wrote a volume called

一位非常傑出的劇作家，安德恩 甘迺迪(Adrienne Kennedy)，

"People Who Led to My Plays."

她寫了一本書，叫

And if I were to write a volume,

"引領我創作的人們"(People Who Led to My Plays)

it would be called,

若要我來寫一本書，

"Artists Who Have Led My Exhibitions"

書名會是，

because my work,

"曾經引領我策展的藝術家們"

in understanding art and in understanding culture,

因為我的工作，

has come by following artists,

就是探討藝術和文化的事物，

by looking at what artists mean

這些都來自傾聽藝術家、

and what they do and who they are.

試圖了解藝術家的思想、

J.J. from "Good Times,"

還有他們的行為、人格特質。

(Applause)

像是來自"好時光(Goos Times)"的傑杰(Jay Jay)。(註：1974~79播放的美國喜劇影集)

significant to many people of course

(掌聲)

because of "Dy-no-mite,"

他對許多人來說意義重大，

but perhaps more significant

因為他家喻戶曉的口頭禪"太爽拉"(dyn-o-mite)，

as the first, really, black artist

但也許，更有意義的地方是

on primetime TV.

這是第一次，有黑人藝術家

Jean-Michel Basquiat,

在黃金時段的電視節目上現身。

important to me because [he was]

吉恩-米切爾-巴斯奎特(Jean-Michel Basquiat)，

the first black artist in real time

對我來說是很重要的人物，因為

that showed me the possibility of

他是當今第一位黑人藝術家

who and what I was about to enter into.

時時刻刻提醒我，

My overall project is about art --

那些我該去了解的人事物的所有可能性。

specifically, about black artists --

我全部的計畫都是有關藝術，

very generally

尤其是黑人藝術家，

about the way in which art

大家都聽過他們的名字，

can change the way we think

他們所創造的藝術形式

about culture and ourselves.

能夠改變

My interest is in artists

我們周遭的文化以及我們本身的思維。

who understand and rewrite history,

我對藝術家很有興趣，

who think about themselves

他們了解歷史，甚至改變歷史，

within the narrative

他們透過

of the larger world of art,

全世界龐大的藝術史中

but who have created new places

尋找自我，

for us to see and understand.

而非那些開創了全新的領域

I'm showing two artists here, Glenn Ligon and Kara Walker,

讓我們去探索的藝術家。

two of many who really form for me

我跟各位介紹2位藝術家，葛倫-利根(Glenn Ligon)和卡洛-渥克(Carol Walker)，

the essential questions that I wanted to bring

身為美術館館長的我

as a curator to the world.

這二位給了我

I was interested in the idea

必須傳播給眾人的一些重要問題。

of why and how

這就是我今天要分享的主題

I could create a new story,

是關於我 該如何並為何

a new narrative in art history

創造一個新故事

and a new narrative in the world.

創造一個述說藝術歷史的故事

And to do this, I knew

創造一個全新的敘事體。

that I had to see the way in which artists work,

為了做到這點，

understand the artist's studio

我知道自己必須先去觀察藝術家是怎麼工作的，

as a laboratory,

藝術家的工作室

imagine, then,

就像一個實驗室，

reinventing the museum as a think tank

想像一下，

and looking at the exhibition

美術館就像是一個智庫

as the ultimate white paper -- asking questions,

而館內的這些展覽

providing the space

就像一張白紙，

to look and to think about answers.

美術館會提出問題，並提供空間

In 1994,

讓人們去尋找並思考答案。

when I was a curator at the Whitney Museum,

在1994年，

I made an exhibition called Black Male.

當我還是惠特尼博物館(Whitney Museum)的館長時，

It looked at the intersection

我策劃了一個展覽，名為"黑人男性"(Black Male)，

of race and gender

內容是，從當代的美國藝術觀中，

in contemporary American art.

觀察種族和性別議題所交會而成的

It sought to express

十字路口。

the ways in which art

展覽試圖表現出，

could provide a space for dialogue --

藝術

complicated dialogue,

能提供與觀眾對話的空間，

dialogue with many, many points of entry --

複雜的對話，

and how the museum could be the space

各種不同角度的對話討論，

for this contest of ideas.

還有美術館是如何針對這種爭論性的議題

This exhibition included

提供討論的空間。

over 20 artists

這次展覽

of various ages and races,

有超過20名

but all looking at black masculinity

年紀與種族非常多元的藝術家參加，

from a very particular point of view.

他們都從非常特別的觀點

What was significant about this exhibition

來觀察有關黑人的男性特徵。

is the way in which

這個展覽最重要的地方是

it engaged me in my role

提供了一個機會

as a curator, as a catalyst,

讓我能以

for this dialogue.

館長的身分，像是某種催化劑的身份

One of the things that happened

參與這次對話。

very distinctly in the course of this exhibition

在這次展覽中

is I was confronted with the idea

最特別事情就是，

of how powerful images can be

我體認到

in people's understanding of themselves and each other.

