Crossways against the war

SEO個展

展期：2010年6月2日—6月14 日

地點：今日美術館 1號館3層

SEO 創作了一系列戰爭題材的作品。如果美學的上層建築需要一個主題作為支撐的話，這些作品的主題就是——恐怖，它超越個人，涉及社會本身。但請注意，SEO 的圖像並非恐怖的圖像戰爭的圖像怎麼可能不是恐怖、傷殘和肉搏的圖像呢？在藝術中，這當然是可能的。她的戰爭圖像捕捉的是好戰行為背後的情感和心理。她恰恰對戰爭中人性的一面感興趣，並將之轉變為藝術的資訊。

看到SEO 畫中的坦克向你嘎嘎地開過來，會令你感到這種武器傳達的某種恐怖。幫助我們“消化”這種在其他情況下定然令人難以接受的視覺食物的，是輕盈、和諧的色彩，是特意營造的那種非戲劇化的環境，還有畫家熟練的技法和精美的畫面品質。對藝術來説，美學經驗才是重要的，

反過來，美學經驗也不能完全和主題分離。只要是藝術，表現任何主題都是可以的，正如兵不厭詐（All is fair in war，意即戰爭中的手段不以道德論）一樣，藝也不厭兵——何況是像SEO 樣用偉大的人道主義方式解讀戰爭。即使現在就將這個系列列入21 世紀初最重要的圖像也不為過。

Without Words 2009

Solo Exhibition of SEO

Duration: June 2nd – June 14th

Venue: 3rd floor exhibition hall of building 1

SEO has created a series of paintings on the subject of war. If there is any subject in need of an aesthetic superstructure,it’s just that – more than other motifs of horror, like murder, as it transcends the individual, involving society itself. But, mind you, SEO’s images are not images of horror. Images of war which aren’t images of horror, mayhem and gore? How is that possible? By art, of course. Her images of war are images pursuing the emotions and the psychology of bellicose acts. It is definitely the very human side of it all which interests her most and transforms it into an artistic message.

Seeing SEO’s tank rattling towards youmakes you sense some of the horror this weapon communicates. Psychologists of war have always agreed on that the fear it spreads is a highly important function of the tank. It is the lightness, the harmonies of colour, the deliberately non-dramatic setting that provides, together with the painterly

mastership and exquisite quality, a way of “digesting” this otherwise less agreeable

visual food. Even more than that – the art of painting makes this a gratifying experience. It is the aesthetic experience that counts, which, in turn, cannot be completely separated from the subject. If it is art, it is fair, and be it on the subject of war – especially in the great humanistic way SEO interprets it. It is not too early to count this series among the most important images of the early 21st Century.