《非凡现实主义》艺术家｜莱昂斯·阿波德鲁

《非凡现实主义》展览现场，2024??Fotografiska影像艺术中心

开创性非洲影像艺术展《非凡现实主义》正于 Fotografiska 展出。本次展览为亚洲首次也是规模最大的非洲摄影展，呈现了 16 位非洲知名与新兴艺术家的摄影和影像作品。

为了让观者更好地理解在展作品，我们将为参展艺术家开设专栏介绍，向大家讲述他们的创作理念及其作品背后的故事。

莱昂斯·阿波德鲁

Leonce Agbodjelou

生于1965年，生活工作于波多诺伏，贝宁共和国。

Born in 1965 in Porto-Novo, Republic of Benin; Lives and works in Porto-Novo, Republic of Benin.

|与非洲摄影史的紧密关联

An intimate connection with the history of photography in Africa.

莱昂斯·阿波德鲁的作品正在 Fotografiska 的展览《非凡现实主义》中展出。成长于西非最著名摄影师之一的家庭中，他的父亲是约瑟夫·阿波德鲁 (Joseph Mo?se Agbodjelou)。约瑟夫于1935年在法国接受了摄影基础培训，当时他被征召入伍。作为柯达在本国的销售代表，他在1950年代担任了达荷美（现贝宁）职业摄影师协会的主席，当时该协会只有10名摄影师。

在1960年代，随着许多西非国家获得独立，摄影师们开始设立临时工作室，展示人们身着华丽服饰的样貌——同时添加一些额外的道具，从便携音响到假机场背景。在大约1960年，约瑟夫在波多诺伏开设了一家名为“France Photo”的工作室，以向那位在法国教会他摄影的老师致敬。约瑟夫的工作室记录了近二十年的贝宁生活和历史，包括婚礼、葬礼、守夜、圣餐、政治仪式、文化和宗教活动、新闻事件以及肖像。然而，由于根据贝宁的习惯，底片和打印版都交给了被拍摄的人，因此约瑟夫的作品所剩无几。

Leonce Agbodjelou – whose works are shown in the first two rooms of the Marvellous Realism exhibition at Fotografiska Shanghai - grew up as the son of one of West Africa’s most renowned photographers: Joseph Mo?se Agbodjelou. Joseph learned the basics of photography in 1935 in France when he was drafted into the army. As sales representative of Kodak in his country, in the 1950s he was President of the Professional Photographers Association of Dahomey (now Benin) when they were only 10 photographers.

In the 1960s, as many west African nations were gaining independence, photographers started setting up impromptu studios to show people in all their finery – plus some added extras, from boombox props to fake airport backdrops. Around 1960, Josheph opened a studio in Porto-Novo: "France Photo", a nod to the man who taught him to photograph in France. Weddings, funerals, wakes, communions, political ceremonies, cultural and religious, news items and portraits, nearly twenty years of life and history of Benin. Yet very little remains of Joseph’s work because the negatives and prints were given to the people photographed, according to a Benin practice.

? photo Joseph Mo?se Agbojelou, vintage, Porto Novo, Benin

“即使我们还是学生也不得不跟在他身边，学习他在做什么，如何调整光圈、快门速度，以及拍摄的所有技术细节，”他说。“晚上，我们会观察他如何冲洗胶卷以及对照片纸的处理。”后来，莱昂斯成为了约瑟夫的助手，他们一起去乡村拍摄当地人的生活。

由于一直都在摄影氛围浓厚的环境中成长，莱昂斯决定自己从事摄影是自然而然的事情。他的摄影作品显然受到了父亲的影响，突出表现了贝宁的普通百姓，特别是首都波多诺伏，这对他们俩来说都是最重要的。然而，他从父亲的黑白摄影转向了充满活力的彩色摄影，反映了一个正在变革的社会的各种面貌。

他的作品讲述了许多受访者，尤其是年轻一代，如何在传统与前进之间挣扎——将这两种元素融入他的创作中。这个国家充满了传统和古老信仰，但像其他国家一样，它也在逐步走向现代化。

“Even though we were schoolchildren, we had to be at his side to follow what he was doing. How to adjust the diaphragm, the shutter speed, everything concerning the technical side of shooting,” he says. “At night, we’d watch him as he developed the film, and for the treatments on the photo paper.” Later, Leonce became Joseph’s assistant, and together they would travel to villages to capture the lives of the locals.

Having been surrounded by cameras his whole life, it was an easy decision for Leonce to pursue photography himself. His own photography work is clearly influenced by his father’s, with highlighting the everyday people of Benin, specifically the capital Porto Novo, clearly the most important thing for both of them. He however switched from his father’s black-and-white photographs to vibrantly colorful photographs that reflect various aspects of a society undergoing change.

