Shrin Neshat是伊朗裔美國籍的藝術家。她以描繪其原鄉伊斯蘭文化的概念攝影與影像而著稱，風格華麗、優美，充滿詩意。作為常年定居美國的伊朗人，她用視覺論述的方式，著力探討當今伊斯蘭社會裡的宗教和世俗、女人和男人、傳統與現代、東方和西方等複雜關係。我們將透過他的鏡頭看到不一樣的伊斯蘭，在伊斯蘭語境下發生的人類共通的問題，這有別於911事件後人們所熟知的由媒體創造、單一且負面的伊斯蘭印象。(以上摘自林冠藝廊的介紹)
這個展覽的名稱是〈Women without Men〉(中譯:沒有男人的女人們)
地點在林冠藝廊，北京798藝術特區。
798是北京新興的藝術集散地。許多藝術家看上了朝陽區798工業區，因其面積廣闊、租金便宜，建築又大有可改造的空間，而紛紛將工作室和藝廊遷到此地。今日，豐沛的藝術氣息吹散了工業煙霧，建構出一個藝術家揮灑自我的天地。然而我覺得那邊大部分的中國藝術家的作品都不怎樣，譁眾取寵，只是為了吸引外國人來買畫。不要忘記，真正動人的藝術永遠是源自於自己的根。
〈Women without Men〉由五部影片組成，拍攝於2004-2008年間，創作藍本來自於伊朗女作家Shahrnush Pasipur在1989年遭禁的同名小說《Women without Men》。這本小說運用了許多隱喻和破壞性的文字，來揭露社會和宗教所帶給不同階層的女性的壓力。然而，Shrin Neshat並非以再現原著的寫實手法來創作，她保留原著的魔幻寫實味道，並加入更多超現實和虛幻語境。此外，她放任劇中人物的動態在畫面上流洩，以一種自然的態度來處理作品，重點不在於複刻原著，而在於提煉情緒色彩。影片奇妙的視覺效果，魔幻的故事情節，和深刻的思想性，引領觀眾投入到五位女性與社會禁忌抗爭的自由之戰當中。那話不多說，讓我們來看看作品。五部影片的片名分別為:〈Mahdokht〉、〈Zarin〉、〈Munis〉、〈Faezeh〉、〈Farokh Legha〉。
以下挑出我印象深刻的影片來談談。
〈Mahdokht〉的場景是第一張圖片，一個女人坐在森林裡，瘋狂地編織黃色的毛線。有些人會被這張圖片嚇壞了，但這卻是我最喜愛的一幕，我覺得它好美，一種又壓抑又瘋狂的美。畫面上的女人逼視你的眼睛，你震懾於她的樣貌和舉動和赤裸的眼神，你覺得害怕，想逃離現場，但你看得目不轉睛。這是個四十多歲的女老師的故事，她是個被貞操和繁衍觀念捆綁的處女，有一天，她坐在森林裡面，瘋狂地為她的學生們編織黃色的毛線衣服。一直編、一直編，直到她變成了一棵多產的樹。很多孩子穿著黃色的毛線衣，從樹林裡跑出來，蹦呀、跳呀... ...。這部影片講述社會中對女性的性壓抑，以及對"處女"的偏執和美好想像。在這樣被建構出來的社會牢籠裡，許多無法反抗的女性只能默默承受，化身無聲而多產的植物。這種"超現實"的手法，真是比"寫實"更貼近"真實"。
〈Zarin〉的場景是第二、三、四張照片。Zarin是個患有厭食症的年輕妓女。受到社會的極大歧視之下，她開始出現幻覺，在她眼裡，每個和她發生關係的男人的臉都開始慢慢消失... ...，五官不見了，只剩下平整的皮膚，像是慢慢被吞噬一樣。她覺得自己是個受到逞罰的女人，因此她跑到羅馬澡堂去，開始用力地洗刷自己的身體，試圖洗淨一切，直到渾身的皮膚破皮，一條條的血痕爬在瘦骨嶙峋的身體上，怵目驚心。她又轉而求助於伊斯蘭宗教，但依舊無法得到救贖。Zarin的蒼白皮膚和鮮紅嘴唇，非常深刻地留在我心裡。在這種巨大的社會道德壓迫下，有些女人藉由自殘來抵抗社會和宗教的論斷。全片的色彩基調偏向灰暗，藍色綠色大量出現，帶給人寒冷的視覺經驗。同時，那些駭人的景象，像是沒有臉的男人、瘋狂自殘的女人，也讓觀眾得以深刻地反思。
〈Faezeh〉講述了一場血淋淋的性暴力。Faezeh在樹林裡被一個蒙著面紗的女人逮住，接著被一些男人強暴。這場可怕的強暴粉碎了她對婚姻美好想像。在伊朗的傳統背景下，被強暴的女人除了喪失社會地位，更被貼上不潔、禍害的標籤。片中的暴力鏡頭令人膽戰心驚，我想到〈茉莉人生〉中的一幕:"法律規定不能處死處女，因此處女必須被逼迫和某個士兵結婚，然後大家輪流姦汙了她... ..."
