VOICE OF ASIA_Voice 7 | 杰拉尔丁 · 哈维尔 Geraldine Javier

Installation view of limbo and magdalene, ARARIO GALLERY Seoul, 2013,  ?? Artist and ARARIO GALLERY

艺术家的声音

Q: 你认为亚洲艺术家（来自其他文化背景或种族的艺术家）是否具有某一特定的身份认同？如有，请详述你的观点。

A:我只能从我的国家菲律宾的角度来谈这个问题。我认为，菲律宾长期以来被不同国家殖民的历史，深深影响和搅乱着我们的文化，在我们的身份里埋下了不少困惑。菲律宾是一个以天主教信仰为主的国家，这使菲律宾人具有强烈的保守甚至是伪善的倾向。我们在教育、政治和娱乐各个方面都在模仿美国。传统习俗和信仰早已被我们遗忘，它们仅仅存在于老一辈人的记忆里。传统艺术并未融入到我们的生活方式中，它们只是旅游产业用来吸引游客的手段。我们的语言长期处于不规范的状态。因此，我们从来不会停止对身份的追寻——特别是在全球化的语境下。我们强烈地想要成为骄傲的菲律宾人或Pinoy（对菲律宾人的非书面称呼），但我们并不确定自己到底是谁……

Q: 你文化背景的哪些方面启发过你的艺术创作？

A:基于自身身份的复杂性，菲律宾人很容易被强烈的情感打动。戏剧性和欢笑存在于我们生活的方方面面，甚至是在死亡中！没有什么可以在菲律宾人的幽默感里保持严肃或神圣。我们很容易被激怒，但同时也会很快原谅和忘却。我们接纳和让步于命运。或许，这些文化特征已深深根植于我的身体，让我时刻力争使我的作品处于平衡的状态——既不能太严肃，也不要太亮丽。

Q: 你认为人们的文化认知对他们理解与回应你的作品有怎样的影响？

A: 我实在不想把某种特定的反应强加于观众。因为，所有在自己国家之外举办的展览，都将在不同文化间造就一段苦乐参半的浪漫叙事。

Q: 如果用一个关键词描述你所期待的亚洲艺术的未来，将会是什么？

A: 强大的洞察力。

Q: 可否简要介绍一下本次展览的参展作品？特别是从“亚洲身份认同”这个角度。

A: 作品“一朵新云成形”（A New Cloud Forming）是我的一组系列作品中的一部分。这组作品反映了我对于如何在混乱不安的世界中过一种平静生活所展开的不着边际的想象。

关于艺术家

杰拉尔丁·哈维尔，属于新一代年轻菲律宾艺术家。与社会现实主义前辈不同，他们追求个性与独特的风格并展开广泛的创作兴趣。杰拉尔丁·哈维尔的作品，通常充满紧张和挑衅的内在张力，原始城市的力量感烘托出冷静精妙的视觉魅惑。死亡、痛苦、失衡的关系与情绪暴力是她一贯的创作主题。她的内心世界复杂而又微妙，展现出沉默的紧张感和内在的爆发力。初见杰拉尔丁·哈维尔的作品，即可感受到宗教祭坛画的强烈影响，她对宗教意像的兴趣来源于自身的经历。但与此同时，尽管成长且浸淫于天主教文化之中，她的作品并不局限于任何特定的宗教，而是传播普世的集体价值。

“我的小学和中学接受天主教教育。修女曾为我们讲述耶稣和其他殉难者的牺牲，而我对此理解的是，天主教的基础是建立在血与罪恶之上。教会利用同样的罪恶感，对菲律宾社会和我们的政府施加权威性的影响，使其在决策和政策制定方面出现瘫痪的局面”。（ 杰拉尔丁·哈维尔，2011年）。

杰拉尔丁·哈维尔，出生于1970年。1997年艺术学士毕业于于菲律宾大学，菲律宾迪利曼；1991年理学士毕业于菲律宾大学，菲律宾马尼拉。她的作品曾于多家重要机构展出，其中个展有“Chaple of Many Saints”,菲律宾艺术博览会，菲律宾马卡蒂市，2014；“Beyond the Veil”，阿拉里奥画廊，韩国首尔，2013；“Curiosities”,Jorge B. Vagas Museum，菲律宾奎松市迪利曼，2013；“Project Room 1”,新加坡吉尔曼军营艺区，2012；“Playing God in an Art Lap”,STPI，2011；Museum of Many Things，Valentine Willie Fine Art，新加坡；群展有“Between the Streets and the Mountains:四位来自菲律宾的艺术家”，阿拉里奥画廊,中国上海，2016；“A Tribute to Reberto Chabet”,菲律宾文化中心，菲律宾马尼拉，2013；“Migration Melbourne Edition”，墨尔本奥蒙德音乐厅，澳大利达墨尔本，2012；“Thrice Upon A Time: A Century of Story in the Art of the Philippines”，新加坡艺术博物馆，新加坡。另外，杰拉尔丁·哈维尔也参与了布拉格双年展，捷克布拉格，2009。2003年，她获得了由菲律宾艺术中心（CCP）颁发的“Thirteen Artists Award”。今天，杰拉尔丁·哈维尔已经成为在菲律宾当地与国际上公认的菲律宾当代艺术的重要艺术家。

杰拉尔丁·哈维尔的作品也被多家重要机构收藏，包括菲律宾国家文化艺术中心(NCCA)；菲律宾中央银行；Escuela de Bellas Art；Las Casas De Filipinas De Acuzar；新加坡艺术博物馆；韩国阿拉里奥博物馆。 

New Cloud Forming | 2017, Acrylic on Canvas,183 x 183 cm,?? Artist and ARARIO GALLERY

VOICE

Q: Do you think there is any particular identity of Asian based artists ? If so, what would it be in your opinion?

