/ I.C.S /

 

                       

                                                                                          Cropped 

 

Patrick Colhoun是来自北爱尔兰的陶艺家，起初看到黑色肃穆的头像作品，就被吸引，特别是加入作品眉骨间冷竣的金属穿孔环，那种另类的强硬感呼之欲出。他的作品带着对社会历史的记忆，哪怕是黑色的，却用一种朴素的外观树立坚定的信念。

以下是我对他的Mail-Talk访问，可以洞悉这位艺术家的创作与生活。

 

I.C.S：In your CV, “Largely self taught” is keyword for ceramic study. How do you have started to do in early works? What things influence you?

Patrick Colhoun：I have no formal art or ceramic training except for two years at nightclass learning basic pottery. I first learnt how to throw on the wheel but from then started to explore handbuilding as my main method of construction. My early exhibition works were at the same time that I lost my job and my first exhibition focused on this. As time went by, I found that I liked making works that were darker in terms of subject matter and the reaction that I got to this pleased me greatly. I have just continued to go further down this path.

 

I.C.S：Do you only use black clay to make sculptures? This is a kind of special texture similar to Chinese smoked pottery. How to find right clay or glaze? Buy or mix by yourself? Where is your kiln ? Someone build it far away from the residential district.

Patrick Colhoun：I only use black smooth clay and it has become my signature, so much so that I won the sculpture category of the Signature Art Awards in London last August. The clay is a standard clay from a pottery supplier and I use a very watered down glaze just to seal it and to keep the finish very dark and earthy. I have a small kiln in my studio at my house and I fire in a larger kiln when required which is about 20 miles from my house.  

 

                       

                                                                                         Pierced Trinity

I.C.S：I’m interested in names of your work, such as “Barbed wire love”, “Carcass”, “Dark angels”, “Pierced”, “Tortured”. It sounds like metal band! I also read your statement that used “Sexual deviancy”, “Containment”, “Aggression”, “Religious symbolism”. What are you think about? And what’s the important concept or theme for you? Social, political, humanistic?

Patrick Colhoun：The names of the pieces are deliberately dark and make the viewer ask questions. You are right in one sense about the band as the piece ‘Barbed Wire Love’ is named after a song by a band from Belfast called Stiff Little Fingers and it is about memories of growing up in Belfast during the ‘Troubles’. The other pieces are an attempt to refer to dark subjects but to make them appear as attractive physical forms. There is also a large element of surprise here as traditional ceramics here in Northern Ireland would not be linked in any way to subject matter such as this. So from this is a real desire to be unique and different. I am currently introducing other materials into my work such as piercings, latex and in some case, hosiery.

 

I.C.S：Every city has different attitude in culture and art that local government should develop for us. Belfast is an important port city in UK, what’s situation in there?

Patrick Colhoun：Belfast is in a position where it is coming out a long dark period of the ‘Troubles’ and is finding a voice in terms of culture and art that was not there for many years. The contemporary art scene in Belfast is slowly developing and the local market is becoming more receptive to contemporary art as a genre instead of the more traditional Irish art that has always gone before. It is a very exciting place to be for an artist!

 

                       

                                                                                           Foundling

I.C.S：Sorry, I couldn’t see other works in your facebook. That’s a limited in my web service. So what’s news in 2012? Do more exhibitions, events, or works?

Patrick Colhoun：In 2012 I will be entering only my third year as an artist but it is packed with opportunity already. In Belfast I will be involved in an exhibition called Warning! This is Contemporary Art which will push the boundaries here locally in Belfast with its content and subject matter. Artists exhibition work include Tracy Emin and Julian Opie amongst others. I will also be exhibiting again in Romania after the success of last years exhibition, this time in Bucharest. I am now actively looking for other international opportunities.

After that I will be exhibiting again in London in a two man show of contemporary art. I am enjoying the fact that I am being asked to scale my work up and become more of an installation artist.

 

I.C.S：Please recommend some ceramic artists in your city or UK. And introduce wonderful exhibitions, art spaces, streets, clubs, and other good stuff.

Patrick Colhoun：Because I try to be unique with my work, there are few ceramicists who would really inspire me however the two that do are very unique in their own right. The first is an Irish ceramicist called Frances Lambe, her work can be seen on www.franceslambe.com . The other is a Romanian sculptor called Arina Ailincai whom I met when I exhibited in Romania last year.  Her work can be seen here www.arinaailincai.ro.

