新新

Something Old,
Something New The front cover of the inaugural issue of La Jeunesse, 1915

In 2010, LEAP put togeth-

er a feature themed on “Art Youth.”
The “targeted” groups of young artists back
2010年，LEAP策 then seemed even more resistant towards defi-
划了一期“艺术青年”的专题。在当 nition and categorization than the youth today.
时被“客体化”的青年艺术家群体似乎比 Those were the years that contemporary art and
今天的这群年轻人更抗拒定义与归纳。那 its ecology developed rapidly in China, follow-
是2008年美国经济危机和北京奥运会之 ing the Beijing Olympics and global financial
后当代艺术在中国迅猛发展的几年，也是 crisis in 2008. For those of us working within
寄生于这个生态中的我们坐享资本经济发 this ecology, we enjoyed the benefit from capital
展的红利但 还没有被 这套 新自由主义逻 acceleration and expansion, but somehow had
辑牢牢捆绑的年代。
“ON | OFF”一代年 not given in to the logic of neoliberalism under-
轻艺术家的势头带着一批青年写作者、策 pinning the growing industry. The “ON | OFF”
文/ TEXT /Lai Fei 展人等艺术从业人员一道齐头并进，他们 generation of artists had a momentum, one that
的工作也铸成了“后奥运”时代的中国社 brought a group of writers, curators, and other
会语境的重要阐释。很多人不愿主动承认 practitioners in the field moving forward with
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的，或者至少不愿写在纸上的是，滋养了一
个说大不大、说小不小的生态的年轻一代
的创造力和活力似乎很快就被消耗至疲软
了—大约在十几期专题或者两三场个展
之后。这是一种站在这个生态的内部的体
认，也是从一种宏观角度的俯瞰，当然这种
判断本身就是充满问题和矛盾的— 每个
置身于这个生态的人都没有俯视的权力，
因为我们都是组成这个流动中的生态的变
量，没有任何人是全然被动的。那我们该如
何解释，在今天一个如此繁荣和庞大的艺
术经济体里，在这个学习艺术 和从事艺术
的年轻人的数量呈几何增长的行业中，那
么多“新”的艺术在流通，能够促动行业生
态内部活力的小“飞跃”却难得一见？
今天“大写”的中国艺术圈像极了郭敬
明描绘的“小时代”—“我们活在浩瀚的
宇宙里，漫天漂浮的宇宙尘埃和星河光尘，
我们是比这些 还要渺小的存 在。”借用学
者张慧瑜对《小时代》的分析来说，这是一
个以陆家嘴的摩天大楼为象征的中国经济
崛起的时代。在浦江西岸，上海滩繁华、耀
眼的霓虹照得我们好像每个人都闪烁着光
辉，但 远景的我们不过是一群看不清面目
的身影，组成这盛世的一个个大同小异的
原子，沾着时代的光。
当 代艺 术 的 症 结不是 一 个 内 部 的问
题，它与整个社会的文化氛围息息相关。资
本发展到当下阶段，社会的商业 逻辑如此
之强大，几乎我们全部的生活进程都被这
个逻辑宰制着，求学、就业、住房乃至婚恋
这些人生选择都与经济价值紧密相扣，帮
助或抑制我们成为身价更高的商品。在艺
术领域屡见不鲜的是，试图反抗和逃 逸资
本机器的实践被轻松吸纳成为它的齿轮。
比如大量批判体制的艺术作品不仅逐渐成
为了体制的一部分，也在形式语言上愈加趋
同。关注个体性、追新逐异是艺术圈的“新
常态”，但对于差异的追求并不是这个生态
的多样性与活力的保证。相反，常态化的求
“新”常常催生越来越同质化的艺术创作，
其中重要的原因在于差异的判断方式依然
逃不出商品的逻辑。即便我们坚持 认为艺
术是 超 越 这 迂 腐 而单一的商品 价 值 系 统
的，在当代中国的艺术生态中并不存在另一
种相对健全的奖励机制来为艺术的“价值”
做背书。在这样的新自由主义情势下，博览
会反而成为了一个最为公平和真诚的了解当
下艺术的场域。这一视野下的职业艺术家
并不是一群逃逸了主流社会规训的浪荡子
them. Together their work constituted an important interpretation of （他们也要吃饭买房养娃），反而成为了 of contemporary art in China. In this neoliberal situation, the art fair
the social context in the post-Olympics China. What most people are 劳动异化的高危人群。大部分青年艺术家 has become the “fairest” and most sincere terrain to look at art today.
