人類與動物之間，一直以來即存在緊密的依存關係，雖然隨著時間推移有所轉換，但尚無法脫離「人類中心」的強勢姿態。本展覽以「動物」為策展主題，欲將所有生命回歸平等的基準點，「動物園」本是動物被迫在受限且不和諧的空間中生存，然而，透過兩位鍾情動物的藝術家－陳怡如和露西亞・賀夫南的視角與創作，鋪敘一個連結人與動物最初始的純粹對話，營造一個美麗且帶有奇幻意味的烏托邦。

現居台南創作的陳怡如出生於1984年，一直以來環繞著「動物」這一主題為創作的發想。因著對屢受破壞的土地懷有謙卑的態度，以及感悟物種被圈養在受壓迫的環境之中，她藉由觀察周邊細微人事物，擷取生活印象創作出超脫喧囂的作品。本次展覽橫跨陳怡如的舊作「方舟」、「體育公園」、「夜間散步」系列與新作「Planet行星」系列，其中共同的脈絡是夜晚與動物。新作「Planet行星」系列是「夜間散步」系列的延續，以夜間的動物為主體，眨巴眨巴的光芒隨著身軀移動的同時不斷跳動，移動時如行星，或隨著行動停止時的某一處光點，繪出夜晚的閃閃光芒。她以色彩綺麗和溫潤飽和的色塊，構成一幅幅似曾相識又如夢似幻的生活場景，試圖將觀者帶回人與環境之間最純粹的始點，並不斷於作品中反問所處現實世界中的「真實性」，以及以藝術創作的方式，來表達個人對於社會現狀中的種種抒發。作品中用色既斑斕且溫暖，隨著流暢起伏的線條，拼湊出個人獨特的創作手法，細究其創作脈絡，在她筆下看似甜美幸福的元素，其實透露著掙脫外在框架的意圖。

自台南移居美國的露西亞・賀夫南（Lucia Heffernan）出生於1966年，擅長描繪在人類情境中各式平易近人又逗趣的動物，希望透過繪畫賦予動物發聲的權力與獨特的性格。她的創作緣由是藉著想像動物若放置於人類的情境中，會發生什麼樣的反應，並以畫筆展現動物的純真與獸性，經由人與動物之間的重疊，創造出一個天馬行空、戲劇性、詼諧，而且能夠觸及觀者內心深處情感的童趣世界。在創作的過程中，露西亞與多數藝術家一樣，一開始專注於寫實的描繪，待建立紮實的技巧之後，她的繪畫風格開始有了轉變，並且逐漸體現作品中的故事性。於是，我們可以在她的創作中看到各式各樣的動物，像是手執紅蘿蔔並打扮成黑武士的兔子、拿著放大鏡的貓咪探險家和裝扮成美人魚的英國鬥牛犬等，露西亞希望能夠讓觀者感到作品與自身的關聯性，並認出其中描繪的都是藉由動物展現的日常畫面。她的作品之所以如此獨特，在於這些動物能夠指涉現實生活，而非僅是單純的插圖，讓觀者產生一種彷彿動物確實能夠從事人類行為的錯覺。本次展覽中，露西亞在新作「十二生肖」系列中，使用金箔呈現年節喜氣的象徵，並以紅色調作為畫面背景，本系列是她以西方繪畫的技巧，描繪著濃厚東方涵義的創作。

兩位分別來自台南與美國的藝術家，以動物和人性交集創造出的奇幻空間，以及不同的文化與風格產生的圖像畫面，無非是要表現並喚起關懷人與動物之間這一議題，並希望觀者由藝術家的視角出發，經由她們各異的藝術語彙中獲得共鳴。同時，心動藝術空間也希望觀者藉著本次展覽的作品，在紛雜且焦慮的時代之中，接收創作者散發出的歡樂與純淨。


There has always been a tight co-existence between human beings and animals. Although this relationship has gone through various changes with the elapse of time, the aggressive human-centeredness has remained. This exhibition is curated around the theme of “animals,” attempting to return all life back to an equal starting point. The zoo, originally a space where animals were forced to survive in discord within its limited surroundings, is transformed into a beautiful and magical Utopia through the hands of the two artists. Through the perspective and creativity of two animal lovers Chen Yi-Ru and Lucia Heffernan, an original and pure dialogue that links humans with animals is born.

Based in Tainan, artist Chen Yi-Ru was born in 1984. Her works have always centered around the theme of animals. Due to her humble attitude towards the constantly damaged land and the acknowledgment of animals being restricted in suppressed environments, Chen selects images from her keen observations of daily life and makes them into works with an otherworldly quality. The works displayed in this exhibition include her previous The Ark, Sport Park, and Walking at Night Series as well as the new Planet Series, with animals as the recurring context. The new Planet Series is an extension of the Walking at Night Series, focusing on nocturnal animals with glittering eyes that shine with bodily movement. The animals move as planets or compose the shining night light as the animals come to an abrupt stop. Using bright and lively colors, Chen Yi-Ru creates familiar and dreamlike scenes of daily life that attempt to bring the viewer back to the simple beginning between human beings and the environment, continuing to question the “authenticity” of the world while using creative methods to express opinions on the status quo of society. The colors used in the works are vibrant and warm, piecing together a unique creative method with flowing lines. With detailed inspection, the viewer will notice that the elements that appear sweet and pretty under her brushstrokes seem to be trying to escape from the framework.

Lucia Heffernan was born in 1966 and moved to the US from Tainan. She specializes in portraying affable and funny animals in human situations, hoping to give animals a voice and personality. By imagining what animals might do if put in human situations, Lucia uses her paint brushes to shine a spotlight on their innocence and raw instincts. This collision between animal and human sensibilities creates a whimsical, theatrical, and often humorous world that viewers can relate to on an emotional level. Like many artists, Lucia began as a representational artist who focused on capturing her subjects true to life. Having developed a strong technical foundation, Lucia has evolved her style to incorporate a narrative. Therefore, her works depict all sorts of animals, such as a rhinoceros soaking in a warm Matcha bath, a black warrior rabbit with a carrot as its weapon, an explorer cat holding a magnifying glass, and an English Bulldog dressed as a mermaid. Lucia wants the viewer to recognize and relate to the subjects and situations of her work as snapshots of daily life, portrayed by animals. Lucia’s works stand out because the animals in her works remain representational, instead of illustrative, creating the illusion that animals can, in fact, do human things. In this exhibition, her new Zodiac Series uses gold leaf to give the works a festive symbol while set in an exotic eastern red background. This series of works are created with Western painting techniques and is infused with Eastern quality.

The two artists, one from Tainan and the other from the US, create an overlapping fantasy space of animals and humanity with images that are composed through different cultures and styles. The works express and evoke the subject-matter of the relationship between human beings and animals, hoping that the viewer will be able to start from the artists’ perspective and gain resonance through their artistic vocabulary. Also, Art Influence hopes that works of this exhibition will enable viewers to sense the happiness and pure quality of the artists in this complex age of disarray and anxiety.