Hi Art 2015-4 - The Question of How I Become a Contemporary Artist
Wang Danyi
According to Tan Tian, naming his first solo exhibition “Jump to Second Solo Show” is intentionally a kind of linguistic camouflage. In reality, if we go below the surface level, the show is really a criticism of the system in which it operates.
Making intentions clear from the outset
Well before “Jump to Second Solo Show,” Tan Tian’s work was showcased at White Space Beijing’s group exhibition “Memo II” in which two of his installations were present. Perhaps, standing in front of each of his installations, viewers became caught up in their thoughts regarding the material, technique, or appearance of the work, among other thoughts one usually has while viewing artwork. The straightforward titles of the work - for example, “Jessica Jackson Hutchins + Nika Neelova + David Batchelor” and” Thea Djordjadze + Mona Hatoum + Franz West” - refer to Tan Tian’s method of appropriating the work of the aforementioned artists, as well as his way of approaching the elements of a piece. However, the titles do not explain his technique for constructing his pieces.
At the 2015 CAFAM Future Exhibition held by the China Central Academy of Fine Arts, amidst a Museum filled with artwork, Tan Tian exhibited a blown-up version of a wedding portrait. This kind of excessive directness did not trigger curiosity so much as a kind of solemnity to be expected for such an occasion. When it was pointed out that his piece had directly used the wall, flanked with plants to add severity, from a show which had recently ended (Dong Xiwen’s “Founding Ceremony of PRC”), Tan Tian was very open. Consequently, his project “Cooperate with Museums” revealed the limits of intention.
Using the system as a mode of discussion
The name for “Jump to Second Solo Show” came from Tan Tian’s research, during which he discovered that according to the majority of successful artists, their first solo show was almost always a painful experience. The name of his solo exhibition also corresponds precisely with the goals of his research approach: to fulfill his artistic vision and become a “genuine” contemporary artist.
Tan Tian approached his goal by creating a show systematically describing his research. His long-term proposal for implementation was clearly outlined by a chart; he began by constructing a baseline reference point by incorporating the websites of Art Basel, dOCUMENTA, and other sites to create a search engine. This later formed the basis for “My Personal Contemporary Art Database,” which became a foundation for Tan Tian’s current work. From the very beginning, this kind of decision method was inextricable from the problem of discussing contemporary artists. Gallery lists by themselves do not necessarily name all first-class artists. It would be impossible to create a single, unified standard of judgment, but the names listed on these gallery and exhibition websites are still no doubt those conventionally recognized in the art world as first-class artists. Thus, website titles constructed out of neon lights are placed at the closest distance possible adjacent to the picture, an approach perhaps reminiscent of elements from the work of artist Tracy Emin.
Analyzing the work of these artists - by translating it into keywords regarding media coverage, their technique, etc. - has become the norm for Tan Tian’s work. He has constructed a logical technique of simulation. This information has now become a crucial part of his own work. Moreover, Tan Tian’s approach is often very relaxed; the focus required during the creative process is instead inverted during Tan Tian’s system of production. The concepts behind his works, many of which rely on mimicry, are no longer important. Rather, “resemblance” has become the only important measure. This kind of seemingly playful method of ridicule has been perfected into a rational program of systematic logic, becoming a kind of discursive mechanism itself.
Of course, in reality, all artists need to face the same challenges: how to deal with media, how to deal with art collectors, how to deal with galleries. These all make up Tan Tian’s area of research. He thus threw himself into this immersive role-playing. However, this kind of acting was also something that his own heart demanded.
Dangerous confrontation
Due to his own family history, Tan Tian is already familiar with how artists approach meaning in life. Becoming a fellow artist has always been a dream of his. After being immersed in an artistic environment, Tan Tian was able to naturally observe the different pathways of becoming an artist and the sensitivity and creativity demanded by such a process.
Like many young artists, having to address anxiety is inevitable, but as Tan Tian immersed himself more deeply in art, he found that he did not have an understanding at all of the “basic circumstances” of artists. The disappointment he felt was crushing. “Through careful investigation, I came to the realization that I had not gone through a lot of adversity and lacked my own perspective. I did not have the sensitivity of an artist. When I genuinely began to look to create my own work, I discovered that my numbness was really extraordinary. When I faced a blank canvas, I did not know how to begin. Without referencing other’s works, when facing my materials, I couldn’t find the ability to create.”
If it had been another person, they might have simply gone ahead and given up and copied other works. However, this copying requires a certain “wisdom” and becomes an implicitly transformational technique. Tan Tian has chosen his own route: “I couldn’t give up on my dream of becoming an artist. Thus, I had to situate myself anew. Since I couldn’t become a contemporary artist, I therefore wanted to become someone who most resembled a contemporary artist. I want to construct a different kind of standard.”
The process behind “How I Become a Contemporary Artist” also sparked a conversation about mechanisms,even becoming itself a mode of resistance. Artistic genius cannot be copied. Yet within our contemporary context, this apparent truth has also undergone an evolution. Or perhaps, everyone is an artist, a possibility that has only increased in likelihood with the advent of readymade works. However, this is simply a question of category. Within the present mechanisms of contemporary art, can the process of becoming an artist be replicated and manufactured? If this kind of system cannot be proven wrong, then could the process for anyone to become a genuine artist be as simple as following a step-by-step instruction manual? Undoubtedly, Tan Tian has posed subtle, even dangerous questions, regardless of whether they are proved wrong or right.
Following detachment, a switch in identity
Tan Tian has not mired himself in the details of creative obstacles, but rather, has completed a detachment and in shifting his perspective, formed a criticism of the system within the system itself. He has not concerned himself with a particular creative question, brushstroke, or idea, but rather in his quest to become a contemporary artist, he has abandoned the artist’s identity itself. In carrying out his project and advancing his creative goals, Tan Tian’s identity has also changed within new parameters: he has shifted from a performer’s identity to that of a judge’s, from a participant’s identity to that of a cautious, independent observer. He has deemed every component in his system an event in and of itself. The way Tan Tian sees artworks are that they are like tools. When a present observer determines from their perspective that a piece resembles a contemporary artwork, the strongest arguments for reason become emptiness and numbness, so that one can overcome the confusion of detail and purely seek visual resemblance.
Facing the End of Openness
“I don’t know whether simply through planning, subjectivity, and continuously reorienting myself I can let myself become a contemporary artist, or whether I am merely imitating being a contemporary artist very well. Regardless, this kind of of unknown is unfailingly stimulating and makes this system of thought as airtight as possible,” said Tan Tian. According to what Tan Tian has said, the biggest unknown is the results of his long-term performance project. Regardless of whether he successfully becomes a contemporary artist or an indistinguishable imitator of one, he will have to embrace the identity of the contemporary artist, including both the enjoyment and suffering that such an identity brings. If he fails, he will at least still possess a basic level of artistic talent at the end of his project. However, given how radical his ideas are, even if he becomes merely a clumsy imitator and falls fall short of his attempt to enter into the ranks of other artists, he is ready to accept whatever comes.
