文章 Article｜李泽韬：徒长枝 Futile sprout

徒长枝

Futile sprout

艺术家丨Artist

李泽韬 Zetao Li

展览时间丨Exhibition Dates

2025.11.01—2025.12.01

“徒长枝”意为因长势过盛而滋生的枝干，仅消耗养分但无花果，因而被视为需要被管理与控制的不良性枝条。

然而，我们将以何种立场定义一种自然生命形态的生长与“徒劳”？这是李泽韬在创作中反复思索的部分，连结到他的创作过程，他画布上的“徒长枝”拥有两只影子：一方面照映了他创作时分的自我状态；另外一方面关乎于他所采用的创作手法，即对当代图像的解构。

'The futile sprout' refers to those overly vigorous, non-fruit-bearing branches that siphon nutrients yet yield no blossoms or fruits, thus deemed undesirable growths requiring management and control.

Yet, from what standpoint shall we define the growth of a natural life form as 'fruitless'? This is a question Zetao Li continually contemplates in his creative practice. In connection with his artistic process, the 'futile sprout' on his canvas cast two shadows: one reflects his inner state during creation, while the other pertains to his methodology—the deconstruction of contemporary imagery.

低烧 

Low Fever

布面丙烯

 Acrylic on canvas

150x150cm 2025? Zetao Li 

对于李泽韬而言，作品的整体框架始终以一种呈现“自我状态”的形式贯穿于创作时分。而艺术家辗转于深处的焦虑状态成为作品本身的笔触与纹理。即便不深入任何背景，我们也可以单纯地从画面中获悉一件事情：焦虑是可以被表达的。所谓“不好”的情绪可以被看见，更需要被探讨。而当我们探索李泽韬的创作动机，他提到韩炳哲的两本书，《暴力拓扑学》与《倦怠社会》。

For Zetao Li, the overarching framework of his work has always been a manifestation of his 'inner state', permeating every moment of creation. The artist’s underlying state of anxiety translates into the very brushstrokes and textures of the pieces themselves. Even without delving into any contextual background, one can grasp a simple truth from the visuals alone: anxiety can be expressed. So-called 'negative' emotions can be made visible, and moreover, they deserve to be explored.

书中所描绘的问题与他当下焦虑状态的来源相契合。我们会在福科的《规训与惩罚》中读到如今社会的权力模式已转化为一种隐秘且便捷高效的“规训”，它不再依赖血肉暴力，而是通过知识、技术等看似文明的形态深入社会体系，打造易于管理、高效运作的一员。诸如生活中我们应该拥有“健康的身体”，从而进行“高效的工作”，获取“合格的成绩”。韩炳哲在此基础之上进一步指明，外部的约束已悄然转化为一种自我驱动、自我激励的形式，我们发自内心的要求自己。这是一场潜移默化爆发在自我内部的“暴力”。

When we examine Li’s creative motivations, he references two works by Byung-Chul Han: Topology of Violence and The Burnout Society. The issues articulated in these books resonate with the sources of his own anxiety. In Foucault’s Discipline and Punish, we encounter the idea that power in contemporary society has transformed into a hidden, efficient form of 'discipline'—one that no longer relies on physical violence but permeates the social fabric through seemingly civilized means like knowledge and technology, shaping individuals into manageable, high-functioning units. Examples abound in daily life: the expectation to maintain a 'ealthy body', engage in 'efficient work', and achieve 'satisfactory results'. Building on this, Byung-Chul Han further argues that external constraints have quietly evolved into a form of self-driven, self-motivated coercion. We now internalize these demands, pushing ourselves from within—a subtle yet pervasive form of 'violence' that erupts inside the self.

当“绩效社会”与“内部暴力”成为人们生存的底色，它所带来的隐性压力，是否让我们的一部分生长也成为了一种“徒长枝”？李泽韬和大多数人一样不断设想期待中的自我样貌，并为此付诸行动成全自我。 他认为，这种“主动”是一种混沌的状态。当既定的目标被完成，继而便衍生出一个新的需要达到的自我，在永无止境的追逐下，无法够到目标则易陷入自我否定的困境，或是在短时间内造成一定的“精疲力竭“的状态。

When the 'achievement society' and this 'internalized violence' become the backdrop of human existence, do they turn certain forms of personal growth into our own 'futile sprout'? Like many people, Zetao Li constantly imagines an idealized version of himself and takes active steps to realize it. He regards this kind of 'self-motivation' as a state of chaos. Once a set goal is accomplished, a new target self emerges, leading to an endless chase. Failure to meet these ever-shifting expectations easily traps one in self-doubt or temporary exhaustion.

