橋本仁個展《記憶密碼 1895-1946》藝術家訪談
Artist Leading the Way | Taipei Artist Village: Exclusive Interviews with Artists-In-Residence
This interview was carried out by Maria Dolfini (M) and Chung Ying Ying (Y) in conversation with the artist Jin Hashimoto (J)
Scroll down for the Chinese version.
M+Y: Could you firstly introduce yourself and the reason why you chose Treasure Hill Taipei Artist Village as residency programme? Being fascinated by the concepts of presence, memory and time, how have you interacted and responded to the geographical location of Taipei?
J: I am Jin Hashimoto, a Japanese artist. I have obtained a Bachelor and Master degrees in Metalsmithing at the Tokyo University of The Arts and since then I have been working independently on my art practice.
For what regards Treasure Hill Taipei Artist Village, I actually did not know the history and characteristics of this place at first, I have chosen it out of chance. I selected the residency through an exchange programme sponsored by the Japanese government. This programme was promoting international residencies for Japanese artists in different cultures; I chose Taiwan and Taipei because of my interest in Wansei history. In fact, in 2016 I had already participated in two groups exhibitions in Taipei, at the F&F gallery and G Gallery respectively.
Moreover, in 2017 I completed a residency in Kaohsiung, in the south of Taiwan, for three months. In Kaohsiung I was staying in a place near where my grandmother used to live when she was a child in Taiwan, so her memory naturally started unfolding in my head and I began researching my family history and the phenomenon of Wansei.
After this residency in Kaohsiung I went back to Japan, but I have always wanted to return to Taiwan to continue what I had started; this residency at Treasure Hill Artist Village was then the perfect opportunity. My family, in fact, lived in Taipei for a long time in the past. So, there has always been a strong connection with this city and country, however I never got the chance to work on Wansei history before. This exhibition at Treasure Hill focuses on Wansei, thus it completes my journey towards the pursuit of my roots.
M+Y: As you just mentioned, the works in your current exhibition ‘Memory Code 1895-1946’ at Treasure Hill Taipei Artist Village address the history of Wansei. Wansei literally means “Taiwan-born” and refers to those Japanese who were born in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period (1895-1946) and were forced to repatriate to Japan after the Second World War, facing complex identity issues and discrimination. It seems you have thoroughly researched the theme of Wansei; why is Wansei a personal topic to you?
J: The connection between Taiwan and I dates back to 1895. At the beginning of Japanese colonial period, my ancestors Inosuke Takahashi and Hama arrived in Taipei and got married shortly after. Two generations later, my grandmother was born and grew up in Taiwan until the age of 17 years old when Japan was defeated in World War II. Therefore, the memory of my grandmother is my personal connection to the collective history of Wansei. From my point of view, it is natural to return to my roots and past; without past, the present does not exist. It is fundament in my art practice to feel the personal memory of my ancestors as if it was my own personal memory.
Although I interviewed several Wansei in Japan, my interest mainly lies in my personal family history and memory. However, in order to gain deep insight into my family tree I need to understand the historical memory around this phenomenon. I am not saying that I am not interested in the collective memory of Wansei, but in general this is my perspective on life and art: we need to start from our personal views and the small phenomenon around us in order to achieve greater perspective on more universal issues.
M+Y: Could you introduce your current solo show ‘Memory Code 1895-1946’ at Treasure Hill Taipei Artist Village and any particular elements that you would like to highlight?
J: This exhibition includes different art mediums: photography, wood sculptures, paintings and installations. Although these artworks might appear different and evoke a dissimilar range of sensations, all of them are made with the same objective: I hope the viewer can feel the temporal gap and spatial distance between the past and the present. For example, wood carving in my practice symbolises the present: I am carving. But through the carved wood, placed in front of other materials, we can see the past: a photograph of Keelung in Memory Code – Keelung port 1946 or an old map of Taipei in Memory Code.
In this sense my art is not realistic, but abstract. Not because the artworks are not figurative but because of how they convey the past. In fact, I believe that history plays a realistic role and is preserved in historical documents in archives, visual art instead needs to unfold the past and present through abstract and conceptual creations.
M+Y: For most of the artworks in the exhibition you adopted wood as medium and carving as technique. The process of making in your art is very interesting and requires great patience and precision. What would you say is the meaning of carving in your art practice?
