難得創作者也是寫手 / What does "artist statement" mean to artists?

是否每一個藝術創作者都享受寫「藝術家自述」的過程？

答案不得而知，有人可能相當享受，亦有人會覺得「藝術家自述」只是作品的附屬品；有人則可能毫不享受，但又非寫不可，因為擔心一般觀眾看不懂自己作品之餘，又怕會被藝評人過份詮釋，因此不得不借助文字替作品輔助說明。相比起影像、圖案或者物料，文字似乎具有較高的引導性，能夠直接了當地讓觀眾以「即食」方式瞭解藝術家的基本創作意念和動機。然而當作品過於依賴文字替其輔助說明，則反映該作品的「可讀性」其實不高；而當文字變成引導性的輔助，其實可以變得相當沒趣，甚至損失了它本身獨有的特質：「糢糊性」(ambiguity) 和「玩味性」 (playfulness)。

何謂文字的「糢糊性」和「玩味性」？文字本身是符號，透過拼合成為具不同意思的詞彙，詞彙又透過拼合成為不同種類的文章體裁；文字亦是信號，將一連串信號讀起來便形成方言，不同方言之間有讀音的差異，而且又因為文化差距而沖積_各種各樣的矛盾性；當文字回歸到最原始的狀態，即文字是符號，文字是信號，不是純粹為說明而說明，而是隱含_各種各樣的意喻，這個時候，它的「糢糊性」和「玩味性」便可以被充分發揮。


Now it seems so normal for artists to write "artist statements"for their works of art, or does it? What does "artist statement" mean to artists? Is it only a subordinate attachment to artwork? These are questions that we seldom ask. Writing "artist statement" is enjoyable to some artists whereas to some others, it is almost like a nightmare. Some artists may find "artist statement" merely functional, for it not only helps audience recognize their ideas or intentions but also prevents critics's over-interpretations. Words may seem to be more prescriptive than images, graphics or materials, and hence may exert more instant impact on most audience. Yet the fact is, not all works of art need verbal explications. Artworks that overly rely on verbal explications are perhaps works that are too enigmatic or unreadable to most audience. Furthermore, when words become merely explicative and descriptive, a joke may be lost, a philosophical point missed, and no more surprise by the "ambiguity" and "playfulness" of words.

What are the "ambiguity" and "playfulness" of words? Words are symbols that connote meanings only when combined with one another. Combinations of words make up what we call "text". Words are also signals that compose languages. Different languages are written and spoken in different or even contradictory ways due to cultural differences (just as in English and Chinese). When meaningful words get back to their primitive state, that is, when text is "purified" into symbols or language into signals, words would then regain their innate "ambiguity" and "playfulness".