How do artists form relationships with artists from other time periods? In 2015, gallerist and curator Johnson Chang invited artist Yeh Wei-Li to move into the deserted house of the late artist Yeh Shih-Chiang (1926-2012). Since then, their works have begun to intertwine.

Editor: Sim Po-Yi

How does art develop perspective on time? How do artists form relationships with artists from other time periods? In 2015, gallerist and curator Johnson Chang invited artist Yeh Wei-Li to move into the deserted house of the late artist Yeh Shih-Chiang (1926-2012). Since then, their works have begun to intertwine. These two artists, who grew up in completely different times and places, coincidentally had similar life experiences. In a way, Yeh Wei-Li inherited the spirit of Yeh Shih-Chiang, reconstructing his hermit lifestyle in his own way.

I describe Yeh Shih-Chiang as a hermit because he refused to join art institutions or academies when he was alive, keeping a distance from the system and living in the forest or near sea shore (Wantan in Xindian, Shuinandong in Ruifang and Ji’an in Hualien). He transformed his life into art: the guqin (an ancient Chinese musical instrument), candles, and paintings were all part of his life. Yeh Shih-Chiang lived ceremonially in his own slow pace.

Ceremonial Way of Life

We also find this focus on a ceremonial way of living in the works of Yeh Wei-Li. Most of his photography is related to changes in time and space, as well as his participation in this process. His ritual lies in immersing himself in the built space of Yeh Shih-Chiang on a daily basis evincing control over the formats, aesthetics, and ambience of his imagery.

There are three main actions behind his photographs. First, the long process of reorganizing the house of Yeh Shih-Chiang, something Yeh Wei-Li spent time and effort to achieve. Second, Yeh Wei-Li’s attempt to recreate the ambiance of the space. Finally, the complicated process of shooting with a large-format camera (each exposure takes six minutes).

Interweaving of Life and Space

Yeh Wei-Li is not isolated from society when he works alone in his studio; instead, he interweaves objects, people, space, and environment with his own work. Instead of refining his work, he concentrates on interacting with his surroundings. The process is not about producing products continuously and efficiently, but rather requires focus, time, and continuity with a single subject

Yeh Wei-Li moved his life to Shuinandong, exploring and sensing the area where Yeh Shih-Chiang used to live. He tried to understand the daily activities Yeh Shih-Chiang did there, like weeding the garden, starting the fire, repairing the pond, and listening to the wind, and then he repeated them. In this way, the lives of the two artists from different times overlapped through daily rituals.

Slow and Repetitive

Yeh Wei-Li and Yeh Shih-Chiang shared a ceremonial lifestyle, but, under neoliberalism today, we tend to emphasize speed and efficiency, and time moves irretrievably forward. These two artists embrace an outdated attitude, living as hermits under the river of time. They live not in the now, but outside of time, emphasizing ritual, slowness, and contemplation.

Philosopher Byung-Chul Han believes that the way to fight neoliberalism is to recall rituals, emphasizing the power of slowness and repetitions in order to find strength and stability. The power of slowness and repetition can be found in the medium Yeh Wei-Li chose for his photographs. Unlike digital cameras, which create results instantly, Yeh Wei-Li’s large-format camera involves a highly complicated process. This decision recalls the work of Tehching Hsieh, who emphasized his process in documenting life and fighting utilitarianism.

Though both Hsieh and Yeh use photography as a tool of documentation, Hsieh records the traces of life in an archival way. Yeh Wei-Li, by contrast, documents a reconstructed space. The traces of his labor are hidden in the documentary Illuminated Presenceand other related video works. Aesthetical transformation plays a large role, distinct from the more archival mode of photography in early conceptual and performance art.

Yeh Wei-Li’s large-scale, cold, quiet photographs allow us to feel the distance between space and the self of the artist. His videos, which document his process and labor, make us feel his presence inside the space. The ambiguity of being simultaneously intimate and distant shows through in this work.

This reminds me of Shen Chao-Liang, who also uses large-format cameras and spends long periods of time on his subjects. Shen observes the scenery outside of the camera; Yeh is highly involved with the space he depicts. Photography is not only used to document, but also to imagine, to narrate, and to reconstruct the life of Yeh Shih-Chiang.

Exploration Space

Yeh Wei-Li looks at the transformation of space through photography. The fragmented details of life are presented elegantly and quietly, allowing us to contemplate our own existence in this world.

