「妳對上一次旅遊是什麼時候?」客人 A 問道。對方淡然一笑，便回應:「大概一年前了。平時都說時間不夠用，現在時間多了，卻只能待在家中。」

的確，客人的對話在這段日子裡變得格外諷刺。時間，這個既有規律又是無形的元素 卻一直主宰及牽動我們的日程及生活。時間貌似停頓，卻在無形無蹤的情況下如沙粒 般流走。然而，在日本藝術家及教授野又穫的世界裡，時間似乎以停頓及前往這兩種 形式並存。過去三十年，野又穫效法建築師的創作思維，起稿、重改、再翻來覆去地 擴大自己的想像空閒，繪畫另類的建築世界。在他筆下，各種呎寸及色系的建築大厦 深深吸引著觀眾的目光，並通過恬靜的意境帶領觀眾進入既熟悉又陌生的地域。建築 在兩者之間浮動，帶動觀眾進出夢境般的詩意。野又穫這次於白立方畫廊的個展《未 竟之境》不僅能夠驅使觀眾走出悒悶的心境，更從繪畫建築中展示我們於現代工業時 代的大膽思維。每張作品正呼應社會於 50 年代起的蛻變，並從建築的誕生陪伴藝術 家的成長，曠闊他的感官和幻想力。雖則野又穫的建築只限於幻想世界之中，但每座 建築乃是包含昔日、現況及將來的歷史足跡。當凝視於野又穫的作品之中，或許我們該相信這些建築環境已存在於實境裡。我們只需在現有環境中體現，體會，體察，並提出想像力，現實建築世界便會與幻想建築及世界結合，達致平衡時空的意念。

T-minus four months until the end of this chaotic year. What a relief, or sorts.

Truth be told, our world would be much better if we could snap out of this like Thanos did in Avengers: Endgame. While this is only wishful thinking, Japanese artist and professor Minoru Nomata’s architectural paintings demonstrated the power of imagination and persistence. Over three decades, the visionary painter painted countless buildings in sublime environments. Alike an actual architect who plans, remodels, and revise, Nomata’s meticulous research and revision emulates an architect’s process. Looking at the works in person, various scale engulfs your vision, inviting every visitor to enter the space Nomata created. Minoru Nomata’s retrospective exhibition UNBUILT at White Cube Hong Kong unveils the rise of Industrialization in the Modern Age. His sketches are a form of visual diary on his imagination and observation as an architectural painter. While the architecture Nomata created does not exist in real life, the ambiguous and daring spaces presents as alternative location that encompasses past, present and future. Perhaps his world is a state of reality we already live in, perhaps we are merely surrounded in a daydreaming and awakening state…

《未竟之境》以 70 年代的專屬綠藍色為牆身主題，帶領觀眾穿越花樣年華的回憶。 牆身懸掛著 2000 年完成的建築風格繪畫作，其內容及色系卻傳達未來世界的氣場， 引領觀眾躲避現實世界的殘酷、痛苦、與悲傷。其中，三幅原色系作品的細節、線 條、及彎曲元素不僅代表著簡約時代的表徵，更從筆觸中呈現野又穫模仿建築師的影 子，拿捏大師所具備的細膩精髓和創作詞彙。當中，數件作品的結構亦與現實宏偉建 築相似，如 2007 年作品《光結構-11 》與義大利比薩斜塔相近;2008 年作品《天空輝光-V1 》的構圖又與東京鐵塔相近;另外，2007 年作品《光結構-7 》亦勾起美國 世界貿易中心的影子。

As you enter the hallway of UNBUILT, deep turquoise walls transcends you back to the 70’s. Contrasts with paintings completed in the early 2000’s, Nomata presents a world of absolute infinity with an agenda of an escape. Retro ambience fills the first floor, and pairs with architectural paintings with primary colours, yet, details of said paintings are of another world. In Skyglow series, many contains geometric elements of lines, circles, curvatures, with references to real monuments of our world, such as Light Structures-11 (2007) references The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Skyglow-V1 (2008) has similar structure to Tokyo Tower, and Light Struectures-7 (2007) mimics the structure of The World Trade Centre.