His works talks about how many of his subjects, especially the younger generation, are caught between traditions and moving forwards – integrating both elements in his compositions. It’s a country steeped in tradition and age-old beliefs, but like any other country, it’s modernizing, if gradually.

|肌肉男和莱昂斯的构图方法

The Musclemen and Leonce approach to composition

Musclemen series, 2012 ??Leonce Raphael Agbodjelou

“肌肉男”系列聚焦于波多诺伏——贝宁首都一个受欢迎社区的健美运动员。他们没有现代化的健身房，但利用一些自制的重物和其他通过回收金属制作的器械进行锻炼。他们可以被视为“雕塑家”，通过对自己身体的雕刻找到自我表达。在非洲，个人的“创造”被视为人们在那些通过其他更大或更公共渠道难以实现自我的空间中找到自己的关键方式。

“肌肉男”系列明显参考了西非（特别是贝宁）流行的摆拍工作室摄影，尤其是著名的Ke?ta、Sidibé和Fosso这三位摄影师，他们在过去20年里将非洲摄影推向了前沿。

莱昂斯大胆地以一种带有幽默感的方式呈现他的拍摄对象——这些健美运动员披着传统的花卉图案布料，佩戴着太阳镜和塑料花，明显地展示了他们的肌肉和虚荣心。他们在华丽的背景中融为一体，既过于男性化，又过于女性化。

The “Musclemen” series set the light on a community of body builders from a popular neighborhood of Porto Novo – the capital of Benin. They do not have access to a modern gym but use a number of weights and other machines made through a DIY, using recycled metal. They can be seen as “sculptors” that find their own self-expression through their work on their own bodies. Personal “invention” is seen through Africa as a critical way for people to find their selves in spaces where it may be difficult to do that through other larger or more public channels.

The “Musclemen” series is a clear reference to the staged studio photographs popular not only in Benin but throughout western Africa (in particular with the famous trio of Ke?ta, Sidibé, and Fosso who have been at the forefront of the attention to African photography in the last 20 years).

Agbodjelou takes the liberty of presenting his subjects in an amused manner—the bodybuilders are draped in traditional fabrics with flowered motifs, with sunglasses and plastic flowers, blatantly externalizing both their muscles and their vanity. They are simultaneously too masculine and too feminine, as they merge into the resplendent background that envelops them.

《非凡现实主义》展览现场，2024??Fotografiska影像艺术中心

背景——通常使用传统的蜡染布花纹，这些花纹与非洲时尚紧密相关——是莱昂斯创作过程中不可或缺的一部分，就像对他的父亲一样。在担任他父亲的助手期间，他们会一起用纺织品、油漆和其他材料制作照片背景。“现在，我会自己制作背景，并根据拍摄对象进行搭配”，他说。“我的背景通常不会主导拍摄对象。我总是尽量使其相辅相成，追求和谐的结合。”他使用中画幅相机在户外工作室拍摄，且总是考虑到肖像摄影的基本要素——光线、对象、构图。这些肖像既捕捉了个人的独特个性，也反映了他们在各自特殊社区中的融入。

Backdrops – often using traditional motifs of Wax textile that are so much associated with African fashion,  are a key part of the process for Leonce, just as they were for his dad. While working as his assistant, they would create backdrops for photos together using textiles and paint and other materials. “These days, I create my own decors. I match them to the subject”, he says. “Very often my decor does not dominate the subject. I always try to adapt it. A harmonious marriage.” He shoots with medium format in an outdoor studio, always thinking about the essential components of portrait photography—light, subject, framing. These portraits capture both the individual personalities as well as their integration into their own special communities.

|伊根根与约卢巴祖先文化的联系

The Egungun and the connection to Yoruba ancestor culture

Untitled (Egungun Series), 2011 ??Leonce Raphael Agbodjelou

在他的作品中，莱昂斯捕捉了祖先文化与现代性的共存。在其中一系列作品中，他探讨了约鲁巴传统中的伊根根（Egungun) ——戴面具和穿着盛装的仪式性人物，用于纪念已故的亲人。

伊根根是已故祖先灵魂的可见表现，这些灵魂会定期回到人间社区，进行纪念、庆祝和祝福。它是由西非约鲁巴人及其在非洲侨民中（特别是巴西、古巴、多米尼加共和国、巴巴多斯和美国）的后代所实践的独特文化传统。这些灵魂根据其亲属是否忽视或尊敬他们，会不断地给予祝福、保护、警告或惩罚。

伊根根的传统可以追溯到公元11世纪至14世纪，戴面具的表演者在葬礼上出现，以标志和引导逝者进入灵界。身穿由层层色彩鲜艳的纺织品制成的精美面具，通过鼓乐和舞蹈，这些披袍的表演者扮演各种角色，从最近去世的亲人和历史先辈，到社区中的罪犯和巫婆的执行者。虽然每年在约鲁巴语社区的雨季开始时会举行清洁镇子的节日，伊根根也可以随时出现，以避免威胁当地社区的大灾难或痛苦。