Through Yeh Wei-Li’s work, we are immersed in the everyday rituals and lives of artists from two different generations. His work exists eternally in the rupture of time, echoing the spirit of Yeh Shih-Chiang. This echo resists the accelerations of neoliberal society, recognizing our daily lives anew in a sustained and slow way.

即將在一月舉行的第二屆「台北當代藝術博覽會」裡，葉世強的繪畫與葉偉立近幾年在研究計畫中生產出的攝影作品將再次同步展出。除了「製框」，葉偉立也與其團隊一同進行此研究計劃專書的製作編輯。對葉偉立而言，此次的展覽規劃其實也是由這本藝術家專書的概念進行延伸，試圖呈現出在作品之外，那些對於兩人創作之間進行反覆閱讀與內容編譯的狀態。

「製框」涉事

午後，走進葉偉立位於埔心的工作室，那道做為動線隔間的牆面上懸滿了尚未鑲入作品、質感大小不一的木框，空氣中飄散木質與咖啡的氣味，展前一個月，他一邊為葉世強的作品製作畫框，一邊檢視著自己將要同步展出的攝影作品打樣。受張頌仁邀請做為葉世強計畫的「涉事者」，葉偉立自2015年開始在位於新店灣潭、北海岸水湳洞的葉世強故居進行現場勞動、空間整頓與攝影創作。在2019年首屆「台北當代藝術博覽會」（Taipei Dangdai）裡，葉偉立首次為葉世強的畫作「製框」。自此「製框」成為葉偉立在葉世強研究計畫中的另一種「涉事」，同時也是葉偉立數年來持續對其作品研究的回應。

追溯西方宗教繪畫的脈絡，畫框原是與畫面同步構成的一部分，當時那些金碧輝煌且厚重繁複的外框，在某種程度上亦暗示著天堂所在的環境與畫中人的關係，而當繪畫被獨立為更純粹的藝術與欣賞的概念後，畫框則成為某種界定畫面內外範圍、指出畫中透視點的窗型邊界。這樣的概念在越趨近代的創作裡漸漸有被消解的趨向，在繪畫與攝影領域中，框逐漸被視為是一種阻擋作品自由延伸的外部限制。在當代的評論中，「框」往往被獨立於平面作品之外、不再被視為作品的一部分，彷彿這個物件與它所圍繞的畫面兩者互不相關。但事實上，畫框的確在一定程度上影響了觀眾觀看的過程，而在對此更有意識的創作者手上，框也可以成為某種得以和作品相互詮釋、對話的系統。對葉偉立而言，這項在當代藝術系統中幾乎脫離創作者生產體系的製造過程，也是決定作品最終樣貌的關鍵之一，葉偉立說：「觀眾能從框的製作，得知藝術家是如何看待自己的作品，框是透露藝術家如何觀看的關鍵，讓觀者能更聚焦到藝術家的美學思考，這其中其實充滿設計環節，更包含了無數次的決定與選擇。」

「製框」做為葉偉立的創作概念之一，源於其2010年「古董級垃圾研發公司」系列的展示櫃體。在該創作系列中，每個物件都有量身打造、同為回收材所構成的木櫃，每一組櫃體皆涵括了收納與展示的雙重功能。近似的概念在其2016年「沙發原型」個展中亦曾展現，當時，那些將自身構造裸露在外的櫃體與框架，一如櫃內那具被解構的沙發作品，在物件原有的現實時空與作品凝結的狀態裡，向觀眾張開了一種關於時間與意義位移的過程。

畫框之內

在「一個藝術家為另一個藝術家設計呈現系統」的想法下，葉偉立以五、六種色調、不同品種的木料為葉世強的畫作製作畫框，而框體的設計則是採取中式建築與木作工法中的榫卯與木栓的結構。葉偉立談到：「目前這個框的形式是很傳統古典的結構方法，一開始思考要怎麼做葉世強的框是很大的挑戰，因為我從沒有為誰去設計過什麼，我也不是一個專門做框的人，所以最初步的想法就是處理框條的型態，其中一個比較當代的取向就是去露出木頭的結構。」在思考設計的過程中，葉偉立看到自己擺放在客廳中、2016年在「沙發原型」展中所製作的一組反映作品自身結構的木框，葉偉立說：「這個框也是以木栓的概念構成，但原因是我所改造的沙發就是這個結構，我想，假如這個畫框刺出來的四角有一個傾斜的角度，觀看作品的時候自然會往內聚焦，而這個傳統古典的製作和結構呼應葉世強本身對於木頭工藝（指其古琴製作）的專長，也與他的時代、美學相符，決定用這個方法之後，我就開始調整比例、測試木材。這個過程也讓我對於木工、木頭，框和作品關係的理解往前一步。」