J: “One must always maintain one’s connection to the past and yet ceaselessly pull away from it. To remain in touch with the past requires a love of memory. To remain in touch with the past requires a constant imaginative effort”
- Gaston Bachelard
My art practice is deeply inspired by the thought of French philosopher Gaston Bachelard. The present is the accumulation of many different phenomena, actions and information. The accumulation of these moments is a code that can be broken. Similarly, the meaning of wood carving is an accumulation of small gestures and moments which take place in the present. For me the time of making is thus very important, the process is fundamental. In fact, I spend a long time carving the wood! I want the viewer to perceive this stretch of time, to feel my presence through the work. This is what I call the ‘accumulation of time’ in my oeuvre.
Carving is also crucial in my painting series Memory Code-Keelung and Memory Code-Kaohsiung . I overlap many layers of acrylic paint and I eventually carve the surface to create shapes. I refuse to work only with one layer, since it is only through the process of carving that I can ‘accumulate time’. I want the viewer to feel this sense of time.
M+Y: In Memory Code It is very interesting how the carved wood is placed on the surface of paintings or photographs, almost creating a sort of filter or framework for the image, thus directing the audience towards a specific viewing experience. What role does wood play in this series of artworks? Can you briefly introduce your installation Memory Code and the materials you employed?
J: Yes, you are right, wood does play the role of filter. As I mentioned before, to me carved wood symbolises the present. As we can see the picture only through the filter of wood, the past is filtered by the present factor. The distance between the wood and the other material in the artwork depends, as the temporal gap between past and present varies. For example, in Memory Code wood and photography are very close, while in the installation Memory Code the wood stands far apart from the soil and it almost protects it.
In this installation Memory Code, I use soil and wood as main mediums.
To me, the material of soil represents the past and the earth; we are in constant relation to it. Moreover, the soil relates to a concrete idea of ‘nationality’, which to me is the relationship between and individual and their land and country not a politically construct concept. I believe that people who lived or live on the same soil share the same roots. On a universal level, soil is also the middle ground which connects humans to the cosmos.
As I mentioned above, the wood hanging above the soil represents instead the present filter through which we see and perceive the past. Through the carved wood placed on the pictures of Wansei’s memory and soil as symbol of the beginning and the end, I wish you can feel the special connection between the past and the present, Wansei and us.
The other artworks in the exhibition are based on very specific memories: a picture of Kaohsiung and Keelung harbours respectively in Memory Code-There and Memory Code – Keelung Port; graphs depicting the statistics of Wansei repatriation to Japan in 1946 in Memory Code – Kaohsiung, Memory Code- Keelung Port 1946, Memory Code-Keelung and Memory Code – Kaohsiung.
The soil in Memory Code instead connects personal human memory to collective and historical memory; again, from the small things around us I expand and reach bigger and universal concepts: the movement is from the earth towards the universe.
M+Y: The Canadian scholar Harold A. Innis explores the role of different media in transmitting information throughout time and space; depending on our intention, we might choose a different medium. Taking architecture as example, the intention behind the stone or marble structure of Western churches and the wood of East Asian temples are totally different, despite both holding a space for the gods. You seem to have reflected on such questions before, like you always use iron and wood. However, Iron and wood are extremely different materials and possess different characteristics and connotations: iron renders a sense of sturdiness, firmness and solidity, while wood has a softer nature and it is easily damaged or deformed. So how do you usually choose the materials in your art practice? What elements do you take into consideration?
J: Iron and wood are both natural elements coming from the earth, so I do not see them as necessarily distinct. In the end, we share the same roots.
I always try to adjust my body and mind to fit the material I am using: it is a feeling.
For this reason, I was using iron as an art medium when I was a student; at the time I was young and strong, so iron fitted my body shape and personality perfectly: I felt like iron! Iron is powerful, massive, incandescent and heavy, it requires a lot of strength to be handled.
For example, ‘Memory Code’ (2011) in Tokyo Ueno Park is 3 tons and 5 meters! Since in our modern society everything has become monumentally big and high – such as the cityscape populated by high-raises –, if I decided to keep using iron as a medium, I would have had to create colossal sculptures to keep up with the trend of the time; but I did not feel like it anymore, so this why I started using wood instead.