莱昂斯说：“伊根根的面具表演者是我本地文化的一部分。对我来说，伊根根通过公开表演来触及本土约鲁巴记忆、个性化历史和仪式的叙事。他们在维护社区伦理价值方面发挥了重要作用。”自1990年代以来，随着五旬节教会在西非的崛起，伊根根面具表演面临了新的挑战。这些教会试图将土著宗教及其神祇体系描绘为异教和危险。然而，伊根根并未遭遇拒绝，而是通过丰富的对叙事回应，成功地保持了这一重要传统与当代观众的相关性。

Throughout his work, Leonce captures the coexistence of ancestral cultures and of modernity. In one series, he explores the Yoruba tradition of the Egungun; masked, costumed figures used in ceremonies to honor those who have passed away. 

Egungun is a visible manifestation of the spirits of departed ancestors who periodically revisit the human community for remembrance, celebration, and blessings. It is a unique cultural tradition practiced by the Yoruba of West Africa and their descendants in the African Diaspora, particularly in Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Barbados, and the United States. These spirits constantly bless, protect, warn, and punish their earthly relatives depending on how their relatives neglect or honor them.

Dating back to the 11th and 14th centuries AD, the masqueraders appear at funerals to mark and guide the passage of the deceased to the spirit world. Dressed in elaborate masks made out of layers of vibrant textiles, through drumming and dance these robed performers occupy a range of roles that vary from recent deceased and historical forbears, to acting as community executioners of criminals and witches. Whilst annual festivals are held in Yoruba-speaking communities at the beginning of the rainy season to cleanse the town, Egungun can also appear at any time to avert major misfortune or affliction that threaten the local community.

Leonce says “Egungun masqueraders are a part of my local culture. For me, the Egungun use public performance to tap into a narrative of localised Yoruba memories, personalised histories and ritual. They play a fundamental role in upholding the ethical values of the community.” Since the 1990s the rise of Pentecostal churches across West Africa has been a new challenge to Egungun masquerade. The churches sought to represent indigenous religions and their pantheons of deities as pagan and dangerous. However, rather than suffering rejection, the Egungun have responded in elaborating counter-narratives which have succeeded in keeping this important practice relevant to contemporary audiences.

《非凡现实主义》展览现场，2024??Fotografiska影像艺术中心

许多贝宁人非常重视摄影。莱昂斯说：“在贝宁文化中，有一种普遍的信念和恐惧，认为一个人的灵魂会被困在照片中。”这也许可以解释为什么他和他的父亲都如此重视以美丽的方式捕捉波多诺伏及其他地方的人们。“我不是一个神秘主义者，而是一个只想将价值回馈给我的文化和国家的艺术家”，他说。“我不断前进，我不断前进。”

Many Beninese people take photography very seriously. Leonce said that “It is a commonly held belief, and source of fear, in Benin’s culture that a person’s soul lives on, trapped, within the photograph.” This may explain why he and his dad both placed so much importance on capturing the people of Porto-Novo and beyond in such a beautiful way. “I am not a mystic, but an artist who only seeks to give value back to his culture and his country”, he says. “I move forward and I move forward.”

关于展览

《非凡现实主义》

开创性当代非洲影像艺术展《非凡现实主义》是亚洲首次也是规模最大的非洲摄影展。《非凡现实主义》聚焦撒哈拉以南的非洲国家，采取跨国视角，展出知名与新兴艺术家的摄影和影像作品。通过这些作品，艺术家设想了当代非洲文化特征作为一种持续可能性的状态，在这种状态中，神话、记忆和运动交织成一幅丰富多彩的想象艺术画卷。

展览将于2024年8月30日在上海开幕，旨在提高观众对于非洲丰富多样的当代艺术和文化这方面的了解和认知。尽管中非之间有着悠久的经济和政治往来和良好关系，但中国公众仍对非洲的这些方面较为陌生。参展艺术家的作品将非洲描绘为一种天然包容世界的状态,这与哲学家阿奇勒·姆本贝对非洲大陆的描述相似，即"一个由重叠的血统、多种的交集应运而生形成的运动躯体"。

关于 Fotografiska

来自瑞典斯德哥尔摩的Fotografiska，是当代影像、艺术和文化生活的国际性地标，始终致力于向公众呈现全球顶尖的影像作品、重新定义当代影像艺术新体验，同时也关注来自中国本土和亚洲地区的影像艺术创作者，旨在塑造充满活力、创新与包容的国际性文化艺术社区。

Fotografiska影像艺术中心提供精心策划的展览、活动、音乐派对、沙龙主题讲座等一系列文化活动，以提升中国本土艺术家的国际知名度，在全球舞台上展现其才华。冰淇淋店、咖啡馆、露天酒吧和餐厅等生活消费场所也遍布展馆内的四层楼空间。Fotografiska影像艺术中心日常将开放至深夜11点，观众可以更灵活安排时间探索和体验。