ElectroScape International New Media Art Exhibition July 24, 2005

多年以来，中国的当代艺术展大多数情况下都是极力背离传统文化背景之外、执著于西方文化思维与概念之中的一种现实。即使是有意地关注传统文化也是以批判的姿态出现的，而这些所谓的批判似乎也只是为了挣脱的更彻底一些，而无意于对传统文化本身的再认识与发现。

上海证大现代艺术馆作为一支新生力量，在开馆首展的策划中显示了其针对当代艺术现状的?野心?。他们选择了因策划韩国光州双年展而知名国际的新锐策划人李园一为其开馆展的总策划。而李园一对高科技电子新媒体的深入关注、对中国传统园林艺术的独特视角，又意味深长地提炼出?电子与园林?的展览概念，同时，他推荐的20多位国际知名艺术家及其新创作品，将在证大现代艺术馆这个新生艺术空间里与他的概念发生微妙的融合与意想不到的碰撞。

重现一种传统意义的园林景观对于当代艺术本身而言是毫无意义的。然而，重新解释中国传统园林??个神秘的让人陷入沉思的人文环境??的核心理念，并把它带入21世纪的电子环境里，则有着非同寻常的意义。策划人及艺术家们所致力的是利用模仿传统园林美学方向和自然的意味，在每个有限的空间视角中展示出重新创造出的自然之美，也展示了高科技艺术作品与中国传统美学的奇妙交融。

互动蝴蝶，说话的树，虚拟的花，看起来很特别的手机型花园石头，互动生长的植物，动画的树叶，电子竹林与山水，智慧雨点，互动的鱼池，环形流动的投影??所有这一切，都被巧妙地溶入了仿佛由园林艺术师所构建展示的空间与角落里，就像我们耳熟能详的亭台、池塘、影壁墙、竹林、花圃、树枝、假山石等等因素那样，引导着观众自然而然地沉浸其中，欣赏到不断移动的互动景物与变化着的形状图案，以及光影、声音、震动等因素构成的新鲜而令人兴奋的美，并体验到高科技时代所独有的电子风味，以及人与世界的融洽共存，就像园林时代的古人曾经做到的那样。

通过这个建立在中国传统园林美学思想和当代高科技艺术理念基础上的?电子园林?国际当代艺术展，上海证大现代艺术馆向上海乃至全国艺术界以及广大观众发出第一个极具时代特色的当代艺术强音。而证大集团作为民间资本对文化艺术领域的强力介入以及长远考虑，也 意味着处在社会转型期的中国当代文化领域与社会资本领域的更深层次的资源整合也突现出新的趋势。

ElectroScape is a creative notion; by guest curator Wonil Rhee (Curator of the Gwangju Biennale
and Media City, Seoul) it combines two different concepts; Electronic and Landscape.
The goal of this cutting-edge new media show is to present a new realm of media art show to the Shanghai audience by magnificently evoking our new electronic and digital age.
This high-Tec show aims to make the audience witnesses of today?s electronic era by appreciating new exciting beauties of constantly moving interactive objects, ceaselessly changing shapes, lights, vibration and sounds.
Although Curator?s vision of displaying the most advanced technology art works, originated from Cybernetic theory, the spatial idea of launching ElectroScape is rooted from the aesthetic and philosophy of traditional Chinese Gardens.
The second curatorial concern is to represent Zendai Group?s philosophy of having the most advanced and innovative vision for 21 century.

In other words, the specific curatorial point lies in how effectively we re-interpretate the traditional notion of Chinese Gardens into an electronic environmental (one of mystic, deep, serene atmosphere).
As the garden should be a perfect blending of nature and construction by man, the Curatorial efforts will follow the aesthetic direction of imitating-recreation of the traditional garden where the imitation of nature, and the full manifestation the beauty of nature is located at every corner in a limited space. It will resemble an improvement on nature in an artificial construction which should show the painstaking efforts of the garden builder in each corner of Pavilions, ponds, decorative walls, bamboo forests, Flower Gardens, Trees, abstract stones, and flow lines for the visitors.

In order to suggest a new feeling of enjoyment of the electronic flowers, ponds, leaves, breezes, and moonlight, Curatorial spirit wishes to combine the whole electronic flavor from the participating media works into an artistic entity in which man and nature in a new age can co-exist harmoniously with different attitudes and relationships towards each other.