The transition period was painful for at least a couple of years, it was not easy to adjust to a new material and learn how to handle it. However, now that I am not so young and vigorous, I feel like wood fits my mental and physical conditions better. In fact, although wood appears as soft and fragile – especially in my artworks – it is very resilient, it holds a hidden and ancient strength within its veins. Now I definitely feel like wood.
M+Y: Apart from exhibiting your works in art galleries and exhibition spaces, you also created public installations, like the sculpture you just mentioned, ‘Memory Code’ (2011) in Tokyo Ueno Park. With the passing of time iron sculptures are subjected to the exposure to natural elements – such as sun and rain–, thus become rusty. The rust which slowly appears after the completion of the artwork seems to add an extra layer to the temporal framework of the work, almost extending its elapsed time. I find this phenomenon very interesting; how do you perceive the ‘sense of time’ in your art practice?
J: Indeed, the iron sculpture becomes rusty with time, changing the artwork's surface. As you can tell, I always think about the sense of time. In the remote future, since iron is a natural element, this sculpture will eventually return to the earth and merge with it. It will surely outlive its creator, in fact the life span of iron is much longer than human’s life!
However, for me the choice of iron as medium is not much of an environmental choice as of a conceptual a philosophical belief: reflecting on the life span of iron can change the way we perceive ourselves, the present, human life and the universe. In fact, in modern society led by fast rhythms, we lost the perception of time and the joy of simple gestures. My intention is to stretch this time and to allow ourselves to know the history and the processes behind our actions; only in this way we can experience things around us with intention and dedication.
So going back to your question, the viewer who witnesses the iron rusting and slowly becoming part of the earth again, will also sense the ‘accumulation of time’ and reflects on the lapse of human life. I hope this will eventually encourage us to change our way of living.
M+Y: Being such a prolific artist, what would you say it is the essence of your work, the thread connecting your oeuvre from beginning to end?
J: I am always seeking to represent what we can feel and sense but ultimately are not able to see or rationalise. In my oeuvre, I attempt to share the feeling of the invisible. I would say this is the main theme that runs through my art.
M+Y: Last question, since 2009 you have had many exhibitions and been awarded several prices such as the Tagboat Award in Japan in 2016 and the Independent Art Fes Taipei in Taiwan in 2017. Moreover, your works have been shown in New York, South Africa and several cities in Japan and Taiwan. How would you comment on your present residency in Taipei Artist Village? What are your plans for the future?
J: I am very satisfied with the residency at Treasure Hill, however I also recognise that this is only a starting point, there was not enough time to complete my research on Wansei and my ancestors. So I am definitely planning to continue this project in the future! At the moment, I am working towards a solo exhibition at the Kuo Mu Sheng Foundation in Taipei, opening at the end of the month.
Then I am planning to apply to another residency programme and hopefully get the chance to remain in Taiwan for another couple of years. Furthermore, I will cooperate in an art project on the Wansei topic with the Taiwanese artists Wuhan Chou and Anchi Ring (Inukichi Books Group), who are also residency artists at Treasure Hill.
Finally, I am considering collaborating with a Taipei-based art gallery to mount a solo exhibition next year and possibly to exhibit my works in the art fair ONE ART Taipei 2020.