hesitant to admit though, is that the creativity and vitality of a gen- 的实践是个人化的，也就是说他们通常只 Viewing in this light, professional artists are not a group of romantics
eration, which had nourished an ecosystem not too big nor too small, 以自己为“单位”应对社会及与之的摩擦， who have escaped the discipline of the mainstream society—they too,
were quickly consumed and exhausted, over the course of about a dozen 或成为今天的社会秩序下更为原子化的 need to buy properties and send their children to good schools—but
magazine features or a couple of solo exhibitions. It is an internal per- 存在。 highly vulnerable to alienation in their labor. Most artists work inde-
ception, from someone standing within the ecology looking down upon 在这个小时代里化身为“最最渺小微 pendently, meaning that they usually face the society and possible
the system as a whole. But of course there are plenty of contradictions 茫的一个部分”的青年如何才能找到一条 frictions on an individual level, embodying an even more atomized
in this perception—we are all variables that make up the changing ecol- 出路，突破原子化的社会形态？当共同体 existence in today's neoliberalist society.
ogy, how can we review the situation and look back upon ourselves as if 不可见，我们能否找到一种可被分享的共 How can a young person—the most “minuscule being” in this
we were only passive receivers of a grand systemic influence? Standing 同经验和精神资源来对抗当下压倒性的 “Tiny Times”—find a way out and transcend the atomized existence in
at where we are now, how do we explain that in such a prosperous and 新自由主义逻辑？老一辈的左翼学人往往 our society today? When a community is hard to find, can we locate
abundant economy of art today, and in an industry where the number 提示我们历史的纵深对未来的启示，指向 and share a common experience and intellectual resources to counter
of young people studying and practicing art is growing exponentially, so “大时代”的社会主义传统和集体主义经 the all-encompassing logic of neoliberalism? An older generation of
much “new” art are circulating, yet it is hard to catch any small “leaps” 验 — 一代代中国人重要的精神底色和 left-wing scholars often point to the depth of history, and remind us
that stimulate the internal vitality of the industry? 身心财富。但对于缺乏社会主义基因和体 of the socialist tradition and collectivist experience from the bygone
The Chinese art world today looks a lot like the writer Guo Jing- 认的更年轻的一代来说，这段历史和传统 “Great Times”—an important source of spiritual wealth as well as the
ming’s depiction of “Tiny Times” (2013): “We live in the vast universe, 或许已经断崖，
“老青年”的感召只不过 emotional backdrop for generations of Chinese. But for the younger
with the cosmic dust floating in the sky and the light of the stars envel- 是过来人的隔岸观火。学者戴锦华认为， generation lacking socialist genes and experience in their blood, this
oping us—our own existences are much more minuscule than them." 今天的年轻人 对权力有一种内在的体认 historical lineage and tradition of the short twentieth century may
Borrowing the scholar Zhang Huiyu’s analysis of “Tiny Times”: this is the 与尊重（《复得的和复失的：历史与文化 have been broken. In a lecture at the Inside-Out Art Museum in 2018,
era of China’s great economic rise, symbolized by the skyscrapers in Luji- 记忆》，中间美术馆演讲，2018年）。在一 scholar Dai Jinhua offered her observation that today’s youth harbor
azui (Shanghai’s financial center and a major setting for Guo Jingming’s 场关于20世纪革命与青年的访谈中，学者 an intrinsic recognition and respect for power. Fellow scholar Wang
popular novel-turned-movie series). On the west bank of the Huangpu 汪晖反思了自身经验与年轻一代的差异： Hui shared a similar sentiment when discussing youth and revolution
River, the dazzling neon of Shanghai’s skyline shines so brightly on us, as “我是在社会主义时期长大的一代，而不 in the twentieth century in an interview, reflecting on the difference
if we are all glowing, but viewing from a distance, we are just a flock of 是在一个商品关系占主导的社会里面长大 between his own experience and that of the younger generation: “I
silhouettes without names—each of us is an individual atom that makes 的一代。20世纪中国创造出了一个不同于 grew up in the socialist era, not in a society dominated by commodity
up the flourishing constellation, floating in the light of the times. 资本主义的社会体制下的生活经验，我们 relations. In the twentieth century, China created an experience of
The conundrum of contemporary art is not merely an internal is- 曾经存在过这样一种不同的选择，尽管它 life under a social system very different from capitalism. We once
sue. It is closely tied to the cultural atmosphere and economic environ- 有问题，也不完美，而你们这年轻一代是 had a different choice. Although it had problems and was not perfect,
ment of the society at large. At the current development of capitalism 没有体会过的。由于没有这种经验，因此 it is something that the younger generation had never experienced.
