香港国际青年艺术家协会会长黄巧娴—绘出小孩的孤独 － 奈良美智

Chantelle Huang，Society Director of HIYA—Depicting Children's Loneliness - Yoshitomo Nara

早前到访了位于澳洲柏斯的美术馆，内里更有着名日本当代艺术家奈良美智的展览，他的作品充满了对日本儿童文化和情感世界的探索，经常可以看到青涩的小女孩和小男孩眯缝着眼睛，兼具可爱与忧郁，而且他们身边常常有小狗、玩具和花朵等元素，让人想起童年时的美好时光。

I recently visited an art museum in Perth, Australia, where there was an exhibition featuring the renowned Japanese contemporary artist Yoshitomo Nara. His artworks are filled with exploration of Japanese children's culture and emotional world. Often, you can see young girls and boys squinting their eyes, combining cuteness with melancholy. They are often accompanied by elements like small dogs, toys, and flowers, evoking memories of a joyful childhood.

然而，奈良美智的作品其实具不少争议性，有一个更深层次的现象反映着。以是次观赏的作品为例，包括以草图为本的雕塑品，这些作品都是没有颜料的，而且体积不小，相信当中所花的时间不短。主角都是女孩子，她们的神态有点忧郁，又或者只会微微一笑，神情带点诡异，而且有些还只有头部雕塑，更能突显她们的表情甚至内心感受。

However, Yoshitomo Nara's artworks are actually quite controversial, reflecting a deeper phenomenon. For instance, in the showcased sculptures, which are based on sketches, these unpainted pieces have a considerable size, indicating significant time investment. The protagonists are predominantly girls, with expressions slightly melancholic or only subtly smiling, creating an eerie yet intriguing aura. Some sculptures even focus solely on the head, accentuating their facial expressions and inner feelings.

当中的雕塑技巧亦能够独特呈现到每个女孩不同的表情和动作，眼神各有特别，想跟观赏者说一些内心话似的。另外，亦有两幅以鲜红色为主调的画作，在市场上，选用鲜艷颜色的作品是比较罕见的，这令人更加印象深刻。画上简单用了黑色颜料画下女孩的表情和头发，她们眼神空洞，嘴角没有上扬，亦没有下垂，却显得有些失望、不愉快，加上大量红色的使用，令整个作品今人感觉孤独又不安。

The sculpting techniques uniquely capture each girl's distinct emotions and actions, with individual eye expressions seemingly conveying intimate messages to the viewer. Additionally, two paintings predominantly featuring vivid red hues are present. In the art market, the use of vibrant colors is relatively rare, making these pieces even more memorable. Simple black strokes portray the expressions and hair of the girls, their gaze vacant, mouths neither upturned nor downturned, yet emanating a sense of disappointment and unease. The abundant use of red intensifies the feeling of loneliness and unease within the entire artwork.

我们可以看到奈良美智的作品不只是单纯地表现童年的美好，他笔下的小女孩都不是活泼开朗，而是目无表情甚至气冲冲的，内里的表情甚至行为，都是更深层次地映射和探讨儿童的内心世界和精神状态，才让作品充斥着孤独、不安和恐惧等情感，表现出儿童在成长过程中所面临的问题和挑战，提点成年人关注这些现象。

Nara's artworks go beyond depicting the innocence of childhood. His portrayal of young girls is not one of cheerfulness; instead, they appear expressionless or even angry. The expressions and behaviors within his works delve into a deeper exploration of children's inner worlds and psychological states. The emotions of solitude, unease, and fear are intricately woven into his artworks, addressing the challenges and issues children face while growing up, urging adults to pay attention to these phenomena.