Ligao, Not Vital

8

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LIGAO

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7 auost – 3 settember 2016

grazia a

impressum artist curatur(a) grafica ediziun -

Giorgia von Albertini, Mitsunori Sano, Maria & Duri Vital, Maria Süsskind, Cristián Orellana Terrsy, Annika Bahrtine, Annina Hahn, Hannes Ortner, Liu Zhenqian, Li Guoxu, Liu Dongxu, Laetitia Gauden 2016, fundaziun@notvital.com Ligao Giorgia von Albertini & Not Vital Süsskind SGD 750

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ligao es nat 6 ons avant la mort da Mao aint il nord da la China, nö dalöntsch da la Corea dal nord i da la Sibiria. La vita d’era agreabla, quinta’l er scha’l damangiar d’era s-chars. Pel büman chinais deva ün sachet ris. Quai d’era tot.

Ligao cugnoscha stupend ses pajais, mo Beijing es daspö ons ses dachasa ingio cha avant pac ha’l cumanz» a far sculpturas cun materials da minchadi, materials povers ch’el transfuorma pel plü in keramica a Jingdezhen, la cit» ingio chi vegn fat keramica daspö tschientiners. In quists ultims ons ha la China fat ün svilup potent. Fin ossa han ils artists lavur» pel plü cun materials sco legn prezius, atschal i marmel. Ligao pero am para sco prüm chinais ün artist d’ün movimaint dad “arte povera”, ingio cha 100 rollas da palperi da zacret fuorman üna colonna otezzas o sdratschs per lavar sü il fond stan sotsura in lingia pozzats vi dal mür. Ses segn d’umur es agen, stegn agen id eu di bler cha in quella enorma massa chinaisa es el unic.

NV la fin lügl 2016

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LIGAO Writing about Ligao is no simple task, especially when trying to

up copy of a Fontana cut, is as multifaceted as Ligao himself,

accommodate established art critical parameters. Ligao cannot

as it certainly embodies the mindset of sewing up anything and

be put into one corner or the other, his art cannot be neatly

taking care of everything, but at the same time also has a

categorized, which is somehow ironic, as Ligao is probably the

non-negligible humoristic side. Interestingly though, as is also

neatest person I know. He is nice, humble and attentive.

the case with many of Ligao’s refreshingly amusing and astute

Restlessly cleaning and tidying the house placing every object,

remarks, the humor is not intentional or even calculated, but truly

whether practical or decorative in its very right spot, “making

natural and somehow rooted in positive naivité. Concomitantly,

it nice”, as he says.

with regards to Stitched, the sewing is no deliberate reversal of

But still, despite his orderliness and politeness, Ligao is full of

an art-theoretical innovation, but much more a simple and

surprises which tend to suddenly and unexpectedly appear. Most

personal gest. Broken Ladder and New Year stand in line with this

of them consist in observations that are astonishingly astute,

very individual approach to making art. Whilst the former

humoristic and at times truly bizarre and bewildering. In conver-

exemplifies the artist’s personal struggles in finding a path in

sation with Not Vital for example, when asked what he did during

life, the second piece, a white ceramic plate with a black

his day and why he did so, Ligao responded “not what, not why”,

and gradually abstract figure of a common Chinese firecracker,

putting forward a very philosophical notion of the world,

symbolizes a remnant of a happy childhood memory, a remnant

whilst at the same time being his nice and humble self in the

of one of the few carefree and relaxed moments of boyhood

most natural way.

at the poverty line.

When walking through Ligao’s first solo show in Ardez it

When putting aside the common western practice to look at the

becomes palpable, that the corner stones of his personality are

artworks themselves and instead adopting a holistic perception

very much reflected in his artistic practice – thoughtfulness,

of the exhibition and the space it inhabits, the beholders

sensitivity, tidiness and a special kind of subconscious and

eye suddenly gets hypnotized by the corners of the lower space,

unadulterated humor. As a consequence his art is not astutely

a cellar room with a gravel floor in which the angles are carefully

conceptual, but much more personal and emotional.

filled up with pebble stones. “Like a nice carpet that you can

Concomitantly, many of the works on display are rooted in

pull up in the corners” Ligao says, astonishing us once again with

personal experiences and daily routines of the artist’s life.

his wondrous ability to transform every space and place with

Growing up in very simple and poor conditions in the north of

his astute sense of aesthetics and his deep sensitivity.

