Natural installation of Yuxing Wang
Writer: 洪枫 Feng Hong
北京大学新闻与传播学院博雅博士后，独立策展人、艺术评论家。她毕业于浙江大学传媒与国际文化学院，新闻传播学博士，专注于视觉文化、艺术社会学和公共艺术研究。
A Boya Postdoctoral Fellow at the School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University, she is an independent curator and art critic. She graduated from the College of Media and International Culture, Zhejiang University, with a Ph.D. in Journalism and Communication, focusing on visual culture, art sociology, and public art research.
Date: 31/01/2024
Keywords: natural / inner world / collective aesthetics
Wang Yuxing, born in 1985, Chongqing, graduated from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in 2007, and currently lives and works in Beijing. He is interested in natural phenomena, self-awareness, the relationship between people and the environment, and the impact of image production on personal or collective aesthetics and the spiritual world. He believes in the power of visual language, tending to use images as a medium to create both “consciously” and “unconsciously”, exploring the connection between the inner and outer worlds. By reconstructing through imagination and capturing observations, he seeks new inspiration. His works have been exhibited at Three Shadows Photography Art Centre, 798 Art Center, and Shanghai Exhibition Center, among others.
倒数涟漪，80×56cm，收藏级微喷，纯棉硫酸钡艺术纸，2023 (图左）
Count backwards，80×56cm，Archival Inkjet Print, Photo Rag Baryta，2023（left)
下坠，80×56cm，收藏级微喷，纯棉硫酸钡艺术纸，2023 (图右）
Fall Into，80×56cm，Archival Inkjet Print, Photo Rag Baryta，2023（right)
Count backwards，80×56cm，Archival Inkjet Print, Photo Rag Baryta，2023（left)
下坠，80×56cm，收藏级微喷，纯棉硫酸钡艺术纸，2023 (图右）
Fall Into，80×56cm，Archival Inkjet Print, Photo Rag Baryta，2023（right)
——卢梭《论语言的起源》
As the first motives that made man speak were the passions, his first expressions were Tropes. Figurative language was the first to arise, proper meaning was found last. Things were not called by their true name until they were seen in their genuine form. At first, only poetry was spoken. Only long afterward did anyone take it into his head to reason.
——Jean-Jacques Rousseau's “Essay on the Origin of Languages”
自然码，50×50cm，UV喷墨打印，镜面铝板，2023 (图左）
Natural Code，50×50cm，UV Inkjet Printing, Mirror Aluminum Plate，2023（left)
展览现场，2024 (图右）
Exhibition view，2024（right)
Natural Code，50×50cm，UV Inkjet Printing, Mirror Aluminum Plate，2023（left)
展览现场，2024 (图右）
Exhibition view，2024（right)
2023年10月21日，王屿星的展览“自然码码”于三影堂摄影艺术中心开幕，持续至11月12日。展览的作品大部分拍摄于2020-2022年，是人们最渴望离开困顿、拥抱自然的时期，王屿星为此设计了一枚“自然码”。这枚绿色的符码中心是一个中文与英文交融的符号：“自然”的首字母Z与“nature”的首字母N的结合，生成了一个自然的迷宫，宛如@的变体，区分着用户与终端。中间的字母也像是像是磁铁的北极（N），始终为展览定位，令观者始终感受到自然的存在。
On October 21, 2023, Wang Yuxing's exhibition “Natural Code Code” opened at the Three Shadows Photography Art Centre and will run until November 12. Most of the works on display were shot between 2020 and 2022, a time when people longed to escape confinement and embrace nature. To reflect this, Wang Yuxing designed a “Natural Code”. This green symbol features a central character that combines Chinese and English elements: the letter “Z” from “Zi ran”(Chinese of “nature”) and “N” from “nature,” forming a labyrinth-like design resembling a variant of the “@” symbol, distinguishing users from endpoints. The central letter also resembles the north pole of a magnet (N), serving as the exhibition's guiding point, reminding viewers of the constant presence of nature.
