往事只堪哀。对景难排。秋风庭院藓侵阶。一行珠帘闲不卷。终日谁来。
    金锁以沉埋。壮气蒿莱。晚凉天静月华开。想得玉楼瑶殿影，空照秦淮。
    李煜（937~978年）在一千多年前站在宋太祖暂时给予他的庭院里低声吟唱的悲戚阴韵虽然一开始是这个作为国主的词人的个人心情的写照，可是，只要将这些字词的内涵稍加理解和借用，就可以使其成为今天洪磊的白日梦的忧郁表述。
    洪磊的“往事”自然不是李煜那样的极乐世界的欢娱，不是彻夜欢歌—“笙歌吹断水云间，重按霓裳歌遍彻”（《玉楼春》）；当然也不是靡靡柔情—“脸慢笑盈盈，相看无限情”（《菩萨蛮》）。这样的景致洪磊也许是听说过，尤其是这个对历史传说或者遗留的片断总是给予想像的艺术家，他可以去拼接自己发现和理解的历史故事。但是，无论如何，洪磊已经无法深入到历史故事的情景之中，今天的人已经没有了这样的能力。“往事”不是自己的，而是先人的，去想像先人的美境不仅非常困难，而且没有意义。事实上，洪磊也许是希望通过点滴碎片提示出“往事”，也就是说，我们不能去再现“往事”，我们可以去创造一个对“往事”的评价。这样，就自然会将“男女之情”以及时间的无情的象征作为作品的要素。“刺绣”作为一种传统的技术也许不是洪磊关心的重点，“刺绣”工艺提示的程序以及保留下来的特殊质感，都会给予我们对“陈旧”的感受。这个“陈旧”就是“往事”的一种表达。谁也不会去认真地阅读艺术家重新锈出来的“金瓶梅曲谱”，他们可以通过那吐出“须”以及游晃的昆虫，感受“往事”的糜烂与问题。
    昆虫经常出现在洪磊的作品里，即便是在宣纸上的信手涂抹，他也会突然精致地勾出几只昆虫，甚至就是让人恶心的苍蝇。在2003年做的装置《淹城的三个苍蝇》里，苍蝇以实物标本的方式出现在废墟中。艺术家制作的照片让人伤感，因为那是一个“往事”的发源地。我们试着想进入对“往事”的修复—这里的淹城遗址甚至已经远远不能用“秋风庭院藓侵阶”来形容，可是，洪磊用三只苍蝇挡住了我们的去路，不仅如此，苍蝇已经成为“往事”的说明。“风”究竟能够动得了什么？其实“风”也是艺术家自己的一种内心驱使，那些不知从什么地方飞来的蜻蜓、蝴蝶以及苍蝇毫无生气地聚集在折枝的上下左右，不过是将自然的衰败做一个象征性的提示：“往事”与死亡和干枯发生着联系。
    李煜在《菩萨蛮》里有过“往事已成空”的表述，后主的意思是那些故国发生过的“往事”已经不在，内心异常悲切。洪磊选择了清竹折枝的方式试图想恢复一下对传统文人雅趣与品质的记忆：正直、虚心、清高、自洁。可是，无力的杂叶似乎难以有这样的象征，并且也给人有一种难以依凭的危险性，何况来自苍蝇的点缀。事实上，这种将习惯的象征给予调换的结果，是修改其象征的内容。有关竹的诗韵很多，但是，在对“往事”给予重新认识的时候，我们也许可以借用关于类似《山海经》里的那些文字：“云山有桂竹，甚毒，伤人必死……”不过，我们在艺术家的作品《淡竹》里看到的情况很可能是这样的：苍蝇对“淡竹”的侵袭构成了自然的问题，可是，那些苍蝇究竟来自何处呢？其实，很有可能，苍蝇就是“往事”复杂的情意结。“往事”没有美好，即便是迷蒙的醉意也不过是一种假设的美梦。到头来，“往事”都归结为恶心。所以，艺术家即便是更换了“狗尾巴草”，即便偶尔将蝴蝶也引入到新的空间里，也并不意味着有一种美和丑的对比，相反，好看的“蝴蝶”也不过是一个对“往事”的假设，一个错觉，甚至是一种带有良好愿望的欺骗。
    在李煜的绝命词《虞美人》里，他又出说了“往事知多少”这样的话。可是，洪磊再次用石榴这样的植物来包容“往事”。通过张骞而来到中国的石榴成为了中国的符号，而那些繁复的结构却给予了我们想像的空间，然而石榴的溃烂与苍蝇却很容易让人产生联想。“一行珠帘闲不卷”的时光虽然出自李煜的假设，但时间过去了，没有任何人真正希望回到“往事”—不会有人回应他的“终日谁来”，洪磊似乎在回答：最终也没有人接近过去。洪磊很多年里在做着自己的梦，这些梦与自己奇异的念头和对大脑里的知识有难以廓清的关系，在很多作品里，即便那是述说一个假设，也透露出艺术家对历史和“往事”的兴趣。然而，当他认真地想来就发现，凡是所知道的过去、历史、往事，都是被关闭了的，除非自己重新创造出来。因此，他创造了一个又一个关于“往事”的梦境。
