一件流傳下來的衣服看似平平無奇，但往往盛載著獨一無二的歷史和跨世代的故事。CHAT六廠（六廠紡織文化藝術館）的展覽「尹秀珍：補天」以紡織品，探討補綴和修復個人與周遭環境，以及所屬社區之間關係的想法和行動。
A piece of ordinary fabric may not stand against the test of time, but it is often interwoven with everlasting memories, containing stories that cross generations. The winter exhibition in CHAT (Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile), Yin Xiuzhen: Sky Patch, explores the idea and the very action of patching and repairing one’s relationship with their surroundings and the various communities to which they belong through the common thread of textile.
展覽中將播放尹秀珍特意為是次大型展出創作的兩個全新錄像作品，名為《補天》（2020）和《逆》（2020）。創作主題圍繞家庭關係，分別回溯藝術家曾為紡織工人的母親的過去，以及自己女兒的成長過程。這兩段作品展示家庭生活軼事，探討工業化在家庭疏離和母女隔閡中的角色。錄像裝置以外，展廳空間重新配置，變成了記憶庫，展示各種縫紉機，觀眾思緒將從自身、到家庭到所屬的社會經濟環境，一圏圏漫延開去，思考當中千絲萬縷、錯綜複雜的聯繫。
The exhibition sees the world-premiere of two new video works of Yin Xiuzhen. Commissioned by CHAT, the two videos, titled Sky Patch (2020) and Rebel (2020), trace her family history as she delves into her mother’s past as a textile factory worker and the growth of her own daughter respectively. The two videos present fragmented snippets of the family’s daily lives, shedding light on the role industrialisation has played in family estrangement and intergenerational communication between mother and daughter. Along with the video installations, the reconfigured gallery space turned memory bank also showcases a diverse set of sewing machines, visitors are invited to reflect on the intricate linkages stretching from oneself to their families and their socio-economic environment.
Yin Xiuzhen, Factory Floor, 2020 (Detail)
尹秀珍，《車間》，2020（局部）
尹秀珍擅長跨媒介創作，她透過收集舊物探討集體記憶，反思在整個中國工業發展過程中，社會結構重組與個人生活帶來的巨變。尹秀珍的藝術創作與紡織淵源甚深，從這一主題延伸到各種收集而來的材料，包括以丙烯酸、鋼和玻璃創作的《小宇宙》（2016）和《黑洞系列4號》（2019），亦以其他各式物件如放大鏡、行李箱和地圖等創作的《可攜帶城市》系列（2001 – 至今）。
Known for her agile cross-medium practice, Yin Xiuzhen is committed to her ongoing exploration of collective memories manifested in collected materials. Embodying both personal experiences and sentimental contemplation on the monumental impact China’s industrial development has had on the country’s social fabric and the lives of its people, Yin’s work is deeply rooted in textile, and yet extend from this subject matter to incorporate collected materials including acrylic, steel and glass for Microcosm (2016) and Black Hole No. 4 (2019), while playing around with objects such as magnifying glass, suitcases, and maps for Portable City series (2001 – ongoing).
其中，《我的衣服》照片系列（1995）首次展出，合共32張圖像在展廳牆壁上一一展示，並配上尹秀珍親撰的個人描述。相中展示的均是尹秀珍曾經穿過的衣服，每件皆整齊地折疊和縫合在一起。在衣服還是難以獲得、需要配給的年代，每一件都是藝術家早期的時代印記。
Visitors can also find Dress Box photo series (1995), exhibited for the first time. This set of 32 still images is displayed uniformly on the gallery wall and is to be read alongside personal descriptions written by Yin. Captured within the frames are clothing items once worn by Yin which are neatly folded and stitched shut, each becoming a series of mementos of the artist’s early years – a time where clothes were rationed objects and difficult to come by.
Yin Xiuzhen, My Clothes, 1995
尹秀珍，《我的衣服》，1995
以CHAT六廠前身是紡紗廠為詮釋的基礎，尹秀珍親自設計了這次展覽的空間，探索代溝和各種社會經濟背景構成的集體記憶。尹秀珍一改CHAT六廠展廳的傳統參觀模式，重新構思和重組整個空間，讓陳廷驊基金會展廳中的香港紡織工業歷史展覽無縫地與季度展覽「尹秀珍：補天」融合，成為參觀體驗的一部分。
With the idea of CHAT as a former textile manufacturing plant, Yin personally redesigns CHAT’s gallery space to explore the motif of intergenerational divide and collective memories derived from various socio-economic backgrounds. Yin’s spatial reconfiguration challenges the conventional approach of visiting CHAT’s gallery space. The whole space is reimagined and restructured to seamlessly integrate the elements of Hong Kong’s textile industrial history at The D. H. Chen Foundation Gallery into the seasonal exhibition Yin Xiuzhen: Sky Patch as part of the visiting experience.
CHAT六廠展覽及館藏策展人王慰慰表示︰「是次展覽圍繞著割裂與縫合、對立與交融等等意象展開，在呈現尹秀珍全新創作的影像系列的同時，也將展出她的數件代表性作品。藝術家以自己的家庭關係為出發點，在新的影像和裝置作品中回溯和重新演繹了其母親在紡織廠工作的個人歷史以及不同世代間的隔閡與交流，並以此牽動起對整個中國工業發展過程中社會結構重組與個人生活巨變的反思。在籌備這次個展的時候，恰逢全球爆發新冠疫情，從全球政治格局、經濟發展到日常生活、文化思想，幾乎所有一切都在經歷一場激烈的變革。尹秀珍亦將自己在這段時間中的體驗與思考融入這次的個展。我們期待著，尹秀珍那些將尖銳與矛盾揉合於詩意和幽默之中的藝術創作，將為觀眾帶來會心的微笑，與更為綿長的思考。」
‘Fracture and suture, opposition and integration—antithetical motifs and concepts are placed at the centre of Yin Xiuzhen: Sky Patch. Yin’s art often revolves around the use of found objects that have been marked with personal traces. Through the processes of collaging and rearranging, these old objects are reconstructed to reveal codependent or contradicting memories and experiences, both personal and communal, thus reflecting on the individual condition in our fast-changing political, social and natural environments. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Yin offers a sense of poetry and humour in her works, denoting a heartwarming wish to the visitors despite the perpetual struggles and conflicts,’ said Weiwei Wang, CHAT’s Curator, Exhibitions & Collections.
「尹秀珍：補天」Yin Xiuzhen: Sky Patch
Date: 2020.10.31 – 2021.02.28
Time: Monday, Wednesday to Sunday 11:00 – 19:00
Venue:
香港荃灣白田壩街45號南豐紗廠CHAT六廠
CHAT, The Mills, 45 Pak Tin Par Street, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong
圖片由藝術家和CHAT六廠（六廠紡織文化藝術館），香港提供
Photos courtesy to the artist and CHAT (Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile), Hong Kong