提到James Jean簡明，時下最火的藝術家之一，你可能不熟悉他的名字，但一定見過他的作品。

他曾是DC漫畫御用封面插畫師，連續6年斬獲漫畫界奧斯卡之稱的埃森納獎，《寓言故事》《綠箭俠》《蝙蝠俠》等多部經典作品的封面皆出自他手。

簡明為漫畫《寓言故事》（Fables）做的封面設計

他也曾為《瞬息全宇宙》《水形物語》《鯨》等多部奧斯卡電影制作海報，被奧斯卡金像獎最佳導演獎獲得者吉爾莫·德爾·托羅稱為“Lucky Charm”。

電影《水形物語》海報

電影《鯨》海報

他的作品也被奈良美智、村上隆、吳彥祖、科比等明星收藏。

奈良美智工作室懸掛了兩幅簡明的作品

著名電影制作人John Linson收藏簡明的畫作《山羊》

除了繪畫，視頻、雕塑、建筑、NFT等領域，簡明都有涉獵。

《sunflower》，2023，91.4x121.9cm，36x48in

《旅行者》，2022，動畫視頻投影，63in

《春天》，2023，鏡面，磨砂不銹鋼，200x140x140cm

他也曾與Prada等大牌進行了一系列合作，包括壁畫裝置、織物印花、以及一部動畫電影等。

Trembled Blossoms II，2008

Trembled Blossoms II，2008，Prada Aoyama Epicenter

今年，James Jean簡明大型個展《無盡之旋III——James Jean簡明》在國內啟幕，共展出的200余件作品包括巨幅繪畫、大型雕塑、動畫、裝置、手稿和色彩研究等，全面呈現了簡明20余年藝術生涯的創作與思考。

掃碼購票

我們也借此機會與簡明聊了聊他的藝術探索之旅。以下，是我們的對話。

站酷：展覽為什么起名為「無盡之旋 Eternal Spiral」？此次展覽有哪些特別設置，可以為我們簡單介紹一下嗎？

ZCOOL：Why is the exhibition called "Eternal Spiral"? Could you tell us about any special design for this exhibition?

簡明：《無盡之旋》包含了我過去幾年所專注創作的作品。從展覽入口的大型作品，到最后的版畫，這個展覽從多個維度展現了我的藝術之旅。

James Jean：Eternal Spiral contains my focused activity of the last few years. From the large scale works at the beginning of the show, to the printmaking retrospective towards the end, it shows my artistic journey through various dimensions.

在展覽中你會發現，素描和油畫的平面感很容易在版畫中展現浮雕感，而數字動畫的數據則可以被用來制作巨型鋼鐵紀念雕塑。展覽里的一切都是相互聯系的，我們也是其中的一部分，都在找尋意義。我會用三個詞來形容這種新體驗：具有歷史意義的、統一的、令人眼花繚亂的。

The flatness of the drawings and paintings easily transform into embossed shallow relief in the prints, while the data from the digital animations are used to create giant steel monumental sculptures. Everything is interlinked, that we are all part of this universe, searching for meaning. Three words I would use to describe this new experience would be historic, unity, and dizzying.

衍生肖像，2019，動畫視頻投影，63in

《衍生》， 2020，鏡面不銹鋼，300×155×155cm，118×61×61in

我很自豪我的作品能在中國展出。我的根在中國，但我也受到了西方文化影響，我希望我的作品能在不同文化之間建立起一座橋梁。因為工作的原因，我也探索過許多不同的創作方向，但我很享受這個過程，它像一個漩渦，把我帶入意想不到的領域。

I’m incredibly proud to have my work exhibited in China, and I hope the work can create a bridge between cultures as my roots are based in China but my perspective is heavily influenced by the West. My work pulls me in many different directions, but I enjoy the constant swirling of activity that brings me into unexpected realms.

《漩渦》，2018，布面丙烯

站酷：本次展出的超200件作品，從早期的繪畫手稿、插畫手稿到木刻版畫、電影海報，再到大型雕塑和動畫裝置，這些作品貫穿了您20余年創作生涯的各個階段，可以分享一下在“藝術探索”中，帶給您轉變和突破的關鍵時刻嗎？您是如何看待“藝術探索”這件事的？

ZCOOL：Over 200 works are on display in this exhibition, ranging from your early drawing and illustration manuscripts to woodcut prints, film posters, large-scale sculptures, and animation installations. These works have been created throughout the various stages of your creative career in the past 20 years, could you share with us some of the key moments that have brought about changes and breakthroughs on your career? Can we define these crucial moment as “art exploration” and how do you think of it?