橋本仁個展《記憶密碼 1895-1946》藝術家訪談
藝術家帶路 | 台北國際藝術村: 駐地藝術家專訪
採訪人: Maria Dolfini( 以下簡稱M )、鍾盈盈(以下簡稱Y)
藝術家: 橋本仁( 以下簡稱J )
M+Y: 首先，能不能先請你為大家簡單介紹一下你自己，並說明此次選擇寶藏巖台北國際藝術村為駐村地點的理由為何？在橋本仁先生的創作中 ，作品多半圍繞著「存在」、「記憶」、「時間」等相關主題，而寶藏巖本身也是一個乘載豐富歷史以及居民集體記憶的場所，因此我很好奇你此次的創作如何與本地的地理、歷史環境呼應？
J: 我是橋本仁，一位來自日本的藝術家。畢業於東京藝術大學的我，在工藝科的鍛金研究室得到我的學士以及碩士學位，從那時候開始我就一直致力於發展自己的藝術實踐。
而關於寶藏巖台北國際藝術村，老實說我一開始並不熟悉這個地方的歷史與特色，我是透過日本政府贊助的一個交流專案來做選擇的，可以說是一場偶然的相遇吧。這個專案主要是為不同文化的日本藝術家提供國際性駐村，而選擇台灣和台北的原因則來自我對灣生歷史的興趣。在2016年的時候，我其實在台北參與過兩次聯展，分別是F&F畫廊和G畫廊。此外，2017年時我也曾經在台灣南部的高雄參與過三個月的駐村。高雄那個地點，離我祖母小時候在台灣住的地方很近，所以她的記憶自然而然地在我腦海中展開，於是我開始研究我的家族歷史以及有關灣生的一切現象。
結束高雄駐村之後我回到日本，但我一直有想要回到台灣繼續研究的念頭，所以，在寶藏巖的駐村計畫對我來說就是一個絕佳的機會。事實上，我的家人過去曾經在台北居住過很長一段時間，所以一直以來都和這個城市和國家有著緊密的聯繫，但我以前從來沒有這麼完整的機會去研究灣生歷史，所以本次的寶藏巖展覽我以灣生為主題，希望能紮實地完整我的尋根之旅。
M+Y: 如你剛剛所提及的，此次在寶藏巖的展覽〈記憶密碼1895-1946〉是與灣生相關的。而灣生其實指的就是台灣日治時期，在台灣出生的日本人。大多數灣生在二戰之後，多因政治因素被遣返回日本祖國，因此常面臨複雜的身份認同問題。你似乎因為祖母的關係對「灣生」有很深入的研究，但我想請問你為什麼以「灣生」做為你個人發展的題目？
J: 我和台灣的關係可以追溯到1895年。在日本殖民初期，我的祖宗高橋猪之助（Inosuke Takahashi）和はまHama）來到台北，不久之後就結婚了。兩代人之後，我的祖母在台灣出生成長，直到17歲時日本在二戰中戰敗。因此，我對祖母的記憶可以說是我個人對灣生集體記憶的聯節。從我的觀點來看，尋根和想回到過去是很自然的。沒有過去，現在就不存在了，所以在我的藝術實踐中，把祖先的個人記憶當作是我自己的記憶是我創作時的基準。
此外，雖然我在日本曾經採訪過幾位灣生，但到頭來我的興趣主要還是在於我個人的家族歷史及回憶。所以為了更深入瞭解我的家譜，我需要掌握圍繞著這整個現象的歷史脈絡。我並不是說我對灣生集體記憶不感興趣，但總的來說，這是我對生活和藝術的個人見解：我們需要從個人觀點及身邊的細微末節出發並尋找線索，以便將來面對普世性問題時能有更宏大的看法。
M+Y: 請你為我們簡單介紹一下本次的〈記憶密碼1895-1946〉展覽，以及請問作品中有沒有你特別想讓觀眾知道的特別之處？
J: 這次的展覽包含了許多不同的藝術媒材，攝影、木雕、繪畫以及裝置作品。儘管這些作品可能呈現不同的風格，喚起不同的感覺，但他們都是以相同目標去進行製作的：我希望觀眾能切實地感受到過去與現在之間時間的間隔以及空間的距離。木雕在我的創作中代表現在，代表我正在雕刻。但透過我擺在其他藝術品前面的木雕，我們可以穿越、並看到過去：例如〈記憶密碼-基隆港1946〉裡一張基隆的照片或〈記憶密碼〉裡一張台灣的舊地圖。
