張文智，1993生於遼寧大連，2018畢業於中央美術學院實驗藝術學院獲碩士學位。現工作生活於北京。

Born in Liaoning, Dalian Province in 1993, ZHANG Wenzhi received master degree from the Experimental Art College of the China Academy of Fine Art in 2018. ZHANG lives and works in Beijing.

藝術家工作方法 Artist Methodology

沙盤式的創作方法

沙盤是指我用的一種製作沙盤式的創作方法。最近我也在思考自己的創作，我常常會把一塊塊素材積木堆壘起來，將他們放置在一個歷史舞臺上，在編排畫面之時自己跟自己做起了遊戲。

“大魚吃小魚,小魚吃蝦米”這樣的故事，不知道小時候在我爺爺給的文稿紙上出現過了多少回。那文稿紙就像是構造另一個世界的生態缸，水草和珊瑚相互交織的海面下，各式樣的海洋生物在橡皮和鉛筆的指揮下游來游去，密密麻麻的燕魚正在珊瑚從中暢遊，一會就可能被巨口魚一口吞下。一部小動畫就被安排在這個屬於自己的小世界裡。現在在我家中的書桌上，依然擺滿了許多的生物標本和各種奇奇怪怪的小物件兒。冰箱上還擺放著一組森貝兒家族的玩偶屋。每次閒暇時間擺弄擺弄他們，真是一件的開心事。

細想想看我最喜歡的小玩意兒，生態缸、鳥籠 、娃娃屋、好奇櫃，不都是一個個小的沙盤模型嗎？這些沙盤都是連接另一個時空的視窗，每一個元素都在另一個次元中模擬神話與歷史交融的各種可能。我在自己創作畫面時也與每個元素對話，也會借由他們之後來回答。這種駕神役鬼的快感，這就如同是小孩在沙坑上擺弄一個個小玩偶玩家家酒一般不亦樂乎。

我現在的創作的風格，基本上還是在研究生畢業之後才穩定下來的。如今畢業三年多了，畫的也不算少，但我的手中幾乎沒有什麼創作稿件，而且我也我不願意在創作時在畫紙上打一個明確的鉛筆稿，基本都是毛筆直接在畫紙上推進。想到什麼就直接編繪出來的方法，有會有感覺到自己更像一個滿嘴現掛的評書藝人。常常我覺得自己不是在完成一件完整的繪畫作品，而是在為自己在講述一篇類似《隋唐演義》的評書故事。當然，很多時候因為畫面當中出現要素過多的原因，而無法讓人通過畫面直觀感受到其中的故事資訊。但對於我來說，這似乎沒有那麼重要。我常常在創作某一個時刻，會因聯想到一個奇怪的的小片段而感到欣喜，會因為自己的臆想而出的某一個歷史片段而開懷大笑。這不就像是在書館說書的先生，借由一個故事而評古論今，情深處掩面而泣，歡愉時拍案放歌的狀態嗎？只不過這書常常是說給自己的，哪怕畫到覺得不如意之處，倒好也是叫給自己聽的。

對於素材的搜集，我基本上來者不拒，既有貼吧知乎不知哪裡來的資訊，也有老人家跟我講到過的記憶模糊的故事，再或是在那些老遺跡上留下的歷史痕跡，我都覺得可以是成為我畫面中能夠用到的素材。可能看似一個近乎無聊的小片段，當把他們都放在一起時，就會產生奇怪的對話，甚至他們自己會發展成一部神話史詩中的小插曲。

我也很喜歡去逛古玩店,尤其是一些不起眼販賣舊報紙和廣告畫的小店，我在其中總能找到一些能夠折射出波瀾壯闊的歷史變遷中的磚縫材料。有時可能只是曾經一張公園內飼養老虎的照片，有時也可能只是一段偏方救治怪病的小道新聞，這些都可以成為我這個說書人的箱底題記。一段小梁子，就能夠編撰出一段段自己臆想出的故事。

所以總結一下，我的創作的關鍵字就是這三個：沙盤，評書，歷史臆想。“沙盤”是自己創作過程中的個人創作的初發意識，“評書“是一種創作時個人感受，“歷史臆想”是一自己一直堅持的創作方向。其實要真的把自己的創作方法很系統的表述出來，對我來說可能自己也有些模糊，這樣梳理一下，可能並沒有整理出自己對於資料的整合方法。但這次做一個這樣整理，會有在這三個關鍵字的基礎上繼續延伸出新的創作形式的可能性，一些新的創作思路也會繼續往下開展。

Scenario making

‘Scenario’ refers to a method I use to create artwork. Recently, I have been thinking about my own creations and I often stack up the materials, place them in a historical context and play with myself as I arrange the images and layout.

I don’t know how many times the story of ‘big fish eating small fish, and small fish eating shrimps’ appeared on the manuscript paper given by my grandfather when I was a child. The paper was like an ecological tank in another world. Under the sea surface with intertwined water plants and corals, all kinds of sea creatures were swimming around under the command of my eraser and pencil, and a dense group of teira batfish were swimming through the corals, which might be swallowed by a giant fish in another moment. A little animation was set in my own little world. My desk at home is still full of specimens and all sorts of weird and wonderful objects. On the fridge there is also a set of Sylvanian Families dollhouse. It’s such a joy to play with them in my spare time.

Once I recall my favourite gadgets – the ecological tank, birdcage, dollhouse, curiosity cabinet – aren’t they small scenario models? These scenarios are windows to another time and space, each element simulates the possibilities of mythology and history in another dimension. I also talk to each of the elements as I create my own images, and later answer all kinds of questions through them. The pleasure of playing with the gods and ghosts is like a child playing with a small doll in a sand table. The style of my current artwork was basically settled down after I finished postgraduate school. More than three years after graduation, I have painted quite a lot, but I hardly have any drafts in hand, and I don’t want to put a clear pencil draft on the paper when I work, I paint with my brush directly onto the paper. The way I draw whatever comes to mind makes me feel more like a mouthy book reviewer. Oftentimes I feel that I am not completing a well-finished painting, instead, telling myself a story similar to the Heroes in Sui and Tang Dynasties. Of course, there are often too many elements in the painting, so that people cannot get a direct impression of the story. But for me, this doesn’t seem to be so important. I am often delighted at a moment in my work when I think of a strange little piece of history, and laugh at a moment in my imagination. Isn’t it like a storyteller in a Chinese teahouse, commenting on the past and the present through stories, weeping at the depth of emotion and singing at the moment of joy? It is often being told to oneself, even if I feel that the painting is not satisfactory, it is still to myself.

I basically collect material from all sorts of sources, from information that comes from social media posts, from old people telling me vague stories, or from historical traces left on old relics, all of which can be materials in my painting. What may seem like an almost boring little fragment, when they are put together, it creates a strange dialogue, or even a small episode in a mythological epic.

I also enjoy visiting antique shops, especially the humble ones selling old newspapers and advertisements, where I can always find something that reflects fragments of the grand history. Sometimes it might just be a picture of a tiger in a park, or a piece of news about a remedy for a strange disease, all those could become the storyteller’s inspiration. A small piece of story can compile stories out of imagination.

To sum up, these are the three keywords in my creative work: Scenario, Storytelling and Historical imagination. ‘Scenario’ is the initial awareness of my own creative process, ‘Storytelling’ is a personal feeling during the creation, and ‘Historical imagination’ is a creative direction that I have always insisted on. In fact, if I were to express my creative method in a systematic way, it might be a bit vague to me, so I might not be able to sort out my own method of integrating information. However, by organising it in this way, I will be able to build on these three key words and continue to develop new creative forms and ideas.