Hi艺术 2015年4月刊 - 当如何成为艺术家成为问题本身
文/王丹艺
对于将自己首次个展命名为“第二个个展”的谭天而言，这似乎是一种故意对话题的伪装。剥开这伪装的表层，实则是以机制构建了对机制的讨论。
意图从一开始就是直白的
早在个展前，谭天的作品曾经在空白空间群展项目“备忘录II”中的展出，以两件装置作品完成出席，或许，面对单件的作品，观众往往陷入了对装置本身的讨论之中，材料、手法、面貌等等，如同那些面对作品时的惯常思路。尽管，作品题目的直白，《Jessica Jackson Hutchins + Nika Neelova + David Batchelor》与《Thea Djordjadze + Mona Hatoum + Franz West》，将作品的构成方式直接指向对当下艺术家的挪用，甚至将其元素化的看待方式，但这尚不足以说明他所构建的工作方式。
2015年，央美美术馆第二届未来展，当展厅被作品所包围之时，一张被放大的结婚照被郑重其事地对待，这种过分直白的方式不由得引发好奇，当被指出直接使用美术馆刚刚结束的董希文展览《开国大典》的展墙，辅以绿植以加强严肃性的同时，谭天是直白的，作品的题目《当代艺术家该如何推广—与美术馆合作—CAFAM—认出我》指出了其所实践的意图本身。
以机制作为讨论的方式
之所以是“第二个个展”，是因为谭天在研究中发现，首次个展对绝大多数成名艺术家而言，都是一段不堪回首的经历，对标题的命名方式，也恰恰符合了谭天在研究系统中所希望达成的目标——打开作为艺术家视野的局面，成为一个“真正”意义上的当代艺术家。
这是以个展的形式完成了一次对谭天研究的系统性描述。谭天长期所实践的方案，以结构图的方式明确呈现。从建立基准线开始，谭天选择了包括巴塞尔博览会、卡塞尔文献展等多个网站作为搜索引擎，基于此所产生的当代艺术家的资料库成为了其工作的基础。这种选择方式从一开始就与当代艺术中的话语问题不可分离，样本本身并不一定明确的指向一流的艺术家，这本也就是一个无法统一的标准，但被这些网站所收入的名字，无疑是艺术生态中常规意义上的一线艺术家。而以霓虹灯制成的网址也以最近的距离被安置在结构图旁，这转换的手法亦或许是翠西·艾敏式元素的介入。
分析这些艺术家的创作，成为了谭天工作的常态，将其所了解的艺术家转换成为关键词录入，包括媒介、手法等等。谭天构建了模拟的逻辑方式，前期素材的搜集成为了创作的重要部分，而生成的过程，往往是轻松的，艺术创作过程中的重心在谭天的系统中发生了倒置。在他所规划的以模仿为基础而创作的作品之中，最终的完成度、其中所谓概念文本的支撑都已经不再重要，而“像”成为创作方式中惟一的衡量标准，这种看似戏谑的调侃方式被其系统性的逻辑规划理性完善，成为了一种讨论机制。
当然，正如所有艺术家在现实中所需要面对的一般，如何像一个当代艺术家一样创作仅仅是他诸多环节中的一部分，如何面对媒体、如何面对藏家、如何面对画廊都成为谭天所研究的课题的一部分，他开始进入一种全身心的扮演，但这种扮演又是与他内心的诉求合一的。
危险的对抗
或许是家庭的原因，谭天已经习惯艺术对其生命的意义，成为那些艺术家中的一员，一直是他的梦想。氛围与熏陶让他自然看到艺术家形成的不同路径，那些关于创造与敏感作为艺术的发生。
与很多年轻艺术家一样，面对创作的焦虑无处不在，但随着谭天更深地进入艺术本身，他绝望地发觉自己根本没有具备艺术家的所谓“基本条件”，这种失望是巨大的。“小心谨慎和惯于观察让我少了很多磨难，我缺乏自己的态度，没有作为艺术家的敏感性。当真正想开始创作时，发现自己麻木得可怕，面对画布的空白，不知如何开始，面对材料，除了想到别人的作品，找不到创造的能力。”
如果是他人，或许，就会在放弃与模仿中择一而行，不过这种模仿一定是以带有“智慧”的，成为一种“隐晦”的转化方式。谭天选择了另一条路。“我无法因此放弃成为艺术家的梦想，那么就需要重新定位自己，既然无法成为一个当代艺术家，那么我就要做一个最像当代艺术家的人，我要建立一种不同的标准。”
当“我是如何成为一个当代艺术家的”作为系统被建立，这便开始成为对机制的讨论，甚至形成了某种对抗。艺术家是天才的，不可复制的。这种似乎真理的存在，在当代的语境中，有了新的演变。或许，人人都是艺术家，现成品的转换更是增加了这种可能，但这仅仅是对于范畴的一种讨论。在当下当代艺术的成熟机制中，是否艺术家的生成可以按照某种制作流程而被复制，如果有这样的系统无法被证伪，那么是否人人都可以按部就班地通过某种说明书般的引导成为一位真正意义上的艺术家。无疑，谭天的设问暗藏着危险的提示，不管是被证实，抑或是被证伪。
抽离后的身份切换
谭天没有将自己限定于具体创作的障碍之中，而是完成了抽离，在视角的切换中，形成了以机制对机制的讨论。他不在面对某个具体的创作问题，笔触或是创作思路，甚至在为了成为当代艺术家的道路上，谭天首先要脱离的就是艺术家的身份本身。在对这一方案的践行中，随着创作的推进，谭天的身份也由于新的衡量标准的出现，从表现者的身份转而成为判断者，从参与到更为独立的视角审慎。他将体系内的每个组成部分视为一个个事件，从一种客观且没有偏好的判断者的角度自我要求。在谭天看来，作品更像是工具，当观看角度被设定为是否像一件当代艺术的作品时，空白和麻木反而成为了理性的助推器，可以越过细节的迷惑，而单纯寻找视觉的相似性。
面对开放的结果
“我不知道只通过计划、臆想和不断的自我重新定位，是否真的能让自己成为一名当代艺术家，又或者是一个极其类似当代艺术家的模仿者，这种未知性反而能不断地挑动着神经，尽可能的让这一体系更加毫无瑕疵与无懈可击。”谭天说。
对谭天而言，唯一不预设的便是这个长期行为的结果，如果他成功地成为一名当代艺术家或是太类似而无法区分的模仿者，便会老实接受当代艺术家身份，去享受和煎熬这伴随身份而来的生活本身。如果失败了，到头来只是一个不具有艺术家基本天赋的人，但是拥有着一个疯狂的想法，希望靠着猜测与计划就想进入艺术殿堂的拙劣的模仿者，他也同样坦然接受。