关于保护犀牛的艺术家

刊于台湾评论　署名：KELLY HER

出版日期：2015年2月1日

犀牛的‘艺术’保护

雕塑家施力仁所呈现的作品犀牛家族系列，其中分别深入刻画出父亲、母亲与小子三件青铜塑像

（图片由 Chin Hung-hao提供）

画廊老板出身的艺术家施力仁，其创作的一系列犀牛雕塑作品，用以警示人们意识到濒临灭绝的物种困境。同时作为一个资深的艺术经纪人、策展人的施力仁也以其精湛的经营技巧、敏锐的艺术洞察力、卓越的声誉将成立于1982年位于台湾台中市现代画廊打造的绘声绘色。在这历时三十年间，施力仁可谓已然获得了引人注目的职业生涯。但随著时间的流逝，他开始觉察到其真正本质的工作还未完成。

从曾经策划的展览作品中所得的滋养和刺激逐渐深入，从而产生出一种自我创造的欲望。施力仁最初曾试著抑制过创作向往，但这种欲望多年来仍然不觉佔据著其内心深处。直至当他45岁左右，决定尝试和开拓其‘第二职业生涯，即作为一个专业的艺术家。据施力仁回忆称：“我决定跟随内心的唿唤，希望以作品反映生命的至诚及生活的真实，这才是我的事业和人生价值；我也意识到必须以艰辛的努力来弥补这较晚在艺术市场的发表。但想必这将是一个美妙的冒险旅程，期间肯定充满的探险、实验、疑惑、惊喜等。”

近15年间，施力仁经历了显著的掘起过程，一方面是因为他打造了关于‘犀牛’的作品；其作品不仅气势撼人且还突出保护野生物种的重要性。一方面也见证了其从面向艺术经营与艺术创作的转变到非盈利的组织间的过渡。今天，他的许多作品都被作为永久陈列、馆藏在台湾及大陆等地之重要市区、旅游景点。回想起来，代理人出身的艺术家施力仁十分荣幸能有机会与大家分享其艺术视野及其对环境、生态的保护的关切态度。”

紫铜金钢犀牛 2014 铜 高4.58米 长9米 约5吨重

（图片由 Chin Hung-hao提供）

施力仁，1955年生于台中，从小就喜爱绘画及捏土造型。尽管他非就读于美术类大学，但仍不影响其之后在当地艺术界建立现代画廊，从而成为一个在艺术界显赫的人物。在过去的三十几年间，作为代理人、经纪人等多重身份的施力仁，曾代理过世界各地包括美州、亚洲、欧洲等地的艺术家，并成功举办了无数的大师展览；同时策划了各种艺术门类、学科的展览，诸如绘画、雕塑、陶瓷等。在此期间一直深受国际、国内艺术家的赞赏。

透过其特殊的职业身份，施力仁与许多国际知名艺术家有著密切合作，与此同时也参访了坐落于全球各地的各大美术馆。这些经历使其获悉了十分宝贵的艺术经验及艺术创作的感悟。从而使其能够轻松步入国际艺术舞台之中。他说“多年来，我在推广艺术家及其作品的同时拓宽了对视觉艺术的认识、磨砺著我的审美情感，这无疑滋养著今后我个人的创作发展”

犀牛的起源可以追溯至大约5000万年前，是最古老的哺乳类物种之一。在古代中国，人们将犀牛视为神圣的物种，认为其能够驱邪避害。也正是由于这些原因，一方面其经常被纳入文学描绘及艺术品之中，一方面也导致人类利用其角来制成装饰物、药物等。使得犀牛被大量的捕猎、残害。犀牛种群数量在近十几年来急剧下降，现今已经有三五个物种的犀牛成为极度濒危，了解犀牛的困境对施力仁有著很深的影响，对犀牛的关怀和保护已成为其艺术创作的原动力。“我创作犀牛雕塑的目的是激励人们并拯救这些物种”他说。“我相信艺术的力量可以促使和改变态度、意见乃至最终的行动”。