簡明：常聽人說，始于真理，終于藝術。我認為反之亦然，如果從藝術出發，你可能也會在藝術探究的過程中找到真理。我的作品都是在一張張空白紙張上完成的一系列命題創作，我也會在創作過程中，嘗試在雜亂的線條、圖像和虛擬角色中找到意義。

James Jean：I’ve heard it said that one should begin with truth, and end up with art. But the opposite works as well . . . if you begin with art, then you might end up with truth. My work has always been a series of propositions, of making marks on empty pages, attempting to find meaning in the tangle of lines, images, and characters that materialize out of the nothingness.

參觀展覽時，你可以走近作品，看到更多作品里的細節，但也要記得退后一步，在遠距離觀察。從不同角度、不同距離觀看，你不僅可以直觀理解、感受這些作品，也能進行更加細致地觀察。我希望觀眾能在反復觀看的過程中，發現更多隱藏的寶藏，獲得更多的靈感。

As you go through each floor of the exhibit, don’t be afraid to get up close to the work, to see the details, but also stand back and observe from a distance. The work is meant to function on different levels and different distances, and take you on a journey ranging from intuitive understanding to calculated investigation. The work also benefits from repeated viewings, and I hope the audience will return to discover more hidden treasures and moments of inspiration in all the movement and evolution of the work overtime.

《狂奔》，2019，布面丙烯，335.28 x 1097.2cm

站酷：從您的作品中能看到多種文化的影子，東西方文化、乃至神話，在您進行藝術探索的道路上，帶來了哪些助力？

ZCOOL：In your work, we can see the influence of many culture influence, such as Eastern and Western cultures, and even myths, which have helped you in your art exploration?

簡明：我是看美國漫畫和迪士尼動畫片長大的，但隨著年齡的增長，我自然而然被亞洲藝術所吸引。我想這一定是源自某種刻在基因里的記憶。東方藝術傾向于強調輪廓，而西方藝術傾向于營造氛圍。值得一提的是，西方藝術家郎世寧，他能夠將氛圍渲染技法融入到中國傳統繪畫中，他的作品非常有意思。

James Jean：I grew up reading American comics and looking at Disney cartoons, but as I became older, I naturally gravitated toward Asian art. I think it must be some sort of inherited genetic memory. There is an inclination in Eastern art to privilege contour, while Western art tends to be more atmospheric. In particular, the artist Guiseppe Castiglione is an interesting case of someone from the West incorporating atmospheric rendering techniques into traditional Chinese painting.

郎世寧作品

但隨著年齡增長和社會變遷，我不得不開始分析我的成長經歷和文化認同是如何影響我的生活選擇，包括我決定在哪里生活、我的時間會用在哪，以及我如何為社會做出貢獻。

But as I’ve gotten older, and as society as changed, I’ve had to analyze how my upbringing and cultural identity has affected my choices in life, including where I decide to live and spend my time, and how I make my contributions to my community.

在我職業生涯現階段，我的作品影響了很多年輕藝術家，我意識到我有責任找到我藝術創作的基礎，雖然可能會有一些困難，但只有這樣，之后的人才能理解我創作的畫面背后的結構。

At this point in my career, my work has affected a lot of young artists in particular, and I’ve realized that there is some responsibility there to do some hard work to figure out the foundations of my art practice, so that subsequent generations can understand the structure behind the imagery.

只要我繼續以正直和誠實的態度對待工作，身份認同問題應該代表對當下時刻——那就是在當下大災難前所面對的的分歧、困惑，和無助。在我目前的作品中，這些敘事是由我創作的角色來演繹的，他們經常帶著寧靜的表情，沐浴在不同尋常但令人愉悅的色彩中。在地緣政治學中，有許多充滿競爭敘事的觀點，大家一直爭論不斷，而我的作品里也充斥著競爭的欲望和沖動。

As long as I keep approaching the work with integrity and honesty, the issues of identity should come to represent the present moment - that is, the present moment of division, confusion, and hopelessness in the face of the apocalypse. In my current work, these kinds of narratives are acted out by my characters, frequently with serene expressions bathed in unusual but pleasing colors. There is a constant battle of competing narratives in geopolitics, and my work is a mixture of all sorts of competing desires and impulses.

《狩獵派對》（朱紅配色）Hunting PartyII-Vermillion，52.07x59.69cm，310g/㎡ 100%棉紙，藝術微噴印畫

圣地亞哥，2021，布面丙烯，79 x 60.3 CM

站酷：在展覽中，我們看到《衍生》《花束 II 》等作品中，都有人物在懸浮、墜落，對觀展者來說，有人覺得舒適、自由，有人會覺得恐懼，你是怎么看的？你是怎么想到創造這樣一個形象的？

ZCOOL：In the exhibition, we see that in many works such as 《Descendent》and 《Bouquet II》, there are figures levitating and falling, which makes some people feel comfortable and free while others feel fearful, what do you think about this? How did you come up with the idea of creating such an image?

