狮語画廊｜巴塞爾藝術展香港展會 2025｜展位：3D28

獅語畫廊將在 2025 年香港巴塞爾藝術展「亞洲視野」展區呈現顧小平的個人項目《墨動》，聚焦藝術家近年創作的三個代表系列:《行走的墨線》、《觀物取象》以及《均值》。

自 90 年代起，顧小平就以豐富的攝影、裝置與行為藝術活躍於中國當代藝術的舞台，熾烈、乖張、 叛逆地進行自己前衛的藝術實驗，直截呈現了經濟文化轉型期中國社會的種種社會圖景，以中國當代最具前瞻型藝術家的身份而知名。2013 年起，顧小平則以《行走的墨線》開啟創作的新面貌。從《行走的墨線》至《觀物取象》與《均值》，他利用中國傳統木工用具墨斗進行的繪畫與行為實踐，在抽象繪畫的領域延續其素來藝術語言的實驗，也以身體力行的行為與勞作形成了自身切實的修行哲思。

出現在顧小平作品中的墨斗是一個傳統的木器製作工具。顧小平重新徵用這種極具東方美學的傳統匠人技法，將其重新煥活於當代語境：他將墨線以固定在紙張或布面框架的測端，在墨倉中充盈墨汁，以近乎彈奏的方式「作畫」於作品表面，形成一道道墨線的痕跡。精準的把控、理性的拿捏， 一而再地反復打線，不止不休，直至作品表面被墨的線痕所佔滿。墨線的重複撥動，在畫面上形成 了疏密有秩的紋理——遠看如深沉的色域，近看充斥著密集的田字紋樣，或運線的過程中天然形成的顏色的明暗對比。撥彈的力度與次數則決定了畫面的最終樣貌。比起二維平面的視覺鋪陳，顧小平的繪畫更如突破維度空間的行為的聚合，《墨動》也因此超越了墨線在畫面上留下的痕跡，指向肌肉指揮下的力度在縱向空間的積聚，指向高度凝聚的肉體勞作本身與行為背後流淌的時間。

在這般延續、單調，具有古典主義精神的動作中，顧小平以擁抱匠人手法的方式，設立了一種新的創作規制。他認為在這般無限制的重複之下，是一種「性質」的鍛煉——它以古樸的姿態拒斥喧囂，力行秩序的重構與守衛；又在隱忍中叛離循規蹈矩的慣常語言，拋棄與遠離被人熟知的審美圖示。如策展人、評論家馮博一所言:「與其說顧小平是在客觀地利用墨斗綳線，不如說這是他有意地處理與破壞我們慣常的審美意識。顧小平身體力行的繪畫語言方式，是一種超文本的戲仿效果......不僅僅是對以往審美趣味、樣式的顛覆與破碎，也是拼貼與建構性的嘗試，從而產生出一種新的視覺張力。這來自於他對藝術作品、美術史所形成的認知方式和敘事規則的反叛與挑戰。」

因此，從某種意義上而言，《行走的墨線》、《觀物取象》與《均值》系列中延承了顧小平作為一名藝術家幾十年來在中國土地上的創作實踐脈絡，並從未背離他通過多媒介的藝術對於社會現實的關切與反思。進入知天命之年的顧小平，用慎獨而內省的方式建立著外觀與自處的新秩序，更穩健而有力地回應失序的外界，用「修心」與「煉體」的身體行徑，越過與撫慰動蕩之下的創痕。在墨線反復的疊加之間，觀者得以照見「墨動」之跡，在獨特的藝術實踐中體會到墨線間流淌著的無盡時間與思想的痕跡。

Leo Gallery is thrilled to unveil "Ink Lines in Motion," a solo project by Gu Xiaoping, at Art Basel Hong Kong 2025. This exhibition will feature three of Gu's recent hallmark series: “Ink Lines in Motion”, “Inspiration by Observation of Form” and “Moderacy.”

Since the 1990s, Gu Xiaoping has been a dynamic force in the Chinese contemporary art scene, making waves with his bold and unorthodox explorations across photography, installation, and performance art. His fiercely avant-garde experiments have offered a raw, unfiltered view of China’s societal landscape amid its economic and cultural metamorphosis. He is renowned as one of the most forward-thinking contemporary artists in China. In 2013, Gu began a new chapter with his “Ink Lines in Motion” series, marking a distinct shift in his creative trajectory. From this series through to “Inspiration by Observation of Form” and “Moderacy,” he has continued to push the boundaries of abstract art using traditional Chinese carpentry tools. His innovative use of these tools in both painting and performance practices has given rise to a unique philosophical stance on art, blending physical exertion with contemplative reflection. 

