Soft Magical Realism: An Interview with Kansas-based artist Andrew Mcilvaine
採訪編輯 Editor｜謝蕎安 Joanne Hsieh
翻譯 Translation by | Joyce Lee
圖 Image courtesy｜Andrew Mcilvaine 提供
Kansas City, Missouri
溫柔奇幻的現實主義
嗨，安德魯，可以向讀者自我介紹嗎？
Hi Andrew, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
安德魯：「我來自德州聖安東尼奧市。我在惠特利庭院公營住宅出生和長大，直到五歲的時候，我和媽媽及哥哥才從德州搬到密斯里州的一個小鎮—喬普林。」
I am originally from San Antonio, Texas. I was born and raised in the Wheatley Courts projects, and around the time I was about 5, myself, my older brother, and my mom moved from Texas to a small town in Missouri called Joplin.
「我現居密蘇里州堪薩斯城，並且在這裡從事藝術工作。這裡有許多好玩的事物，像是河邊市場、藝術區、西底區、中城、鄉村俱樂部廣場購物中心、沃爾多區等等。可以拜訪的地方很多。如果你來到這附近，一定不能錯過納爾遜阿特金斯藝術博物館，以及位在歐弗蘭帕克市的內爾曼當代藝術館，還有肯珀當代藝術博物館。如果你想拜訪獨立畫廊，那十字路區和西底區大概是你最好的選擇。這裡並非以美食著名，但是堪薩斯城的烤肉和運動都蠻有名的。」
I currently live and have a practice in Kansas City, Missouri. There is a lot of fun things here, you have the river market, arts district, west bottoms, midtown, plaza, waldo. A lot of area to cover. The Nelson Atkins Museum is a most if you are in the area, as well as the Nerman Contemporary Museum in OP, and the Kemper Contemporary. If you are looking for independent galleries the Crossroads or the West Bottoms are probably, your best bet. Food is a loaded question, but KC is known for their BBQ and Sports.
Q：你會如何形容自己的創作？
How would you describe your own work?
安德魯：「我會形容我的作品是溫柔奇幻的現實主義。概念上溫柔，但美學上寫實，具有魔幻的氛圍。如果我的作品是一杯雞尾酒，大概會是用冰塊杯呈裝的琴酒，帶有松樹和玫瑰的香氣。如果我的作品用狗來形容，大概是義大利靈緹犬（我本身飼養了兩隻，牠們是美麗又神秘的生物）。」
I would probably describe my work to a stranger as soft magical realism. Tender conceptually yet realistic in aesthetic, with fantastical undertones. If it was a cocktail, I think it would be a gin drink in a rocks glass, with hints of pine and rose. If it was dog, probably an Italian greyhound (I own two, and they are beautiful but mysterious creatures).
Ｑ：你創作多長時間了？
How long have you been making art?
安德魯：「我自幼就不斷創作。我不記得確切是幾歲開始的，但印象中是我很小的時候。我成長過程中和我爸爸的互動，算是讓我與藝術有很多接觸。他當時在聖安東尼奧市的監獄服刑，而我和他溝通的方式，就是透過手繪的圖片和信件。他會寄他在獄中完成的畫作給我，而我也同樣會畫畫和回信給他。雖然藝術一直是我生活中的一部份，但我當時沒有認真看待藝術這件事。我直到大二才知道美術館是什麼。雖然我很小就開始創作，但並沒有很早開始接觸藝術的文化和歷史。」
I have been making art since I was a kid. I do not know when exactly, but when I was quite young. I kind of grew up with experiencing a lot of art through my interactions with my dad. He at the time was in prison in San Antonio and my only communication with him was through hand drawn images, and letters. So, he would send me images he made while locked up, and I would draw and write back to him in a similar manner. Although art was always a part of my life, I did not really think art was a serious thing. I didn’t even know what a museum was until I was a sophomore in college. Early creative start, but not really an early exposure to the history of it all culturally.
經由 失去 所感受到的寂靜
Ｑ：目前在進行什麼創作？
What are you currently working on?
