【藝·述】 專注今天的中國
——悉尼朱雀畫廊館長左業勤專訪
東南網澳大利亞站8月17日訊 （本站記者 彭寒 Key/攝）作為澳大利亞第一家專注于中國當代藝術的商業畫廊，朱雀畫廊從正式開業至今已經過去了大半年的時間。從自嘲商業頭腦和藝術評鑒力都不算好，到如今逐漸吸引到兼具影響力和實力的藝術家和收藏家，館長左業勤在不斷的探索中，也不斷給自己制造著驚喜。
本期【藝·述】，帶你走近朱雀畫廊館長左業勤。
悉尼朱雀畫廊館長左業勤
一直在學習
業精于勤荒于嬉，“業勤”這樣的名字很容易讓人聯想到刻苦努力的中式成功哲學。業勤本人不可謂不勤奮，從醫學界一躍進入藝術行業，隔行如隔山的壓力和商業畫廊本身的挑戰性讓她自己也坦言，“開畫廊之前工作從來沒像現在這樣辛苦過。”然而有趣和令人驚喜的是，不同于絕大多數勤勉和有決心的人，業勤用一種浪漫和優雅的方式詮釋著自己的勤奮。從去年十月的開業群展《北京 北京》到剛剛揭幕的聯展《含沙射影》，左業勤一步一個腳印地朝著自己的目標不斷邁進著。
“做了這幾個展覽我也一直在學習——通過接觸許多藝術家，也通過參觀其他的博物館和美術館。”
“雖然我自己還處于一個比較陡峭的學習曲線上，但收獲還是很大的。”
東南網澳大利亞站（以下簡稱SENAU）：開畫廊以來最寶貴的經驗是什么？
“最寶貴的一個經驗在于，其實有很多人還是對藝術感興趣的，這點我很高興。”
“我們得到的支持都比我預期更高一些，這些支持包括關注，收藏等等。在這期間我也結交了許多來自各地的朋友，這個小畫廊也變成了許多藝術家和藝術愛好者的一個交流中心吧。”
正在進行的聯展，含沙射影
中國當代藝術的三個契機
提起中國藝術，無論是出于媒介刻板印象，或是出于對中國了解的不深入，許多西方人的第一反應依然停留在傳統的中國藝術形式上，包括書法，水墨畫，陶瓷等等。中國當代藝術在澳大利亞，在業勤看來，是需要一個出口和平臺的。
如果說傳統中國藝術告訴人們過去的中國，那么當代中國藝術，用業勤自己的講，就是講述今天的中國。
“有三個原因我認為中國當代藝術很有吸引力：首先，中國有著非常古老的視覺藝術傳統。視覺藝術不是一個新的東西，它在我們的文化里源遠流長，一直在發展，這是一個大背景。其次，中國的美術院校在50年代以后都用的是西方古典的教學方式，現在活躍的中國當代藝術家，他們普遍基本技法非常棒，畫什么都畫得好，所以他們更進一步的表達不受限制。最后，中國在過去30年的時間里社會發生了翻天覆地的變化，許多藝術家用自己的方式在紀錄這一切，這很有意思。”
SENAU：以當代藝術為載體，對西方世界了解中國是否是一個更容易的方式呢？
“我同意。當代藝術是沒有國界的，不一定非要用語言去過多的描述，對于好的當代藝術所有人都可以有自己的理解。”
畫廊空間不算大，但隨處可見精巧的設計
商業畫廊
藝術家也要吃飯的，商業畫廊毫無疑問是藝術介入社會生活最好的途徑，或者說必由之路。中國當代藝術在澳大利亞有人欣賞，卻沒有人專注于此，只有一些畫廊偶爾代理中國當代藝術家的作品。
這是業勤最初看到的問題，或者機會。
“全澳洲500多個商業畫廊，沒有人專注做中國當代藝術，中國當代藝術的質和量都值得一個畫廊去全方位的關注。”
“華人收藏剛剛起步，但正如我所說，越來越多的人都在對藝術產生興趣。”
SENAU：做商業畫廊很難，之前有心理準備嗎？
“有的。一開始我想可能需要兩三年時間積累，再逐漸建立商業模式。”
SENAU：后來呢？
“總的來講都比預期要好的，每個展覽都有收藏，都在擴大我們的影響力，這是對我們的激勵。另外，比起商業運作，我們在九個月的時間里已經引起社區和主流社會的關注和興趣使我更看重的，影響力的拓展毫無疑問是更有價值的。”
Zuo Yeqin,Director of Vermilion Art
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Zuo Yeqin and Her Vermilion Art Narrates Now China
By Han, Southeast Net Australia, Aug 17
When Zuo started up her Vermilion Art gallery last October with the group show Beijing Calling, she told the media she did not excel in neither marketing nor art managing, whereas lacks no passion or determination.
Modest as she is, the Chinese-Australian doctor and public health physician who’s now, for almost a year, the director of Vermilion Art, seems very much pleased by what she’s been doing with the non-spacious but of no doubt exquisite art space --- Vermilion Art, the first commercial gallery in Australia with a particular focus of contemporary Chinese art.
“Speaking of either quality or quantity, contemporary Chinese art in Australia is worth focusing on. It tells the story of now China.”
A Steep Learning Curve
Having been a successful doctor, Zuo’s very initial idea of starting up an art space was to let "everyone benefit from good art." However, switching to a brand new industry is very easy. Zuo admits she has never worked this hard ever before.
"I’ve always been learning, from artists, gallery, etc. I understand there is a huge gap in between seeing it as a spare time hobby and doing it as a job." Said Zuo, "I’m still on a steep learning curve, but I never cease to be surprised by myself."
"Commercial gallery is of course a very challenging business. Art piece, for the majority, is not a necessity. I thought I might spend 2 or 3 years before setting up a stable business model and turning it into profit, while certainly it has gone way beyond my expectation in many aspects."
It’s now the sixth exhibition of Vermilion Art that it’s putting on, a joint exhibition foreshadow by contemporary Chinese artists including Guan Wei, Yang Xifa and Tianli Zu. Throughout the last ten months, deals were made in every exhibition.
"It’s not only about sales, of course sales are important. The growing influence of both Vermilion and contemporary Chinese art, in Australian mainstream society or within the Chinese community, mean a lot more to me."
3 Tips About Contemporary Chinese Art
When thinking of Chinese art, many still linger on with traditional art forms of the ancient country, such as ink painting, calligraphy. They are of course important part of Chinese art forms that tells the wonderful story of the nation’s long past, while contemporary Chinese Art, as Zuo puts it herself, tells the story of now China.
"Personally speaking, 3 tips are needed to be paid attention to when it comes to a contemporary Chinese art discussion. Firstly, visual art is nothing new in China. We have a long history and culture of it, and it never stop evolving with time, which has provided a perfect stage for contemporary Chinese artists. Secondly, Art Colleges in China, since the 50’s, have been applying western classic training system in their own institution; therefore contemporary Chinese artists are, without exception, highly qualified and skillful, which allows them to express themselves without any physical limitation. Last but not the least, most artists, having been exposed to the structural change of the Chinese society during the past 30 years, are capable of putting the mixed story in an art form, which could be a very interesting thing."
"I have no doubt that contemporary Chinese art is among the easiest ways for westerners to start to know about the real now China."
