The Waxing and Waning Series 2, 2024 Woven from ramie, China grass cloth, and bamboo, this piece continues the meditative essence of The Entropy Reduction of Hundun, embodying the eternal cycle of yin and yang. The interwoven circles reflect the waxing and waning of energies, the shifting densities symbolize space time's fluidity, and the contrast of textures affirms balance in opposites. A visual journey through cosmic rhythms, it invites contemplation of life's perpetual evolution and dynamic equilibrium by Wanbing Huang

循道自然:黄婉冰(Wanbing Huang)的韵律创作

Self portrait by Wanbing Huang, Fiber artist, Installation artist, China
Self portrait, Image credit: Wanbing Huang

循道自然:黄婉冰(Wanbing Huang)的韵律创作

在历史传承与创新表达的精妙交织中,鲜有艺术家能如黄婉冰(Wanbing Huang)这般深思熟虑地游走其间。毕业于伦敦中央圣马丁学院的她,通过独特的当代视角,对中国文化遗产进行了细致入微的重新诠释。她的创作实践深深植根于农业原型、世代相传的知识以及自然材料的本质,构建了一座跨越地域界限的桥梁。

黄婉冰的作品体现了她所称的”东方时间”哲学,这种理念尊重循环律动和具象记忆的实质元素,摆脱了线性发展的束缚。这使她能够提炼并提升中国特有的元素,创造出超越单一文化背景而产生共鸣的作品。

艺术家在材料选择上的细腻考究,揭示了一种超越纯粹美学考量的创作哲学。苎麻、夏布、竹以及其他传统元素,在她手中并非单纯的创作工具;它们化身为“时间的器官”与“文化记忆的延伸”。这种精炼的感知力,是在她多元的国际教育背景下磨砺而成。在此期间,她不仅学会了审问基本预设,同时亦加深了与《易经》等恒久中华宇宙观传统的连结。

Transformation of formless Chi into the tangible rhythm of Cadence by Wanbing Huang, Fiber artist, Installation artist, China
Transformation of formless Chi into the tangible rhythm of Cadence., Image credit: Wanbing Huang

由此诞生的作品,时常转化诸如谷仓、蚕茧等农耕符号,本身便化为一方庇护之所,既体现了守护,亦寓示着蜕变。她对物质材料及其无形文化底蕴之间复杂互动的开创性探索,为她赢得了国际赞誉,实至名归。其中包括入围罗意威基金会手工艺奖(Loewe Foundation Craft Prize)决赛,以及作品登载于《T》杂志、《Beaux Arts》杂志等知名出版物。

黄婉冰艺术实践中最鲜明的特点或许是她坚决拒绝肤浅的文化拼贴,而选择真实而深刻地传达文化遗产。她建议新兴创作者首先”保持沉默,走向土地,与祖先对话”,然后才尝试任何形式的文化表达。

在我们这个常被喧嚣与持续加速所裹挟的时代,她的作品提供了一条别样的路径,邀请观者放缓脚步,通过那些既回响着历史意蕴、又直指普世人类经验的形态,重新连接感官记忆的深层智慧。正如她所阐释的,她对“自然、精神、文化、故事和本土材料”的持久迷恋,驱动着其艺术之旅在坚定植根于中华传统丰厚土壤的同时,不断探求普世的共鸣。

The Divinatory Line Series 5, 2024 This collection unites ancient wisdom with contemporary vision, translating universal complexities into abstract totems. Inspired by the I Ching, the woven lines and structures create a visual language of cosmic intersections where space, time, and motion converge. Each piece mirrors the dynamic rhythms of the universe, similar to how trigrams and hexagrams condense vast principles into elegant forms. Through intricate weaves and geometric patterns, these works offer meditation on creation, dissolution, and the fundamental forces shaping reality by Wanbing Huang
The Divinatory Line Series 5, 2024. This collection unites ancient wisdom with contemporary vision, translating universal complexities into abstract totems. Inspired by the I Ching, the woven lines and structures create a visual language of cosmic intersections where space, time, and motion converge. Each piece mirrors the dynamic rhythms of the universe, similar to how trigrams and hexagrams condense vast principles into elegant forms. Through intricate weaves and geometric patterns, these works offer meditation on creation, dissolution, and the fundamental forces shaping reality., Image credit: Wanbing Huang

