原创： 区志航  当代艺术观察  2018-07-01

 

 

演讲开始之前的这段视频，是关于发生在2011年代表着当下社会见死不救典型的“小悦悦事件”的拍摄现场。我在创作“俯卧撑”作品的现场，其实是特别不愿意让别人看见的。因为我觉得在公共场所这么做，如果路人事先不知道的话，会给对方带来惊扰。另外我并非不在乎与观众的互动，也会将现场观众对行为艺术的反映看作作品的一部分，但因为我的作品的特殊性，何况我不满足于与现场那么少的人可能还是值得怀疑的互动，而是在作品生成后放到社会，通过互联网和公共媒体与整个社会发生关系。“俯卧撑”2017年度盘点（修订版） 我相信这样的行为艺术更具当代性也更具力量和意义。

 

The video before this presentation is a documentary of me photographing the Push-ups at the site of Xiao Yueyue incident that was a typical consequence of the indifferent society. In fact, when I photograph the push-ups, I particularly do not want any witnesses. It is disturbing if I do this in public without notifying passersby. This does not mean that I do not want interaction from audience when I do the performance. I take the audience’s reaction as part of my work. However, my work is a special performance art. Interacting, sometimes doubtfully, with a small number of audiences on-site is not enough for me. I care more about publishing the works in society and use the internet and mass media to interact with the whole society. (Link to: Push-ups of the Year 2017,Revised version). I trust that such performance art is more contemporary, powerful and meaningful. 

 

 

为了介入“小悦悦事件”，我早早就到了该事件发生的批发市场现场。当我选好位置架好设备准备拍摄的时候，一辆警车出现了，大家可以看到作品画面右边有一辆警车。我想可能是等红绿灯吧，没想到警车不走了，原来是在那值班的。如果继续等下去，批发市场周边的门市都要开门营业，那我就更加不适合创作了。考虑到警车离我有一定距离，抱着不被发现的侥幸心理，硬着头皮行动了。结果发生了演讲开始之前视频的那一幕。当我完成了“俯卧撑”回撤的时候，那辆警车就开过来了。警车走近后开车那位警察用广东普通话说：“当着我们的警车就不要脱光衣服啦。”估计警察可能以为我是北方人，觉得广东人比较温和，不会做如此疯狂的事吧。我赶紧跟他解释，毕竟是广东警察比较温和，而且当知道我是因为“小悦悦事件”创作，又是当地政府邀请担任2011“伯奇杯”全国创意摄影大展的评委时，很幽默的说：“又不早说，早说我就帮你清场啦。”

 

In order to intervene into the Xiao Yueyue incident, I arrived in the early morning at the wholesale market site. When I selected a location and was about to take action, a police car appeared. You can see the car at the right corner of the photograph. I thought they stopped for the traffic light. Yet instead, they were there on guard. I couldn’t wait any longer because the wholesale market is opening soon and it is inappropriate to photograph them. Considering that the police car is a bit far from me, I took the risk, wishing the police not noticing me. Then comes the video we all saw at the beginning of this presentation. The car stopped by me and the police said, in mandarin with Cantonese accent: “hey, don’t strip off in front of the police.” Probably the police assumed I am from north China, as Cantonese people are generally temperate and wouldn’t do such crazy things. I quickly explained to him about my art. Cantonese police are gentle. When he heard that I performed for the Xiao Yueyue incident and that I was the local government-selected judge of 2011 Boqi Cup National Creative Photography Exhibition, the police said, humorously,“why don’t you tell me earlier? I could have cleared up the site for you.”  

 

 

“俯卧撑”的创作过程中有很多故事，待会我还会将一些特殊经历与大家分享。通过这个作品大家会发现，我的艺术方式是通过裸体俯卧撑这样的行为，介入到重大的新闻和历史事件的事发现场进行创作。我希望通过这样的观念和艺术方式，让大家关注我为什么和在什么地方做？

 

There are many stories in the creating of Push-ups. I will have time to share some special experience with you. You might have realized, my performance art uses nude push-ups to intervene into significant news and historical events. Through such concept and art, I wish the audience contemplate on why and where I perform the push-ups. 