安德魯：「我現在同時在進行許多不同的工作項目。我剛完成的一個系列作品<<<Movement>>>，是關於我母親的家族，我試圖述說他們從墨西移民到美國的多代故事，以及讓我在現今有這個構想之前的所有歷史。我最近剛開始的一系列作品，主要使用嬰兒乳液、糖果、和彩色鉛筆屑來作畫，這系列的名稱是《溫柔的想法》。另外我還有一系列作品，使用碳筆在赤陶板和水泥塊等素材上，畫出做苦力的人物，這系列名叫《堅實詩意》。我還有好多事情要做…。」
I am working on a lot of different projects right now. I just finished a body of work called <<<Movement>>>, which is a reflection of my mother’s family and seeks to tell a multi-generational story about their transition from Mexico to the United States, and ultimately the history before my conception leading all the way up to the present day. I just started making a body of work focusing on paintings made from baby lotion, candy, and colored pencil shavings called Tender Thoughts. Also, have another project that focuses on charcoal drawings of figures preforming manual labor on materials like terracotta slabs and concrete blocks called Solid Poetry. A lot to do...
Q：你的創作主題包含哪些？
What are the themes you explore through art?
安德魯：「我作品中常見的主題，包括渴望、對自我身份認同的自省、家庭歷史、歸屬、創傷、流離失所、取代、和同化。」
Common themes of my work include notions such as longing, self-refection regarding my Identity, family history, belonging, trauma, displacement, replacement, and assimilation.
Ｑ：你希望帶給觀者什麼想法？
What is it you want the viewer to take away from your work?
安德魯：「我希望我的作品能讓觀者產生情緒，擁有比表面感受更深層的感覺。我的最終目標是希望人們可以思考經由失去所感受到的寂靜、接觸管道、被代表、以及參與感。」
I guess what I want the viewer to take away from my work is something emotional, something that is deeper than the surface. Ultimately, I want people to think about silence felt through loss, access, representation, and participation.
考慮美學時我總是會想起歷史
Ｑ：你最喜歡使用的媒材包含？
What are some of your favorite mediums to work with?
安德魯：「我覺得我最喜歡的素材是陶土。但我並不是陶藝家。我受的教育主要著重油彩畫和繪畫，尤其是油畫。油彩畫對我來說，是充滿熱沈和壓力、讓我又愛又恨的事物。我第一次去美術館時，就立刻被油彩畫深深震撼。我被吸引是由於油畫的黏稠度、質地、不透明性、以及能夠映照出或模仿現實世界的能力。我一直很喜歡油畫的視覺陷阱技法(使事物看起來立體、栩栩如生) ，使空間和物體看起來令人產生錯覺。陶土則不太一樣，這種媒材令人感覺更有親和力。油畫是靈魂，而陶土則是肉體。兩者我都很喜歡，而且我越來越難將這兩種媒材分開。」
I think my favorite medium to work with is clay. I am not a ceramicist though. The education I have received mainly focuses on painting and drawing, specifically oil painting. For me painting is very much a love hate relationship filled with passion and tension. I was instantly taken away by painting the first time I went to a museum, it is something about viscosity, texture, opacity, and its ability to reflect or mimic reality. I have always enjoyed the trompe'loeil aspect of painting, the illusion of space and form. Clay is different though. It has the ability to feel much more intimate as a medium. Painting is the soul, whereas clay is the body. I like them both and it is getting increasingly harder to see them apart.
Ｑ：如何決定每件作品的色調選擇？
How do you choose the palette for each piece of painting/ sculpture?
安德魯：「我每次作畫的色盤都不一樣。有時我使用柔和或單一色系的色盤，有時候顏色鮮艷又飽和。我作品的主題會幫助我選擇適當的色盤。舉例來說，如果主題需要安靜、緩慢、或比較有情緒，通常色彩也會比較冷靜、淡化成單一色系的色盤。」
Palettes are different every time I make a painting. Sometimes they are muted or monochromatic, other times they are bright and very saturated. I think the subject has always helped me choose the right palette. If something needs to be more quiet, slowed down, or more emotional for example, usually color becomes more subtle and toned down like a monochromatic palette.
Q：你的美學靈感源自於什麼？
What inspires your aesthetic choices?
