展览名称：迷宫中的沉思——雷米·艾融个展
策展人：Fred Dervin
开幕时间：2023年7月9日 下午3时
展览时间：2023年7月8日-8月13日
展览地点：ICI LABAS艺栈画廊，798东街#D10
Un soleil du matin 清晨的阳光 25x50
在生活的混乱和迷宫中沉思
Fred Dervin 教授 （芬兰）赫尔辛基大学
译者: 陈宁 （芬兰）赫尔辛基大学；天津美术学院
“我的画是流动的，我试图平衡空间和表面（可以理解为将三维空间和二维的事物），以便达到内在的和谐统一……”
“我的绘画始于混乱，终于有序。”
这是法国当代著名画家对于他自己艺术创作的描述。出生于1952年的雷米·艾融，毕业于巴黎美术学院桑吉耶工作室，中国国家画院成员，法国美术家协会主席，空间主义艺术运动发起人 。
Un étonnement 惊讶 40x40
当观众进入展览的那一刻，每个人就像进入了我称之为“迷宫”的地方，艺术家以其谦逊的态度诚邀大家参观他的展览。在此次展览中，我以“迷宫”的主题和隐喻来作为本次展览的中心。
迷宫是一个封闭而蜿蜒的建筑群（方形或螺旋形），由房间和走廊组成，有对称和规则的形状、交叉点、死角和假轨道，我们难以理解和把握。形象地说，迷宫这个词在许多语言中经常被用来指代复杂的情况或曲折的推理。迷宫的词源可以指用于祭祀公牛的（双）斧头。 据说迷宫也来自拉丁语的劳动（labor intus），表示一项艰巨的任务。同样，在雷米·艾融 (Rémy Aron) 在曲折的“迷宫”中穿行并不容易，即使他的作品中存在我们熟悉的东西和反复出现的事物，但这种“误解”需要通过往复的观察去找到答案，从而获取理解。
安静
Un arbre au bout de la rue 街尽头的一棵树 40x40
Une attente à l'intérieur 内部的期望 40x40
迷宫的美学主题和隐喻经常被跨时代和跨地区使用。 迷宫象征着弯路、欺骗、流浪，同时也象征着危险。当我反复欣赏艾融的每件作品，越发能感受到每幅作品“化繁为简”的力量。艾融将一切静止的、常见的事物有序的拼凑在作品中，在他创作的看似静止又相对流动的事物背后，是他唤起我们对生活进行沉思。
Un matin calme 安静的早晨 41x33
Architecture et bord de mer 建筑和海边 41x33
诗人和艺术评论家让-克拉伦斯·兰伯特 (Jean-Clarence Lambert) 说：“迷宫一直伴随着人类，并存在于世界各地。当人类试图创造世界，以及创造命运的时候，迷宫对他来说可能就像圆、直线、椭圆或正方形一样必要。” 迷宫的两种形式：单线（只有一条路的迷宫，一条曲折的道路，但没有死胡同，你不会迷路）和多线（复杂的迷宫循环，死胡同；我们只能迷路）。 艾融的展览就像一个多线迷宫，每幅画代表一个循环或死胡同，让观众体验到不同的感受。
Un mur et arcades 一堵墙和拱廊 40x40
Un beau soleil du soir一个美丽傍晚的太阳 41x33
那么我为什么用迷宫来隐喻本次展览呢？首先，迷宫的隐喻经常出现在在艺术、文学、文艺复兴时期的花园艺术、数学甚至计算机科学中。更重要的是，反观历史，许多文明早已利用迷宫的形式，将它们篆刻在不同的地方。埃及人把迷宫变成了宗教建筑，从而象征世界。在希腊神话中，迷宫是代达罗斯建造的一座宫殿，用来封闭和隐藏半人半牛的牛头怪。英雄忒修斯在这个迷宫中杀死了弥诺陶洛斯，多亏了所谓的阿丽亚娜导线，他才得以逃脱。在中世纪，教堂里有迷宫，画在地板上，为了诱捕恶魔，因为当时人们认为恶魔只知道如何沿着直线前进。迷宫也是基督徒获得救赎的困难。在印度，以轴线为中心的几何图形，曼荼罗(梵语中的圆圈)作为冥想工具，也有一个迷宫般的形状，让人想起人体的“地图”，房子，还有皇家宫殿的平面图。18世纪前的中国没有实景迷宫（但18世纪前中国有很多书籍中记载了很多类似于迷宫的论述），后来耶稣会士为乾隆皇帝建造了第一座实景迷宫（圆明园中的万花园，目前为原址重建），灵感源自于中国的园林。迷宫的形式也出现在其他中国建筑元素中，如皇宫和陵墓(在汉语中，迷宫一词的意思是“令人迷惑的宫殿”)。这种迷宫所代表的深度和广度正和艾融的艺术作品传达的精神不谋而合，将喜与悲，生与死贯穿始终。
Espace et choses空间和事物 40x40
在不同的时代和空间中，迷宫就像整个人类的发展一样，夹杂着秩序与混乱。迷宫即反映了人类无限的创造力和潜力，同时也使其迷失方向并带来挫折。但迷宫始终有始有终。它鼓励我们去冒险，去探索、去观察、去前进、去游历、去选择、去犹豫……就像西方的西西弗斯（希腊神话中因触犯众神而受到惩罚）或中国的吴刚（受惩戒在月宫里伐树的仙人），即使这些任务看起来单调而毫无意义，我们也别无选择。我们必须继续坚持下去。加缪[1](1913-1960)认为（《西西弗斯神话》），尽管西西弗斯受到了不公正的惩罚，但他还是“快乐”的。最后，詹姆斯·乔伊斯[2](James Joyce, 1882-1941)也在“迷宫”中看到了艺术家处境（《一个青年艺术家的自画像》的一个显著艺术特点就是迷宫艺术）……
现在让我们回到艺术家艾融。 在本次展览作品中，艺术家的作品放大了我们“生活迷宫”的角落和缝隙。 我们并不知道自己身处何地，每件作品就像一个生活中处处可见的微小角落。 他并没有从一开始就指明方向，而是通过事物的混乱和复杂引发观众的沉思与共鸣。艾融想让每一个观众，停下来思考，反思过去，向往未来。迷宫没有起点，也没有终点。艾融向我们展示了墙壁、走廊、门、角落和缝隙……但没有出路。我们在迷宫中或迷失，或沉思，然而我们终将找回自我，在生活的迷宫中与世界共存。
