人类的荒诞与动物的悲凉——明可摄影《动物园》序

什么是观念摄影？就是摄影图像中惯穿着精神的穿透和思想的力量。

镜头的本质超越光学，而作为人的眼睛。人的眼睛如何观察事物，取决于人的头脑如何思考事物。所以，关于视觉艺术的创造接受过程，也可以称着视觉思维过程。

人们于摄影艺术有个巨大的误区。自照相机发明以来，摄影图像拟真的功能和机械标准，分析的准确，使人们深信摄影艺术的本质就是反映客观还原真实，这看似天经地义的共识遮蔽了摄影艺术的真机。扼杀了摄影技术无限的潜能，堵绝了眼睛与心灵的脉络。

世上通常流行的摄影，尽管流光异彩、五花八门，大都不能称作观念摄影，只要带着既定的真实框架和所谓的“诗情画意”的俗套，就难于使镜头成为思想的武器和心灵的眼睛。所谓观念摄影其实再简单明确不过，就看你的镜头和图像是否具有思想的力量和精神的架构。

当代社会，人变成动物，动物变成人的事实，遍地可见，熟视无睹。明可以他独道的观察和创意，踏遍中国大部分城市，镜头所到，捕捉并昭示了这一社会进化的双向运动。

野生动物，连同他们的野性，差不多已从这个世界消失，带来的生态不仅是生物界的群落失衡，而且还有“华南虎”事件昭示的整体性社会诚信危机。

野生动物连同家禽豢兽，一并进入人工化的粉彩世界，都市里的动物雕塑，一如满街扭腰送胯的街舞老太，穿红戴绿，花枝招展，艳俗得令人窒息。

中国在取得举世瞩目的经济发展之时，文化水平和道德精神却全面退化，明可的图像提供了一种深沉的焦虑，以耗费能源，破坏环境为代价，生产出的产品形态和文化景观，却不幸是丑陋不堪，浅薄虚浮的怪胎。丧失了审美的社会和民众，其实是丧失了终极价值和生命的本真。

凸现真实的力量，承担命运的荒诞，关注当下的存在和焦虑，于习俗和共识中昭揭遮蔽。这就是观念艺术的使命，至于风格手段，技术层面、方家各爱、心筑灵构，不及一一，仅以此识明可影展，是为序。

丁亥岁末于川美面壁堂

The incredibility of human beings and the sorrow of animals

—Preface to Ming Ke’s Photography Zoo

Mu Qun

What is the Conception Photography? It is a kind of photography that shows the spirit and ideas in pictures.

The essence of the camera lenses is beyond the optical use which can replace people’s eyes. How people observe the objects through their eyes is based on how they think of them. Consequently, the process of Visual Art’s creation and acceptance is called visual thinking process.

There is a huge misunderstanding of photography among people. Ever since the camera was invited, the emulational recording function, mechanical standard and accurate analyzing made people convinced that the nature of photography is to reflect the truth of the world. Ironically, this seemingly unalterable principle conceals the true essence of photography art, nips the infinity of photography technology, cuts off the communication between eyes and spirit.

Although there are many popular types of photography in the world, but we can’t define them as Conception Photography. Once being with the figured reality and so-called “poetic quality”, it is hard to use a camera lens as the weapon of the spirit and the eyes of the heart. Actually, the Conception Photography couldn’t be simpler and clearer, it totally depends on whether your lenses and pictures possess the strength of thoughts and the structure of spirit or not.

In the modern society, the fact that human beings become animals while animals become human beings can be seen yet ignored every where. Ming Ke traveled though most cities of China with his unique observation and initiative, his lens catches and declares the opposite-direction motion of the social evolution.

Wild animals and their wild natures have disappeared from this world, this fact brings not only the imbalance of the biome, but also the General social credit crisis showed by the “South China Tiger” event.

Both the wild animals and domestic fowls enter the artificial world. Animal sculptures in the city seem the same vulgar as the old women dancing in the street with colorful dressed.

The civilization and morals are experiencing a comprehensive degradation while China achieves a great improvement in economy. Ming Ke’s works provide a kind of deep-level anxiety: with a cost of Energy consumption and Environmental damage, the product form and Cultural Landscape are unfortunately the freaks of superficiality and coxcombry. Society and citizens with no sense of aesthetic, virtually, also loose the ultimate value and the real look of the life.

Highlight the strength of truth, take on the absurd of life, focus on the current existence and anxiety, and declare the obscures through the customs and common understandings, these are the missions of Conception Art. That is my comprehending of Ming Ke’s photography.

Jan 25^th, 2008

Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts