《这是不是一群动物》

Is This A Bunch of Animals

Installation, 2024

* 洞穴 *

* CAVE *

        银川当代美术馆的2号展厅,深黑色的墙面环绕四周,仿佛进入了一个远古时期的神秘洞穴。一件又一件的粉色装置从高达12米的天花板上垂吊而下,在深沉静谧的氛围中错落有致,你依靠着头顶的光源辨认出“手”的形状。洞穴深处的点点亮光,在黑暗中舞动,你被吸引着走近。

        陈粉丸新作《这是不是一群动物》正在银川当代美术馆展出,作为“一颗种子的旅行·元点”展览的“洞穴微光”板块作品。该作品为大型空间装置,陈列于高 12 米、纵深 36 米的 2 号展厅内。本次展览聚焦于儿童艺术,《这是不是一群动物》旨在探索原始文明与儿童艺术的相关性,并用艺术的表达构建模仿的意义。

       In Gallery 2 of the Museum Of Contemporary Art of Yinchuan (MOCA Yinchuan), deep black walls envelop the space, evoking the mysterious atmosphere of an ancient cave. Hanging from the 12-meter-high ceiling, pieces of pink installations descend at staggered intervals. In the still and serene ambiance, you can discern the shape of hands under the faint overhead light. At the far end of the cave, points of light dance in the darkness, irresistibly drawing you closer.

Chen Fenwan’s new work, Is This a Bunch of Animals, is currently on view at the MOCA Yinchuan as part of the “The Journey of A Seed—META POINT” exhibition in the “Shimmer in the Cave” section. This large-scale spatial installation occupies the expansive 12-meter-high, 36-meter-deep Gallery 2. Centered on kids’ art, the exhibition explores the connections between primitive civilizations and children’s creativity, constructing new meanings through artistic expression.

粉丸的手稿
Chen’s manuscripts

        粉丸在布展时,使用无色透明荧光颜料在黑色的背景墙面上随机绘制了一些手影动物的剪影形象,欢迎观众使用展厅工作人员特制的紫光手电筒进行洞穴探索。它们用肉眼难以察觉,只有被手中的紫光灯照射时,这些神奇的动物才会显现出来。希望大家在光与影的变幻中,重新发现童年的乐趣和想象力。

手影游戏,是许多人童年时期的温馨回忆。在那些躁动不安、吵着嚷着不愿入睡的夜晚,房间的灯光柔和地洒在墙上,父母用他们的双手变幻出各种栩栩如生的动物形象:兔子、小狗、鸟儿……简单的手势和巧妙的角度变化,让空旷的白墙变成了一片生动的动物世界。

Using colorless, transparent fluorescent paint, Chen randomly painted silhouettes of shadow animals onto the black walls, inviting audiences to explore the cave with ultraviolet flashlights provided by the museum. These hidden figures remain invisible to the naked eye but come alive when illuminated by UV light. The interplay of light and shadow invites viewers to rediscover the joy and boundless imagination of childhood.

The hand shadow puppets game is a cherished childhood memory for many. On restless nights when do not want to fall asleep, the soft glow of a bedroom light would cast lively animal figures—rabbits, dogs, birds—onto the walls, brought to life by the deft movements of a parent’s hands. Simple gestures and creative angles transformed blank spaces into lifesome worlds of imagination.

* 手与手影 *

* Hand and Hand Shadow *

        “手”是粉丸创作中倾注了许多情感的一个符号,对于粉丸而言,“手”是爱的象征。回忆起童年时母亲温柔的抚摸和上下学时父亲缓缓挥动的双手,这些无声的动作总能带来关乎亲情的暖意。这些手势替代了直白的言语,传递出含蓄的关爱。正因如此,手成为了粉丸作品中反复出现的器官。在这个作品中,她将个人的情感记忆融入艺术,为观众开启一场童年时期的“手影游戏”。

        我们的目光总是聚焦在墙壁上映射出的动物剪影,而不是努力摆弄形成影子的手。手在光线的掩映下常常被忽视,尽管手指的每一个动作,手腕的每一次转动,都在努力塑造那些鲜活的动物形象。手影游戏中的手是隐形的,却不可或缺,粉丸对“手”这个元素的执着使得它们以鲜艳的姿态来到台前,影子则退居幕后,实现了原本关系的倒置。

        粉丸在这片剪纸景观中探索“模仿”的概念,她回溯自己儿时的成长经历和艺术创作的过程,发现这些历史与手影表演有着相似之处,最终指向“模仿”。具体来说,通过模仿父母的动作和行为来表达情感,通过自学和临摹作品来掌握技艺。在宏大的展厅中,她将她有关“模仿”的思考具象化,邀请观众在现场探索模仿的多层含义。当观众在现场自发地举起双手进行模仿,他们也成为作品的一部分。观众的手影与墙上的剪影重合的瞬间,童年的纯真与成熟的思考融为一体。

