THE FIRST TIME I SAW

SHEN JINGDONG 沈敬東

Artist SHEN JINGDONG on Bilbao

啟迪

藝術家沈敬東首次遊歷畢爾包

I WENT TO Spain in the summer of 2009 – I had just left the army, and it was my first time travelling abroad.

An arts agent in Spain invited me. She had seen my works and liked them, so invited me to Bilbao, in northern Spain, to join some local art activities and to visit some exhibitions.

I went to Bilbao’s vast Guggenheim Museum. I was impressed by an exhibition of Chinese artist Cai Guoqiang’s work, as well as by a retrospective of works by the Bulgarian environmental sculptor Christo.

One day, I found some time to sit on a little white bench on the street, watching Bilbao life go past.

It was incredibly tranquil, surrounded by typical European houses and trees, their leaves falling down quietly around me.

I noticed the local people, walking at a relaxed pace. There was an old woman with her walking stick and her dog, a group of kids having fun on skateboards in a small plaza. From my bench, I could hear their laughter. It was like a scene from a fairytale.

Since that first trip, I have realised the importance of language. When I came back to China, I spent more time listening to and practising my English. Now I travel two or three times every year: to exhibit my work, to see art exhibitions or just for the joy of travelling.

Shen Jingdong is a Beijing-based artist whose artworks were exhibited in the spring edition of the 2017 Asia Contemporary Art Show in Hong Kong. The 2018 spring edition takes place over 23-26 March. shenjingdong.com

我於2009年夏季前往西班牙，當時我剛退伍，也是首次出國旅行。

此行由一位藝術經紀邀請我前往西班牙而起。她見到我的作品之後，十分喜歡，於是邀我前往西班牙北部的畢爾包，參加當地的藝術活動和參觀展覽。

我去了畢爾包的古根漢美術館參觀，那是一座規模龐大的美術館。我對中國藝術家蔡國強的個展印象非常深刻，還有保加利亞環保雕塑家Christo的回顧展亦同樣難忘。

有一天我抽了點時間，坐在街上一張白色的長凳上，觀察畢爾包街上往來的行人。那個地方非常安靜，周圍都是典型的歐式房屋和綠樹濃蔭，樹上不時有葉子輕輕飄落，掉到我的身旁。

我注意到當地人走路的步伐都很悠閒，有個拄著拐杖的老太太牽著小狗在散步，不遠處的小廣場上，有群小孩子在玩滑板，他們的嬉笑聲傳到我耳中。此情此景，有如置身童話故事之中。

自從那次旅行之後，我發覺語言溝通相當重要。於是我回到中國後，就多花一點時間聆聽和練習英語。現在我每年到外地旅行兩、三次，展出自己的作品，參觀藝術展，或者單純享受旅遊之樂。

沈敬東是居於北京的藝術家。他的作品於香港舉行的2017年亞洲當代藝術展（春季展）中展出。2018年的亞洲當代藝術展（春季展）於3月23至26日舉行。shenjingdong.com