 

 

我为什么会选择这样的创作方式？因为重大公共事件发生后，很多时候我们是来不及辨认和消化，就有可能被新的事件所掩盖和替代，或被有意无意的遗忘。然而，这些事件的真相和发生的原因究竟是什么？有没有一种方式可以让大家能够在新闻事件发生之后，可以更持久地关注、铭记、追问和反思？这是我的一个初衷。姜汤：俯卧撑在擦亮历史 

 

Why did I choose such art? Many significant incidents have happened. Yet before we have the chance to contemplate on them, they are easily replaced by new happenings and intentionally or unintentionally forgotten. What are the facts and causes of the incidents? Is there a way to sustain people’s attention on the incidents, remember, question and reflect on the news? This is my intention of doing the Push-ups. (Link to: Push-ups are Polishing History, by Jiang Tang)

 

 

我不知道“俯卧撑”算不算迄今为止耗时最短的行为艺术，因为我的自拍时间控制在十秒钟。“我撑故我在，连脱带拍八秒搞定”是《信息时报》记者2008年的一篇报道中这么写的。与此同时，“俯卧撑”又有可能耗时最长的行为艺术，十几年前就开始做了，到目前为止已有过千个“俯卧撑”作品，共同构成一个庞大的作品体系。这些看似大同小异的作品，其实差异很大，每个作品介入的都是各类社会问题的节点性重大公共事件，而不是某类问题的所有事件。“俯卧撑”是一个既短又长，既长又短的行为艺术作品，一经介入，该事件的过去、现在和未来都成为作品的一部分。

 

I am not certain whether Push-ups is the quickest performance art to date. My self-portrait is set to shoot within 10 seconds. “I Do the Push-ups therefore I am, Strip Off and Photograph in 8 Seconds”, this is the title of a report in 2008 in Information Times. At the same time, Push-ups is the longest-lasting performance. It started over a decade ago. To date there are over 1,000 push-ups, constituting a grand system of works. Every single push-up might look similar to each other, yet they are substantially different. Every push-up intervenes into one symbolic and significant public problem, rather than every single incident of one particular type of problem. Push-ups is a performance art both transient and long-lasting. At the time of intervention, the story’s past, current state and future all become part of the work. 

 

 

到目前为止，上千个“俯卧撑”作品共分四大系列，《景·观》系列与历朝历代发生关系，刚才大家看到在紫禁城雪地里创作的作品，就属于《景·观》系列。因为标志性的人文景观往往是当时的政治、经济、文化、艺术等几乎是社会所有方面的综合体现。顾名思义，《近代中国》系列就是跟中国近代史发生关系的系列。《红色中国》系列是跟中华人民共和国成立以来发生关系的系列。《那一刻》系列是有关2000年以来，也就是与被誉为中国世纪以来的重大公共事件发生关系的系列。

 

To date, the over a thousand push-ups consists of four series. See and Be Seen dialogues with the dynasties in ancient Chinese history. The push-up in the snow in the Forbidden City is one of the See and Be Seen work. The historical landmarks are often a collective representative of the politics, economics, culture and art in a certain period of time in history. Modern China, as understood by its name,is a  series dedicated to modern Chinese history. Red China talks about the history after the establishment of the P.R.C China. The Moment focuses on the major public events after year 2000, aka the 21th century, the so-called century of China.  

 

 

我的经历让我感受到我们强调以史为鉴，但如果连真相都不清楚，如何以史为鉴？真相是我们所有努力的基础，让我们知道问题的所在，不然的话可能会走偏。只有通过介入社会的基本问题，从中找到真相，才能有助推动社会的强身健体。

 

My life experience makes me reflect on history. Yet if we do not even know the facts of historic happenings, how shall we reflect? Facts are fundamentals of all our efforts. We must know what are the true problems, otherwise we might take a wrong path. Only through intervening into the fundamental problems of society and find the facts can we create a stronger and healthier society. 

 

 

关于“俯卧撑”这个庞大的作品系列，很多人可能以为是一个团队创作的，其实一直都是我自己一个人在做，都是一个人的行为。不仅在创作现场裸体俯卧撑和自拍，作品生成后如何延伸，如何跟这个社会发生关系，进而通过网络和媒体与整个社会合作，也是我自己在做，实现了所有环节都是我一个人无缝对接。

 

Many people would assume that Push-ups are created by a team. Instead, it is a solo performance—throughout, I take care of the whole production by myself. I travelled to the sites to do the nude push-ups and self-portrait, and extend the work to interact with society on the internet. These series of steps are all covered by myself alone. 

 

 

“俯卧撑”这样的艺术方式，在公共空间尤其是敏感的新闻事件现场裸体行为，注定非常的危险。《景·观》紫禁城这个作品是在零下20度的时候创作的。我一直想介入紫禁城，因为它是中国专制的一种象征，当然背后还有很多的故事和诉求，但是一直没有机会，这里只要一开门就人山人海。2010年终于遇到了50年一遇的大雪，元旦后雪停了，等航班恢复正常后，我赶紧从广州飞到北京，第二天就在紫禁城完成了这个作品。其实我在那待了三个多小时，刚才有一位讲者说了在雪地里长待特别的难受，其实最难受的不是身体躯干，是手和脚受冻的那种疼。实际上我的手指被轻度冻伤了，大半年后才康复，不亲身经历，那种艰难是很难体会到的。

 

Push-ups as a performance art is rather dangerous and risky, as it involves nudity in public space, especially sensitive news sites. See and Be Seen: Forbidden City is completed in a minus 20 degree winter. I always wanted to take such photo because the Forbidden City is a symbol of the autarchy China. There are of course many stories and appeals behind. Usually there isn’t any chance, as the Forbidden City is always full of tourists. In the winter of  2010, it snowed so heavily that Beijing had never experienced in the past 50 years. After the new year, airlines recovered as the snow stopped. I immediately flied from Guangzhou to Beijing and completed the work the next day. In order to take the photo, I stayed in Forbidden City for three hours. One of the speakers of today’s TED said it’s tough to endure the snow. The pain does not come from the whole body, but the coldness your hand and foot had to endure. My fingers had cold injury that took months to recover. It’s hard to imagine the pain and toughness without experiencing it by yourself. 

