▲ 日志 Diary 122x218cm
绢本综合 Mixed Media on Silk 2020
2020年我们身边发生了太多事情：新冠病毒、美国霸权主义、华为事件、全球经济衰退、梦想等等。桑火尧用作品来记录与述说鼠年的事情。作品《日志》不仅仅是一种记录，更是艺术家的一种思考与感悟。
▲ 左：不能告诉你 Words Fall Through Me
右：如愿 Fulfilled Wish
80x80cm；80x80cm
绢本综合 Mixed Media on Silk
2020；2019
不能告诉你：每一天、每一时刻，人生都带着疑惑，带着追问。然而，一切 又不曾有答案。桑火尧坦言，自己是一个惯于静思的人，有时候也犯糊涂，不知自己是问题的追问者，还是答疑者。就像站在水岸的人，正倒难分，也像镜中人，真假难辨。其实，人生不必追问，埋头赶路，才能让自己一门心思前行。当然，我们也有顺问的时候，接受标准答案，因为我们还需要与现实妥协。
如愿： 无限（∞）即永恒。人生多半生存在无奈与孤独中，然而心灵在游荡，充满着对未来的希冀。艺术家相信即使面对新冠病毒的侵袭，人类依旧微笑着面向未来。未来有很多可能，一切都将更加精彩而美好。而这将是永恒的乐章。
自1998年以来，桑火尧一直持续坚持中国水墨艺术的当代性及水墨艺术国际化的探索之路。从自我创作实践出发进行梳理，将东方哲学、美学与对当下的独特感悟结合起来，持续追求形而上的精神旨趣，逐渐形成方块积叠的方法论以及境象主义艺术观。并使之成为自己独特的艺术语言和符号。在创作形式上刻意尝试并放弃了中国画的“略似之形”和书法之线。在笔墨上抽象朦胧混沌，但在构成的空间上，艺术家依然希望呈现出东方绘画的哲学意蕴——老庄的虚无、空灵、静和之境。中国人的易经文字、汉字和“天圆地方”之说都是他思考的哲学根基。在这一过程中桑火尧逐渐确立了自己的境象方块水墨风格——方块美学。
▲ 心灵之光 Light of Mind 122x220cm
绢本综合 Mixed Media on Silk 2019
▲ 岁月 Seasons 30x50cmx2
绢本综合 Mixed Media on Silk 2019
▲ 天上人间 Heaven&Earth 50x50cmx2
绢本综合 Mixed Media on Silk 2020
▲ 今年 This Year 122x220cm
绢本综合 Mixed Media on Silk 2020
2020对于我们每一个生命个体而言，都是非常特别的，都将伴随着我们整个生命的记忆。艺术家希望今年被历史铭记。他将全球通用的英文This Year（今年）融入作品中。虽人生不能永恒，但他希望艺术是永恒的，希望通过艺术的方式为未来存照。
在新的阶段，尤其是近三年来艺术家尝试在混沌的作品中增加理性的符号，纯粹而丰富。如2020年创作的大型作品《今年》(This Year)、《日志》有英文有符号，以此来回应当下。而两件小型作品，在画面中浮动气韵的“方形”之上出现了如无限（∞）和倒置的问号（?），也是艺术家关切作为个体的人对自然、社会的种种思索。这些既是艺术家在探索中国美学过程中与西方符号学理论的进一步的讨论，同时也是艺术家用艺术介入社会与生活的一种方式。
▲ 无尽臧 The Endless Goodness
68x200x6cm 碳化木门、水墨亚克力板
Carbonized Wood, Ink on Acrylic Board 2017
桑火尧在多年创作的过程中形成“桑氏方块”的理论名称是以艺术符号学的还原方式，从现实生活中提取具有符号学意义的图景，转换为以当代中国水墨为载体的符号“言语”。其中形成的具备个人表现准则和规范的艺术“语言”，是艺术家“自我”的水墨符号体系的形成标志。画面中呈现出叠加的方块与交织中透过忽隐忽现的“光”，完整了桑火尧水墨作品中气韵生动的传达与中国美学思想中“大音希声，大象无形”的形而上感知。我们能够看到，近些年来，桑火尧积极探索水墨的边界，强化色的使用与效果，增加了中国艺术在当代的表达力。他以单色的色块为艺术矩阵，以抽象性的笔墨语言为内在结构，以根植于中国传统的“境象主义”艺术为创作载体，试图在理性的西方抽象艺术与东方哲学间架起一座对话之桥。
Asia Art Center is honored to announce that "Affective-Imagoism: Artworks by Sang Huoyao" will open at 3 pm on January 16, 2021. After "Affective-Imagoism - Sang Huoyao’s Works Exhibition" (Long Museum, Shanghai, China, 2019), "Sang Huoyao Solo Exhibition - Horizons of the Mind" (Museum of Contemporary Arts, Singapore, 2018), "Chaos - Exhibition of Sang Huoyao’s works" (National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China, 2017), the new exhibition features his deepened cognitive expression regarding the concept of "Affective-Imagoism", with more than 50 new artworks in recent years. In addition to paintings, there are also art installations, which more abundantly present the artist's new creations and thoughts, and further construct the mystery, sublime, purity and depth of "Affective-Imagoism" aesthetics.