在近幾年累積的經驗裡，葉偉立越來越感覺到框在作品製作中的重要性，他談到：「我們是否曾想過框的功能和存在為什麼在當代作品的關係裡顯得有點脫離？為什麼從老師到學生都是如此？這裡面其實可以看到一種藝術教育的學習過程，以及你怎麼看待框、創作怎麼走到今天？當你真的介入製作的時候，你會發現它其實是（平面）作品的收尾，無論照片或繪畫都一樣，今天假如作者有去介入、設計這個框，觀眾是可以感覺到作者怎麼去看待他所呈現的畫面。這代表觀眾應該會在作品裡看到更多元素跟個性，這對於觀眾的閱讀理解上會增加很多內容，好的框會讓你進入那個畫面，協助你理解、聚焦作品，而且不會是干擾。」

畫面之外

「畫面很簡單，但要傳達天地蒼茫、無限寬廣的空間想把人融化的感覺，雖然是輕盈的白色，卻很沉重。」在葉世強生前少數的專訪中，他曾這樣描述自己的作品《蜥蜴》。回看葉世強的人生，經過少年時期歷程大時代的流連轉徙，使他既不願囿限於中國傳統繪畫的範疇，亦不隨著當時西方新潮的走向，而是重新探尋新的道路，讓自己的畫筆同時能跨進現代與傳統兩造的語彙，進而發展出獨具風格與個性的內容。張頌仁曾表示「他是用非常簡單的手法，橫幅這種畫法在畫面的組織上跟西洋油畫比較接近，他的畫很少那種山高水長的感覺，他還是向左右蔓延，有一種時間感的、一種無盡的感覺。」

純淨的空間感與雋永的精神氛圍是葉世強作品中最明顯的特徵，而這種令人得以在喧鬧環境中駐足停留的時間感，來自長時間的累積與相對迅速的繪畫過程，葉世強曾言：「我畫圖畫跟做詩一樣，非常快，遇到機緣就像火星一樣爆發，這樣冒出來的作品不會做作，所以動作要快。一旦慢下來就難免想東想西，應該盡量讓我們內心的自性去發揮。」

面對這樣的葉世強，葉偉立在其故居所做的攝影作品反而像是某種雕塑或種植般緩慢綿長的行為，兩者皆試圖在不同的媒材中捕捉了某個精神性的一瞬，葉世強藉由畫作中的種種留白，使時間在畫面裡蔓延，這在他所留下的水墨創作中尤其可見，而在油畫作品裡，他則是應用大面積的純淨色彩去佈局出蒼茫遼闊的空間感。對此，葉偉立曾談到：「留白的概念並不存在於攝影實踐中，攝影無法留白，畫面總是充滿的。但繪畫相反，本來是空白的，然後慢慢拼貼進來。相對於攝影創作的畫面，繪畫呈現了另一個倒轉的現實。」有別於葉世強的繪畫，葉偉立的創作回應是在充盈著空間細節的攝影裡表現出曾在此空間中留下的過程，並利用極長的曝光時間收納在場的所有痕跡。葉偉立認為「攝影本身就是一個挖掘、記錄以及講故事的媒材」，在重述、再造或建造故事與檔案的過程裡，葉世強故居的重整活化也成為他生產故事的其中一環，在這個尚未完成的計畫中，創作的過程如同作物的種植，在不同的氣候與土壤中，檔案與物件將自行生長出不同的故事。

近幾年在研究計畫中生產出的攝影作品將再次同步展出。除了「製框」，葉偉立也與其團隊一同進行此研究計劃專書的製作編輯。對葉偉立而言，此次的展覽規劃其實也是由這本藝術家專書的概念進行延伸，試圖呈現出在作品之外，那些對於兩人創作之間進行反覆閱讀與內容編譯的狀態。

「在某種程度上，我為這個場地創造一個狀態，一個可供我長時間沉思的狀態。因為你不會總有新想法，但如果你能有一套受控的狀態，你就能在不同時期產生新想法。所以每次我回來的時候，每隔幾週一次，有時更頻繁，一旦有新想法我就會來這裡拍照。當然，它永遠不會令人滿意。但從某種角度來講，為了萌發這種直覺，環境受到了控制，所以你在創造的是一個競技場，從某種層面來說也是一個劇院，作為一個新想法的孵化地。」