 

 

然而，这样的艰难对我来说还真的算不了什么，最难的还是那些在创作过程中无法预料的人为障碍。这个作品介入的是2015年发生在毕节四个留守儿童自杀事件的现场。留守儿童和孤寡老人的问题，已经成为非常严重和普遍的中国社会问题，“俯卧撑”必须介入。问题是在边远山沟里的一间农家房子怎么找？“俯卧撑”作品的创作有很多困难，其中一个可能大家不留意的困难是如何考证事发地？我不能张冠李戴，必须经得起历史的推敲是吧。当我花了很多钱包车，好不容易找到了事发地，正侥幸周边没有人，迅速开始创作的时候，被当地官方布控人员发现了，因为出租车太打眼，在穷山沟里一出现就知道有外来人。当地官方防记者无意中把我给防了，结果把我带到了派出所，删除了图片。领头的说：“这个事情已经过去了，我们不希望被再提起。”

 

Such difficulty, however, is nothing compared to the unpredictable human obstacles. This photo (on screen) targets the suicide of four left-behind children in Bijie in 2015. Left-behind children and elderly person with no family are serious and ubiquitous problems that Push-ups must intervene. The problem hence came: how do you find a particular farm house in the remote village? Push-ups had to overcome many obstacles, one of which is to identify the actual location where the incidents happen. I shall not misplace the locations. In Bijie, I hired a driver and finally found the place. There was no one around. As I was about to start the photograph, a local cop in civilian clothes showed up. The taxi was too obvious. A remote village immediate knew it was an outsider. The local police took guards against journalists, and me, too. They took me to the police station and delete all photos I took at the site. The lead police said, “the incident (suicide) past. We do not want to mention it again.” 

 

 

这次遭遇还算好，因为我还是有作品。大家现在看到的是关于广东省前任落马政协主席朱明国的作品。2014年他落马，2015年我专程去他在海南五指山的老家创作，因为大家可能都知道在那里曾存放着他很多的赃物。结果到了村口就被当地的村民，他的家乡父老截住了。因为一方面他腐败，同时也给自己的家乡带来了很多好处，所以当地村民很尊敬他，不愿意大家去报道。要知道在农村如果我硬闯，必死无疑，我只好选择放弃。也就是说我到了现场，最终却没有办法完成作品。【俯卧撑】不得不放弃的朱明国案作品2号 所以，朱明国案只有在广东省政协门口创作的这个作品。由此可见，“俯卧撑”这样的创作是非常艰难的。

 

The experience in Bijie was not the worst case as I eventually made the push-up photo. The work (on screen) now is about Zhu Mingguo, the former chairperson of CPPCC in Guangdong Province. He fell in 2014. In 2015 I went to his hometown,Wu Zhi Shan in Hainan Province. We all know that his hometown holds many of his bribes. I encountered local villagers at the entrance to the village. Although he corrupts, he benefited many of his villagers. The local villagers admires him and does not want to expose the hometown to outsiders. In village, if I force it I might risk my life. I had to give up. So I went all the way to his hometown but could not take the photo.  (Link to: Push-ups I had to give up, Zhu Mingguo's Case, Work No. 2). So for Zhu Mingguo’s case I only had the push-up in front of the gate of Guangdong CPPCC building. This examples tells how difficult it is to complete Push-up works. 

 

 

十几年来为此我走了几十万公里，至于当中花了多少钱我也不清楚，没有核算，反正都是自己的。这么艰难，这么危险，而且还那么多的误会，我相信包括在座的很多人都不一定能理解，甚至有人反感，对吧。其实大家的各种心理我都能体会，都能承受。为什么如此艰难我还要坚持“俯卧撑”呢？这次TED演讲的主题是“环境的力量”，如果从环境的角度去讲的话，大概有三个方面的影响决定了我选择以“俯卧撑”这样的方式去进行创作。

 

For over a decade, I traveled tens of thousands of miles. I did not count how much money it had cost. After all, they all comes out from my own savings. There was pain, danger and misunderstanding. Many of my audience might not understand,some might revolt against me. I recognize and bear all the reactions. Why do I persist in doing the Push-ups? The theme of today’ s TED talk is “the Power of the Environment”. Speaking of the environment, three reasons make me choose Push-ups. 