问:您的艺术巧妙地融合了中国传统文化与当代表达方式。最初是什么引导您走上这条探索之路?
答:对我而言,这条道路并非刻意选择,它是一种自然的展开,是生命本身的召唤。我的创作中传统与当代的关联,如同呼吸一般自然流淌。

我在中国南方长大,深深沉浸在季节的仪式、织物的触感、泥土的气息以及祖先记忆的节奏之中。后来在伦敦求学,被批判理论和解构主义包围时,我意识到自己体内早已承载着一个鲜活的语言系统,它根植于土地、时间与母系传承。我的表达,不是去融合“东西”,而是回到一种我内在就有的时间感——我称之为“东方时间”。

Wanbing Huang X Nikelab by Wanbing Huang, Fiber artist, Installation artist, China
Wanbing Huang X Nikelab, Image credit: Wanbing Huang

问:您在中央圣马丁艺术与设计学院的经历,如何影响了您重新诠释传统工艺的方式?
答:在中央圣马丁,我学到的最重要的,不是技巧,而是一种在未知中站立的能力。它不仅仅关乎技艺,更根本的是学习去追问:“你是谁?你立于何处?”

这极大地转变了我的视角。乍听抽象,但它们如种子,潜伏多年后,在我的工作里开出了形状。我开始意识到,传统不是博物馆里封存的“文化”,它有呼吸、有温度,是活的智慧。

例如,我在日本学到极致的专注,在伦敦我学会了拆解系统性的认知,都让我带着一种全新的感受力回归自身文化。像苎麻这样的材料远不止是纤维,它们是劳作的载体,是女性记忆的容器,蕴含着时间的吐纳。通过与它们共事,我重新定义了身体与材料、形式与本源之间的关系。

The Waxing and Waning Series 2, 2024 Woven from ramie, China grass cloth, and bamboo, this piece continues the meditative essence of The Entropy Reduction of Hundun, embodying the eternal cycle of yin and yang. The interwoven circles reflect the waxing and waning of energies, the shifting densities symbolize space time's fluidity, and the contrast of textures affirms balance in opposites. A visual journey through cosmic rhythms, it invites contemplation of life's perpetual evolution and dynamic equilibriumby Wanbing Huang
The Waxing and Waning Series 2, 2024. Woven from ramie, China grass cloth, and bamboo, this piece continues the meditative essence of The Entropy Reduction of Hundun, embodying the eternal cycle of yin and yang. The interwoven circles reflect the waxing and waning of energies, the shifting densities symbolize space time's fluidity, and the contrast of textures affirms balance in opposites. A visual journey through cosmic rhythms, it invites contemplation of life's perpetual evolution and dynamic equilibrium. Image credit: Wanbing Huang

问:可否详细谈谈您选择材料的标准,以及它们在您作品中扮演的象征性角色?
答:材料于我从来不是工具。它们是时间的器官,是文化记忆的延伸。我倾向于那些带有某种“湿润感”的材料,一种蕴含温暖和无声记忆的特质。苎麻、夏布、竹子,都承载着手的温度,季节的脉动。在我的实践中,材料不单是视觉元素,它同时是感官的、精神的。解构它们是为了破除固化的认知;重构它们则提供了将历史与记忆重新编织进新的意义形式之中的可能。

Installation at Revelations China, the premier fair dedicated to contemporary craft in China and the opening event of Beijing Design Week by Wanbing Huang, Fiber artist, Installation artist, China
Installation at Revelations China, the premier fair dedicated to contemporary craft in China and the opening event of Beijing Design Week. Image credit: Revelations China