畫作是多麼的有力量

I'm showing you two works, one on the right by Leon Golub,

而且讓人們互相的體認了解。

one on the left by Robert Colescott.

讓我給各位看看2幅作品，右邊那幅是里昂-古勒博(Leon Golub)的作品，

And in the course of the exhibition --

左邊這幅是羅伯特-柯爾史考特(Robert Colescott)的作品。

which was contentious, controversial

在展覽期間，

and ultimately, for me,

是經常受到爭議的

life-changing

而展覽對我而言，

in my sense of what art could be --

基本上改變了我的生命，

a woman came up to me on the gallery floor

還有我對藝術的觀感，

to express her concern about the nature

在畫作展示室裡，有個女人走向我

of how powerful images could be

對我闡述她所關心的議題

and how we understood each other.

闡述這些圖畫帶來的震撼度

And she pointed to the work on the left

以及不同種族之間如何認識彼此。

to tell me how problematic this image was,

她指著左邊這幅作品

as it related, for her, to the idea of

並告訴我這幅作品會延伸出許多麻煩，

how black people had been represented.

對她而言，這作品涉及到

And she pointed to the image on the right

過去黑人所代表的負面形象。

as an example, to me, of the kind of dignity

然後，他又指著右邊的作品說

that needed to be portrayed

這是一幅有關黑人尊嚴的作品

to work against those images in the media.

需要再加以深刻描繪

She then assigned these works racial identities,

才能平反一般大眾媒體對黑人的印象。

basically saying to me that the work on the right,

她將這些作品冠上種族的身分

clearly, was made by a black artist,

她認為右手邊這幅作品

the work on the left, clearly, by a white artist,

是黑人藝術家的作品，

when, in effect,

而左手邊的是白人藝術家所做，

that was the opposite case:

恩，事實上

Bob Colescott, African-American artist;

正好相反。

Leon Golub, a white artist.

包柏-柯爾史考特，是一位非洲裔的美國藝術家，

The point of that for me was

里昂-古勒博，則是一位白人藝術家。

to say -- in that space, in that moment --

對我來說，這件事

that I really, more than anything,

在特定的空間裡，在那一刻裡，

wanted to understand

我最想要做的，

how images could work, how images did work,

就是去了解

and how artists provided

這些圖畫的繪製過程，以及

a space bigger than one

藝術家們是如何

that we could imagine in our day-to-day lives

提供了一個想像空間

to work through these images.

比我們在日常生活中所能想像到的範圍

Fast-forward and I end up in Harlem;

還要更為巨大。

home for many of black America,

把時間往後推移，後來我離開了哈林地區，

very much the psychic heart

這裡是屬於許多美國黑人的家，

of the black experience,

這裡充滿了

really the place where the Harlem Renaissance existed.

屬於黑人精神的傳統文化，

Harlem now, sort of explaining

是哈林文藝復興運動的地點。

and thinking of itself in this part of the century,

目前哈林這個地方，

looking both backwards and forwards ...

正在思考詮釋自身在這個世紀裡的定位，

I always say Harlem is an interesting community

不但向前看，也會回顧過去。

because, unlike many other places,

我總是認為哈林是個有趣的社區，

it thinks of itself in the past, present

這裡會不同於其他的地方，是因為

and the future simultaneously;

這裡總是會思考著過去的歷史，

no one speaks of it just in the now.

同時也會思考目前的定位以及未來的展望。

It's always what it was and what it can be.

在這裡，沒有人只會討論當下。

And, in thinking about that,

時時刻刻都在想過去是什麼，以及未來會是什麼。

then my second project, the second question I ask is:

所以，各位想一想，

Can a museum

在我的第二個專案中，我要提出第二個疑問。

be a catalyst in a community?

一間美術館

Can a museum house artists

是否能夠成為某群體進步的催化劑呢?

and allow them to be change agents

博物館內的藝術家們

as communities rethink themselves?

是否能成為變革的媒介

This is Harlem, actually, on January 20th,

讓某群體內的人能重新思考自身價值?

thinking about itself in a very wonderful way.

事實上，在1月20日這天，

So I work now at The Studio Museum in Harlem,

是自我反省的好時點。

thinking about exhibitions there,

我目前在哈林工作室博物館工作，

thinking about what it means to

思考著館內的展覽，

discover art's possibility.

思考著這些展覽

Now, what does this mean to some of you?

對於發現藝術的其他可能性有何意義?

In some cases, I know that many of you

而這些展覽又對各位有什麼意義?

are involved in cross-cultural dialogues,

在某些情況下，我知道在場的其中一些人

you're involved in ideas of creativity and innovation.

會想說，這有跨文化的意義，

Think about the place that artists can play in that --

有些人會想說，有創意與創新的意義。

that is the kind of incubation and advocacy

美術館是藝術家遊戲的地方。

that I work towards, in working with young, black artists.

