白盒子艺术馆现场｜在平均失踪的时代，艺术如何回应新问题？

2023年6月10日，“平均失踪”在白盒子艺术馆开幕。此次展览汇集了6位艺术家——陈文骥、洪浩、刘建华、谭平、颜磊、朱金石，抽样出他们创作的艺术样本。在种种矛盾渐隐渐显的当下社会，部分既往的“绝对概念”遭受到剧烈冲击，各界各领域中意为中庸的“平均”正悄然失踪，取而代之的是以多样化形式追求成为“无可替代”的存在。在平均失踪的时代，艺术又该如何适应新环境？如何回应新问题？6位艺术家在作品中贯穿对艺术和社会的思考，借此展览，期许体会独属于自身的取向与价值观。

[Disappearance of Average, 平均失踪]：

“平均失踪时代”艺术的变化(The Change of Art in the ‘Age of average disappearance’)

（节选）

文/李章旭

By LEE Janguk

平均(Average)，词典义为“将多种事物的质量或数量等统一化的样子”，同时意味着“具有中间值的数”，代表着平凡、基准、普通、大众。如今“平均”正在消失。更准确来说，能够代表某一群体的平均值正在消失。在过去，被市场被社会甚至被个人都认为理所应当的平均，也曾出现消失。但是近年的消失进程是有史以来发展最快的。

The word average has a dictionary meaning ‘the quality or amount of various things that are made uniformly even’, and also means ‘the number with an intermediate value’. It has been called in other words such as plain(平凡) standard(基準), ordinary(通常), normal(普通), and mass(大衆). That ‘average’ is now disappearing. Specifically, the average value representing the group is in the process of vanishing. The average value, which was taken for granted by the marketplace, society, and individuals, has disappeared in the past, but the speed has grown more rapidly in recent years.

资本主义的两极化属性与前所未有的大流行以及全球经济危机相遇，加速了“聚集于一处”的不平衡。在非传统的不况时期，人们开始“超节约”式生活，并寻找与时代相对应的商品。而如今情况相较于过去远远不同。卖得好的不仅仅是超低价商品，同样价格昂贵的商品在市场中的需求也有所增大。市场中，正在缩减的正是具有“平均属性”的大众市场，而“平均失踪的时代”由此得名。

The polarization of capitalism has spread the imbalance which is more rapidly tilted to one side as it responds to the unprecedented pandemic and global economic crisis. Traditionally, in times of recession, people have looked for super savings(超節約) products. But now we have a different situation. It's not just very cheap products that sell well. The luxury market at very high prices also tends to grow as a whole. What is shrinking is the ‘medium’ mass market. Therefore, the term ‘the age of average disappearance’ is coming up.

展厅现场

在当今社会下，“平均”越来越站不住脚。而对于这样的现象，我们可以对当今社会下人类正在经历的三个变化进行总结。变化一，“两极化”。全球性大流行、快速变化的国际形势以及经济衰退导致两极化的发生。同时又因学习水平与信息因素，加重了两极化进程。变化二，向多种不同方向扩散的“N极化”(多极化)现象。随着进入超个人化(hyper-personalization)社会，消费者需求与同分母消失，并以“纳米(Nanometer)”为单位被细分化。变化三，表示一切归一的“单极化”。“单极化”在这里指能够快速适应变化、灵活应对现状的少数大型企业独占市场，将一切都拉向一处的现象。

The average is losing ground in our society, and this is due to three factors. The first is ‘polarization(兩極化)’ where the middle disappears. Aside from the economic polarization caused by the pandemic, the rapidly changing international situation, and the economic recession, the phenomenon of polarization of learning and information levels is also intensifying. The second is the 'N polarization(N極化)' which propagates in various ways. As we enter a hyper-personalization society, the needs of consumers also lose their common denominator and are subdivided into ‘nano’ units. The third is ‘unipolarization(單極化)’ which is centered upon one. It refers to a situation where a few large companies that can cope with rapid change wisely monopolize the market and attract everyone to one place.