奔跑的犀牛铜 2014 20 x 80 x36cm

（图片由 Chin Hung-hao提供）

施力仁一直寻找独特的视觉语言来表达。对此，他已投入了相当多的时间来探索新的理念与艺术手法。期间他不断创造出许多非常大体量的作品。这需要对结构的深入摸索及合理的制作方式。例如2014年的作品金钢犀牛，全身由铜铸造而成，高4.58米，长近9米，约有5吨重。台中东海大学美术系黄海云教授说“虽然施力仁没有接受正规的艺术教育，但他的天赋和坚持的意志使其创造出这样精緻的艺术作品，他的雕塑沁入著创新精神与人格力量”此外它们也很易被广大市民所喜爱。例如，施力仁的犀牛家族系列作品，其中分别深入刻画出父亲、母亲与小子三件纯铜塑像，明确传达出以家庭为纽带的重要观念。近年来施力仁作为雕塑艺术家的工作已然转变，其风格从自然主义走向现代主义。他最初是专注于打造对犀牛的具象写实开始的，从施力仁最新作品看，其特点已然变为将其作品几何化、工业化，如利用铆钉结构和金属几何硬边等符号。在其金钢犀牛系列作品中，充满著艺术现代性和动物之间的灵性，使得其艺术在向前发展的同时也象徵著艺术史的一个伟大飞跃。黄海云教授言“施力仁的每件金钢犀牛在其犀角上刻有一个指纹图案，象徵著人类精神的胜利，汇聚一点；代表著向上之精神。”同时，它的尾巴形状象徵一个胜利的火炬，战胜逆境。

哈雷金钢 2012 铜 灵感来自于哈雷戴维森摩托车，旨在传达速度及力量感

（图片由 Chin Hung-hao提供）

从2012年他的那件哈雷金钢可以看出，艺术家运用现代主义美学打造犀牛雕塑，唤起了人们对哈雷戴维森摩托车所传递的运动和力量之感。此外，施力仁所创作的金钢犀牛系列也打破其自身的侷限，创造精神的意涵从而与时俱进。

台北市国立台湾师范大学美术系前主任王哲雄认为，施力仁虽未有过系统的训练，实际上这也是他自己的优势。因此他不受艺术先入为主的观念所牵累。当代艺术是一个没有统一的原则、组织以及意识形态区分的范畴。它主要的价值在于它的原创性。从施力仁所使用的材质看，就有著显著的个人风格，他的动物雕塑也是独一无二的，因为它们拥有著创新性和真实性。

退休的挪威科技大学（NTNU）教授认为，施力仁所利用的现代材料，如不锈钢材质传达著工业文明的进步等等；不仅如此，他的一些作品还具有实用功能，如他2012年所做的犀牛尊系列，由两个类似犀牛型盛酒器组成。

王教授指出“艺术家极具挑战性的雕塑手法以及其制作熟练程度都达到了较高的水准，非常值得赞扬；施力仁有能力创作出各种不同形式的犀牛作品，足以证明其艺术之表现力。施力仁说：“我希望我能继续创造出更为丰富的具有独创性的作品，创作给了我很大的快乐，这些已安置在公共场所中的作品有著巨大的意义，有助于人们对犀牛所处困境的认知。犀牛等濒危物种的灭绝对我们人类将是一个巨大的损失，不仅仅是自然界也包含艺术、文化和科学。人类理解的缺失，导致著物种一个个