安德魯：「我認為身為一位當代藝術家，當考慮美學時我總是會想起歷史。我試圖理解以前的畫作是如何發揮功效，來傳達出特定的感受。可能是以前的某種做法、物品、或是空間的視角。我把這些當作元素的混合和情境重構。如果主題需要有宗教的感受，那麼我可能會參考文藝復興時代的人物是如何繪製。如果主題需要有象徵性，那麼我會觀察安迪·沃荷如何表現物品或主題。在開始一件作品之前，我總是會做一些研究準備。」
I think as a contemporary artist, history always comes back up for me when thinking about aesthetics. Trying to understand how paintings have worked previously in-order to activate a specific feeling. It might be a certain action, object, or way in which space has been viewed previously. I think about this as remixing or recontextualization. Does something need to feel religious, then I may look at how figures have been illustrated in the renaissance period. Or if something needs to look more iconic, I may look at how Warhol approaches an object or subject. There’s always a bit of research before getting into a body of work.
Ｑ：你有最欣賞的某位藝術家的創作系列嗎？
Do you have a favorite body of work made by another artist?
安德魯：「這是一個需要思考很久的問題，我們有幾天可以聊？拉法．埃斯帕爾薩（Rafa Esparza）在 Commonwealth and Council 畫廊展出的新作系列，在概念上和美學上都無比強勁。傑米．穆諾茲（Jaime Munoz）的作品也相當了不起。麥可．爾格（Michael Krueger）在堪薩斯城的 Haw Contemporary 畫廊展出的新作系列 (Just Like) Starting Over 則是令人歎為觀止。而奈西米亞．西斯奈洛（Nehemiah Cisnero）的畫展 Violent by Design，令人感到震驚、強而有力、又深具影響力。」
Favorite body of work is another loaded question. How many days do we have? Rafa Esparza's new body of work shown at the Commonwealth and Council is beyond powerful in conception and aesthetic. Jaime Munoz's work is incredible. Michael Krueger's new body of work (Just Like) Starting Over at Haw Contemporary in KC was/is breathtaking, and Nehemiah Cisneros's show 'Violent By Design' is jaw dropping, strong, and impactful.
Ｑ：你受到哪些人的啟發或影響？
Who inspire you?
安德魯：「影響我的人有很多！作家包括奧克塔維奧·帕斯、格洛麗亞·安扎爾杜阿、加布里埃爾·加西亞·馬克斯。藝術家則包括凱欣德·威利、菲利克斯·岡薩雷斯·托雷斯、拉法·埃斯帕爾薩、尼德卡·克羅斯比、阿方索·岡薩雷斯、和旺吉·穆圖。」
SO many people inspire me! For writers I would say Octavio Paz, Gloria Anzaldua, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Artist would be Kahinde Wiley, Felix Gonzalez Torres, Rafa Esparza, Njedeka Crosby, Alfonso Gonzalez, and Wangechi Mutu.
Q：你有收藏什麼物品嗎？
Do you collect anything?
安德魯：「我收藏很多東西。我收藏拜訪過的地方的石頭，也收藏化石和貝殼。目前則收藏很多植物，還有街道的一部份，像是大塊的柏油瀝青、或是水泥碎塊。我也收藏藝術品、硬幣、和箭頭。哈哈，我收藏的東西可能多到自己都不好意思承認。但我就是喜歡這些物品所擁有的歷史。」
I collect a lot of things. I collect rocks from places I have been, fossils, shells, currently a lot of plants, pieces of the street like huge chunks of asphalt or concrete fragments. I collect art, coins, arrowheads. Haha probably more things than I would like to admit. I like the history attached to things though!
Ｑ：你平時喜歡做什麼呢？
What do you like to do outside of studio practice?
安德魯：「我最喜歡的活動就是待在室內畫畫。運動，不管是學校的運動或者是休閒運動，也是我成長過程的重要部分。目前我最喜歡的戶外運動，就是玩滑板。滑板運動對我的藝術創作、以及創意思考擁有巨大的影響。滑板運動甚至會影響我對一組樓梯、扶手、甚至人行道路緣的看法。這些事物可以用許多不同的方式被利用。每一次你改變對待它和接近它的方式，就可以產生全新和獨特的結果。」
Favorite activity was probably drawing inside. Sports whether that be for a school or just for fun was a huge part of my life growing up too. Skateboarding by far is my favorite outside activity now. It has a huge impact on my practice and how I think about things creatively. It goes as far as how I look at a set of stairs differently or a handrail or even a curb. You can use things in so many different manners. And each time you change the way you handle it or approach it, that thing becomes something new and unique.