Dans la cour 庭院中 40x40
Intérieur de l'espace 室内空间 100x100cm
雷米·艾融谈及他的作品时说：（它是关于）自我发现、冒险和意外发现……就好像我的创作很长一段时间都是与自然相关，我沉迷于空间和奇观。但今天展览的主题，始于自我的混乱。当我在工作的时候，我需要和时间、空间、光线产生共鸣，忘我的投入，达到“天人合一”的境界。我寻求自然与构图的平衡，通过色彩相互关联，探究人、事、物之间的关系。
艺术家在这里通过他自己的存在哲学为我们描绘了生活迷宫的“一部分”：“世界奇观”、“混沌”、“空间与光”、“和谐统一”。本次展览正如迷宫不会对试图穿过它的人施加任何影响一样，艺术家让我们在观赏后进行深思。
Les trois colonnes三列柱子 162x130cm
当我们欣赏艾融的画作时，我们是自由的，我们可以去任何的地方、任何的角落，在去到任何一幅画的地方，甚至任何一幅画中的某一角落。但即使你有所“迷失”，你也会通过忽明忽暗的色彩找到“出口”。艾融大多数艺术作品的共同点是地面、天空和地平线的无所不在，即使它们有时因为“交汇融合”而重合或隐藏。尽管艾融的作品中可能会让你感觉到风景或者事物的“反复”，你会觉得自己陷入了迷宫的循环，你会觉得陷入混乱与迷茫，但艾融在他的每幅作品中都留有“线索”但我们需要集中注意力去反复观赏，才能够从陌生到熟知。
Les directions et la lumière 方向和光线 25x50
Constructions 建筑工程 50x72cm
因此，我们在绘画中可以获取熟悉的暗示：特定的地方（海滩、房屋、山脉、墙壁、通向世界的窗户）； 自然元素（树木、植物、静物、花束、云）； 反复出现的形状（不断变换颜色的三角形、箭头、线条、空气流动、螺旋）、事物（奖杯、中国的灯、随风飘扬的窗帘、让我们想起用于在迷宫中定位自己的阿丽亚娜导线）。这些元素将我们带入到这个不断运动变化发展的宇宙中。但人去哪了？人物形象在艾融的画作中很少见。人是零星的，是被动的，人成了“装饰”的一部分。他们在等待，在睡觉，在做梦，在犹豫，在怀疑，在害怕，他们躲了起来。一些事物、图形和风景在他的作品中“活”了起来，但人却变成了点缀。因此，我们被扔进了人类以外的宇宙——非人类占主导地位的平行宇宙。例如，两件名为“对话”的作品似乎证明了我的想法，他们在沟通和交谈。这些物仿佛成了我们的镜子。它们让我们观察身陷混乱和迷宫中的系我，摆脱“以自我为中心”的思考方式，从而找到更好的自己。从这个意义上说，艾融的作品具有普遍性。因为他是在以自己的方式呼吁人类要勇敢，要观察细节，要了解不同的事物。
Peintures de formes 形式绘画 81x100 cm
艾融的每件作品都像在讲述一个没有任何故事的短篇故事，其中包含无生命的角色（事物、结构图案、墙）和有生命的角色（一些人物形象等）。你越看 Rémy Aron的艺术作品，这些存在的界限就越会消失。他们一切看似无序，但却又井然有序，看似不和常规，但却合乎情理。
Nature morte 静物100x81cm
La fenêtre 窗 46x38cm
总之，雷米·艾融的作品将为您提供一些线索，让您在生活的迷宫中去寻找自我。艺术家艾融和他的作品提出问题，引导观众，但从不给出答案，就像是一次迷宫中的自我“救赎”。
人总会在自己的迷宫中迷失方向，艾融的作品让我们停驻，面对内心的每个角落开始沉思与交谈。学会接受生活的混乱，在无序中找到自己的出口。
[1] 加缪（1913-1960），法国作家，哲学家，1957年诺贝尔文学奖得主，创立“荒诞哲学”。策展人Fred提到了他的作品《西西弗斯神话》，其他代表作有《鼠疫》、《局外人》被人熟知。
[2] 詹姆斯·乔伊斯（1882-1941），爱尔兰作家，主要作品有《一个青年艺术家的自画像》、《尤利西斯》、《芬尼根守灵夜》，其语言风格具有迷宫美学色彩。
雷米·艾融Rémy ARON
雷米·艾融Rémy ARON
1952年4月16日出生于法国叙雷讷
Né le 16 Avril 1952 à Suresnes - France
法国美术家协会主席
Président de La Maison des artistes
文学艺术骑士勋章获得者
Chevalier des arts et des lettres
毕业于巴黎美院
Diplôme des Beaux-Arts de Paris
中国国家画院外籍研究员
Membre-chercheur de l’Académie nationale de peinture de Chine
法国造型艺术家协会（AFAP）主席
Président de l’AFAP, (Association française des arts-plastiques)
Meditating in the chaos and labyrinth of life
Prof. Dr. Fred Dervin, University of Helsinki, Finland
“I paint things that move forward and backward in the space of the painting. I try to find the spaces and surfaces that are as coherent as possible in order to experience calm and silence of a possible harmonious unity...”