施力仁也创作了小型的作品，如他创作于2014年的作品元宝犀牛系列

（图片由施力仁提供）

雕塑艺术家施力仁的作品通过致力于对生态的唿吁吸引了总部设在美国的国际环保组织——国际野生救援协会，其协会旨在减少人类对物种的商品买卖，抵制非法盗猎。施力仁现在作为一个公益大使，不断的帮助其唿吁与倡导对生态的保护，没有买卖就没有杀害。施力仁的最终目标是建立一个以犀牛为主题的博物馆，陈列和展示有关动物的绘画、雕塑、综合材料、新媒体等作品。他还希望围绕博物馆建造起一个犀牛生态公园，从而让人们能够真切体验和感受到犀牛及各类物种的所生存的环境。最后施力仁称：“我所创作公共艺术品其本质在于唿吁人类向善，共同构建生态和谐。”

艺术家施力仁与其作品合影

英文版《台湾评论》(Taiwan Review)

The Art of Rhino Conservation

Byline:KELLY HER Publication Date:02/01/2015

The Art of Rhino Conservation

For more than three decades, Shih Li-jen (施力仁) has enjoyed a successful career as an art agent and curator. After establishing a gallery in central Taiwan’s Taichung City in 1982, he developed a reputation for his superb promotional skills and keen eye for artistic excellence. As the years passed, however, he began to feel somewhat unfulfilled by his work. The thrill he had once gotten from exhibiting artworks was being replaced by a desire to explore his own creative potential. Shih initially tried to suppress this longing, but it continued to occupy his thoughts for many years until eventually, when he was in his mid-40s, he resolved to try and forge a second career as a professional artist. “I decided I had to follow my calling and live a life that truly reflected my desires, priorities and values,” he recalls. “I realized I’d have to work extremely hard to make up for my late start, but I also knew it was going to be a wonderful adventure filled with doubts, risks, trials and rewards.”

In the 15 years since, Shih has experienced a remarkable rise to prominence, primarily due to his constantly evolving yet consistently striking interpretations of a single creature—the rhinoceros. His imposing rhino sculptures, which are intended to highlight the importance of wildlife conservation, have proven popular with all types of organizations from corporations and nonprofit groups to local governments, and today many of his pieces are on permanent display in downtown areas and tourist attractions in Taiwan and mainland China. Looking back now, the agent-turned-artist feels extremely grateful to have had the chance to share his artistic vision and message about animal welfare.

Born in Taichung in 1955, Shih showed an interest in drawing and modeling with clay from an early age. Though he opted against studying fine arts in college, he became a prominent figure in the local art scene after establishing the Modern Art Gallery, which over the past 30 years or so has held countless exhibitions of works by domestic and international artists. Meanwhile, as an agent Shih has represented a multitude of American, Asian and European artists across a variety of disciplines including ceramics, painting and sculpture.

Through his profession, Shih has worked closely with many acclaimed figures in the art world and visited museums across the globe. These experiences have given him an intimate knowledge of the international art scene as well as invaluable insights into the creative process. “The many years I spent promoting and selling artworks before becoming an artist broadened my knowledge of the visual arts and sharpened my aesthetic sensibilities, which undoubtedly aided my creative development,” he says.

After deciding to pursue a career as a professional artist, Shih experimented with different materials and forms of expression before settling on producing sculptures made of bronze, iron and stainless steel. He was particularly drawn to the idea of creating large pieces that could be used to enliven urban environments. In terms of subject matter, Shih was inspired by his lifelong passion for nature and wildlife, and planned to depict birds, horses, leopards and rhinos. In order to produce realistic and expressive representations, he carefully studied the characteristics of these creatures as well as their evolutionary histories and symbolic meanings in various cultures. It was during this period of intense research that he became increasingly fascinated by the rhinoceros.

The evolutionary origins of rhinos stretch back approximately 50 million years, making them one of the oldest groups of mammals. In ancient China, they were revered as sacred creatures and were believed to be able to ward off evil spirits. For these reasons, the animals were frequently featured in works of literature and depicted on handicrafts and utensils. However, as a result of the destruction of their habitats and the poaching of their horns, which are used in some cultures to create ornaments or traditional medicines, rhino populations have plummeted dramatically in recent decades, and three of the five species of rhinoceros are now classified as critically endangered. Learning about the plight of the rhino had a powerful effect on Shih, and the animals became the driving force behind his artistic creations. “My goal in creating rhino sculptures is to inspire people to help save these creatures,” he says. “I believe in the power of art to change attitudes, opinions and ultimately actions.”