野又穫的伏筆有著無比的力量，貌似能夠帶領觀眾穿梭電影《蝙蝠俠》的哥譚市地域，盡享懸疑及未來的氛圍。繪作一貫以深沉顏色蔓延至建築上方，並於建築物頂部 添加一夥明亮的光球。這並不是刺眼的物體，乃是帶有安慰及張力的物體，延伸觀眾 對建築物的視覺效果及相處時間。光環的照耀反映在景色的水塘中，其配搭突顯建築 物的宏偉尺度，也視為展示人類自現代化所奮鬥的足跡。其中，2007 年的作品《光結構-3 》所呈現的球體結構更是仿效 2006 年蛇形藝廊展亭日本建築師石上純也的建築 為靈感。在細讀野又穫的作品集中，他繪畫每一條線條仿效建築師精準的手藝，同時 呈現彎曲的梁、柱和拱的建築元素，與環境融為一體，從而減少虛構空間的地域。值 得留意，這些基本的梁柱和階梯在整棟建築中是不斷地穿插和交織，逐漸包圍整個結 構，彷彿要保護建築內的元素、感情和思緒。野又穫不僅是一位藝術家，要啟動保護 模式來隔絕商業主義的行為，他既是一位父親，藉著繪畫建築 “牢牢的抓緊它們”¹，嘗試阻擋女兒患病的情況。在野又穫的創作生涯中，他多次被暗沈暮色厚厚籠罩 著，寓意在現代社會繁盛之下的哀傷情緒。尤其在 1996 年作品《Forthcoming Places-14》及 2008 年作品《光結構-H11》藍色色系的作品之中亦有滲透瑞典藝術 家 Eugene Jansson 的影子。

Deep colour ascends from the bottom and up, which imbues strong suspense and futuristic ambience, mimicking dramatic scenes of Gotham City in Batman. In each painting, a bright source of light appears on top of the architecture, providing an intriguing glare of comfort and tension. Shining upon the building, it highlights the intricate details of Nomata’s imagination. The light source also emphasizes its magnificent height. Despite small in scale, the amount of twisted beams, columns, and arches are intertwined throughout the architecture, leaving limited negative space. As a completed building, it can be perceived as a source of protection, conveying an architect’s attempt to shield from commercialisation, or from a father’s prospective, it becomes a metaphor to protect his daughter from sickness. Together with a negative colour palette, the series conveys a hint of melancholy within excitement in Modernity. Inspired by the blue painter (blåmålaren) Eugene Jansson, the undertones of blue is dominated and reflected on Nomata’s surface, seen in Forthcoming Place-14 (1996) and Skyglow-H11 (2008).

歷年來，世界上各類建築也紛紛受到不同民族及文化而影響，並是國家文明的表徵。 然而，野又穫的幻想建築也正是受歐洲、亞洲及伊斯蘭藝術及建築所熏陶，同時顯示 藝術家對機器時代的研究。90 年代作品系列“Bourou”，漢字意為“望樓”、“瞭望塔”不僅印記藝術家女兒當年患重病時所抒發的感情內容，其結構與土質特色、崖 壁及山脈更清楚顯露傳統中國山水的特徵。此外，1987 年作品《Decors-5》成為了《未竟之境》的分割點 —— 二樓展示了 80 至 90 年代的作品集，然而一樓呈現了 2000 年起的作品。回望《Decors-5》，其簡約建築風格帶有原始建築的影子。《Decors-5》以圓筒型為主，米白色及大理石的紋理彷如義大利文藝復興的建築 品。在建築物頂部署立一位騎士，其姿勢與拿破崙雕塑相近，散發自信和領導的本 識。當仔細描敘建築物時，並會發現當中拱形的窗戶貌似很實用，但功用依然是模糊 不清的。故此，《Decors-5》作為藝術家早期作品隱喻文明社會的開端，並預言社會所帶動的可能性。

其外，輕型的筆觸乃是標籤了野又穫的獨特風格。從遠方觀看，野又穫的作品貌似呈現噴漆繪畫的無瑕視覺效果，然而，完美的效果乃是反映藝術家對壓克力及布面的敏銳度。對比香港已故藝術家韓志勳的圓形系列，野又穫更採用戶外環境及帖服筆觸來引導觀眾進入一望無際的幻想世界裡。