 

 

首先是我的家庭。大家可以看到，我的家庭有很多老照片。父母的老照片对我的影响很大，不仅让我爱上了摄影，同时也在我幼小的心灵埋下了质疑的种子。在我的孩提时代，普遍认为万恶的旧社会美好的新社会。但通过父母的这些老照片和我自己的亲身感受，觉得好像不对，有一个质疑在里面，当时可是“缝缝补补又三年”这样的岁月。另外就是我父母的家族，都是非常有家国情怀的。区家祠：广州古城内现存面积最大祠堂揭秘（修订版） 我爸爸在文化大革命被下放，虽遭遇不公平，他依然会把当时唯一可以了解外界对中国的观点，以及通过它了解世界的报纸《参考消息》带回家。我爸爸当然没有资格订阅，必须要处级以上干部才能订，爸爸只能把过时的、领导看过的带回家。我也不知道为什么也很感兴趣，从中看到原来还有不一样的角度看中国，原来人家是这么认为的，外面世界是这样的。我妈妈将近90岁去世，在她去世之前眼睛已经很模糊，但依然会打开电视听新闻。父母对我的影响很大，让我爱上摄影，关注社会，学会担当，这些都是我的作品中很重要的一些元素。

 

The first reason is my family. My family has many old photos. The photos from my parents had strong influence on me. They not only made me interested in photography, but also sowed a seed of questioning and doubt. In my childhood, people all criticize the so called old society and celebrate the bright new society. However, through my parents’ old photos and my own experience as a child, I thought there were something wrong. The new society was so poor that a piece of clothes is worn out and stitched to sustain for another three years. In such poor environment, my family still cares about the nation’s wellness. (Link to: Ou Family Academy: Secrets of Guangzhou’s Biggest Family Academy in Town, Revised version). During the cultural revolution my father was sent to the village. As he lived through the injustice, he still read the only international newspaper Reference News to know about the world and diplomacy. My father didn’t have the right to subscribe to the newspaper, as the Reference News is only available to high government officials. So my father brought home outdated news that were already read by higher officials. For some reason I was interested in the newspaper too. I was able to read about different perspectives on China, to know how about the outside world and their opinions. My mother passed away at the age of 90. Before that she was not able to see things, yet she would turn on the television to hear the news. My parents had strong influence on me. They made me love photography, care about society, and learn to take responsibility.These are all important elements in my work. 

 

 

另外一个因素就是我的个人经历了。今年是我的本命年，不是48岁哦，60岁。对，我是58年出生的，在中华人民共和国成立不到十周年的时候，我出生了。其实蛮庆幸我能够在人生这样一个几十年的过程中，可以目睹中国社会极具颠覆性的变化。前两天我接受纪念改革开放40年的一个纪录片的采访，我说每个人都不希望自己老去，但总是要老去的，我庆幸在这几十年可以目睹这么多、见证这么多、体会这么多。在人类历史长河中，50年算什么？40年算什么？但在中国却发生那么巨大的变化。

 

Another reason is my own life experience. The Year of Dog is my year. I’m not 48, but 60 years old. I was born in 1958, less than 10 years after the establishment of PRC. I am lucky to have lived through the decades as China experience tremendous changes. A couple of days ago I had an interview on the occasion of the 40-year anniversary of the Economic Reform. I said, nobody wants to get old, yet we all do get old. I am grateful to have witnessed and felt so much throughout my life. In the history of human beings, 50 or 40 years is nothing.Yet many changes occurred in China. 

 

 

我58年出生，大跃进接着三年自然灾害我不太有印象，但我知道。1966年上小学到1976年高中毕业，刚好是文革的十年。这是我在初高中期间特别向往当一名军人而混搭拍的照片。经历了文革迎来了改革开放，在这个之前我上山下乡当了两年知青，之后参加了高考，77年的高考我参加了，但是太不学无术了，当时广东是开卷的我都没考上。然后第二年算了，赶紧考中专，先离开农村。结果我考了全公社最高分，回来读的是商业企业管理。商业企业管理在当时是很一个前卫的概念。后来分配到了广州市供销社信息物件处工作，信息在当时同样是很时髦的词。从事物价管理和成本调查，让我有机会更多地关注和了解社会，认识到价格作为国民经济的杠杆，对收入再分配和很多因素的调节的重要性。

 

Born in 1958, I knew of , though without much memory about, the Great Leap Forward and the three years of natural disaster. From 1966 to 1976 I was supposed to go through primary school and high school, yet there was the cultural revolution.This photo of myself mixed and dressed up like a soldier shows my wish in high school. After cultural revolution there came the Economic Reform. Before that I went through the Down to the Countryside Movement when I was sent to the village to be re-educated. Then I participated in national college entrance exam. I tried the first national college entrance exam in 1977 but failed. I was so ignorant as to fail the open-book exam in Guangdong. The next year I gave up trying for university and took the exam for technical secondary school in order to leave the village. It turned out I achieved the highest score in my community. I studied business administration in the secondary school. Business administration was an avant-garde concept at the time. After graduation I was assigned to Guangzhou Supply and Marketing Cooperative Information and Price Department. Information was also a new word then. Working for price control and investigation allows me to observe and understand society. I realize that price is a lever of the national economy, and is important to the redistribution of income and many other causes. 