最後值得一提的是這五部影片皆以伊朗原聲放映，不配翻譯。因此我們能夠不分心去看字幕，而更投入於劇中情節，並強化自身對於異文化的感受。
Shrin Neshat是這麼說的：「生活是一場為自由之戰，一場與嚴酷的社會禮教和禁忌抗爭的過程。」
(Life is a struggle for freedom and survival in a society that lays down strict rules regarding religion, sex and social behaviors.)
以下附上網路上的五部影片解說
Mahdokht is about a school teacher in her 40’s. Mahdokht is a virgin who isobsessed with virginity and her own fertility. She sits on the ground in aforest and frantically knits bright yellow clothes for children until sheeventually leaves her life as a human being to become a fertile tree. Interms of universal issues, you could say that this video touches on thedamaging effects of sexual repression of women, obsession with virginity, andwith fertility as a measure of a woman’s value.
The second video, Zarin, is the story of an anorexic, young prostitute whobegins to fear for her sanity when she starts seeing all men with featurelessfaces. Convinced that she is being punished, Zarin flees to the publicbathhouse and scrubs herself until she bleeds. When that doesn’t restore themen’s faces, she prays at the mosque, but without result. You could say thatZarin touches on the universal issue of self-mutilation by women in responseto social or religious judgment.
The second video, Zarin, is the story of an anorexic, young prostitute whobegins to fear for her sanity when she starts seeing all men with featurelessfaces. Convinced that she is being punished, Zarin flees to the publicbathhouse and scrubs herself until she bleeds. When that doesn’t restore themen’s faces, she prays at the mosque, but without result. You could say thatZarin touches on the universal issue of self-mutilation by women in responseto social or religious judgment.
The next video, Munis , is the story of a young woman who is oppressed by abrother who refuses to let her be politically active, or even listen to thenews on the radio. Inspired when she witnesses the death of a revolutionaryhero, she commits suicide by jumping off a roof. But even in her experienceof politics after death, Munis feels lost. You could say that Munis toucheson the importance of freedom of political expression by women and theuniversal issue of male-dominance as a form of misguided protection of women.
The third video, Faezeh, is the story of a young woman whose dreams ofmarriage and family are shattered by rape. Faezeh is haunted by a veiledwoman in the forest, until she is confronted by her own rape and the factthat she will never have her ideal marriage and family. You could say thatFaezeh touches on the universal issues of ideals of marriage and family,violence towards women and the idea of virginity as something sacred andnon-virgin women as defiled or ruined.
The third video, Faezeh, is the story of a young woman whose dreams ofmarriage and family are shattered by rape. Faezeh is haunted by a veiledwoman in the forest, until she is confronted by her own rape and the factthat she will never have her ideal marriage and family. You could say thatFaezeh touches on the universal issues of ideals of marriage and family,violence towards women and the idea of virginity as something sacred andnon-virgin women as defiled or ruined.
And finally, Farokh Legha is the story of a rich, middle-age woman whoattempts to create an identity for herself as a member of the cultural eliteafter her husband dies. This attempt does not succeed, but later we can seethat she has developed compassion as she saves Zarin from drowning. You couldsay that Farokh Legha touches on the universal issues of a woman’s identityin relationship to her husband and society, and the importance of women’ssolidarity and compassion towards each other.
參考資料和圖片出自
另外還有一些不錯的評論