    当我们稍微归纳一下就可以看到，艺术家将“岁寒三友”作为他选择的材料，就已经表明了他有意无意坚持的立场：即便出现了任何问题，也许我们可以通过传统符号来象征。这里，“往事”的多少的确变得丝毫不重要。洪磊没有任何别的办法来回应他发现的问题，他只有通过实物和对实物给予的组合来述说他的感受，沿着这样的思路，艺术家在悬置的松枝上安放了青蛇，这种与刺绣里的蛇的出现在含义上没有什么不同，只是实物与特殊的对比让人有更为严重的邪恶感。
    “我喜欢漂浮的感觉，类似晕眩的漂浮感，我时常喜欢在秋日的黄昏看窗前的小飞虫慢舞，似是沉思的思绪萦绕，像是禅宗的冥想，动静如一。我将假的蝴蝶、蜻蜓、苍蝇的模型悬吊起来，形成一组场景。当时，我加了一枝假花，来浓重色彩。
    那幅《五针松》却让我想起日本京都三十二间内的大阪松，我加了一条蛇，以加强美与邪恶同存的感叹。“
    也许洪磊的“往事”回到了很根本的问题。我们知道李煜还有类似“独自莫凭栏”（《浪淘沙》）的句子，人们猜测着后主的恋人以及他们之间的情意纠缠。很显然地，洪磊也遵循着弗洛伊德的逻辑，性所带来的困扰是根本性的。多少心酸的泪水到头来大都被归结到生命的完整性之中，以至“性”本身的历史总是通过复杂的社会情景和个人遭遇体现出来。然而，一旦“性”获得了从压抑到释放的可能，没有思想的舒缓心情就悠然而生，而正是这个时候，我们难以获得关于“往事”的信息。只有在“性”处于严重的压抑和控制的时候，如果有任何梳理的可能，都将衍生为优雅或者流畅的创作，洪磊看到的杂草（或者他的狗尾巴草）与李煜说的“蒿莱”都是一回事，除非性欲得到有效的释放。2003年的思绪是丰富而又涣散的。我是学工艺出生，对江南的所有工艺都很清楚。做刺绣为现代艺术，只是个设想，但将《金瓶梅》绣成册页让我非常兴奋，将常年的性压抑完全释放了出来。在造型上我更多地用了现代手法，色情用色彩悄悄地蔓延。画好水彩稿后，交由绣娘。2004年，我又画了《红楼梦曲谱》稿，绣成。今年又画了《牡丹亭曲谱》稿。同样也都是色迷迷地。
    不仅如此，像《吹萧》这样的小装置，也不过是对色情“往事”的尽可能符合古人趣味的复制与假设。就好象一个陈旧的盒子，有一天艺术家洪磊将其打开，让我们看到了古人的密室幽径，在这样的空间里，导致“内心的晦涩和惆怅以及潮湿”的故事重新显现，我们在一个特殊的空间里了解到了“往事”。
    “玉楼瑶殿”早已飞灰烟灭，今日秦淮也非昨日的金陵名胜。曾有“物是人非”的说法，而今天我们也可以说“秦淮不再”。因为我们不能够去设想人的生命的短暂而留下空空的物质世界，相反，古人的灵魂总是通过艺术传递下来。不能说我们今天去理解李煜，而是说，艺术家就是李煜—如果非要使用一个古人的名字的话，灵魂从来没有熄灭，倒是曾经的“秦淮”真正消失了。既然我们找不到曾经的细语庭院或者楼台水榭，而艺术家通过梦的方式也难以告诉我们真实的“往事”的时候，我们能够得出的结论也只能是“往事只堪哀”。细想起来，这就是洪磊多年来的主题，以至我们也很容易发出“流水落花春去也，天上人间”的感叹。
2006年1月2日星期一
We Can Only Grieve for the Past--On a few of Hong Lei’ s Works

By Lv Peng

The past can only be grieved for. It' s hard to calm down when looking at the scenery. The winter wind is blowing in the courtyard, where steps are covered by moss. The pearl curtain stays idle and is not rolled up. Who comes here all-daylong.