 

 

后来一个偶然的原因，我被借调到广东电视台，开始了我的媒体人生涯。做媒体人让我第一时间接触到各种新闻以及社会发生了什么，这让我又更加的关注社会。另外一个就是1994年，我创办了中国第一个综合时尚的电视节目《时尚放送》，作为制片人和节目主持人，我不仅仅关注时装、美容和化妆，还关注方方面面的时尚，包括内心的、生活方式的、艺术的。当时的广东美术馆是我经常去的地方，通过广东美术馆，我了解了大量的当代艺术。要知道，那个时期当代艺术还是挺敏感的，但因为广东得开放风气之先，《时尚放送》应该是中国最早最频繁介绍当代艺术的公共媒体。“俯卧撑”十年前裂变的故事 在这个过程当中，一开始我也像大家一样，不理解甚至误解当代艺术家，觉得这是一帮对社会不满的疯子，慢慢我才发现，在所有的艺术家群体当中，当代艺术家应该是最具人文情怀的，因为他们关注社会问题，他们希望通过作品引起大家对这些问题的思考。通过质疑批判，最终让这个社会变得更美好。但与此同时，我又发现了一个当代艺术的瓶颈，就是当代艺术的观念性和表达方式的颠覆性，让绝大多数人往往读不懂，因为超越了人们的经验。于是我尝试用我的方式去做，看看能不能让当代艺术有一个更好的传播和普及？

 

By coincidence I was assigned to help out at Guangdong Television, and started my career as a media person. Working for the media makes me aware of all sorts of news and care more about society. In 1994, I started China’s first fashion television program Vogue Express. I was the producer and anchor. I focus on not only clothing, cosmetology and makeups, but all aspects of fashion, including psychology, lifestyle and art. I was a frequent visitor to the Guangdong Museum of Art where I came into contact with a lot of contemporary artworks. In those days, contemporary art is sensitive topic. Yet Guangdong is often the most open province, hence Vogue Express was the first and most frequent public media dedicated to contemporary art. (Link to: The Story of the Ten Years of Push-ups).At the beginning I was like everyone else, I did not understand contemporary art and thought all artists are cynical madmen. Gradually, I recognize that among all sorts of art, contemporary art is the most humanistic as it focuses on social problems. Contemporary artists wish to evoke reflection on problems through their artworks. Through doubts and criticism, contemporary art wishes a better society. At the same time, I realize the bottleneck of contemporary art. Due to their conceptive and rebellious ways of expression, contemporary art is not accessible to the public. It goes beyond people’s precognitive experience.Therefore, I started to try out ways to spread and popularize contemporary art. 

 

 

另外一个就是在做新闻的过程中我发现，新闻的时效性是把双刃剑，一方面时效性很重要，错过了就是失职。但另外一方面很多问题并不是说这个新闻事件冷却了，或下个新闻事件到来就消化和解决了。如何延长对重大新闻事件的关注和反思呢？我相信没有人愿意去看过时的新闻，但往往有兴趣去收藏久远的艺术。也就是说，新闻是有时效性的，艺术是永恒的，我尝试用艺术的永恒介入当代的新闻，弥补新闻时效性带来的问题。这样的话，就有可能延长大家对公共事件对社会问题的关注和反思。刚才几位讲者还聊起很多去年前年发生的事情，当时你觉得很热闹很深刻，现在可能已经很模糊甚至遗忘了，对不对？没问题，“俯卧撑”作品会告诉你，会帮助你记忆。只要愿意的话，你可以通过作品回到这个事件，去追问它。

 

Another reason is my observation of news. News timeliness is a double-sided sword. On the one hand, timeliness is vital to news reporting. Missing the best timing is a breach of duty as a reporter. On the flip side, the real problems are not solved if the news cools down and be replaced by a new one. How do we extend people’s attention on significant news? I trust that no one wants to read outdated news, but everyone appreciates old artworks. This is to say, news is transient yet art is permanent. I tried to use art to intervene into news and make up for the problems caused by timeliness. By doing so, people might extend their attention and reflection of the problems for a longer time. Some speakers today mentioned incidents happened in the last year. You might remember when the incidents occurred they were big and impressive news. You might also have already forgotten about them, right? No problem. Push-up series refreshes your memory.You can go back to and enquire about the story as you wish. 

