需說明就不言自喻。

Alexx Ekubo is a sharp study

艾力克斯伊庫柏讓我敏銳地探究了

in simplified elegance and dignity

簡化的高雅和尊嚴，

and a harmony in blue and white, as well.

還有藍與白的和諧。

Enyinna Nwigwe is a Nollywood matinee idol.

艾因納維格威是 奈萊塢的日場表演偶像。

There is whiff of the rake about him,

他有一種富家蕩浪子的味道，

and that gives him an enchanting edge.

那讓他有迷人的優勢。

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

那是我設計和組織肖像時的感受。

Now, Nollywood is a new phase of Africa.

奈萊塢是非洲的新階段。

It is modern, post-modern,

它是現代的、後現代的、

meta-modern, bold

超現代的、大膽的、

sexy, shrewd

性感的、機靈的，

and with a contagious attitude worth catching.

且有一種有感染力的態度， 很值得去捕捉。

As the finale of the project,

做為這計畫的壓軸，

I assembled the Nollywood stars

我把奈萊塢的明星組合起來，

into a group grand portrait of 64 subjects,

成為 64 個人物的大形肖像，

called "The School of Nollywood,"

取名為《奈萊塢學院》，

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

靈感來自於拉斐爾的《雅典學院》，

that was done circa 1509.

那是他大約 1509 年的作品。

It is at the Vatican.

現在在梵蒂岡。

This grand group portrait

這幅宏偉的團體肖像，

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

尺寸和拉斐爾的 《雅典學院》完全一樣。

It measures roughly 27 feet in width

大約寬 27 英尺，

by six and a half feet in height.

高 6.5 英尺。

Nollywood also exemplifies a type of modernity

奈萊塢也算是現代的例子，

never before seen in Africa.

是非洲以前不曾有過的。

Think of it:

想想看：

there has never been anything so ubiquitous

從來沒有任何東西是如此無所不在，

with such iconic optics

有著如些代表性的光學，

to come out of Africa

是出自非洲的，

since the Nile Valley civilizations

從埃及、蘇丹、衣索比亞這些

of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia.

尼羅河流域文明出現以來就沒見過。

Outside of Nollywood,

在奈萊塢之外，

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

非洲的形象仍然停留在 老式的「國家地理頻道」模式

and safari perspective.

以及狩獵角度。

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

但，隨著非洲人持續前進， 並看見奈萊塢用多樣化

in their varied and fantastic complexities,

且了不起的複雜性來描繪自己，

they will, in turn, propagate and perpetuate

他們遲早也會傳播出他們的

the positive image of themselves.

正面形象並讓它永垂不朽。

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

好萊塢從過去到現在 一直都在為西方這麼做。

As shocking as this may be,

雖然這可能很讓人震驚，

it is almost a taboo in the art world

但在藝術世界中

以現代架構呈現非洲人 幾乎是一種禁忌。

to show Africans in a modern framework --

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

也就是說，不把非洲人 以優美、穿乾洗過的衣服、

manicured, pedicured and coiffed.

修過指甲、修過趾甲、 做過頭髮的方式呈現。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

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

我工作的一部分，是要持續 將非洲美化給這個世界看，

one portrait at a time.

一次一張肖像。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）