问:您的许多雕塑形态似乎从中国的农耕文化遗产中汲取灵感。您能阐述一下这种联系吗?
答:农耕对我而言,不只是土地上的劳作,更是一种宇宙观的具体体现。在中国,农事与天时相连,四季流转不是抽象的时间单位,而是生命在变化中的节奏。

我的艺术语汇常常借用粮仓、蚕茧以及传统防护性构架的形态,这些都是在流转中承载生命的容器。它们述说着庇护、新生与常常是无形的关怀。农耕中固有的循环动态,如生长与凋零、张力与休憩,那些看似静止的形状,其实内部有呼吸,是张与弛、生与死之间的循环,也正是我编织进作品形态中的韵律。我的目标是创造出动态的圣殿,一个可以呼吸的空间,让“平衡”这一抽象概念变得可触可感。

Salon des Beaux Arts Installation for Winter Fine Arts Salon, 2024 by Wanbing Huang, Fiber artist, Installation artist, China
Salon des Beaux Arts Installation for Winter Fine Arts Salon, 2024. Image credit: Wanbing Huang

问:作为罗意威工艺奖的入围者,国际认可对您的创作方向有何影响?
答:它像是一种被“听见”的回声。
让我意识到,越是深入本源的东西,越能引发远方的共振。打动人的,不是某种被命名的“文化特征”,而是其中的真诚与节奏,是材料与精神之间那份细微却真实的联系。

这份回应让我更坚定地往内走,不再急于对外发声,而是在沉静中寻找更深的连接。我开始更愿意相信:地方性的东西,本就具备宇宙性的可能。

问:您如何处理在尊重传统叙事和遗产的同时进行创新的复杂任务?
答:我不认同“平衡”这一概念,因为传统本身从未静止,它本质上就是流动的。我研习《易经》、《河图》、《洛书》等古籍,并非为了复制其形态,而是为了寻找一种转化的哲学根基。在工作室里,我允许材料引领我的创作。我仔细聆听纤维中的张力、呼吸与内在姿态。我的角色不是掌控,而是共同创造。“创新”于我而言,正源自于传统,它是传统的下一次自然展开,而非与其对立。

“The Secret of ‘Yan Yan’” by Wanbing Huang, Fiber artist, Installation artist, China
“The Secret of ‘Yan Yan’”, Image credit: Wanbing Huang

问:叙事在您的艺术实践中扮演着怎样的角色?您如何决定纳入哪些元素?
答:我理解的叙事并非线性过程,它更接近于星群式的相互关联。

我收集各种碎片,如星辰、神话、符号象征、身体记忆等,让它们通过材料媒介自行找到彼此的连接。例如,在作品《异兽志》(The Secret of Mythical Beasts)中,我的神兽“炎炎”就诞生于对《敦煌星图》的研究,并结合了华南舞狮的动态技艺。我不以传统方式讲述故事,我编织它们。我邀请观者不仅用头脑去解读,更要用身体去感受。

问:自然、精神与文化记忆这些交织的力量,如何塑造了您的艺术实践?
答:对我来说,自然远非仅仅是风景,它就是记忆的本质。

我能在丝线绷断的清脆声中、在夏布的湿润触感中、在竹篾的细微温差中感知到精神的存在。我的工作本质上是一种深度重新连接的仪式:连接我们源起的土地,连接先祖的双手,连接生命的气息。它既是极为个人的,又天然地具有集体性。材料是通道,时间是线索,而我只是一个聆听的人。我希望我的作品能蕴含泥土的芬芳,时间的韵律,以及人手的温度与柔情。