▲ 青云 Cyan Cloud 122x190cm
绢本综合 Mixed Media on Silk 2020
▲ 青云（局部） Cyan Cloud（Detail）
Since 1998, Sang Huoyao has initiated his exploration of the internationalization of ink art, adhering to the contemporary nature of Chinese ink paintings. Based on practices of self-creation, he combines Eastern philosophy, aesthetics and unique perceptions regarding the present, pursues metaphysical spirituality, and eventually forms a stacking methodology of "Affective-Imagoism", including the artistic concept, language and symbols. In terms of form, he deliberately abandons the lines of calligraphy. From the perspective of brush and ink technique, his artworks seem abstract, hazy and chaotic, meanwhile in the space of composition, Sang Huoyao continues to present the philosophical artistic conception of Eastern painting, which is the emptiness and tranquility put forward by Chuangzi. In the process of artistic innovations, Sang Huoyao gradually establishes his unique square aesthetics of "Affective-Imagoism", inspirated by the philosophical foundation of I Ching characters, Chinese characters, and the theory of "round sky and square earth".
▲ 林中路 Forest Path 122x190cm
绢本综合 Mixed Media on Silk 2019
In the new stage, especially in the past three years, Sang Huoyao tries to add rational symbols to Chaos works. For instance in 2020, Sang Huoyao created large-scale works "This Year" and "Diary" which contained English characters and symbols, responding the present situation. In the two small works, phenomena such as infinity (∞) and inverted question marks (?) appear on the floating "square" in the painting, revealing the artist's various thoughts on nature and society as an individual. Sang Huoyao is not only exploring Chinese aesthetics and Western semiotic theories, but also using art to intervene in society and life.
Sang Huoyao has formed the theory of "Sang's Cube" , extracting semiotic images from real life, and transforming it into a symbolic language based on contemporary Chinese ink painting. In this process, Sang Huoyao's personal performance guidelines and standardized artistic "language" construct his symbolism system of ink paintings. The dim "light" through the superimposed squares in the work demonstrates the vivid transmission of rhyme in his ink paintings and the metaphysical perception of "great music has the faintest notes, the great form is without shape" in Chinese aesthetics. Sang Huoyao actively explores the boundaries of ink paintings in recent years, strengthens the use of color, and increases the expressive power of Chinese art in contemporary art. He uses monochromatic color blocks as the artistic matrix, and abstracts the language of ink as the internal structure rooted in the traditional Chinese "Affective-Imagoism". Thus, Sang Huoyao intends to build a bridge of dialogue between rational Western abstract art and Eastern philosophy.
▲ 桃花源记 Land of Peach Blossoms
236x122cmx3
绢本综合 Mixed Media on Silk 2016
桑火尧在中学时期曾读过东晋文学家陶渊明的代表作之一《桃花源记》，一直伴随着他梦想的一生。此文中不确定的方位、场景、处所被描述的虚幻又有诗意。“仿佛若有光”，此“光”是对美好生活的向往，是生命价值的礼赞。这样的生活场所，其实很难用作品表现。桑火尧用浓、中、淡不同的墨色，使用三联并置的方式塑造了一个充满光感的虚无场景。
▲《二十四史——关于时间与空间的回响》
The Twenty-Four Histories: The Echo of Time and Space
45x45x45cmx12
木材、水墨、综合材料 Wood，Ink and Mixed Media
2016
此件作品原本是由24块焦木组成的水墨大型装置。因2020年特殊时期，艺术家决定展出其中的12块焦木，以此对当下不完整的世界的一次回应。焦木上依稀的年轮纹理与水墨绘画中四边层层叠叠的纹理，共铸了作品图式与树纹之间有着生命、时间、空间的关联。（来源：亚洲艺术中心）
画家简介
桑火尧，中国艺术研究院国画院画家，中国美术家协会理事，清华大学吴冠中艺术研究中心研究员。
主要个展：
上海龙美术馆、今日美术馆、新加坡当代艺术馆、中国美术馆、上海美术馆、广东美术馆、亚洲艺术中心、宁波美术馆、潍坊博物馆、潍坊美术馆等。