展览现场，2024
Exhibition view，2024
整场展览是在王屿星的设想下布置的，他将作品分为五个章节，并将音乐的意象纳入其中，使之对应五件代表着“音乐图像”的作品，形成交叉叙事。为了使观者更好地体验到这一点，王屿星充分动用了空间的叙事结构，使之成为意图与空间的复合体：在进入展厅看到第一件正式作品“灵感浇灌”之前，观者先会经过挂在窗上的百叶帘“开场曲：清醒？”。它带我们从草丛的视角望向天空中的树影，天清日白，阳光会在晴朗的下午从帘后洒下。其它四件“音乐图像”则放置在厅中的一个小间，形成一个半开放的“演奏厅”，“燃烧曲：归还”挂于小厅入口处，得以与展览最开始的作品遥相呼应，成为一个循环。这精心的设置彰显了一时一地的独特性，策展人的身份将艺术家的自主权范围从艺术品延伸到了整个展览空间，使其成为一个装置。
The entire exhibition was arranged according to Wang Yuxing's vision, with works divided into five chapters, incorporating the imagery of music. Each chapter corresponds to one of five works representing “musical images,” creating an intersectional narrative structure.To enhance the visitor's experience, Wang Yuxing carefully designed the exhibition's spatial narrative, turning it into a composite of intention and space: before encountering the first formal piece, “Inspiration Watering”, visitors pass by a set of blinds hanging in the window titled “Opening Song: Sober?”. This piece takes us from the perspective of grass, looking up at the silhouettes of trees against the clear sky. The sunlight filters through the blinds on a bright afternoon. The other four “musical images” are placed in a smaller room within the hall, creating a semi-open “performance hall”. “Burning Song: Return” is hung at the entrance to this smaller room, creating a resonation with the exhibition's first piece to form a loop. This meticulous arrangement highlights the unique character of both this time and this place, extending the artist's autonomy from creating individual artworks to curating the entire exhibition space, turning the space into an installation in itself.
开场曲：清醒？, 120×80cm，UV喷墨打印，铝镁合金，百叶帘，2023(图左）
Opening Song: Sober?, 120×80cm，UV Inkjet Printing, Al-mg Alloy, Louver，2023（left)
燃烧曲：归还72×48cm，UV喷墨打印，亚克力木框灯箱，2023 (图右）
Burning Song：Return，72×48cm，UV Inkjet Printing, Acrylic Wood Frame Lightbox，2023（right)
燃烧曲：归还72×48cm，UV喷墨打印，亚克力木框灯箱，2023 (图右）
Burning Song：Return，72×48cm，UV Inkjet Printing, Acrylic Wood Frame Lightbox，2023（right)
毫无疑问，王屿星属意自然。他从自然中汲取灵感，并试图呈现他所感受到的某个风景的不同面向。从第一件正式作品“灵感浇灌”开始，以整面墙的作品探索瀑布、水滴、以及洞穴的意象。它们都可以追溯到“观赏瀑布”这一作品对应的风景上。
Undoubtedly, Wang Yuxing adores nature. He takes elements from the natural world and attempts to showcase different aspects of a particular landscape as he perceives them. Starting with the first formal piece, “Inspiration Watering”, he explores the imagery of waterfalls, raindrops, and caves through a wall-spanning display. All these elements trace back to the corresponding landscape depicted in the work “Watch the Waterfall”.
纵观“观赏瀑布”全图，崖壁嶙峋、青苔遍布。左面的崖洞构成史前巨兽的脸，笑意盈盈，半隐于薄纱般的瀑布后，口中吐出的半透明线条仿佛一个纵情于山水的灵魂。前景的山石适逢特别的角度，呈现出一个勃起的阳具形象。到底是王屿星多次拍摄终于遇见这一瞬间，还是自然愿意显示其天然状态，我们不得而知，但自然昂扬的精神宛然在目，确实是一种自在。
In the full view of “Watch The Waterfall”, the cliff is rugged and covered with moss. The cave on the left forms the face of a prehistoric creature, smiling faintly, half-hidden behind a veil-like waterfall, with semi-transparent lines flowing from its mouth, as if it were a soul reveling in the natural landscape. The rocks in the foreground, at a particular angle, resemble an erect phallus. Whether this moment was captured by Wang Yuxing after many attempts or nature chose to reveal its natural state, we cannot tell. However, the vibrant spirit of nature is clear, exuding a sense of being at ease with itself.
