「生成主义 · 专访」艺术家雷鸣

First, let’s analyze the subjectivity in Lei Ming's works. As an artist specializing in readymade installations and collages, Lei Ming blurs the lines between readymade objects and images. This approach means that there are times when Lei Ming chooses a readymade object but emphasizes its image identity, and other times he chooses a readymade image but highlights the object’s identity. Examples of this technique can be seen in the following text. Identifying the properties and identities of materials is a habitual preliminary action of Lei Ming's creative process. For example, in his recent "Japanese Cartography" series, Lei Ming selected a wide range of objects from Japan purchased on second-hand platforms—from ink scrolls of the Tokugawa period to private albums from the 1960s, original works by Japanese artists from the 70s, and include art books, posters, small sculptures, and installations. Lei Ming’s approach to handling these materials involves selecting, arranging, and matching some or several of these objects in a high-end frame, a process he describes as curatorial work.

In Lei Ming’s work, the structure is evident in his emphasis on the curatorial process and the recognition of the wooden frame as an important component in shaping his work. Lei Ming usually selects a limited number of objects and meticulously experiments on the wooden panels that complement the frame, to "achieve the best aesthetic possibilities". Ultimately, several objects are encased within a glass frame in a way Lei Ming deems most optimal. The arrangement often reflects the content, attributes, and identity of the objects. The use of a high-quality wooden frame as a tool to contain and display the artist's choice of materials is a prime example of excellent structure. Through the frame, Lei Ming's approach not only describes conceptual ideas but also defines the actual frame or structure within which his artwork is presented.

The arrangement and combination of these materials within the frame also create a space for potential enactivism, a space within Lei Ming's structure generated by textuality. In another series titled "Apple", Lei Ming purchased numerous damaged iPhones online—some appeared to have fallen from great heights, others seemed to have been repeatedly run over by vehicles, and some bore marks of attempted knife cuts. Contemplating the possible events and intense emotions leading to such damage, we realize that the information in these phones may somehow (or in the future) still be recoverable, albeit this remains speculative. Lei Ming sealed these entire iPhones in resin, an act that not only generates a textual identity of the object but also suspends the question of "what is being sealed." Is it the iPhone as a participant in history, the data stored in the damaged iPhone, or the physical structures themselves? This suspension of inquiry reflects Lei Ming's concern for enactivism. Amid the ongoing flux of history beyond the sealed objects, shifts in focus, cognitive frameworks, and valuations may occur with the changes in the situation. These changes constitute a context full of "randomness, contingency, and serendipity". Understanding Lei Ming's sealed objects will evolve with the progression of history, encapsulating the space where enactivism thrives throughout his entire oeuvre.