The “ink line tool” featured in Gu’s works is a traditional wooden instrument used in carpentry. Gu reclaims this tool, rich in Oriental aesthetic tradition, and breathes new life into it within a contemporary context. By affixing ink lines to the edge of paper or canvas and immersing the tool in ink, Gu creates his artwork by “playing” these lines onto the surface. This meticulous process involves precise control and rational calibration, repeatedly tracing lines until the surface is engulfed by these seemingly futile markings. The repetitive motion of the ink line crafts a texture that is both structured and variegated - appearing as profound color fields from afar and revealing a dense, grid-like pattern up close, with natural contrasts in color emerging during the process. The intensity and frequency of each stroke shape the final composition. More than a two-dimensional visual arrangement, Gu’s paintings are a synthesis of actions that transcend conventional spatial boundaries. In this sense, “Ink Lines in Motion” goes beyond the traces left by ink lines, pointing to the accumulation of physical energy in vertical space, the concentrated labor behind the process, and the flow of time embedded in the action itself.

In these meditative, and classically inspired movements, Gu Xiaoping embraces the craft of the artisan to establish a new mode of creation. He perceives this daily, unbounded repetition as a form of “nature” cultivation - eschewing the clamor of modernity with a time-honored manner, steadfastly reconstructing and safeguarding order; simultaneously, he subtly subverts the conventional language of aesthetics, distancing himself from familiar visual tropes. Curator and art critic Feng Boyi insightfully remarks, “Rather than merely utilizing the ink line tool in an objective manner, Gu intentionally manipulates and disrupts our established aesthetic sensibilities. His approach to painting is a form of hypertextual parody which arises from his rebellion against the traditional views of art history....It not only deconstructs and overturns previous aesthetic tastes and styles but also serves as a collage and constructive exploration, generating a fresh visual tension.”

Thus, in a broader sense, the “Ink Lines in Motion”, “Inspiration by Observation of Form” and “Moderacy” series reflect Gu Xiaoping’s decades-long artistic journey across China, embodying his unwavering engagement with and critique of societal realities through multi-media art. As he enters his later years, Gu crafts a new sense of identity and presence through introspection and careful practice, responding with a grounded and powerful resolve to the chaos of the external world. His integration of mental discipline with physical practice transcends and soothes the chaos and pain of past experiences. In the repetitive layering of ink lines, viewers are invited to witness the traces of “Ink Lines in Motion”, experiencing the endless passage of time and the imprint of thought flowing through the ink lines in this unique artistic practice.

顧小平 Gu Xiaoping

顧小平，1969年生於中國江蘇，現工作生活於中國北京。先後就讀於於華東師範大學和南京藝術學院，顧小平自上世紀 90 年代起就活躍於當代實驗藝術的實踐和創作領域。他的近十多年《墨線》系列作品，是運用中國傳統的墨斗工具，富有規則地在宣紙或亞麻布上重複地彈出一條條均衡的線，這些看似精密卻又偶然的色線彷彿可以無限延伸，沒有邊際，構成充滿韻律而又節制的畫面效果。這種重返傳統哲匠精神的體驗，使其在日復一日的重複彈線過程中產生出東方禪意，在他的畫面中，由此產生超越傳統東?方藝術範疇的獨特語彙與精神力量。這種精神力量始終鼓舞著他的創作與思考，體現了藝術家在面對當今數字時代藝術時所進行的再思考和再發現。

顧小平的作品被香港 M+美術館、Uli Sigg 基金會、廣東美術館、北京白盒子藝術館、紐約前波畫廊、成都現代藝術館、江蘇美術館以及澳門藝術博物館等國內外眾多藝術機構和個人藏家所收藏。

Gu Xiaoping was born in 1969 in Jiangsu, China. He currently lives and works in Beijing, China. Graduated from the East China Normal University in Shanghai and the Nanjing University of the Arts, Gu has been active in the practice and creation of contemporary experimental art in China since the 1990s. In the past decade, Gu's practice of the "Ink Line" series involves the use of traditional Chinese ink measuring tools to repeatedly and methodically create balanced lines on rice paper or linen. These seemingly precise yet accidental-coloured lines appear to extend infinitely, without boundaries, forming a visually rhythmic yet restrained effect. This experience of returning to the traditional spirit of craftsmanship generates an Eastern Zen quality through the daily repetition of line-making. As a result, his works develop a unique vocabulary and spiritual force that transcends traditional Eastern and Western artistic categories. This spiritual force continually inspires his creation and reflection, embodying the artist's rethinking and rediscovery of art in today's digital age. 

Gu’s works are collected by private collectors and important institutions both domestically and internationally, including M+ Museum (Hong Kong), Uli Sigg Foundation, Guangdong Art Museum, White Box Museum of Art (Beijing), Chambers Fine Art (New York), Chengdu Contemporary Art Museum, Jiangsu Art Museum and Macau Museum of Art among others.