        模仿在人类演进和文明发展中有重要意义,模仿不单单是一种学习方法,也是连接过去与现在、传统与当代的纽带。在这个充满互动和想象的空间里,粉丸邀请观众重新审视自己的过往经验,思考模仿如何塑造了我们当今的认知和创造力。

        For Chen, "hands" are imbued with deep emotional significance. They symbolize love—recalling the gentleness of her mother’s caresses or the slow wave of her father’s farewell on the school run. These unspoken gestures conveyed a quiet warmth, substituting words with acts of affection. This sentimentality makes hands a recurring motif in Funmar’s work. In this installation, she channels personal memories into art, inviting audiences to relive the innocent pleasure of a shadow game from their childhood.

Our attention often draws on the shadows projected on walls rather than the hands forming them. In the interplay of light, hands remain hidden yet indispensable. Every finger movement and every wrist twist strives to create vivid shapes. In Chen’s piece, the hands step boldly into the spotlight, while their shadows retreat backstage—a deliberate inversion of their roles.

Within this paper-cut installation, Chen aims to discover the concept of “imitation.” By tracing her own childhood memories and artistic development, she identifies parallels between personal growth and shadowgraphy, culminating in the theme of imitation. For Chen, it encompasses learning emotions by emulating her parents' actions and refining skills through self-teaching and copying artworks. In the grand exhibition hall, Chen transforms her reflections on mimicry into tangible forms, inviting audiences to explore its multifaceted meanings. As viewers spontaneously raise their hands to imitate puppets’ shadows on the walls, they become part of the artwork. The moment their shadow aligns with the painted silhouettes is when childhood innocence merges with mature contemplation.

Mimicry holds profound significance in human evolution and cultural development. It is not merely a way of learning but also a bridge connecting the past with the present, tradition with modernity. Within this interactive and imaginative space, Chen inspires audiences to reexamine their experiences and consider how mimicry has shaped their understanding and creativity.

成熟是天真的投影
大人是孩子的余音

Maturity is the projection of innocence, while adulthood remains the echo of childhood. 

        人的成长是一个连续的过程,我们成年后的许多特质、习惯和价值观都源自童年时期的经历和塑造。当我们凝视一位成人,其实是在窥探一位曾经的孩子;每一次交谈,都在不知不觉中触碰对方童年的残影。

        对幼时的回望,不仅是一次温柔的自我治愈,更是一次重要的自我发现。“洞穴”给予孩子一个可以互动的新奇体验,为大人们提供一个驻足沉思的场所。回溯、反思、重塑,这是成长的魔法。

        Growing up is a continuous process; adulthood's traits, habits, and values often trace back to formative childhood experiences. Gazing at an adult, we glimpse the children they once were; in every conversation, we unknowingly touch the residual shadows of another’s childhood.

Looking back on one’s younger years can be both a tender form of self-healing and an essential path to self-discovery. The “cave” provides children with an interactive, wonder-filled experience while offering adults a contemplative space for introspection. It encourages reflecting, rethinking, and reframing—unleashing the magic of growth.

* 布展花絮 *

        布展期间,展厅不是完全黑暗的,当展厅零散稀疏的光源遇上粉丸的镜面小手影,给大家带来了意想不到的闪耀的时刻。

During the installation process, the hall wasn’t completely dark. When scattered light met Chen’s mirrored hand-shadow works, it created unexpected moments of brilliance, delighting everyone involved.

* Behind-the-Scenes Bloopers *

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艺术家团队:丸工作室

艺术家/ 陈粉丸
项目管理/ 泽锋
行政统筹/ 泽凡
项目经理/ 阿君
宣传/ 关关
项目助理/ 惠萍 阿婷 林晓 华哥 及多位朋友

执行支持:INVIS DESIGN

设计指导/ 梅翼
设计助理/ 静仪

图文编辑

文案、翻译及编辑/ 碳酸盐
视频与照片/ 丸工作室 银川当代美术馆 INVIS DESIGN

鸣谢赞助:意大利佛捷歌尼艺术纸

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Artist Team: Wonder Studio

Artist/ Chen Fenwan
Project Manager/ Zefeng
Production Coordinator/ Zefan
Project Director/ A Jun
Publicist/ Pigeon
Assistants/ Huiping, A Ting, Lin Xiao, Bro Hua et al.

Exhibition Execution: INVIS DESIGN

Design Director/ Mei Yi
Design Assistant/ Jingyi

Photo & Article

Copywriter & Translator/ Shiyi
Image Credit/ Wonder Studio, MOCA Yinchuan, INVIS DESIGN

Sponsorship: Fedrigoni

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