如此說來，我的藝術不是寫實的，而是抽象的。這無關這些作品非比喻性的成份，而關乎它們傳遞過去的方式。事實上，歷史都被保存在檔案裡的歷史文獻中了，但作為一個視覺藝術家，我相信我需要透過抽象和概念性的創作來開展過去及現在。
M+Y: 展覽中的大多數作品都是以木頭作為媒材，並以雕刻技術創作的。你的藝術製作過程非常有趣
而且需要具有相當程度的耐心及精準度，想請問你，在你的藝術實踐中雕刻具備了怎樣的意涵呢？
J: “一個人必須始終保持與過去的聯繫，但要不斷地擺脫過去。而與過去保持聯繫的方式來自對回憶的熱愛。與過去保持聯繫來自持續的想像力。”
-法國哲學家 巴修拉
在這裡，我引用法國哲學家巴修拉的名言作為我的回答。對我來說，「現在」是許多不同現象、行為以及訊息的積累，而這些時刻的累積是一個可以打破的密碼。同樣，木雕的意義也來自創作當下所有動作和每個瞬間的累積。就我個人而言，製作的時光是非常重要的，過程就是基礎。事實上，我在雕刻木頭上花了很長的時間！我想讓觀眾實實在在地感受到這些時刻，並透過作品感受到我的存在。這就是我在我創作脈絡裡一直強調的「累積」。
另外，雕刻在我的繪畫系列〈記憶的暗號- 基隆港1946〉以及〈記憶的暗號-高雄1946〉也很重要。我重複疊了許多層壓克力漆，最後在表層雕刻形狀。我不願意只做一層是因為只有通過雕刻的過程我才能累積時間，我想讓觀眾實實在在地感受到這種時間感。
M+Y: 在〈記憶的暗號-基隆港〉中，雕刻的木頭是如何放置在照片表面的？這很有趣，看起來幾乎是為圖像建造了一種濾鏡或是給了一個相框，從而引導觀眾走向特定的觀看體驗。木頭在這一系列的藝術作品中扮演了什麼角色？另外，你能簡單地介紹一下你的裝置作品〈記憶的暗號〉和你所使用的素材嗎？
J: 是的你說對了！木頭的確具有濾鏡的效果。正如我之前所提到的，對我來說木雕代表的是現在，因為我們只能透過木頭的濾鏡才能看得到畫面，而過去就像是被現在的各種因素加了濾鏡一樣。木頭和藝術品中其他材料間的距離取決於過去和現在之間的時光間隙。舉展場中的兩個作品為例，在〈記憶的暗號-基隆港〉中木雕和照片非常接近，而〈記憶的暗號〉裝置作品中木雕遠離了土壤，看起來幾乎像是保護著它。
在裝置中，我使用土壤和木材作為主要素材。在我看來，土壤的物質代表著過去和地球，我們與之保持著永恆的聯繫。除此之外，土壤也涉及了另一個具體的「民族性」概念，也就是個人與他們的土地和國家間的關係。我總是相信，在同一塊土地上生活的人們有著相同的根。另外從宇宙層面上看來，土壤也是處在一個連結人類與宇宙中間地帶的絕妙位置。
正如我前面所提到的，掛在土壤上的木雕就是現在的濾鏡，透過它，我們觀看和感知過去。而藉著掛在照片前面的木雕及具有象徵性意義土壤上方的木雕，我希望觀眾可以感受到灣生與我們之間的特殊聯繫。
而展覽中的其他作品，創作靈感則來自非常具體的經驗，木雕下的圖表分別是1946年日本人離開高雄港和基隆港的統計數字，此時裝置作品中的土壤將個人經驗及集體歷史記憶聯繫起來。於是，再次的，我們從周圍的小細節開始擴展到更大更普及的概念，而這樣的進程是從地球聯繫到宇宙的。
M+Y: 來自加拿大的學者殷尼斯（Harold A. Innis）曾經提出一個論點，訊息的傳遞因為意欲穿越的時空向度不同，而會選擇不同的媒介。以建築為例，同樣是獻給神明的空間，西方大理石的石造教堂和東方的木造神社背後考量的因素可能完全不同。在你的作品之中，你似乎也面對著類似的問題，在你曾經使用過的媒材：包括鐵和木頭，這兩種截然不同的元素有著不同的特質和內涵，鐵給人堅毅、剛強的印象，而木頭卻帶有溫柔質地，並具備容易被重組、更新的特質，因此我很好奇你在創作時是如何決定素材的呢？考量的元素又有哪些？