簡明：在《花束II》中，虛擬角色“衍生”被一雙隱藏的手拉進一簇巨大的虛構花朵中。而在之前的作品中，虛擬角色“衍生”自太空墜落，在下降過程中被巨大的植物緩沖，但在這幅作品中，虛擬角色“衍生”的軌跡被一種看不見的力量所控制。

James Jean：In Bouquet II, the Descendent is pulled into a giant cluster of fictional flowers by a pair of hidden hands. In prior works, the Descendent’s fall through space was cushioned by giant botanical elements, but in this bouquet, the Descendent’s trajectory is controlled by an unseen force.

《花束II》的創作靈感來自于17世紀的荷蘭靜物畫，它融入了一種艷麗的卡通美學，畫面充斥著被滴落的酸性物質腐蝕形成的紋理，暗示著衍生脫離了特定的時間或地點，他在空間中的位置被神的力量所控制。這件作品創作于2022年。和衍生一起在新的作品和情境中繼續探險，這對于我來說是很愉悅的體驗。

Taking inspiration from Dutch still life painting of the 1600s, Bouquet II incorporates a garish cartoon aesthetic tarnished by a patina of dripping acidic texture, hinting at the Descendent’s detachment from any particular time or place, his position in space being throttled by divine forces. This piece was made in 2022. It’s always a pleasure to take the Descendent and continue his adventures in new compositions and situations.

《衍生I》，2019，布面丙烯，121.9 x 91.4cm

《衍生 II》，2019，布面丙烯，121.9 x 91.4cm

《衍生 III》，2019，布面丙烯，121.9 x 91.4cm

《衍生 IV》，2020，布面丙烯，121.9cm x 91.cm

《衍生 V》，2022，布面丙烯，182.88 x 228.6cm

站酷：展覽中你最喜歡哪個作品？可以和我們分享這個作品的創作過程嗎？

ZCOOL：What is your favorite work in the exhibition? Could you share with us the process of creating this work?

簡明：我認為那幅名為《旅程》 (Passage) 的版畫非常特別，因為想要在船體上做出金屬箔的效果相當困難。由于版畫與油畫的尺寸不同，不同顏色的金屬箔的數量也不同，我們不得不運用一些特殊工藝。

James Jean：I think the print called Passage is very special, due to how difficult it was to create the metallic foil effect on the boat. Because of the size of the print and the number of different foil colors, we had to innovate some special processes to make it possible.

這幅畫背后的故事也相當有趣：一艘大型蘆葦船，擠滿了去往遙遠海岸尋求庇護的難民，漂浮在酸性物質的海洋中。

And the story behind the painting is quite interesting as well: A large reed boat, overcrowded with refugees seeking asylum in some distant shore, floats in an acidic ocean.

船身設計是基于烏魯斯原住民制造的的的喀喀湖(Lake Titicaca) 上的蘆葦船。挪威的人種學家、冒險家Thor Heyerdahl建造了一系列蘆葦船，其中一艘是由的的喀喀湖的造船者建造的，表明古代文明可以跨越廣闊的海洋進行遷移和貿易。

The design of the boat in Passage is based on the reed boats of Lake Titicaca, made by the Uros indigenous people. The Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer Thor Heyerdahl built a series of reed boats, one of which was constructed by boat builders from Lake Titicaca, to demonstrate that ancient civilizations could have migrated and traded across the vast oceans.

同時也是對籍里柯《梅杜薩之筏》（The Raft of Medusa）的致敬，船上的人物代表著多個文化的形象，這些角色和形象在允許經濟貿易的海洋中漂流，貿易與文化在海洋中輸入、輸出。這艘船也可以看作是承載全人類的方舟，代表著特定文化的形象一起在船上擱淺，尋找著避風港。

While also being a nod to The Raft of the Medusa by Géricault, the characters in the boat represent an overflow of cultural archetypes that are cast adrift in a geo-politicized ocean that allows for economic trade, but deems dangerous the export and import of humanity and culture. But then the boat can also be seen as an ark carrying the whole of humanity . . . stranded on the boat together and unable to find safe harbor.