in China, the logic of commodification has become so powerful and 在今天，我觉得年轻一代面临的挑战要比 Because of this lack, I feel that the challenges faced by the younger
pervasive in our society that almost all aspects of our lives are subject to 我们那一代大，也很难去寻找突破。”面 generation today are much bigger than before, and difficult to break-
and dominated by this logic. Our choices regarding our education, em- 对难以撬动的社会体制，今天的青年是否 through.” Entrenched in a fixed social system impossible to shake, are
ployment, housing, and even intimate relationships, are correlated with 只能变得“佛系”，接受既存权力结构和 the youth today left with no options but to accept the existing power
their economic potentials and values, turning us into products with a 秩序的不可改变？ structure and social order?
higher or lower price. In the art world, the practices that attempt to 时值70周年国庆，王 菲为献礼电 影 Around the 70th anniversary of the nation’s founding, “Me and
resist or escape the capitalist machine are often co-opted and absorbed 《我和我的祖国》翻唱的同名主题曲渗透 My Motherland,” the theme song for the eponymous film devoted
into its mechanism. There is nothing new about it. A large number of 街头巷尾，引发了这首歌在公共领域和私 to the national celebration, sung by the pop star Faye Wong, perme-
works dubbed as institutional critique not only joined forces with the 人领域的大规模传唱。在王菲的演绎下， ated the public and private spheres everywhere in the country. In
institutions, but also became more and more formally homogenous. 这首原创于1985年的主旋律歌曲变得像 Faye Wong’s sentimental re-interpretation of the patriotic song from
Highlighting individuality and chasing after the new and weird have 一首肉麻的当代情歌。歌词中不断重复的 1985, the “inseparable” relationship between "me" and "my mother-
become the "new normal" in the art world. But the constant pursuit of “我”和“我的祖国”之间“一刻也不能分 land,” repeated in the lyrics, takes on a "de-politicized" undertone.
difference does not guarantee diversity or vitality in this ecology. On the 割”的关系多了一丝“去政治化”的意味， The motherland appears to be an object of personal attachment—a
contrary, fetishization of the “new,” normalized and standardized as is, 祖国仿佛是一个被依恋的对象，爱侣或偶 lover, or an idol. Mainstream values are tightly inter-stitched with the
often leads to increasingly homogenized works of art, as the criteria for 像。主流价值观与我们的日常紧密缝合， fabrics of our daily lives—this is our current reality. When a spiritual
determining differences are still bound by the logic of commodification. 这是我们今天的现实。当精神共同体不再 commune is no longer a readymade option of the times, countless
We still like to think that art transcends this trite and singular value 是时代的现成选项，无数个原子团簇在一 atoms aggregate in a “community” built upon common interests and
system of commodities, but there exists no other relatively mature sys- 套完备的、既宏大又日常的主流话语建构 a flawless lexicon of mainstream values. “Inseparable,” as atoms are,
tem of merit to help endorse the “value” of art in our current ecology 出的利益共同体中，
“一刻也不能分割”。 “not even for a moment.”
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