Ｑ：從事藝術創作以來你面臨過哪些挑戰？
What are some challenges you've faced working as an artist?
安德魯：「身為藝術家所面臨的挑戰非常多。對我來說，最有挑戰性的時刻是在離開聖路易斯市的華盛頓大學時。當時我的人生中充滿許多未知數，不確定要如何才能謀生，也可能需要遷移到不同的城市才能找到工作。對任何剛起步的藝術家來說，要找到機會都很困難。我最難忘的回憶和經驗，是在今年一月時於Habitat Contemporary畫廊展出我的新作系列。那是我第一次在實體地點進行個人的藝術作品展覽。經由作品所產生的對話，以及從那次個展中所開始建立的人脈，都是珍貴的報酬。」
I think there is a lot of challenges that exist for artists. For me, my most challenging moment was after leaving WashU in St. Louis. The point in your life where there is a lot of unknown regarding what you will do to make money, where you may need to travel in order to find a job. Gaining access to opportunities can be challenging for any artist starting out. My best memory/experience was showcasing my body of work at Habitat Contemporary in January. That was the first time in an actual space where I have presented a body of work in a solo fashion. The conversations that were created through that work and the community I have started to build from it are priceless.
Ｑ：是什麼讓你能持續不段的創作？
What motivates you to keep making art?
安德魯：「我想是生命吧。成長和實現自己的潛力，是非常鼓舞人心的事物。知道自己身為藝術家，有能力和有幸能將想法呈現給大眾，並且能參與廣大的、與內在聯繫的對話，共同探討身為人的意義。」
Life, I guess. This idea of growth or realization of one’s own potential can be very inspiring. Knowing that you as the artist have the ability and privilege to present your thoughts to a public and engage in these larger and more inner-connective conversations about what it means to be human.
Ｑ：你最喜歡的娛樂消遣是？
What's your favorite pastime?
安德魯：「玩滑板（抱歉我一直提這件事）。」
Skate. (sorry this answer keeps coming back up)
Ｑ：你得到過最好的建議是什麼？
What's the best advice you've received?
安德魯：「繼續創作，不要停歇！」
Keep making and do not stop!
Ｑ：可以推薦一本書或一部紀錄片嗎？
Can you recommend a book or a documentary?
安德魯：「書籍：《百年孤寂》。紀錄片：《瑪雅人被埋沒的真相》。」
100 years of solitude (book) and Buried Truth of the Maya (Documentary).
Ｑ：你有哪些長期和短期的目標？
安德魯：「我的短期目標是能在墨西哥城獲得駐地藝術家的機會，而長期的目標則是繼續創作，以及教授學生透過創作來表達個人想法的重要性。」
Short term goal would land an artist residency in Mexico City, and my long term goal is to keep making work and teaching students about the importance of making, and telling their stories.
安德魯．馬歇爾分，現居堪薩斯市，密蘇里大學堪薩斯分校藝術系學士，聖路易華盛頓大學藝術碩士。目前在堪薩斯城藝術學院擔任客座講師。
Andrew Mcilvaine received his BA in studio art from UMKC, and MFA in painting and drawing from WashU in St. Louis. Mcilvaine has taught at MCCKC, UMKC, and currently hold a visiting lecturer position at KCAI in the Foundation program.
特別感謝安德魯．馬歇爾分
Special thanks to Andrew Mcilvaine
看更多精彩藝術家專訪，訂閱Youtube 頻道：瞧瞧藝術 ChiaoxArt
追蹤更多輕鬆的藝術家資訊，追蹤 IG： @ChiaoxArt
看更多安德魯．馬歇爾分的精彩創作，追蹤 IG：@andrewmcilvaine
您可能會喜歡：跨越藩籬的藝術對話：旅芝加哥韓國藝術家李憓林