"Si Xiang - The Four Symbols" is a ramie fiber installation comprising four sections embodying matter, energy, space time, and force, the four primal elements signified in the I Ching as the Receptive (Earth), the Abysmal (Water), the Clinging (Fire), and the Arousing (Thunder). Each section features circles of varying sizes, intertwining and spiraling to depict the expansion, inflation, and contraction of cosmic dynamics. Hollow pathways connect the four parts, suggesting the universe's integral unity. The thick and thin fibers symbolize the waxing and waning of yin and yang; the dense and sparse weaving represents the flux of space time; the dimensions of the circles manifest myriad modes of cosmic motion. Immersed within, one witnesses the vast unfolding of the cosmos, experiencing its eternal rhythms of tension and release.
"Si Xiang - The Four Symbols" is a ramie fiber installation comprising four sections embodying matter, energy, space time, and force, the four primal elements signified in the I Ching as the Receptive (Earth), the Abysmal (Water), the Clinging (Fire), and the Arousing (Thunder). Each section features circles of varying sizes, intertwining and spiraling to depict the expansion, inflation, and contraction of cosmic dynamics. Hollow pathways connect the four parts, suggesting the universe's integral unity. The thick and thin fibers symbolize the waxing and waning of yin and yang; the dense and sparse weaving represents the flux of space time; the dimensions of the circles manifest myriad modes of cosmic motion. Immersed within, one witnesses the vast unfolding of the cosmos, experiencing its eternal rhythms of tension and release., Image credit: Wanbing Huang

问:您希望您的艺术能为当代中国社会,乃至更广阔的世界,留下怎样的印记?
答:我最深切的希望是,它能提供一条通往宁静回归的路径,一次对感官记忆中蕴含的深刻智慧的重新唤醒。

在我们这个常常被噪音、速度和表面化所裹挟的时代,我们似乎在很大程度上遗忘了自身的内在节奏。我的作品渴望提供一种制衡:鼓励人们放慢脚步,重新发现时间的价值、触觉的力量以及从容不迫的重要性。并非所有事物都需要被明确解释,有些感受必须被亲身体验。如果我的作品能够成为一个供人沉淀情感、反思文化的空间,那么它便完成了它的使命。

问:对于探索文化遗产的新锐艺术家,您有何建议?您如何看待这一领域的未来?
答:首先,请静默。走向土地。与你的先人对话。然后,再开始创作。文化并非一个符号或一种潮流。它是你身体的记忆。不要急于去定义或归类它。去生活它,触摸它,必要时甚至去拆解它。只有当你真正栖居于你的历史之中,你才能由内而外地发声。未来不会属于声音最大的人,而将属于那些能够倾听的人,倾听土地,倾听纤维,倾听历史的呼吸。

In crafting this installation, Wanbing Huang, one of the prestigious Collect Open artists, began with a vision rooted in nature and eastern philosophy: I Ching and Hetu Luoshu. She weaved together the material and the immaterial, sensing the beauty born from the friction of time and space, from stillness and motion. She selected Chinese ramie, an ancient fibre, and learned traditional techniques from skilled artisans. Using weaving as the foundational method, she constructed a framework that balances ramie's strength and softness. To achieve a textured surface, she tore, folded and layered bonded fibres, bringing out the material's natural characteristics. Each work creates a dialogue with the past, present and future, awaiting the viewer's perceptionby Wanbing Huang
This installation started with a vision rooted in nature and eastern philosophy: I Ching and Hetu Luoshu. The work weaves together the material and the immaterial, capturing beauty born from the friction of time and space, from stillness and motion. Chinese ramie, an ancient fibre, was selected after learning traditional techniques from skilled artisans. Using weaving as the foundational method, the installation features a framework that balances ramie's strength and softness. To achieve the textured surface, bonded fibres were torn, folded and layered, highlighting the material's natural characteristics. Each piece creates a dialogue with the past, present and future, awaiting the viewer's perception., Image credit: Wanbing Huang

结语

在黄婉冰的手中,传统不再是静止的文物,而成为一种鲜活的、持续呼吸的存在,并在她创新的诠释下不断演进。她日益增长的国际声誉,正指向一种普遍的渴望:人们期待艺术既能提供独特的文化根源性,又能建立起普世的情感连接,创造出可供情感寄托与深刻反思的空间。凭借其精湛的技艺与深邃的哲思,黄婉冰有力地证明了艺术家如何在尊重过往的同时,积极塑造其未来的表达,也提醒着我们,最深刻的创新往往源自最深厚的根基。

黄婉冰的网站Instagram