而当人通过解决自己的精神状况回到健康饱满的状态，从而更好地服务于自身的工作和生活，这一过程本身再次落回绩效问题。我们不可以在此刻拥有其他情绪吗？我们是否被允许暂时、稍微不那么健康？如此种种就像不被接受的徒长枝，为了保证主枝的美观与生长需要被处理。

And when individuals address their mental state to return to a 'healthy and optimal' condition—only to better serve their work and life—the process itself falls back into the logic of achievement. Are we not allowed to harbor other emotions in such moments? Are we permitted to be, even temporarily, slightly less than healthy? Such states, like unwanted futile sprout, are often pruned away—all to preserve the beauty and growth of the main branches.

展览现场 Installation view

对李泽韬而言，他的创作不完全是对于现状的对抗，他在塑造一种脆弱、繁琐且拉扯的图像的同时，也坦然将自己的焦虑情绪自然流露在公众面前。他认为也许理解了其中的运作方式，当下的困境便转化为看待问题的新视角，“症状”可以只是一种“状态”。

For Zetao Li, his creative work is not entirely an opposition to the status quo. While shaping images that are fragile, intricate, and full of tension, he also candidly exposes his own anxiety to the public. He believes that by understanding the mechanisms at play, one’s current struggles can transform into a new perspective—where 'symptoms' may simply be regarded as a 'state'.

回到画面本身。我们看到作品中反复呈现的扭曲与形变，一方面回应了当下某种焦虑状态，另一方面源于艺术家本身对于作品的“再观察”。李泽韬认为自己在面对图像时，由于自身对图像的反复凝视与联想，图像常常处于一种被解构的状态。过程当中，图像被自然而然地引向一种似是而非的抽象状态，画面中的主体从原有的具象形态当中逐渐模糊、抽离。

Returning to the visual dimension of the work, we observe recurring distortions and deformations. On one hand, they reflect a certain contemporary condition of anxiety; on the other, they stem from the artist's process of 're-observation'. Li notes that through his prolonged gaze and associative thinking, images often become deconstructed in his mind. In this process, they naturally drift toward a kind of ambiguous abstraction, where the subject gradually blurs and detaches from its original representational form.

在他眼中，抽象部分的存在比具象的部分更具意义，因为这链接着艺术家内在的精神状态与一些极为个人化的经验与感受。而通过对画面的观察，我们或许永远无法触及物件本身，所能感知的，不过是经由自身意识筛选、重塑后的某种“现象”。这是一种新的创造，观看者与被观看者的二元对立在反复凝视中被打破，我们由此默许了一场超越二者的、“第三种”生命体验的发生。

In his view, the abstract elements carry more significance than the figurative ones, as they connect to the artist’s inner psyche and highly personal experiences. And through our observation of the painting, we may never truly grasp the object itself—what we perceive is merely a kind of 'phenomenon', filtered and reshaped by our own consciousness. This constitutes a new form of creation. The binary opposition between the viewer and the viewed dissolves under the sustained gaze, quietly allowing a 'third' kind of life experience—one that transcends both—to emerge.

展览现场 Installation view

李泽韬的创作从生活周边相关的场景和事物入手。他为部分作品提供了一些图像线索：

《幽灵》中的花蕊，通过褶皱呈现交缠的姿态，半透明的结构让人联想到某种关于悄然逃逸的念想，我们心中的它是否想要悄悄从某处逃走？亦或是对于更为轻盈存在的向往。

《鱼头》描绘了院子里被流浪猫啃食的鱼骨，他印象中的鱼眼如同人类悲伤至麻木时凝滞的神情状态。鱼的骨、肉、灵，在此凝聚为一个整体。

《残烛》的形态让人联想到古希腊人体雕像中残缺的断臂，残躯、融化与联想相互交融。

《低烧》画面中如山丘绵延起伏的褶皱，就像瘦弱病态的皮肤上层层叠叠的肌理，是生命衰退的迹象。

Zetao Li’s creative process often begins with scenes and objects from his immediate surroundings. He has provided visual clues for some of his works:

In Ghost, the flower’s stamen, rendered through intricate folds, appears entangled. Its translucent structure evokes a thought of quiet escape—does something in our hearts wish to slip away unnoticed? Or does it express a longing for a lighter, more ethereal existence?