“I start from the chaos of the canvas and of myself and I move towards order.”
This is how the French painter Rémy Aron (born in 1952), graduate of the Beaux-Arts de Paris, Research-Member of the National Academy of Painting of China and President of the French Association of Arts, instigator of the artistic movement entitled Spacism, describes his artistic work.
By opening the doors of this exhibition, you have just entered what I would like to call the labyrinth of life that,in his own modest ways,the artist invites us to explore.
In this exhibition introduction, I propose a guide to reading the exhibition through the motif and metaphor of the labyrinth.
A labyrinth is a closed and sinuous architectural ensemble(square or spiral-like), composed of rooms and corridors, with symmetrical and regular shapes, junctions, dead ends and false tracks, which are difficult for us to follow and grasp in its entirety. Figuratively, the word labyrinth is often used to refer to a complex situation or tortuous reasoning in many languages. The etymology of the labyrinth could refer to a (double) axe used for the sacrifice of the bull. The labyrinth is also said to come from Latin for labor (labor intus) and indicatesaarduous task. Similarly, we notice that it is not easy to circulate in Rémy Aron’s tortuous labyrinth, despite a misleading impression of familiarity (presence of everyday objects) and repetition (recurring forms) in his painting. It is necessary to work to circulate through his art.
The aesthetic motif and metaphor of the labyrinth have often been used across eras and continents to help people question their existence, identities, relationships with others. The labyrinth symbolises detours, deceptions, wanderings but also dangers. And the more I look at each of Aron’s works, the more I see his art as a call to take small moments of pause in the complexity of our existence. Aron seems to be asking us to stop in front of each work and to contemplate the world around us through things, shapes, sculptures, landscapes – and some silent human figures, as we will see later. All the works presented in this exhibition evoke, compose and problematize both chaos and this labyrinth of life. Aron serves as our guide, without pretending to be omniscient.