China and having spent most of his life taking care of the households he lived in, the aspects of cleaning, patching and

Conclusively, despite now having tried to shed light on Ligao’s

of taking care have become guiding topics of his artistic

artistic practice, I have to admit that I can’t shake (off) the feeling

practice, both with regard to form and content.

that some things have still remained suspended in the air,

Whilst Banana, Brothers, 100 Pieces and Untitled (cups) form

somehow we can catch a glimpse of them, but still they remain

a body of work that descends from housekeeping activity

in between the lines. Well, as Not Vital says “if Ligao would not

and the appreciation of everyday objects, the stitching and

exist, you would simply have to invent him”.

sewing pieces carry the notion of “taking care”, as every stitch seems to be placed in the wishful thought of repairing an injury, whether literally or metaphorically. Stitched, the sewed

Giorgia von Albertini

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

高广义 写关于高广义不是一项简单的工作，特别是当尝试去迎合已被设定的艺术批判性的参数时。高广义不能够被放 置于一个角落，或者，他的艺术不能够被工整的分类。这是某种意义上的讽刺，因为高广义可能是我认识的最棒 的人。他人很好，而且谦逊周到。毫不停歇的清洁和整理屋子，摆放每一件艺术品，无论实用性的或是装饰性的 都摆放在非常正确的位置。 “把它做好”, 正如他所说的。 但是, 不顾及他的整洁和礼貌，高广义其实是一个充满惊喜的人，总是突然地、不期而遇地给人惊喜。他的这些 想法大多源于他的观察, 有时异乎寻常的机敏和诙谐， 但有时确实又很离奇, 让人匪夷所思。比如说在一次与 Not Vital的谈话中，当他被问到在他的一天中他做了什么和为什么他这样做时，他这样回答道： “没什么，没为 什么”，他实际上表达出了一个世界上非常哲学的观点，与此同时，他也以最自然的方式表达出他自己的高尚和谦 逊。 当走过他在Ardez的首场个人展览时，一切都变得显而易见，他的个性的基石在他的艺术实践中被很好的体现， 即体贴、敏感、整洁、一种特有的潜意识和纯粹的幽默。其结果是他的艺术不是敏锐地概念化， 而是更加的个 性化和情感化。 其实，很多展出的艺术品都根植于艺术家的个人经历和艺术家生活上的日常工作。成长在中国北方非常简朴和贫 困的条件下，并且花费他人生中的大部分在照顾他居住的家庭，因此在清洁、修补和照顾方面成为对于他艺术实 践的形式和内容的指导课题。 《香蕉》、 《兄弟》、 《100件》和《无题(杯子) 》塑造出的艺术形式来自于家务工作和对日常生活用品的欣赏，而 缝补和缝纫的这系列作品承载了 “照顾” 的想法，因为每一针的缝补看起来都有融入修补伤口的心愿，无论 字面上看还是隐喻上的。 《缝制》是Fontana切割艺术的缝补的副本，就像高广义本人一样多面的，因为它集中 具体的表达了缝补任何东西和照顾一切的心态，但同时又有不可忽视的诙谐的一面。但有趣的是，如同许多高广 义耳目一新的、风趣的、机敏的言论，幽默不是刻意的，或者算计出来的，但是确实真实自然的，甚至是根植于他 积极的天真里。与此同时，关于《缝制》，缝补不是经过深思熟虑的艺术理论革新的颠覆，而更是一种简单的个 人的行为。 《损坏的梯子》和《新年》属于非常个人的制作艺术的方向。前者体现了艺术家寻找生命道路的个人奋 斗，后者，一个带有黑色的逐渐抽象的传统的中国爆竹形象的白色瓷器板，象征了一个欢快童年回忆的残余，也 象征了在贫困线下的少年时代中无忧无虑的放松的回忆的残余中的一个。 当抛开常见的西方实践去看艺术品本身，全方位综合得去看这个展览及其展示的空间，欣赏者的眼睛突然地被 下部的空间角落催眠，那是一个有砾石地面、角落被细致的填满卵石的地下室。 “就像一个你可以在所有角落拉 起的漂亮地毯”，高广义这样说到，同时，他用他精明的审美观以及他的灵敏度去改变所有空间和位置这种惊奇 的能力再次使我们惊讶。 最后，虽然我尝试去诠释高广义的艺术实践，但我不得不承认，我不能摆脱那种始终有些东西漂浮在空中的感 觉，在某种程度上我们可以得到它们的一瞥，但它们始终还是停留在字里行间的弦外之音。其实正如Not Vital 所说， “如果高广义不存在, 你就需要去创造他”。

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stitched Banana Digital print, Edition 7, 30 cm x 42 cm, 2015 -

One Piece Porcelain, 10 cm, 2015 -

100 pieces Paper, 10 m, 2015 -

Brothers Wood and yarn, 1.32 m x 4.8 m, 2015 -

Talk Yarn on cotton cloth, 50.3 cm x 89.5 cm, 2016 -

Moo in the Temple Yarn on cotton cloth, 36 cm x 36 cm, 2016 -

Untitled (cups) Porcelain, 7 m, 2015 -

Stitched Yarn on canvas, 99 cm x 75.1 cm, 2016 -

New Year Porcelain, 41.7 cm x 79.7 cm, 2015 -

Untitled Tape and surgical gloves, 201.7 cm x 194 cm, 2016 -

Untitled (purse) Iron, 44 cm x 15 cm x 10 cm, 2016 -

f und a z iun

Not Vital 7546 Ardez