 

 

除了我的家庭和我的个人经历，还有这个时代和社会的环境因素影响着我。如果没有中国社会的改革开放，就不可能有“俯卧撑”这样的作品，我相信上一点年纪的人一定会知道以这样的方式去创作，不要说以前，即使是现在，也会有不少人会觉得敏感，而早些年那绝对是不是死刑也是无期徒刑。如果这个社会不开放，就不可能这么做。与此同时，快速发展的中国社会也存在很多历史和新的问题，需要铭记、追问和反思。既有必要，又有可能，促使我选择了“俯卧撑”这样的方式进行创作。

 

In addition to my family and my own life experience, the time and social environment influences me as well. Without the opening up of Chinese society there wouldn’t be any works like the Push-ups. I trust that any elderly person would know that such artwork is sensitive today, let along in the past. In the past such artwork might result in death penalty if not life imprisonment. If the Chinese society is not open, I would never do this artwork. At the same time, as the society opens up there are many historical and new problems to be remembered, questioned and contemplated on. Therefore, it is possible and necessary to do the Push-ups, and that is my reason of choosing Push-ups.

 

 

大家现在看到的是《环球时报》，央媒针对海外的重要媒体，曾经跨栏介绍过“俯卧撑”。这是英国的独立报，这是意大利的杂志，这是南方人物周刊区志航  裸体和俯卧撑的力量……其实还有很多媒体，我没有办法都列举出来。法国世界报Courrier International：赤裸裸的区志航 通过这些媒体你会看到，这样一个作品，如此颠覆、又是裸体、又在公共场所、在敏感的新闻事件现场这么创作的作品，能够被我们的公共媒体和互联网深度的报道和传播，这无疑是中国社会的一种改变，在过去是不可思议的。【拍案】年终特别企划回顾：《穿越身体的记忆》 一方面是我因应社会的环境去创作，同时又通过作品在改变这个社会。

 

You are now looking at a report by Global Times, the official English news media that introduced Push-ups significantly. This is the British newspaper The Independent. This is an Italian newspaper, this is Southern China People Weekly’s report The Power of Nudity and Push-ups… there are many news reports. I couldn’t list them all here. This is French newspaper Courrier International: The Nude Ou Zhihang.Through these media you might notice that a subversive artwork of nude push-ups in public spaces receiving in-depth report by mass media is by itself a transform in Chinese society. This is impossible in the past. (Link to: Paian Annual Documentary The Memory Through the Body). On the one hand I create the artwork because of the change of social environment; on the other hand my work is changing the society. 

 

 

“俯卧撑”不仅有大量媒体的报道，还有大量互联网的传播。我的公众号【当代艺术观察】基本上是为我的艺术创作服务的，能够比较集中地了解“俯卧撑”。有很多的学术论坛和讲座在以“俯卧撑”为话题，这是一个关于“俯卧撑”的学术研讨会。 区志航：记忆的“俯卧撑”

 

Push-ups not only appears on mass media, but also spreads largely on the internet. My personal mainpage Contemporary Art Observation is mainly dedicated to my art and collectively presents all aspects of the Push-up series. Many academic seminars and symposium talks about Push-ups too. For instance this is a seminar dedicated to Push-ups: Ou Zhihang, Push-ups of Memory.  

 

 

我还收到很多大专院校新闻传播、摄影艺术、行为艺术的课程将“俯卧撑”作为案例的信息。还收到一份来自汕头大学本科生美国《新闻60分》前任副总裁对“俯卧撑”毕业论文的评语，三份分别来自中山大学一位中山大学研究生关于“俯卧撑”的毕业论文、暨南大学一位暨南大学研究生关于“俯卧撑”的毕业论文、墨尔本大学研究生墨尔本大学研究生研讨“俯卧撑”的毕业论文 的毕业论文，都是围绕“俯卧撑”撰写的……这一切，让我更相信“俯卧撑”探索和坚持的意义。

 

Besides,some media and communication schools, photography and performance art courses talk about Push-ups in class. A former vice president of American news program 60 Minutes commented on a bachelor thesis of a Shantou University graduate. I also received three graduate thesis on the Push-ups, respectively from Sun Yat-sen University, Jinan University and the University of Melbourne… these information strengthened my belief on the meaning of Push-ups. 