 

I.C.S：在你的简历中，“自学”是陶艺学习的关键词。早期作品中是如何开始做的？是什么影响了你？

Patrick Colhoun：除了两年夜校的陶艺基础学习外，我没有受过任何正式的艺术与陶艺训练。一开始我学习了如何拉坯，但是之后就开始探索徒手制作，并将此作为我主要的创作方法。就是在那个时候，我丢了工作并举办了第一次展览，作品专注于之前的探索。随着时间的推移，我发觉自己喜欢制作的作品，是题材和反应上黑暗的东西，他们使我感到很满意，因此我决定继续将这条路走下去。

 

I.C.S：你只用黑陶土制作雕塑吗？这种特别的质感非常类似于中国的熏烧陶器。你怎样找到合适的泥土和釉料？是买还是自己调制？有些陶艺家把窑建在远离居民区的地方，你的窑放在哪里呢？

Patrick Colhoun：只用黑色柔软的陶泥，已经成为我的特点，它也让我在去年八月赢得了伦敦签名艺术奖的雕塑类奖项。我使用的这些陶泥是陶瓷供应商提供的标准土，而釉料则是经过大量稀释的，我将它密封保存，用来烧制出暗色而朴素的作品质感。我家工作室已经有一座小型窑，如果有必要，我就会到20里外的大窑烧制作品。

 

I.C.S：我对你作品的命名非常感兴趣，比如象“铁网之爱”，“尸体”，“黑暗天使”，“穿孔”，“虐待”等。这听起来就象金属乐队！我也在你的作品自述中读到“性变态”，“围堵”，“侵犯”，“宗教符号学”等词语。你是如何思考这些的？对你最重要的观念和主题是什么？社会、政治还是人文主义？

Patrick Colhoun：故意地将名称取得黑暗，是想让观众提出疑问。其中，有一个名字的感觉被你说对了，“铁网之爱”就是首歌曲，它来自于贝尔法斯特当地的乐队“僵硬小手指”，是个关于这个城市经历“麻烦时期”回忆与成长的故事。另外的一些名字试图涉及一些黑暗的事物，但却是以吸引人的物质形态出现。有些主题并非来自于此，而更多的是惊喜于北爱尔兰传统陶瓷的元素。它们是独特而与众不同的，出于这样的真实心愿，近期，我引入其他材料到我的作品中，比如穿环、乳胶，在某些情况下，我还会使用针织物。

 

I.C.S：每个城市都有自己对待文化与艺术的态度，本地政府也应当发展这些。贝尔法斯特是英国重要的港口城市，那里的文化与艺术又是怎样的情况呢？

Patrick Colhoun：贝尔法斯特现在的地位是从一段黑暗的“麻烦时期”走出来的，它正在寻求一种消失多年的文化与艺术的声音。当代艺术场景正在慢慢地发展，本地市场也变得更容易接受当代艺术的风格，而非以前的传统爱尔兰艺术。对于一个艺术家来说，这是个非常令人激动的地方。

 

I.C.S：对不起，由于我的网络限制，我无法看到你的facebook。在2012年，你会有哪些新动向呢？参加更多的展览、活动，还是制作更多的作品？

Patrick Colhoun：2012年，仅仅是我作为艺术家的第三个年份，但已经充满机会。在贝尔法斯特,我会参与展览“警告！这是当代艺术”，它将从题材和内容上推动本地艺术发展的边界，还有包含Tracy Emin 和Julian Opie的艺术家展览。去年我在罗马尼亚的展览很成功，今年将再次举行，地点会在首都布加勒斯特。现在，我正积极寻找其他国际机会。

除此以外，我还会到伦敦举办一次当代艺术双人联展。如今我正享受这样的事，那就是按要求同比例放大自己的作品，它使我成为了装置艺术家。

 

I.C.S：请你推荐一些英国或是与你同城的陶艺家吧！或者介绍一些精彩的展览、艺术空间、街区、俱乐部和其他好东西吧！

Patrick Colhoun：因为我努力让自己的作品别出心裁，所以很少有其他陶艺家真的能激发我的灵感，但是这两位艺术家，他们在自己的领域非常地独特。第一位就是爱尔兰陶艺家Frances Lambe，她的作品可以在主页www.franceslambe.com上看到。另外一位是罗马尼亚雕塑家Arina Ailincai，是去年做展览的时候遇见的，她的作品可以在主页www.arinaailincai.ro上看到。

 

 

All of pictures copyright by Patrick Colhoun

Thanks for your support!

以上作品图片由艺术家Patrick Colhoun本人提供

感谢Patrick Colhoun的倾力相助

 

PS

Website:Patrick Colhoun