情定終身：吳建興個展

　　在這次「情定終身」個展中，吳建興(1987-)嘗試以自己的終身大事作為啟動點，演繹婚姻關係及其儀式「展演」的可能性，探索聯繫個體與個體之間的共生關係。他不只將婚紗攝影、紅地毯、婚宴乃至婚禮儀式鑲嵌於展覽之中，他甚至要求觀眾「出雙入對」的連袂進場－－先以手環纏繞兩人手腕，再入場參觀展覽。相較於吳建興之前的作品，這樣的手法與表現，的確不是我們熟悉的。 一直以來，他善用日常的物件，探討物件外在型態與內在能量轉換與存續的可能性，例如「鋼鐵蒼穹」 (2012)被改裝成沙發的汽車車頭、「家族」系列(2013)被當作繪畫顏料的機油、「同心圓」系列(2013-15)被轉化為組合玩具的菜刀。儘管如此，「情定終身」探索的主題仍承接了吳建興創作的核心概念，也就是對於「家」所建構的人際網絡與價值體系的省察。尤其這次展出加入了「家庭記憶」 (2012)，這件舊作靜態的空間轉化與兩件新作「座上賓」、「家庭事件」耐人尋味的、變動不安的情緒相互對應，可以讀出吳建興嘗試釐清自身創作線索的企圖。 吳建興透過藝術的手法將自身的生命課題作為展演的主題，進駐到美術館的場域，試圖擴充展覽的意涵，豐富展覽的面向，對美術館的展覽機制來說，別具新意。「情定終身」不僅見證了吳建興個人生命的關鍵時刻，從他創作脈絡的深化與延展來看，可預見本次個展在他創作生涯可能具有的指標意義。

　　In the solo exhibition The Endless Ties of Love, Chien-Hsing Wu (1987-) takes a momentous event of his own life – his marriage – as a starting point to construe the possibilities of “exhibiting” marital relations and nuptial rituals, and to explore mutually dependent relationships between two individuals. He not only inlays marriage photos, red carpets, wedding banquets and wedding ceremonies onto the exhibition; he even asks visitors to enter the exhibition side by side as couples –wrapping bracelets around two people’s wrists before they enter the exhibition space. Such a method of expression is not what we are accustomed to in Wu’s previous works. Chien-Hsing Wu has always been adept at using everyday objects, and at exploring the possibilities of interchanging the outer forms of objects with their inner energies, and thus perpetuating them. For example, in Iron Sky (2012), the front of a car is transformed into a sofa. In Family Series (2013), motor oil serves as a pigment in a painting. In Concentric Circles Series (2013-15), cooking knives are turned into a set of toys. Be this as it may, the themes investigated in The Endless Ties of Love inherit the core concepts of Wu’s earlier works – that is, a rumination on the interpersonal networks and value systems formed by families. In particular, the static space of the old work Family Memories (2012) has been converted into two new works for this exhibition: Guests at a Banquet and Family Event. The thought-provoking, restlessly shifting mutual resonance of emotions in these two works make apparent Chien-Hsing Wu’s attempt to clarify the threads in his own creations. Through artistic means, Chien-Hsing Wu has adopted an important issue in his own life as the theme of his exhibition. Taking up residence in the spaces of an art museum, he has attempted to broaden the meaning of the exhibition and enrich its dimensions. For an art museum – an institution facilitating exhibitions – it holds particularly novel significance. The Endless Ties of Love not only bears witness to a key moment in Chien-Hsing Wu’s personal life, but also demonstrates the deepening and expansion of his artistic development. We may anticipate that this solo exhibition will prove a milestone in his artistic career.