 

 

通过上述介绍，我想告诉大家只有因应环境才能够更好地进行创作。你要是不适应环境，逆着环境，可能还没实现你的诉求，就已经倒闭了。当然，我们又不能够仅仅是顺从环境，相信这更具意义。当你看到环境不好的一面时，又如何通过自己的作品和行为去改变呢？刚才我说如果回到从前，我们很难想像“俯卧撑”这样的作品可以在公共媒体传播。所以有人问“俯卧撑”的意义体现在哪？我相信有很多，其中一个很明显的、大家感受到但可能说不出来的，是在现行体制下的公共媒体和互联网拉开了一扇窗、一条缝，让这样的作品的传播、讨论和研究成为可能。“俯卧撑”作品系列从2007年第一次公开展览，到现在已经11年了。这是当时的海报，《身体媒体当代艺术展》是一个与艾未未、舒勇、赵半狄、安迪、舒杰等著名艺术家的联展。“俯卧撑”公开十年纪念特辑 

 

My above speech also tries to say that art comes from adapting to the environment. If you rebel and do not accept the environment, your art might shut down before achieving any influence. Of course we do not only follows the tide. When we notice a negativity, how do we use our work and action to change the environment? I just mentioned that in the past it is impossible for Push-ups to exist in the mass media. Some people used to ask, so what’s the significance of the Push-ups? I think there are many. One significance is obvious yet probably difficult to explain, that Push-ups opens up a window, a slit in today’s mass media and the internet. Push-ups make it possible to spread, discuss and study such sensitive artwork. Since the first exhibition in 2007, Push-ups has been public for 11 years. Here is the poster of that first group exhibition with Ai Weiwei, Shu Yong, Zhao Bandi, An Di and Shu Jie: Body, Media and Contemporary Art. (Link to: Anniversary Collection of Push-ups in 10 Years).

 

 

基于什么选择“俯卧撑”这样的方式进行创作固然重要，但一个个作品生成后，如果仅仅自己存着或留在艺术圈孤芳自赏是缺乏意义的，也无法兑现创作的初心。因此，如何让作品重返和影响社会，与社会互动是极其重要的。中共十九大报告有很多提法值得借鉴，例如“不忘初心，牢记使命”。“俯卧撑”创作从一开始就不是为了市场，而是为了铭记和追问，为了推动社会的强身健体，是一辈子的事。那么，究竟作品如何回到和影响社会呢？很多传统的艺术成长方式我固然不会拒绝，但一定要知道现在是互联网时代。互联网极大地改变着这个世界，改变了人与人之间的关系。当今世界几乎所有的领域如果不与互联网发生关系，注定是缺乏力量和难以存在和发展的。《“俯卧撑”关注中国儿童问题》引发广泛评论（上）《“俯卧撑”关注中国儿童问题》引发广泛评论（下） 今天的TED演讲，固然是“俯卧撑”作品的一次生效和成长，但如果仅仅是局限在现场的500号人，是远远不够的。因为有互联网，还有很多的直播，这个演讲从理论上说全世界都可以同时分享，为什么不充分利用呢？

 

Although reasons of doing Push-ups are important, what do artists do after creating the work is equally essential. After creating the work, if you only keep it to yourself or share it in a small art circle, the work is meaningless and unable to realize my original intention. How to make the work return to society and interact with society is critical. The report of the 19th PRC National Congress leaves many phrases worth learning from, such as “Remain true to our original aspiration and keep our mission firmly in mind”. The original aspiration of Push-ups is not the art market, but remembrance and enquiry. It is a life-long project that aims to make the society strong and healthy. How does an artwork go back to society? The traditional path of art is surely welcome, yet new paths appear on the internet. The internet largely changes the world and how people connects. Today, any field that does not uses the internet is doomed to be powerless and unsustainable. (Link to: Push-ups Focuses on Children Problem arose Wide Discussion (part 1 and2)). Today’s TED talk is certainly an effect of push-ups. Yet it is not enough to only aim to impress the 500 audience here. Thanks to the internet, there are many live-streaming. In theory my speech can be share worldwide—why don’t we do that? 

 

 

通过互联网等媒介让作品回到社会，进而获得生效和成长，于我是艺术创作不可或缺的一部分。很多人可能觉得做“俯卧撑”那个时候才叫创作，在我看来那只是作品的生成，就像孩子出生，但作品的未来和成长，作为艺术家，作为这个作品的父母，我当然有责任让其更好地传播生效，更好地与社会互动，而且艺术家应该更清楚自己为什么做这个作品。所以我欢迎媒体、艺术机构等所有力量的支持与合作，但同时也会充分利用互联网自媒体传播和互动。可以说没有改革开放便没有“俯卧撑”，没有互联网，也不会有“俯卧撑”的过去、现在与未来。这是今年1月号新华社《摄影世界》做的一个专访，《区志航：行为艺术要进入公共话语体系》。新华社《摄影世界》区志航：行为艺术要进入公共话语体系 这就是我说的生效的问题。

 

Use the internet to make the work go back to society, hence take effects and grow, is an indispensable part of my art. Many people might think art creation is when I photograph the push-ups. In my eyes, that is only the birth of an art, like the birth of a baby. The artist as the parent of the artwork is to take the responsibility to develop the artwork by spreading it to society and interacting with society. Artists shall be clear of their aspirations. I welcome supports and cooperation from all organizations such as mass media and art institutions. I also make full use of the internet and self media to spread and interact. It is fair to say that without the opening up of Chinese society there would be no push-ups. Without the internet, the past, current and future of Push-ups would not exist. Here is an interview with Photo World  by Xinhua News agency: Ou Zhihang: Put Performance Art into Public Discourse System. This article talks about the above-mentioned problem of taking effect. 