A:I can only speak for my country, Philippines. I think decades of being colonized by different countries have greatly affected and muddled our culture, sowing confusion in our identity. Philippines is predominantly Catholic so there is a strong tendency towards conservatism and maybe hypocrisy. Our education, politics, and entertainment are patterned after the USA. Old customs and beliefs, are no longer practice and only exist in the minds of our elders. Traditional arts are not well integrated into our way of living and being kept alive only as part of tourism industry. Our language has long been bastardized. And so, the search for identity is a never ending struggle for us especially in the face of globalization. The passion for being a Proud Filipino or Pinoy runs deep but we are not sure who we are...

Q: What aspects of your cultural background were you inspired the most?

A:   Because of the complexity of our identity, Filipinos are prone to extreme emotions. Drama and laughter pervade in almost every facet of our lives, even in death! Nothing is solemn nor sacred when it comes to Filipino humor. Easy to anger but also easy to forgive and forget. Acceding and conceding to fate. Perhaps, these aspects of our culture are deeply ingrained in me that I always strive to achieve a balance in how my works will be perceived. Nothing too grim, nothing too pretty.

Q: How do you think about the cultural identity and sensitivity influence the way viewers understand and respond to your works?

A:  I really don't want to impose a particular reaction because any exhibition outside one's country will always be a bittersweet romance between cultures.

Q: If you can describe your expectation of the future of the Asian Art world in one keyword, what would it be?

A:  STRONG VISION

Q: Could you briefly introduce us your exhibited work/works in general, especially in terms of Asian identity?

A:  My work A New Cloud Forming is part of a series that reflects my meanderings on what it means to live a quiet life in a troubled world.

About Artist

Geraldine Javier belongs to a new generation of young Filipino artists whose interests are variegated and extensive, and who, unlike their social-realist predecessors, are engaged in pursuing the personal and the idiosyncratic. Javier’s works are full of tension and provocation, combining cool, calculated sophistication with raw urban grit. Images of death, misery, dysfunctional relationships, and emotional violence are recurrent themes. Her world thrives on complex, viscous thoughts and intimations, silent tensions and implosions. At first sight, her works carry strong reference to a sacred altarpiece. Javier’s interest in religious iconography is connected to her own biography. Although her life was struggled with Filipino catholic culture, her work still is devoid of any affiliation with a particular religion, as well as, aims at communicating universal collective values.

“I had a primary and secondary Catholic education. The nuns taught us of the sacrifices of Jesus and the other martyrs and from this I can deduce that the catholic religion‘s foundation was built on blood and guilt as a consequence. The same guilt that the church exploits as it continues to exert an almost authoritarian influence on Philippine society and our government to the point of paralysis in terms of decision and policy making“. (Geraldine Javier, 2011).

Geraldine Javier was born in 1970, received her B.F.A. from University of the Philippines, Dilman, Philippines in 1997, and B.S. in Nursing at University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines in 1991. Javier has been exhibiting her works internationally. Her solo exhibitions include Chaple of Many Saints, Art Fair Philippines, Makati City, Philippines, 2014; Beyond the Veil, ARARIO GALLERY, Seoul, Korea, 2013; Curiosities, Jorge B. Vagas Museum, Dilman, Quezon City, Philippines, 2013; Project Room 1, Gillman Barracks, Singapore, 2012; Playing God in an Art Lap, STPI, 2011; Museum of Many Things, the Valentine Willie Fine Art, Singapore, Singapore. Her group exhibitions include Between the Streets and the Mountains: Four Artists from the Philippines, ARARIO GALLERY, Shanghai, China, 2016; A Tribute to Reberto Chabet, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines, 2013; Migration Melbourne Edition, Ormond Hall Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia, 2012; Thrice Upon A Time : A Century of Story in the Art of the Philippines, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, Singapore; and she participated in Prague Biennale, Prague, Czech Republic, 2009. In 2003, she was awarded with the “Thirteen Artists Award”, issued by the Cultural Centre of the Philippines (CCP), Manila. Nowadays, she is recognized as a leading figure in contemporary Filipino art both on a local and international level.

Her works have been permanently collected by NCCA (National Center for Culture and Arts), Philippines; Central Bank of the Philippines, Philippines; Escuela de Bellas Artes, Philippines; Las Casas De Filipinas De Acuzar, Philippines; Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, and ARARIO MUSEUM, Korea. 

The weight of the world | 2013, Oil on canvas, resin, wood and tatting laces, painting: 254 x 122 cm, sculpture: 183x152.4 x 91 cm, ?? Artist and ARARIO GALLERY