《旅程》， 2019，布面丙烯，335.28 x 1097.2cm

站酷：我們常說“藝術是相通的”，在電影海報和專輯封面的創作過程中，電影中的故事和音樂給您的藝術探索之旅帶來了哪些驚喜？可以分享一些在商業創作過程中印象深刻的小故事嗎？

ZCOOL：We always say that "art is interconnected", in the process of creating film posters and album covers, What surprises did the stories and music in the movies bring to your art exploration journey? Could you share some short stories that have impressed you during the creation process?

簡明：《瞬息全宇宙》海報的創作靈感來源于文藝復興時期的天頂壁畫。我最初設想這張照片的中間有一個洞，觀者能從任何角度觀察它，就像一個黑洞，把觀者吸引進去。電影的藝術總監和導演給了我一些草圖，所以從一開始，整個創作計劃都比較明確。

James Jean：For the poster to Everything Everywhere All At Once, the composition of the poster references Renaissance ceiling murals. The idea was to have an image that can be seen from all angles as it encircles a hole in the center, almost like a black hole that is pulling the viewer in. The art directors gave me some sketches that they had developed with the Daniels already, so we already had a strong starting point for the project.

但這仍是一個很大的挑戰，我需要把所有元素都考慮進去，更加動態地去講述故事。他們后來給了我上千張片場拍攝的照片，這對我幫助很大，但我還是需要模特和朋友們給我做一些姿勢的參考。實際上，我曾讓我的太太去扮演楊紫瓊的角色，幫助我更準確地畫出衣服上的褶皺和角色的手部動作。

Still, it was a huge challenge to gather all the reference and create a composition that felt dynamic and told a story. They gave me access to thousands of photos from the set, which was extremely helpful, but I still had to create some of the poses using my own models and friends as reference. In fact, I had my wife pose as Michelle Yeoh to get the hands and folds of the clothing working properly.

站酷：隨著科技的發展，從NFT、元宇宙，到現在的AI，藝術有了更多的表現形式，藝術家也有了更多的創作工具，但像AI，也會引發了藝術家們“被替代”的焦慮。您怎么看在科技加持下的藝術未來？

ZCOOL：With the development of technology, from NFT, meta-universe to AI, there are more forms of expression for art and more creative tools for artists, but AI, for example, also triggers the anxiety of "being replaced" by artists. What do you think about the future of art with the support of technology?

簡明：20年來，我一直在創作數字作品，同時也會畫實體版畫和素描。我認為版畫能夠賦予數字作品實體。不過我也很喜歡用數字工具來嘗試色彩組合、測試顏色效果，這比傳統繪畫更高效。最近，我也在探索Midjourney，感受到了AI繪畫的各種可能性。歸根結底，這與我們的編輯能力和品味有關，我也期待計算機會如何進一步拓展我的創造力。然而，可供選擇的數字工具太多，也會使人陷入盲目——這也是為什么我還是喜歡簡單的素描和油畫，因為在現實世界里充滿了太多的約束和限制。

James Jean：I’ve been making digital work for 20 years, alongside my physical paintings and drawings. Actually, printmaking is a way of giving physical form to a digital work. However, I do enjoy using digital tools to create color combinations and effects that would be inefficient to make in a traditional painting. Recently, I’ve also been exploring Midjourney and seeing all the possibilities that AI art can provide. In the end, it’s all about editing and taste, and I’m excited to see how the computer can further expand upon my creativity. However, digital tools can paralyze you by giving you too much choice - that’s why I still love the simplicity of drawing and painting, because of all the constraints and limitations of the physical world.

我認為數字藝術收藏是最純粹的收藏。因為在數字藝術收藏中，重要的不再是藝術品實體本身，而是想要擁有藝術品的想法。如今，大多數藝術收藏家通過看JPG和PDF來決定是否購買，購買后，他們甚至不會將藝術品掛到墻上，或是放在身邊，而是將其放入藝術品倉庫。對于藝術家和收藏家來說，NFT的出現都讓收藏這件事變得更高效，它打破了作品和收藏家之間的距離，沒有任何物理上的不便。

I think digital art collecting represents collecting in its most conceptually pure sense. That is, the object is no longer important: the idea of owning something is what matters. These days, most art collectors look at JPGs and PDFs to buy art, and frequently, they don’t even hang and live with the work - instead, it goes straight to their art storage. NFTs create more efficiency in the relationship between an artist and collector, it collapses that distance between a work’s creation and owning the work without all physical inconveniences.

“碎片”（Fragments）系列，2022，手繪數字藝術作品

站酷：你的展覽除了插畫還有多元的裝置和動畫，未來有沒有想嘗試別的媒介或者形式？比如多媒體體驗、游戲、電影……未來您還將會在哪些領域繼續探索？有哪些創作計劃？

ZCOOL：In addition to illustration, your exhibitions also feature a variety of installations and animations, do you have any plans to experiment with other media or forms in the future? For example, multimedia experiences, games, films ...... What other fields will you continue to explore in the future? What are your creative plans?