J: 在我看來，鐵和木頭都是來自地球的自然元素，所以我其實不認為他們必然是不同的：畢竟，我們都有著相同的根。
因此在面對使用的素材時我總是嘗試去調整自己的身心狀態以便適合它們：這就是一種很自然而然的感覺。所以基於這個理由，我從學生時期開始就使用鐵作為我的創作媒材。那時的我年輕又強壯，所以鐵幾乎可以說是完美地契合了我的體型和個性：我常常感覺自己就是鐵！鐵具有力量、巨大、炙熱又穩重，同時，他也需要花很多力氣來處理和應對。我想舉我在東京上野公園的作品〈記憶密碼〉(2011）為例，那個作品有5公尺高並重達3噸！在我們的現代社會裡，一切都是巨大高壯的，比如快速發展下的城市景觀。所以我開始思考如果我決定繼續以鐵作為創作媒介，我將不得不創作更巨大的雕塑來跟上時代潮流，所以我開始不再那麼喜歡這個材料，並開始思考以木頭作為替代。
過渡期有幾年是非常痛苦的，要適應一種新材料並不容易。然而，現在的我已經不再那麼年輕和有活力了，我覺得木頭更適合我現在的精神和身心狀態。事實上也證明，雖然木材看上去柔巧易碎，尤其像在我的作品之中，但它實際上非常具有彈性，它的紋理之中也隱藏著一股古老力量。現在的我絕對感覺自己像是木頭！
M+Y: 除了藝廊和展覽會場裡展示的作品以外，我發現橋本仁先生也有很多公共藝術作品設置的經驗，例如上述東京上野恩賜公園的Memory Code。鑄鐵作品經過時間的淬煉，又經日曬雨淋會產生生鏽的狀況，這些在鐵鏽就像是作品的延伸，繼續往前推移著時間。我對這樣的「時間感」非常感興趣，你能不能為我們多解釋你如何看待這樣的概念？
J: 的確，鐵隨著時間的推移會生鏽，也會改變作品的表面。如你所知，我總是想著時間感。在遙遠的未來，由於鐵是一種自然元素，這座雕塑最終將回歸地球並與之融合。它的壽命肯定比他的創作者還要長，事實上，鐵的壽命也真的比人類要長得多！
然而，對我來說，選擇鐵作為媒材並不是基於一種環境性的選擇，而是一種觀念上的哲學信仰：反思鐵的壽命可以改變我們對自己、現在、人類生命和宇宙的看法。事實上，在節奏飛快的現代社會，我們漸漸失去對時間的感知和行動的樂趣了。我的目標是延長這段時間，讓我們自己知道我們行動背後的歷史和過程，只有如此，我們才能真正用心地體驗周遭的事情。
因此，回到你的問題上，那些目睹鐵生鏽再次慢慢成為地球一部分的觀眾也會感受到時間的積累，並反思人類生命的流逝。我希望這最終會鼓勵我們並改變我們生活的方式。
M+Y: 我十分好奇像你這樣一位創作能量豐沛的藝術家到目前為止貫穿你所有創作的「本質」為何？
J: 我一直在尋求能代表我們感覺和感知的東西，但這是不可見也無法去分析、理化的。在我的作品中我一直試圖去分享那種不可見的感覺。我想這就是我一直在努力並貫穿我整個藝術創作的主軸。
M+Y: 最後一個問題，橋本仁先生自2009年以來已擁有許多展覽和得獎經歷，在2016年也獲得日本的Tagboat Award大賞及2017年台灣的Independent Art Fes Taipei大獎，展出地點包含紐約、 南非、日本、台灣，在世界各地都有展出經驗的你，對目前在台北的駐村有什麼感想呢？另外，以想請問你接下來的計劃為何？請與我們分享。
J: 我對寶藏巖的駐村挺滿意的，但同時也認知到這只是一個起點而已，還沒有足夠的時間來完成我對灣生及祖先的所有研究，所以我肯定會繼續這個主題的探索。而現在，我正在為我月底即將在郭木生文教基金會的個展努力。
我將會再申請另一個駐村計畫，希望之後有機會在台灣多待幾年時間。另外，我正計劃與台灣的藝術家雙人組合犬吉工作室（周武漢＆林安狗）合作，共同進行一個有關灣生主題的藝術創作，他們也是寶藏巖的駐村藝術家。
最後，我正在考慮與台北的某個藝廊在明年舉行個展，並有機會在2020藝術台北ONE ART Taipei上展出我的作品，所以敬請期待囉！