灵感浇灌，40×31cm，收藏级微喷，纯棉硫酸钡艺术纸，2023(图左）
Inspiration Watering, 40×31cm，Archival Inkjet Print, Photo Rag Baryta，2023（left)
观赏瀑布，120×84cm，收藏级微喷，纯棉硫酸钡艺术纸，2023 (图右）
Watch The Waterfall，120×84cm，Archival Inkjet Print, Photo Rag Baryta，2023（right)
Inspiration Watering, 40×31cm，Archival Inkjet Print, Photo Rag Baryta，2023（left)
观赏瀑布，120×84cm，收藏级微喷，纯棉硫酸钡艺术纸，2023 (图右）
Watch The Waterfall，120×84cm，Archival Inkjet Print, Photo Rag Baryta，2023（right)
虽然整张照片看起来浑然天成，但却是王屿星多次在瀑布旁取景、叠加而成。磅礴的流水复合了瀑布非连续的瞬间，形成更为“完整”的瀑布本体；“灵魂”亦取自瀑布的局部像素，抽象、变形、生成线条后再组合。这些工作，彰显了自然的自为。
While the whole photograph seems natural and harmonious, it is the result of Wang Yuxing's multiple shootings by the waterfall, combining and overlaying different scenes. The majestic flowing water merges discontinuous moments of the waterfall into a more “complete” ontology of the waterfall. The “soul” is also derived from specific pixels of the waterfall, abstracted, distorted, and regenerated into lines, which are then recombined. This process showcases the autonomy of nature.
尽管于本雅明而言，摄影乃是“复制”，相机的取景框不过是从自然中剥离出被摄物，风景图像如同“现成品”，但王屿星尝试用各种方式去改变手中的“风景”，使它们不再仅仅是相机摄取的图像。他凸显人工痕迹，使最终成品成为再创作的“原作”，新的灵韵闪耀其间。并非刻意强调劳作，但这探索的过程是其重构的必由之路。王屿星的“作者性”正体现在这里：他不是要改变所摄物，而是要给所摄物重新定义，以符合他心中的“自然”。
Although for Walter Benjamin, photography is about “reproduction”, and the camera's viewfinder merely extracts the subject from nature, with landscape images akin to “ready-made objects”, Wang Yuxing attempts to alter the “landscapes” in his hands in various ways so that they are no longer just images captured by a camera. He highlights the traces of human intervention, turning the final product into a “new original” through re-creation, with a fresh aura shining through. He does not deliberately emphasize his labor, but this process of exploration is an essential path to his reconstruction. Wang Yuxing's “authorship” is revealed here: he does not seek to change the subjects he photographs, but rather to redefine them to align with his own vision of “nature”.
漩涡瀑布，120×93cm，收藏级微喷，纯棉硫酸钡艺术纸，2021(图左）
Whirlpool Waterfall，120×93cm，Archival Inkjet Print, Photo Rag Baryta，2021（left)
被反复塑造的自然：藤蔓，120×80cm，综合材料：收藏级微喷，纯棉金属硫酸钡艺术纸，拉菲草，不锈钢扣，不锈钢针，2023 (图右）
The Natural Has Been Shaped Repeatedly: Vine，120×80cm，Composite Material: Archival Inkjet Print, Photo Rag Metallic, Raffia, Stainless Steel Buckle,
Stainless Steel Needle，2023（right)
Whirlpool Waterfall，120×93cm，Archival Inkjet Print, Photo Rag Baryta，2021（left)
被反复塑造的自然：藤蔓，120×80cm，综合材料：收藏级微喷，纯棉金属硫酸钡艺术纸，拉菲草，不锈钢扣，不锈钢针，2023 (图右）
The Natural Has Been Shaped Repeatedly: Vine，120×80cm，Composite Material: Archival Inkjet Print, Photo Rag Metallic, Raffia, Stainless Steel Buckle,
Stainless Steel Needle，2023（right)
作品“漩涡瀑布”即是循着这一法则产生的。它与前几件作品脱胎于同一片瀑布，但在数字编辑后，生成了王屿星最初游历瀑布时产生的眩晕感。这种似乎完全脱离被摄物原状的数字化处理，并非意欲对摄影与图像进行本体论的探讨，而是在对所摄物的不断调试中寻觅图像数字生成的各种形式，用新的图像语言去描述当初的感受，最终留下最贴近的“截面”，是他以灵感去描述灵感的方式。
The work “Whirlpool Waterfall” is created following this principle. Although it is derived from the same waterfall as previous works, after digital editing, it generates the dizzying sensation that Wang Yuxing first felt while exploring the waterfall. This kind of digital processing, which seems to entirely deviate from the original appearance of the subject, is not meant to explore the ontology of photography and image, but to find various forms of digital image generation through constant adjustments of the subject. By using a new visual language to describe his initial feelings, he aims to capture the “cross-section” that most closely reflects those feelings. It is his way of describing inspiration through inspiration.