Across Minoru Nomata’s thirty years of creation, the artist have made countless references to his study of European, Asian and Islamic Art. His passion in Machine Age is also shown in a number of his earlier works. In particular, Bourou-18 (1995) has clear imagery with classical Chinese landscape painting. In UNBUILT, the retrospective is divided by Decors-5 (1987) an early painting that separates works by 80’s, 90’s versus early 2000’s. In a cylinder form, the beige, marble-like architecture with a horseman on top conveys bold connotation with Italian Renaissance culture. Situating against a coral background, the simplistic architecture is highlighted, meanwhile, the horseman’s posture resembles Napoléon triumphal sculptures, demonstrating confidence and victory. Arched windows depicted on the architecture may seem functional, but upon close inspection, the actual functionary remains elusive. As Decors-5 represents Nomata’s early works, the sheer height and built enacts as a prequel to the level of Modernity that would developed in post-war.

Brushwork is another important factor in Minoru Nomata’s painting to project a flawless futuristic ambience. From afar, his series depict an airbrush finish, which upon closer inspection reveals his sharp precision with acrylic and canvas. In comparison with Hong Kong artist Hon Chi-fun, who is known for his Circle series, Nomata’s interaction with acrylic conveys his mastery of en plein air, and displays a spiritual ethereal that captives many viewers.

在空泛的景象中仍能映射出景象，這乃是藝術家創作的傳奇力量。在策展《未竟之境》期間，從作品新至舊的排列彷如把建築拆解至最基本的模樣。在建立這幻想世界 當中，藝術家追憶幼時家境附近的公共浴室和倉庫為最初創作靈感。隨之而來，他的 作品世界都是源於他所察覺的景象而來。同時，野又穫更多次向美國景象藝術家 Charles Sheeler 致敬，並透過繪畫建築內容呈現一個富裕的日本，探討其國家如何從 二戰、戰亂及瓦礫中重生，並從 1965 年起逐漸建立為一個以電子科技為聞的國家。 這一切經歷、成就和改變都投影在野又穫的早期作品之中，當中包括 2001 年作品 《視覺-16》和 1997 年作《風景-12》。除此之外，野又穫的幻想建築亦與受到 50 年代蘇聯創新建築物對象。當年蘇聯開始頻繁採用混泥土作建築基礎，並凌越傳統建築的框架，在設計上表達聞所未聞的建築物，從而署立國家蓬勃的開端。當中，野又 穫 2008 年作品《光結構-11》、《光結構-V14》，以及 2001 年作品《視覺-12》的建築結構都與蘇聯後期放廢的建築物相近。這些宏偉的建築亦反映當年蘇聯致力推 動革命更改的意念，讓整個國家邁向現代化，與富裕的群裡看齊⁴。

The curation of UNBUILT started from complex to simplistic architecture, which suggests the imagery of buildings being taken part and unbuilt. Heavily influenced by American landscape painter Charles Sheeler, Nomata’s imaginative world reflects a growing economy, which started from his family home, as there were “big chimney of public bath, and many town factories around it”². Since WWII, Japan remerged from the rubbles of War and gradually became the largest industrial country in the world. From 1965 onwards, the economic powerhouse shifted from labour intensive-centric to exporter of steel, optical products and electronics. Such persistent growth is demonstrated in early works of Perspective-16 (2001) and Windscape-12 (1997). In retrospect with Nomata’s imaginative buildings, paintings such as Skyglow-H11 (2008), Perspective-12 (2001), and Skyglow-V-14 (2008), these works certainly shares an architectural similarity with Soviet Union’s abandoned buildings, which attests to The Five-Year Plan of Soviet Union, as well as the use of concrete to portray “advanced or modern material” as a competition against the West, which not only revolutionized the limitation of architecture, but also “puts the country on par with wealthier inhabitants of the planet”³.

倘若 10 年後再回顧這一年多的日子，我們會付諸一笑，但至少在等待的時刻，我們 有自由往野又穫的幻想世界裡躲避，投進未來世界主義中暢遊。

In 10 years, we may be surprised at our reaction in 2020, but at least we have the freedom to temporarily escape reality, and dive into the futuristic world of Minoru Nomata.

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¹ 《未竟之境》白立方媒體圖錄，第五頁

² Interview with Minoru Nomata, Hori for Tokyo City Opera.

³ The Guardian, “Concrete? It’s Communist” Adrian Forty, February 27, 2019

⁴ 《衛報》，《Concrete? It’s Communist》， Adrian Forty, 2019 年 2 月 27 日