鄧捷 Tang Chit, Gigi

It seems that trauma is unavoidable, since the day we are born into flesh. Before we are aware of it, we are broken open into cracks along with the earth. Something has been lost, something has been destroyed; what remained are the unfathomable fear, confusion and anger, frozen inside us as bodily sensations. A scene, an object, a line of words, become signs of pain, ruminating over and over in our consciousness and subconsciousness.

Returning to the roots of life, ancient religious thoughts teach us that our life comes from the dust of the ground, and to dust shall we return. We are always part of something greater: the earth, the trees, the rivers and clouds, they are part of us, as much as we are part of them. Life, in essence, flows: perhaps a practice to live, is in the reconnection to our roots. Breathe, stay grounded, feel the earth with all our might; so that the stagnant can flow again, and what is trapped can be released.

The exhibition “Breathing Flesh” has invited three aspiring local artists, to share their responses in face of pain in life through different artistic mediums.

In Rylee Tsang’s ceramic work together with videography, she explores the sentimental essence of life in rupture and birth. In Judy Wong’s lacquer painting, through the unpredictability in the painting process, she demonstrates how natural beauty can be found in the seemingly frightening cycle of life. Through her live performance, Jovita Siu revisits and re-narrates personal childhood events, in order to dig into the painful emotions buried inside her, while exploring the relationship between emotions and the human body. The curator, Gigi Tang, also gazes at her sorrow and fear through her artwork, which in turn serves as a response to the other artists’ works.

We continue to breathe, as long as we walk through life carrying our bulky yet truthful flesh. Traces of trauma will not disappear, nor shall they be wiped away; but they can be transformed into nurtures. This might be the biggest comfort one can receive, for anyone who has been through inner pain.

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既成肉身，誕生到這世上，創傷似乎無可避免。在意識到之前，我們和地土一起裂開了大大小小的縫；有些什麼失去了、有些什麼被毀壞了，剩下的只有無從述說的恐懼、困惑和憤怒，以實在的感覺凝結在身體裏面。一個場景、一件物件、一句話語，都成為對傷口的指認，在意識或無意識中一遍遍地反芻。

回歸到生命根基，不同古老宗教思想都告訴我們，我們的生命，從塵土而來，亦將歸回塵土。我們總是更大的世界中的一部份；泥土、樹木、河流、雲朵，都組成了我們的血和肉，我們亦反過來構成了它們。生命本來就是流動的，也許某種活下去的姿態，是與根基重新連結：大口呼吸，依靠腳下堅實的土地，讓凝滯的再次流動起來，讓困囿的釋放。

本次展覽《肉身呼吸》邀來三位以不同媒介創作的年輕藝術家：曾祉紜以陶藝結合錄像作品，從破裂與誕生中一窺生命某種易感的本質；黃嘉欣的漆畫作品裏，以作畫過程中的不可預料性，展現生死變化中乍看驚怖、實質美麗自然之處；蕭芷芊則透過現場表演不斷重訪和重新敘述兒時事件，挖掘、梳理一直埋藏在心底的傷痛，並探究情緒與身體的關聯。而策展人鄧捷則在展覽中透過創作，嘗試重新凝視自己的哀傷與恐懼，作品亦暗暗與幾位藝術家的創作互相呼應。

一呼、一吸，我們依然帶著這副笨重而忠實的身軀活在這世上。創傷的痕跡沒有消失，也不會被抹除，但可以被轉化成養份。這也許是對所有曾經歷內心傷痛的人們最大的安慰。