Golden locks are covered up. Pride is like weed. The evening is cold; the sky is calm, the moon just shines. Think about the splendid palace on the moon that shines over the Qinhuai River alone.
Li Yu was chanting these sorrowful words more than a thousand years ago in the courtyard that Emperor Song Taizu gave him temporarily. They were a revelation of the personal mood of this poet who was also the emperor. However, the meaning of these words can be taken to express Hong Lei's daydream-like melancholy today.
Hong Lei's "past events" were naturally not the Elysian joy and entertainment that Li Yu had, nor was there happy singing all through the night – "Sheng continuously plays, music lingering in the space. The song is played over and over again."（Spring of the Beautiful Building）, nor was it decadent tenderness – "Gentle face with full smiles, looking at each other with endless love." (Buddha-like Dancers） Hong Lei might have heard of such scenes, particularly as an artist who always gives historical legend or remaining fragments imagination. He can put together the historical tales that he's discovered and understood. However, no matter what, Hong Lei is not able to go deep into the circumstances of historical tales. People today don't have such a talent. "Past events" don't belong to one's self, but to ancestors. It's not only very challenging but also meaningless to imagine the wonderful circumstances of our ancestors. In fact, Hong Lei might hope to hint at "the past" through fragments, that is to say, if we are not able to represent "the past," we can establish an evaluation of "the past." Thus, naturally, symbols of love and the mercilessness of time become the key elements of his work. "Embroidery" as a traditional technique is perhaps not the focus of Hong Lei's concern. Both the process of the craft of embroidery and its special texture can generate a timeworn impression. This "timeworn" quality is an expression of "the past." No one would read closely the "Album of the Plum in the Golden Vase" that the artist has re-embroidered. They can experience the decadence and problems of the "past" through the insects that spit "silk" and wonder around.
Insects often appear in Hong Lei's works. Even when he made scribbles on rice paper, he would suddenly outline a few insects daintily, even sickening flies. In his installation "Three Flies of Yancheng," in 2003, flies appeared in ruins as objects. The photograph produced by the artist made people sentimental, because that was the place that a past event took place. We try to get into the restoration of the "past event." Here the relics of the flooded city were far from being described as "The winter wind is blowing in the courtyard, where steps are covered by moss." However, Hong Lei blocked our way with three flies. Flies became the explanation for the "past event." What on earth could "wind" move? Actually "wind" was only an inner driving force inside the artist. Those dragonflies, butterflies, and flies that had came from nowhere, gathered around the broken branches lifelessly. Natural perish was only used as a symbolic indication of the fact that the "past" was related to death and withering.
Li Yu had stated that "the past had become nonexistent" in Buddha-like Dancers. What the last emperor meant was that those "past events" that had taken place in the homeland no longer existed and he was extremely mournful. Hong Lei has chosen images of "simple and graceful bamboo and broken branches" as an attempt to recover for once the memory of the graceful interest and general temperament of traditional scholars: integrity, modesty, pride, and self-discipline. However, a lifeless mixture of leaves was hardly a symbol of such qualities and also gave an impression of unreliability and danger, not to mention that it was completed with flies. Actually, the outcome of switching such conventional metaphor was to modify the content that such an image signified. There are many poems written about bamboos but when we try to understand those "past events'  in new lights, we might borrow those words from the likes of works such as Mountain and Sea Classics, "There are bamboos in Yun Mountain, which are rather poisonous and sure to wound someone to death…" However, what we see in the artist' s work "Bamboo" is perhaps like this: the assaults of flies to "bamboo" has become a problem of the Nature, but where on earth have those flies come from? Actually, it' s very likely that flies are the complicated complexes of "past events." Ultimately, "past events" are categorized as something disgusting. Therefore, even if the artist had replaced it with "grass," or occasionally introduced butterflies into a new space, it wouldn' t necessarily mean a contrast between beauty and ugliness. On the contrary, beautiful "butterflies" are no more than hypnosis of "past events," a hallucination, and even a good-willed deception.
