ARTIST OF THE SAR 荒誕又務實的藝術家
FIONNUALA MCHUGH enters the surreal world of Macau-based Russian artist Konstantin Bessmertny Fionnuala McHugh走進居於澳門的俄羅斯藝術家君士坦丁的超現實世界
The Russian artist Konstantin Bessmertny lives in the southwestern corner of one island (Coloane in Macau). From there, he travels every week to his studio on the northeastern corner of another (Hong Kong Island). The journey between these two Special Administrative Regions of China takes about an hour. Bessmertny uses the time to sort out his own administration so that he doesn’t arrive with what he calls ‘a brain-cluster of things to do’. He must have a clear start to the day in order to work. ‘And then it has to be anarchy. Everything has to be on the floor.’
Controlled chaos is a trademark of Bessmertny’s work. He’s probably best-known for the tiny, dubious figures – gamblers, prostitutes, strippers – that crowd his surreal landscapes in the style of Bruegel and Hieronymus Bosch. His paintings can look like a homage to tradition; only when you peer more closely do you see the subversion.
When he came to Macau in 1992, he had travelled from the world’s largest country to live in a geographical dot. That dot was about to begin its
俄羅斯藝術家君士坦丁住在澳門小島路環的西南面一隅,每他 個星期乘船前往位於香港島東北面的工作室。這趟橫跨兩個中國特別行政區的渡海航程大約一個小時,他會利用這段時間處理各種私人事務,免得下船時「千頭萬緒,混。一片 亂」他表示,頭腦清醒才能展開一天的,工作 「然後就陷入有如無政府的狀態,我會將所有東西都攤在地上。」
「亂中有序」是君士坦丁的作品特色。他最為人熟悉的作品就是那些看起來並非善類的小人兒,例如賭徒、、妓女 脫衣舞孃等,擠在洋溢超現實主義色彩的景物,之中 令人聯想起荷蘭畫家Bruegel及Hieronymus Bosch的作品。看乍 之下,的他 作品似乎是對傳致統敬,但仔細端詳,卻會發現當中蘊藏顛覆傳統的內涵。
他在1992年離開了家鄉,由全球面積最大的,國家來到在地圖只上 是一個小點的。,澳門 當時 這個蕞爾小島亦即將展開一趟蛻變的旅程,從昏昏欲的睡 小城,搖身一變成為舉世聞名的東方賭城。對於臉上總是掛著燦笑的爛 容 君士坦丁而言,這些都是上佳的素材,讓他可以創作出異常荒誕的藝術品。
他生於中俄邊境城市海蘭泡,孩提時期已經醉心藝。術 在蘇維埃社會主義共和國的年代,藝術品與建築全都是龐然巨物, 括在中國境內黑龍江畔凝視