缓慢上升，缓慢融化，尺寸可变，综合材料：木板，麻绳，不锈钢扣，人造雪，2023
Slowly Rising，Slowly Melting，Variable Size, Composite Material: Wood, Hemp Rope, Stainless Steel Buckle, Artificial Snow，2023
Slowly Rising，Slowly Melting，Variable Size, Composite Material: Wood, Hemp Rope, Stainless Steel Buckle, Artificial Snow，2023
而“被反复塑造的自然：藤蔓”系列则明示了艺术家与自然的关系：在森林中，王屿星捡起一棵树周围散落的木块，将它们环绕这棵树，竖直插入大地，摆出了颇有仪式感的阵仗。拍摄、后期、喷绘成像，再用钢制登山扣束缚住图像的四个角。揉搓、折磨图像以产生肌理，从图像对应的自然中提取局部的侧写，并用拉菲草缝合这两张图片，缝合“整体”与“局部”，其缝合路线，乃是自然码的核心符号。
The series “The Natural Has Been Shaped Repeatedly: Vine” illustrates the artist's relationship with nature. In a forest, Wang Yuxing collected pieces of wood scattered around a tree, arranged them around the tree, and inserted them into the ground, creating a ritualistic setup. The process involved shooting, post-production, and printing the image, then securing the four corners with steel carabiners. By crumpling and distressing the image to create texture, he extracted partial profiles from the corresponding natural scene. He then used raffia to stitch two images together, merging the “whole” with the “part”. The stitching path follows the core symbol of Natural Code.
图像即是树，80×56cm，收藏级微喷，纯棉硫酸钡艺术纸，2023(图左）
The Image Is The Tree，80×56cm，Archival Inkjet Print, Photo Rag Baryta，2023（left)
The Image Is The Tree，80×56cm，Archival Inkjet Print, Photo Rag Baryta，2023（left)
灌溉，尺寸可变，综合材料：紫竹，不锈钢扣，瑜伽球，“瀑布图像”喷墨打印，铜版纸，透明胶带，铅笔，卡纸，不锈钢丝，毛笔，营养土，“瀑布旁边的石头”，水光纱，马克笔，2023（图右）
Irrigate，Variable Size, Composite Material: Black Bamboo, Stainless Steel Buckle, Yoga Ball, "Waterfall Image" Inkjet Printing, Coated Paper, Transparent Tape, Pencil,
Cardboard,Stainless Steel Wire, Writing Brush, Nutrient Soil, "The Stone By The Waterfall", Organza, Promarker，2023（right)
Irrigate，Variable Size, Composite Material: Black Bamboo, Stainless Steel Buckle, Yoga Ball, "Waterfall Image" Inkjet Printing, Coated Paper, Transparent Tape, Pencil,
Cardboard,Stainless Steel Wire, Writing Brush, Nutrient Soil, "The Stone By The Waterfall", Organza, Promarker，2023（right)
展厅中有一个并不属于自然的秋千。木板上的积雪再次堆叠出自然码的符号。我意识到应该将其视作一个图腾。这一图腾出现得如此频繁，以至于观者不可能不注意到，虽然是否感受/认同其信仰，因人而异。图腾是一个神话抽离出来的程式，其神圣性在于用独特的形式令人铭记其背后的仪式关系，引导人们换位到神话所欲构建的观念体系。而任何仪式，无非都是通过一套规则从一个状态引渡到另一个状态。因此，观者从一开始在展厅门口看到带着自然码的海报时，就已经在逐步走入这场自然仪式——展厅外和展厅内的状态当然判然有别。
In the exhibition hall, there's a swing that's not part of nature. The snow accumulated on the wooden board once again forms the symbol of Natural Code. I realized it should be seen as a totem. This totem appears so frequently that visitors can't help but notice it, though whether they feel or agree with its significance varies from person to person. A totem is a pattern derived from a myth, whose sanctity lies in its unique form that reminds people of the ritualistic relationships behind it, guiding them to a conceptual framework that the myth aims to build. Every ritual is merely a set of rules that transitions from one state to another. Therefore, from the moment visitors see the poster with Natural Code at the entrance, they are already gradually entering this natural ritual—the states outside and inside the exhibition hall are, of course, quite distinct.