In Li Yu' s suicide note "Yu Meiren", he wrote the remark of "How much of the past do we know?" But Hong Lei implied "past events" again with such a plant as pomegranate. Pomegranate, a plant that was brought into China through Zhang Qian, became a Chinese icon. Those complicated structures give us the space for imagination. The decay of pomegranate and flies can easily arouse associations. "The pearl curtain stays idle and is not rolled up" was Li Yu' s supposition, but time is gone and no one really wishes to return to the "past" – no one would respond to his comment of "Who comes here all-daylong." Hong Lei seemed to answer that eventually no one would get close to the past. Hong Lei was dreaming his own dreams in many years. These dreams and his eerie ideas were hard to be distinguished from the knowledge in his brain. In many of his works, even if the statement was hypothesis, it still revealed the artist' s interest in history and "past events." But when he had thought about it carefully, he realized all the past, history and past events were all shut off, unless he invented them anew. Thus, he has created one after another dreamscape about "past events."
If we just sum up his works roughly, we can discover that the artist has chosen pine, bamboo and plum trees as his materials, which already give away the standpoint that he unconsciously sticks to: even if there is any problem, maybe we can symbolize it with traditional symbols. Here it doesn' t matter at all how much of the "past" is there. Hong Lei has no other alternative to respond to the issues that he' s discovered. He can only express his feelings with objects and by combining objects. To follow his concept, the artist placed a blue snake on a suspended pine branch, which is no different from the snake in embroidery in connotation. The contrast of objects conveys a heavier sense of guilt.
I like the feeling of floating, a sense of floating similar to a dizzy feeling. I usually like watching small flying insects dancing slowly in front of windows by dusk in autumn. They seem like the lingering thoughts of contemplation, like Buddhist mediation, action and inaction being the same. I suspended fake models of butterflies, dragonflies, and flies, so that they made up a series of sets. At that time, I added a fake flower, to highlight the color.
The "Smallflowered Japan" reminded me of Osaka pine trees inside the 32 Jian Hall in Kyoto, Japan. I put in a snake, to intensify my feeling about the existence between beauty and malignancy.
Maybe Hong Lei' s "past events" have returned to very fundamental issues. We know that Li Yu also wrote such a sentence as "Don' t lean on the fence alone" (Lang Tao Sha). People imagine the lover of the last emperor and the tangly relationship between them. It' s obvious that Hong Lei has also followed the Freud' s logic. The trouble that sex can elicit is basic. All the sad tears can eventually be summed up in the integrity of life, so that the history of "sex" itself is always embodied in complicated social circumstances and individual encounters. However, once "sex" has the possibility of being released from oppression, the laid-back mood without thoughts easily arises. It' s at this moment that it' s hard for us to obtain any information about "past events". Only when sex is under severe inhibition and control, and has the possibility to be sorted out, it is likely to evolve into elegant or fluent creation. The weed (or his grass) Hong Lei saw was the same as the "weed" that Li Yu mentioned, unless the libido is effectively released.
My thoughts in 2003 were very lively yet relaxed. I studied craft originally so I am very familiar with all the crafts in south of the Yangtze River. I made embroidery for the purpose of practicing modern art. It started as an assumption, but to turn the Plum in the Golden Vase into an album made of embroidery was very exciting to me, completely liberating my perennial sexual oppression. In modeling, I have used more modern methods, so that exoticism stealthily spread with color. After I finished the watercolor sketch, I gave it to the embroidery lady. In 2004, I drew the sketch of The Dream of the Red Chamber and it was turned into embroidery. This year, I painted a sketch of The Peony Pavilion, which is also quite erotic.
Besides, the small installation such as playing xiao (a musical instrument), is no more than the reproduction and imagination of the erotic "past", that try to conform to the taste of the ancients as closely as possible. It' s like an old box. One day, artist Hong Lei opened it, allowing us to see the secret passage that would lead to the hidden chamber of the ancients. In such a space, the stories that have caused "inner obscurity and melancholy as well as humidity" reappear. We learn about "past events" in such a special space.
"The splendid palace" has already disappeared and today' s Qinhuai River is no longer the famous site of Nanjing as before. People say that "objects stay the same while people change" but today we can also say that "Qinhuai is no longer the same." Because we can' t imagine people' s life is so brief that only the empty material world is left behind. On the contrary, the soul of the ancients is always passed down by art. We can' t say that we understand Li Yu today but we are saying that the artist was Li Yu, if we have to use the name of an ancient person. The soul has never died out, but the once "Qinhuai" has really disappeared. Since we can' t no longer find the refined and beautiful scenery but it' s also hard for artists to tell us about our real "past" through dreams, we can only draw the conclusion of "the past can only be grieved for." This has been the subject of Hong Lei' s works for so many years so that we can also easily acclaim that "although the spring is completely gone, the scenery is still beautiful."

Monday, January 2, 2006
Translated by Carol Lu