簡明：我正在創作更多的雕塑，希望在未來幾年可以做出一些能夠放置在公共空間的大型作品。我也將在版畫中習得的創新方法和獨特技術，運用到了大型的彩色玻璃建筑亭 (Pagoda) 的建造方案中，這個展館目前正在加利福尼亞建造。我與合作者一起創造了新的解決方案和技術方法，讓傳統彩色玻璃進入了一個新紀元。這也是我希望未來持續去做的事，使用傳統媒介，在數字技術和方法的幫助下，以一個新高度呈現我的作品。

James Jean：I’ve also been making more sculpture, and I hope to present some large scale works that can live in public spaces in the next few years. Taking the innovations and unique combinations of techniques from my printmaking practice, I’ve used the same approach in this large scale stained glass pavilion that is currently being constructed in California. With my collaborators, we’ve invented new solutions and techniques and evolved the tradition of stained glass into a new era. And that’s what I hope to continue to do, taking traditional mediums and using digital technology and methodology to evolve my work to new heights.

彩色玻璃大型裝置作品《神廟》（Pagoda）渲染效果圖

在過去的三年里，我一直在與JUDSON STUDIOS合作建造一座名為“PAGODA” 的彩色玻璃亭子，JUDSON STUDIOS是美國歷史最悠久的彩色玻璃制造商。在我的指導下，我們開發了新的工藝，改進了玻璃藝術，實現了前所未有的美學可能性。通過在工藝中引入數字工作流程和新機器，我們將我創作的形象轉化成玻璃，而這放在以前是不可能完成的。整個工程和制作的成本非常高，也給了我很大的壓力。

For the past three years, I’ve been working on building a stained glass pavilion called Pagoda with Judson Studios, the oldest stained glass fabricator in the USA. Under my direction, we’ve developed new processes and evolved glass art to achieve aesthetic possibilities never seen before. By introducing digital workflows and new machines into the process, we’re able to translate my imagery into glass in ways that were previously impossible. The cost of engineering and fabrication is extremely high and puts me under a lot of pressure.

然而，當PAGODA完成時，我相信它將是我迄今為止最棒的作品，也是一個具有歷史意義的作品，它將以一種將傳統與創新相結合的方式，徹底改變玻璃藝術和玻璃工藝。

However, when Pagoda is finished, I believe it will be my greatest work to date, and will be a historic object that combines tradition with innovation in way that revolutionizes glass art and production.

有趣的是，這種玻璃新工藝的開發，也受到了我在版畫創作中表達方式的影響，讓我們最后得以使用淺浮雕和數字工藝，來創造更柔美、也更完美的線條。

What’s been interesting is to see how the language that I’ve developed in my printmaking has influenced the new techniques we’ve developed with the glass, in terms of the use of shallow relief and digital processes to create more lyrical and immaculate line work.

蓋亞（Gaia），簡明，2019，雕塑，熔化玻璃、鉛、鋼和白熾燈泡

這件作品也是簡明與JUDSON STUDIOS合作而成，同樣采取了創新技法，用水流對玻璃進行切割，這樣出來的形狀會更精準。

站酷：你的速寫本也給大家帶來了很多震撼，鼓勵了很多人繼續堅持創作，你有什么建議可以分享給年輕創作者嗎？

ZCOOL：Your sketchbooks have brought a lot astonishment to audiences and encourage many to continue to create, do you have any advice to share with young creators?

簡明：在我年輕的時候，欲望和抱負是我工作的主要動力。但隨著我步入中年，我的心境更加從容平和了。不管出于什么原因，我只是想創作——如果我喪失了創造力，我會感覺很糟糕。我可能是對創作上癮了，總是想做點什么。比如說，現在我很難放下手頭的事，去看一場電影，因為那樣失去的時間就回不來了。

James Jean：I suppose in my youth, lust and revenge were the primary motivators of my work. But as I approach middle age, my state of mind is much more at ease and even keel. For whatever reason, I am just driven to create - I feel terrible if I’m not being productive in some way. Perhaps it’s an addiction, but always need to be doing something. These days, it’s very difficult for me to stop and watch a movie, for example. That’s time I will never recover . . .

簡明速寫本

《編發III》，2023，布面丙烯，40.6x50.8cm，16x20in

作品創作過程

2023年8月12日-11月17日，簡明大型個展《無盡之旋III》將持續在深圳海上世界文化藝術中心展出，如果你對簡明的作品、創作過程感興趣，一定不要錯過！

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