剧场性:前卫还是回归?——一个基于当代艺术的分析

Theatricality as a Key to Understanding Contemporary Art: An Analysis and Debate

剧场性是一个伴随着前卫艺术运动发展才浮出水面的概念,它与剧本相对,与表演及观众相关,指向介于主体与客体之间的一种事态。作为艺术的一种普遍结构,它意味着我们对艺术的理解从作品转到经验,从作者走向观众,从事物走向事件,从规范走向偶发,从精神回归身体,从意指回归字面,从二分回归居间。通过理解剧场性,我们不仅可以找到极简艺术、现成品艺术、行为艺术、装置艺术的合理性,而且可以连接起传统与现代,找到在传统形而上学二元论支配下被忽略的艺术共性。剧场性并未取消艺术的边界与自律,而是澄清了艺术自律的真正内涵,即不可重复的过程性与发生态。它与时间性、空间性和身体性密不可分,从而区别于超时空(任意时空)的认识与实践活动。剧场性也并未造成艺术在道德上的漠然,剧场性所带来的移情与遗憾、投身与介入是人类道德情感的基石,它所带来的审美眼光则是超越个人悲剧的契机。

Strictly speaking, theatricality is a concept that emerged with the avant-garde art movement. It is opposite to drama, related to the performance and the audience, and is a state of affairs between the subject and the object. As a structure of art, it means that our understanding of art moves from the work to the experience, from the author to the audience, from objects to events, from norms to accidents, from the spirit back to the body, from meaning back to the literal, and from explicitness back to the betweenness. By understanding theatricality, we can not only find the ground of minimalist art, ready-made art, performance art, and installation art, but also connect tradition and modernity, and find commonalities in art that have been ignored under the dominance of traditional metaphysical dualism. Theatricality does not cancel the boundaries and self-discipline of art, but clarifies the true connotation of artistic self-discipline, that is, non-repeatable process and happening. It is inseparable from time, space and body, and is thus different from understanding and practical activities. Theatricality does not lead to moral indifference in art. The empathy, regret, devotion and intervention brought by theater are the cornerstone of human moral emotions, and the aesthetic vision it brings is an opportunity to transcend personal tragedy.