Empty depicts fish bones in the yard, gnawed by stray cats. To him, the fish’s eye resembles the frozen expression of a human numb with sorrow. Bone, flesh, and spirit converge here into one entity.

The form of Dilapidated Candle recalls the broken arms of ancient Greek statues, where fragmentation, melting, and imagination blend into one.

In Low Fever, the undulating folds resemble layers of texture on thin, sickly skin—a sign of life in decline.

这些物像都处于“介于二者之间”的状态。《幽灵》介于存在与逃逸之间，《鱼头》介于生与死之间，《残烛》介于凝固与消融之间，《低烧》介于健康与病态之间。李泽韬用如他自己所言“紧巴巴”的笔法，去描绘这些介于瓦解与安然无恙之间的对象，构成一种强烈的拉扯、矛盾状态。当我们所熟悉的状态变得未知，这迫使我们对事物进行重新观看与认知。

These images all exist in a state of 'in-betweenness': Ghost lingers between presence and escape, Empty between life and death, Dilapidated Candle between solidity and dissolution, and Low Fever between health and sickness. Zetao Li employs what he describes as a 'tight', restrained brushstroke to depict subjects suspended between disintegration and intactness, creating a powerful sense of tension and contradiction. When familiar states become ambiguous, we are compelled to look at things anew.

残烛

Dilapidated Candle

布面丙烯

 Acrylic on canvas

150x150cm 2025? Zetao Li 

李泽韬的绘画手法被分解成细密的小笔触，他将自己创作时分的焦虑情绪反复推敲于这些微小单位的笔触之间。李泽韬称自己过往接受的着学院型的教育，也曾羡慕一种挥洒自如的创作状态，但他深知那并不是适合自己的创作方式。回看自己，“紧绷”的自我很难做出一种松弛的表达，因此他的绘画方式从样貌上更趋于古典与写实。然而，他并未否定自身的局限性，而是与之共处，将这种技法上的“紧致”转化为自我创作的风格，并在此基础上尝试理解当代图像的认知与观看方式。

Li’s painting technique is characterized by dense, minute brushstrokes. He channels the anxiety of his creative moments into these meticulous, repetitive touches. Trained in academic painting, Li once admired those who could paint with effortless spontaneity but came to understand that such an approach did not suit him. Reflecting on his own nature, he recognized that his 'tense' self could not easily produce relaxed expressions. Thus, his style leans closer to the classical and realistic. Yet rather than deny this perceived limitation, he has embraced it, transforming technical 'tightness' into a distinctive artistic language. Through it, he explores ways of perceiving and interpreting contemporary images.

在图像创作上，李泽韬处于一种辗转交织的状态：他一方面感到疲惫，一方面又充满兴奋。兴奋在于他能够以老旧、古典的技法实现当代性的表达与输出。他害怕对自己的作品进行定义或是对其进行二次阐述，认为艺术家通过展露自己的状态，使得观众对作品获得新的体验，而对于画面的理解并非必须。对于艺术家来说，他们本身是作品的第一位观者，与此同时这种观看具有持续性与反复性。尽管每一次的观看可能带来细微的差异，但对于李泽韬而言，那个始终明晰的框架便是他当前的生命状态。或许，这使部分观者能够共鸣于其中所传递的焦虑经验。

In his image-making, Li finds himself in a complex, intertwined state: he feels both exhaustion and excitement. The excitement lies in his ability to use old, classical techniques to articulate contemporary expressions. He hesitates to define or over-interpret his own work, believing that by revealing his inner state, the artist allows viewers to form their own experiences. Understanding the image, in a strict sense, is not necessary. For Li, the artist is the first viewer of the work, and this act of viewing is continuous and repetitive. Though each viewing may bring subtle differences, what remains clear to him is the persistent framework of his current life condition. Perhaps it is this clarity that allows some viewers to resonate with the undercurrent of anxiety conveyed through his work.

展览现场 Installation view

李泽韬的创作在探索视觉形式的基础上，更接近于一种关于存在的发问，我们如何在既有的、强大的社会秩序中，留存属于自己的独特生命体验？正如他所珍视的，愿我们的徒长枝能够以自我独特的姿态肆意生长。

Beyond exploring visual forms, Zetao Li’s art is closer to an inquiry into existence: How can we preserve our own unique life experiences within an established, overpowering social order? As he deeply hopes—may our own 'futile sprout' grow freely and unapologetically, in forms entirely our own.

撰文/Zoe

Written by Zoe