这场仪式几乎没有文字（整场展览未贴展签），而是将图像当做语言，以直观理解经验，以感性理解感性。整场展览惟一的文字出现在“图像即是树”这件作品上。作品中是一棵孤立于树林与雪地的树。王屿星在这棵树周围绘制了一圈圈的虚线，像是自然码图腾的印记。在这张照片之下，是由该图像数字生成的格状基底，它抽象了雪与树的感觉。王屿星在这层基底的右下角留出了一个白色的小方形，上面手写着三行字：“图像本身即是一切”。逐行涂去的“图像”“一切”“图像本身即是”形成了节奏感，这便是整个自然装置的法则，是自然仪式的祷词。
This ritual contains little text (the exhibition did not put on wall text), but instead, uses images as the language to understand experiences through intuition and to perceive sensibility through emotion. The only text in the entire exhibition appears in the piece “The Image Is The Tree”. The work features a tree isolated from a forest on a snowy field. Wang Yuxing has drawn concentric dashes around this tree, resembling the marks of Natural Code totem. Below this photo is a grid-like background digitally generated from the image, abstracting the feeling of snow and trees. Wang Yuxing left a small white square at the bottom right corner of this base, handwritten with three lines: “The image itself is everything”. The lines “image”, “everything”, and “the image itself is” are crossed out individually, creating a rhythmic pattern. This reflects the guiding principle of the entire natural installation and acts as a prayer in the natural ritual.
寒冷的白色像素，40×31cm，收藏级微喷，纯棉硫酸钡艺术纸，2023(图左）
Cold White Pixels，40×31cm，Archival Inkjet Print, Photo Rag Baryta，2023（left)
意识挂在树上，80×56cm，收藏级微喷，硫化钡艺术纸，2023（图中）
Consciousness hangs on trees，80×56cm，Archival Inkjet Print，Photo Rag Baryta（middle )
咒语，80×56cm，收藏级微喷，硫化钡艺术纸，2023 (图右）
Incantation，80×56cm，Archival Inkjet Print，Photo Rag Baryta，2023（right)
Cold White Pixels，40×31cm，Archival Inkjet Print, Photo Rag Baryta，2023（left)
意识挂在树上，80×56cm，收藏级微喷，硫化钡艺术纸，2023（图中）
Consciousness hangs on trees，80×56cm，Archival Inkjet Print，Photo Rag Baryta（middle )
咒语，80×56cm，收藏级微喷，硫化钡艺术纸，2023 (图右）
Incantation，80×56cm，Archival Inkjet Print，Photo Rag Baryta，2023（right)
也正是从这一角度，我们可以理解在展厅一角、在起始作品与最终作品之间，在展期中生成的一件作品，“灌溉”。这件作品最初是一个由三根竹竿捆绑而成的支架，其中一根画满了自然码图腾。尽管是以“树”的名义制作，但这三根竹竿的集合体既像篝火又像营帐，时时流露出人工祭祀品的仪式感。这棵“树”自生成之日便每日被王屿星“灌溉“，逐日生长，在展览结束之时仿若一个“新娘”：展览海报的底图被揉成一个规整的圆球置于顶端，上面顶着意喻着瀑布的薄纱，“树”脚下则是有机培植土聚成的自然码图腾。在一旁，生出了一个同样结构的微型“树”，它的名字是，“一棵新的树干”。以这样一种动态生成的方式，王屿星将每天的创作灵感外化，如水流般“灌溉”了作品，为观者提供了一个富有生命力的体验空间，也令他的自然生机盎然。
From this perspective, we can understand a work created during the exhibition, located in a corner of the gallery, between the opening piece and the final one. This work, titled “Irrigate”, was initially a structure made of three bamboo poles tied together, with one of the poles covered in Natural Code totem. Although it was crafted in the guise of a “tree”, this cluster of bamboo poles resembled both a campfire and a tent, exuding a sense of ritualistic human artifact. From the day this “tree” was created, it was “irrigated” daily by Wang Yuxing, growing day by day. By the end of the exhibition, it appeared like a “bride”: the base image from the exhibition poster was crumpled into a neat sphere and placed at the top, with a sheer fabric symbolizing a waterfall draped over it. The base of the “tree” was surrounded by nutrient soil shaped into Natural Code totem. Beside it, a similarly structured miniature “tree” emerged, named “A New Trunk” . Through this dynamic creation process, Wang Yuxing externalized his daily creative inspiration, “irrigating” the work like flowing water, providing visitors with a vibrant and lively space, and imbuing the exhibition with a sense of natural vitality.