Shih has sought to develop a unique visual language to convey this message about conservation, and therefore has devoted a considerable amount of time to exploring new design concepts and artistic techniques. He has also strived to create very large works, which require complex structural configurations and production methods. For example, King Kong Rhino, a 2014 sculpture made of bronze, is 4.58 meters tall and weighs about 5 metric tons.

Huang Hai-yun (黄海云), a professor in the Department of Fine Arts at Tunghai University in Taichung, says that although Shih did not receive a formal education in art, his natural talent and unwavering dedication have allowed him to create refined pieces. “His sculptures are admired for their innovative designs and powerful message,” he says. “Plus, they’re easily accessible to the general public.” For instance, Shih’s artwork Rhino Family, which consists of three statues depicting a male, a female and their calf, clearly communicates the importance of family bonds, Huang says.

Over the years, the sculptor’s work has undergone a stylistic transformation from naturalism to modernism. While he initially focused on creating accurate depictions of rhinos, Shih’s more recent pieces are characterized by his use of geometric patterns and external symbols of industrial construction techniques, such as riveting and metal plating. The sculptures in the King Kong Rhino series are imbued with modernity and spirituality, and mark a great leap forward in his artistic development, Huang says. “The horn of Shih’s bronze King Kong Rhino sculpture is engraved with a thumbprint to symbolize the triumph of the human spirit,” the professor opines. “Meanwhile, its tail is shaped like a torch, which is pointing upward to represent triumph over adversity.”

The artist’s use of modernist aesthetics can also be seen in his 2012 piece Harley King Kong. The bronze rhino statue is intended to evoke a large Harley-Davidson motorcycle and convey a sense of movement and power. In addition, Shih has created several busts of the rhinoceros from his King Kong Rhino series.

Joseph Wang (王哲雄), former director of the Department of Fine Arts at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) in Taipei City, believes that Shih’s lack of formal training actually works to his advantage as he is unburdened by preconceived notions about what modern art should look like. “Contemporary art is distinguished by the absence of a uniform organizing principle or ideology. Its primary value lies in its originality,” he says. “Shih imposes his personal style on the medium. His animal sculptures are unique because they possess a refreshing innocence.”

The retired NTNU professor believes that Shih’s use of modern materials like stainless steel conveys the advance of industrial civilization. Some of his pieces also serve practical functions, such as his 2014 work Treasure Kits, which consists of two rhino-shaped wine bottle holders. Wang notes that the artist deserves praise for achieving a high level of proficiency in challenging sculptural techniques. “Shih has the artistic ability to produce lifelike sculptures in a variety of different forms,” he says. “I expect him to continue creating innovative metal artworks that appeal to audiences around the globe.”

Shih says that it gives him an enormous sense of joy to see his works installed in public spaces as this helps raise awareness of the plight of the rhino. “The extinction of rhinos or other endangered species would be a great loss to not only the natural world, but also art, culture and science,” he says. “With each species that disappears, another world is lost to human understanding.”

The sculptor’s artworks have attracted the interest of WildAid, a US-based environmental organization that works to end illegal poaching by reducing demand for commodities such as rhino horns through public awareness campaigns. Shih now serves as a celebrity ambassador for the nongovernmental group and helps spread its message—when the buying stops, the killing can too.

Shih’s ultimate ambition is to establish a rhino-themed museum that collects and exhibits paintings, sculptures and mixed media artworks concerning the animal. He also hopes to build an ecological park around the museum that would allow the public to experience the natural habitats of certain species of rhino. “My goal in creating public artworks is to change peop

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