For the poet and art critic Jean-Clarence Lambert: “the labyrinthine form has always accompanied Man and in all parts of the world. It is probably as necessary to him as the circle, the straight line, the ellipse or the square as soon as he tries to order a conception of the world, and of his destiny in the world.” To add to what Lambert says, let me remind you that there are at least two forms of labyrinth: unicursal (a labyrinth with a single path, a tortuous path but without dead end where you cannot get lost) and multicursal (a complex labyrinth with loops, dead ends; we cannot but get lost). Aron accompanies us in a labyrinth of the multicursal type, each painting representing a loop and/or a dead end. Aron does not suggest onesingle path to take.
Let me justify now the use of the metaphor of the labyrinth to talk about Aron’s work. To begin with, it is important to remember that we can already find many uses of this metaphor in the arts, literature, the art of gardens (from the Renaissance) but also mathematics and even computer science. What is more, many civilizations have made use of labyrinthine shapes since prehistoric times, having engraved them for example on a tomb or organized them in stone paths. The Egyptians turned labyrinths into religious buildings thus representing an image of the world. In Greek mythology, the labyrinth was a palace built by Daedalus to enclose and hide the Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull creature. The hero Theseus killed the Minotaur in this labyrinth and escaped thanks to theso-called Ariane’s Thread that allowed him to trace his path back to the exit.In the Middle Ages, churches housed labyrinths, drawn on the floor, in order to trap demons becauseit was thought at the time that they only knew how to move forward by following a straight line. The labyrinth also symbolized the difficulty of accessing salvation for Christians. In India, the geometric diagram centered around an axis, the mandala (a Sanskrit term for circle) which serves as a meditation tool, also has a labyrinthine shape that recalls (among other things) the ‘map’of the human body, the house, but also the floor plan of a royal palace.China also invented different forms of labyrinth long before Western influence in the 18th century when the Jesuits built a labyrinth for the Emperor Qianlong, which the Chinese called a ‘garden’ because it reminded them of the shapes of Chinese gardens, inspired by celestial landscapes (xianjing). Labyrinthine forms are also present in other Chinese architectural elements such as imperial palaces and mausoleums (in Chinese, migong, the word for labyrinth, means ‘a perplexing palace’). The remote depth that these elements represent in China – which is reminiscent of Rémy Aron’s works – served to promote joy (see ecstasy) and spiritual greatness, while associating life and death with the cosmos.Moreover, the labyrinth in these Chinese elements evokes the Confucian concepts of you (wander) andle(joy), in relation to aesthetics, but also the concepts ofbian (change) and tong (deep awakening). It is perhaps not by chance that, seen from above, the multicursal labyrinth (with its dead ends and false roads), which Aron’s works urge us to question, forms a kind of nod to the symbolic forms of Chinese fu, lu and shou (blessings, prosperity, longevity).
In its different forms, through the ages and spaces, the myth of the labyrinth seems to symbolize Man who questions the ambiguity of his human condition but also the tensions between order and chaos. Depending on its position in space and time, the labyrinth reflects for Man infinity, but also confinement, disorientation and frustration. The labyrinth also has an initiatory dimension. It encourages us to take risks, and to explore, observe, move forward, walk around, choose, hesitate... Just like Sisyphus in Western thought or Wugang in China, and even if these tasks may seem monotonous and pointless, we have no choice: we must continue to live our labyrinthine condition. As such Camus (1913-1960) asks us to imagine Sisyphus ‘happy’ despite the disproportionate punishment inflicted upon him. Finally, James Joyce (1882-1941) also sees in the labyrinth a strong symbol of the artist’s condition...
Let’s go back to Aron now. In the paintings gathered here, the artist zooms in for us in the nooks and crannies of the labyrinth of life. We do not really know that we are in a labyrinth because each art work only reveals a tiny corner of the complexity of our existence. Aron does not show us the labyrinth from above, in its entirety, but in detail by offering moments of chaos, confusion, wandering but also tranquillity and meditation. Each painting also represents a kind of parenthesis in the labyrinth of life. Aron asks us to take a break, to observe the paths around us. He projects us forward while reminding us of the influence of the past and (perhaps) of what is coming. The labyrinth has no beginning, no end – only one entrance: existence. Aron shows us walls, corridors, doors, nooks and crannies... But no way out. We remain in the labyrinth. The labyrinth is within us, between us and between the world and us.
Let’s listen to Rémy Aron talk more about his work:
(It is about) self-discovery, an adventure and a discovery of the unexpected... As if my dictionary was naturefor a very long time, I work on the motif and love of space and the spectacle of the world. But today I work on this show, starting from the chaos of the self. When I am working, I need to resonate with myself and space and light, forgetting all kinds of learning, but seeking unity. The writing between nature and composition, which is done by simultaneous reactions of colors and values, in relation to each other, comes from deep experimentation on nature. Still lifes, characters, landscapes.