 

 

说到生效，我想问问大家，在今天的讲座之前，你就听说过“俯卧撑”或知道“俯卧撑”的请举手……谢谢！这让我很欣慰。当代艺术在公共社会的传播和生效是很困难、很可怜的。不妨问问公众，能说得出多少当代艺术作品？即使知道一些，又是否知道艺术家作品的诉求？至于“俯卧撑”，网民给了一个很好的概括——裸求真相，这很重要，是作品生效的一种体现。当代艺术强调对现实社会的质疑、干预和批判。因此，也只有回到社会，才能够实现使命。否则，就像很多当代艺术作品，有很多潜能，但因为进入不了社会，结果只能平行于社会甚至远离社会。大家现在看到的，是有关“俯卧撑”的互联网截图，但仅仅是2008年“俯卧撑”引爆成为文化事件时的部分截图。

 

Speaking of influence, let me do a test: before this speech, those who have heard of Push-ups please raise your hand… thank you, I am glad. Contemporary art has had much difficulty to spread around and be influential in public society. If you ask a random citizen: what contemporary artwork can you think of? Do you know what the artwork tries to say? Probably not many people have a confident answer. As for Push-ups, the netizens give a good conclusion: seeking the bare truth through nudity. This is an important evidence of the influence of Push-ups. Contemporary art always emphasize on doubt, intervene and criticize social problems. Only when you go back to society can you achieve your mission. Otherwise, many promising contemporary artworks stays outside the mainstream society, some stays parallel or far aside. This is a screenshot of online discussion about Push-ups in 2008 when the Push-ups break into a cultural incident.

 

 

我觉得，每一个人都有可能在你的一生当中有所作为。环境固然会影响我们，如果你有一个积极的、正能量的人生观，好环境固然可以让你更好的去发展和成长，不好的环境其实也可以激励你去进行因应环境的创作和改变。比如说我的“俯卧撑”，“裸而不露”就是因应环境的结果，如果我肆无忌惮的裸露，这个作品便很难传播，也就不可能有今天。

 

In my opinion, every person can achieve something in your life. Environment does influence us. If you have a positive life philosophy, good environment does help your development and growth, negative environment also inspires you to adapt to and change the environment. Take my Push-ups as the example, partially nude is my adaption to environment. If I carelessly expose every part of my body, the artwork would not spread around, nor going as far as it has today.  

 

 

希望今天的讲座能够与大家分享其实每一个人都有可能性，只要愿意，你都可能在你的一生当中对社会有所奉献。我们现在不是强调信仰吗？我觉得有信仰固然重要，但信仰只是一种理念，我们还应该有责任和担当，更重要的是应该有行动有奉献。现在大家看到的是去年文化部主管、中国艺术研究院主办的《中国摄影家》杂志做的一个封面专访——《区志航 850个俯卧撑之后》，1万多字的对话，用了20页，18个作品。《中国摄影家》区志航：850个俯卧撑之后 

 

I also wish say that every person has got potential. As long as you wish to, you can contribute to society in your way. Aren’t we always talking about belief? Belief is certainly important, yet it is only a concept. We must also have a sense of responsibility. It is more important to take action and contribute. This photograph is a magazine cover interview by Chinese Photographers, the official magazine run by the Cultural Ministry and Chinese Art Research Institute, entitled OuZhihang: After 850 Push-ups. It was a 10,000-word conversation, takes over 20 pages and covered 18 push-up photographs. (Link to: Ou Zhihang: After 850 Push-ups).

 

 

最后我想跟大家分享孔子在《中庸》里的几句话：吾听吾忘，吾看吾记，吾做吾悟。也就是说：我听我可能会忘记，我看我可能会记住，我只有去做我才能够感悟。我希望“俯卧撑”不仅可以在当下生效，更能够随着时间的推移，成为可供思考、有文献价值的线索。希望我们通过因应环境改变自己，最终可以让这个社会变得更美好。谢谢大家！

 

Finally, I wish to share with you a sentence from Confucius in " Doctrine of the Mean": I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand. That is to say, if I hear things and I might forget. If I see things I might better remember. Yet only when I do things can I comprehend. I wish Push-ups not only take effect today, but become a source of reflection and research over time. I wish we all adapt ourselves to society and change society in a better way.Thank you all!  

 

【特别鸣谢】翻译：王丽丽  校雠：赵迦颐

【Special Thanks to】Translation：Wang Lili    Proofreading：Zhao Jiayi