展厅现场

我们无法保证“平均”能够安全。以“无趋势即趋势”的MZ时代(MZ Generation)为中心，在各个领域中能够寻找试图从摆脱平均的迹象。平均失踪趋势严重警告着现社会。代表“平均”的平凡人生、平平无奇的商品、毫无特色的建议，这些所谓“标准”正在改变。“普通”并非代表会被时代保留，“普通”意味着面临淘汰。因此，应该变得特殊。只有超越标准，表现出比他人高出一倍，甚至更强烈的热情，才有可能在这无法预测、充满不确定性的时代中生存。

There is no guarantee that the average will be safe anymore. Signs of rupture in the average is already appearing everywhere, centered on the MZ Generation, where to them, ‘trendy means the absence trend.’ What the average disappearing tendency suggests to us is serious. The standard of ordinary goods, ordinary lives, ordinary opinions, and normal standards that can be expressed in the form of averages are changing. If it's normal, it doesn’t survive, it falls behind. So, the specialty is required. It can be said that it is only when one is armed with extraordinary intensity above the average, that one can survive a period of unpredictable uncertainty.

以“MZ时代”为中心，为脱离平均，抵达平均之上的激烈生存游戏，很显然影响着当前社会。作为近2至3年焦点的虚拟货币(Virtual currency)、NFT艺术、艺术投资(Art investments)等实例中能够发现，比任何人都更敏感地获取信息，比任何人都更积极地利用这些信息来维护自身利益，便是使他们得以生存并区别于他人的特点。

The survival game, which is ferociously played around the MZ generation, clearly affects society in general. As can be seen in the cases of virtual currency, NFT art, and art investments, which have been a hot topic for the past two tothree years, they are more sensitive than anyone else to acquiring informationfor survival, and are more involved than anyone else in the use of theinformation for their own benefit.

展厅现场

艺术与我们是共存的，而非分离的。在该标准下，所谓平均——模范答案消失的时代下，艺术市场的需求是什么？能够获得社会认可的作品有哪些？

Art has been with us, and is not something special and unusual. An era where the average pattern response has vanished from these standards. Thus, what is the demand in the art market? And which artworks will be recognized?

皮埃尔·布尔迪厄(Pierre Bourdieu)在“区分(Distinction)”(1984)中认为，对于取向，艺术并非人类固有的对创造精神的表达，而是具有相互不同取向的群体间相互斗争并加以区分的场域(Champ)空间。“取向”生产艺术，赋予每个消费的个体其独特惯习(Habitus)。在社会关系中内化，并影响着“社会各阶级间互相划清界限加以区分”。

Pierre Bourdieu declared in 「Distinction」(1984) that art is not the expression of man's unique creative spirit. but a place(Champ, Pierre Bourdieu) of distinction in which different tastes clash and debate. Taste produces the unique Habitus of the individual who produces and consumes art, and internalized in social relationships has a great influence on the ‘distinction’ of classes.

无论取向，都具有聚集与隔离人群的作用。根据布尔迪厄的理论，走在时代前沿的人，在对艺术、音乐等的选择与接受中，更倾向于选择需要投入一定时间及学习成本的事物。不从众、区别于他人，可以说是这类群体的重要特征之一。

Like everyone's taste, it connects and disconnects people. According to Bourdieu's argument, those who are ahead of their time prefer things that can only be appreciated only by investing a certain amount of time and learning in the choice of art and music. One of their important features is the feeling of choosing what is unpopular and what stands out from others.

如果认为过去更倾向于为经济主体的大量消费者并满足平均消费基层的调性(Tone and Manner)，那么如今该通过怎样的范式(paradigm)去接近、解决这一系列问题？艺术该如何适应新环境？应该使用针对“极微小、刁钻目标”的范式去接近，即“想要在这样的时代下生存，只有‘让自己变得更刁钻’”。

In the past, if economic actors aimed at tone and manner for a large number of consumers, the average round consumer, what paradigm would they need to address the problem now? And how should that be applied to art? This should be addressed with a custom paradigm for 'pointed' targets. “There's only one wayto stay alive in this age. We ought to be sharper."

随着平均的消失，更加极端化的消费与价值观在该时代背景下放大。换句话说，整个社会将面对“想要的作品无论价格再高都会买单，相反则极端排斥”的时代，即面对“无法被替代的优越感、差别化，注重多样性的未来”。计划本次展览，以符合本人自身取向的艺术家与作品，呈现部分以及刁钻目标。同时希望观看本次展览的观众，通过该展览再次体会独属于自身的取向与价值观。

As the average disappears, extreme forms of consumption and values became more prominent. In other words, no matter how expensive one may pay as much for the work they really want, and in the opposite case they will turn an extreme blind eye to those that aren’t. The future has arrived where excellence, differentiation, and irreplaceable diversity come into play. Through this exhibition, I would like to show a sharp example (section) of artists of individual tastes from the planner of this exhibition. We hope that the viewing audience will also have an opportunity to reflect on one another's preferred tastes and values.