One could almost imagine that the artist is describing here for us a ‘piece’ of the labyrinth of life through his own philosophy of existence: ‘spectacle of the world’, ‘chaos’, ‘space and light’, ‘unity’. We find in his words the contradictory characteristics and tensions that the labyrinth forces us to explore. But just as the labyrinth does not impose anything on the one who tries to cross it, Aron lets us browse his painting and sharpen our own imagination. The titles of the works contain only one or two words, referring for example to an object (‘A Chinese lamp’), a concept (‘Constructions’), or describing in a few words, like a Japanese Haiku, the essence of aartwork (‘Expectations in a landscape’, ‘Morning sun’).
When we look ata work by Aron, we are both inside and outside our own existence – and that of others. One wonders where to go, which direction to take, which corner to explore, among all the forms, landscapes, things, small characters, contained in each painting. Color combinations (sometimes darker, sometimes more colorful) also contribute to these questions. A common point between most of the artworks is noticeable in the omnipresence of the ground, the sky and the horizon, which, even if they are sometimes ‘hidden’ by the encounters and dialogues of e.g. things, they remind us of where we are and who we are.By their (changing) presence in the works, these three elements (as in the labyrinth), reassure us and become forms of temporary escape when the rest turns out ot be too chaotic and confused. Similarly, the impression of repetition that we could (falsely) experience when looking at all the artworks (‘same’ landscapes, ‘same’ forms), can reassure us in this chaos of forms and objects. Here, Aron thinks of us too. He leaves us traces, threads to guide us. He also plays with our senses, leading us to both confusion and comfort. Each of Aron’s artworks asks us to concentrate, starting from the familiar to de-familiarize ourselves and vice versa.
We thus find hints of familiarity here and there in the paintings: specific places (a beach, a house, mountains, a wall, a window that opens onto the world); elements from nature (trees, plants, still life, bouquet, clouds); some recurring shapes (triangles, arrows, lines, air movements, spirals, which change colors), things (a trophy, a Chinese lamp, a curtain that flies in the wind, the plumb line that reminds us a little of Ariane’s Thread that can be used to orient oneself in the labyrinth). The appearance of these elements brings us back to the concrete in this universe always in motion and transformation. But what about the human in all this?Human figures are scarce in Aron’s paintings. Sprinkled here and there, humans are passive. They seem to be just part of the décor. They are waiting. They meditate. They dream. They doubt. They are hiding. While things, structures and landscapes are very animated in his works (they become ‘human’), human figures are transformed somehow into abandoned objects in the recesses of the labyrinth of life. We are therefore thrown into in universes beyond the human – anthropomorphic universes where the non-human dominates. For example, two pieces entitled ‘Conversations’ seem to represent what I perceive as two architect lamps interacting with each other. These things then become our mirror. They allow us to observe ourselves caught up in the chaos and labyrinth of life. We are moving away from our anthropocentric obsessions to better deal with chaos.Aron’s work is universal in this sense. He speaks to all of us, Chinese, Europeans and others. He strengthens our bonds in an era of widespread separation.
Generous, Aron gives us other keys to face our labyrinthine existence. The movements of things, forms, constructions, landscapes evoke the need to accept the in-/visible transformations of our existence. It seems interesting to me that, despite the solidity of most of the things that populate the paintings (‘hard’ objects, rocks, walls, tables ...), the movement and elasticity of life are fully felt. In a liquid world like ours, where everything seems disposable (data, ‘trash’ culture...), Aron reframes us in solid forms – but solids that adapt, transform, evaporate. We oscillate between joy, happiness, peace but also loneliness, doubt, anguish and (perhaps) disappointment. In these pieces of labyrinth, we question our truths and certainties again.
To finish, consider each of Aron’s artworksto be telling a short story without any story, with inanimate characters (things, structures, trees) and animated characters (some human figures). The more you look at Rémy Aron’s painting, the more the boundary between these characters will disappear. In the movements of things, forms and structures in the space of the works (see the notion of ‘spacism’ used by the artist), the inanimate becomes the animate and vice versa. Put together, Rémy Aron’s works will give you some clues to move forward and/or backward in the labyrinths of life that you have to cross day after day. Aron then becomes your multidirectional guide and your philosopher of life who asks questions but imposes no answers.
Then lose yourself in your own maze. Enter into dialogue with the things, constructions, spaces and forms that Rémy Aron offers us. Move forward, backward, hesitate, look to the sky. Meditate in front of each painting. Accept chaos. Find a path to better get lost ...