我努力，讓這裡成為一個

Think about artists, not as content providers,

培養和宣傳年輕黑人藝術家的地方。

though they can be brilliant at that,

別老認為把藝術家是內容提供者，

but, again, as real catalysts.

雖然他們的作品總是絢麗璀璨，

The Studio Museum was founded in the late 60s.

但應該要認為他們是實體的催化劑。

And I bring this up because it's important to locate

哈林工作室博物館成立於60年代晚期。

this practice in history.

我會來到這裡，是因為

To look at 1968,

它在歷史上的特殊定位，

in the incredible historic moment that it is,

回頭看看1968年(註：此博物館開幕)，

and think of the arc that has happened since then,

非常不可思議的歷史性時刻，

to think of the possibilities that we are all

想想看從那時候所發生的一切，

privileged to stand in today

想想看我們

and imagine that this museum

現在能安然站在這裡的可能性，

that came out of a moment of great protest

想像一下當時這間美術館

and one that was so much about

從激烈抗爭中誕生的那一刻，

examining the history and the legacy

重要的是

of important African-American artists

它如何檢視歷史，以及

to the history of art in this country

保存這個國家的藝術歷史上

like Jacob Lawrence, Norman Lewis,

重要的非裔美國藝術家遺產，

Romare Bearden.

像是 雅各布-勞倫斯(Jacob Lawrence)、諾曼-路易斯(Norman Lewis)、

And then, of course,

羅馬-貝爾登(Romare Beardon)。

to bring us to today.

當然，還有

In 1975, Muhammad Ali

它帶給當今人們的事物。

gave a lecture at Harvard University.

在1975年，穆罕默德-阿里(Mohammed Ali，世界級拳王)

After his lecture, a student got up and said to him,

在哈佛大學舉辦了一場演講。

"Give us a poem."

在演講之後，一位學生站了起來並對他說：

And Mohammed Ali said, "Me, we."

"給我們一首詩吧"(註：阿里在比賽前都會作詩，來預測第幾回合擊倒對手)

A profound statement about the individual and the community.

阿里就說："我，我們"(Me, We)

The space in which now,

這對於個人和社會的深奧陳述，

in my project of discovery, of thinking about artists,

就在目前美術館這個空間裡，

of trying to define

我的計畫在於利用這個空間去發現、思考藝術家們、

what might be

以及試著定義出

black art cultural movement of the 21st century.

黑人文化運動

What that might mean

在21世紀中的動向。

for cultural movements all over this moment,

而對於此刻中

the "me, we" seems

所有的文化運動來說，

incredibly prescient

"我，我們"這短句裡

totally important.

非常的有先見之明，

To this end,

非常重要。

the specific project that has made this possible for me

為了達到這個目的，

is a series of exhibitions,

我策劃了

all titled with an F --

一系列的展覽，

Freestyle, Frequency and Flow --

這些展覽的名稱都是F字頭，

which have set out to discover

自由風格(Freestyle)、頻率(Frequency)、流動(Flow)

and define

這些展覽已經發掘、

the young, black artists working in this moment

和闡明

who I feel strongly

一些當代的年輕黑人藝術家，

will continue to work over the next many years.

這些藝術家都是我認為

This series of exhibitions

將會在未來數年繼續不斷活耀的人。

was made specifically

這一系列展覽

to try and question

舉辦的特別之處

the idea of what it would mean

都是在嘗試和質疑

now, at this point in history,

一個想法，

to see art as a catalyst;

這想法就是，在目前這個時刻

what it means now, at this point in history,

該如何把藝術當作催化劑，

as we define and redefine culture,

在目前這個時刻，

black culture specifically in my case,

我們該如何定義和重新定義文化

but culture generally.

尤其是黑人文化，

I named this group of artists

而非一般的文化。

around an idea, which I put out there

我將這些

called post-black,

圍繞在這些問題方向的藝術家，

really meant to define them

稱為"後黑派"(post-black)。

as artists who came and start their work now,

這是為了定義那些

looking back at history but start in this moment, historically.

前來創作的藝術家們，

It is really in this sense of discovery

他們回顧歷史，同時又為了歷史性的這一刻而努力。

that I have a new set of questions that I'm asking.

在這個過程中

This new set of questions is:

又引發我提出了另一問題。

What does it mean, right now,

這新的問題就是：

to be African-American in America?

就目前而言，

What can artwork say about this?

國內的非裔美國人又代表著什麼涵義?

Where can a museum exist

藝術品能針對此點表達什麼嗎?

as the place for us all

現存的哪座美術館

to have this conversation?

能夠提供一個空間

Really, most exciting about this

提供給我們這樣的對話?

is thinking about the energy and the excitement

老實說，最讓人感到興奮的地方，

that young artists can bring.

就是那些年輕藝術家所能帶來的

Their works for me are about,

能量與激情。

not always just simply

他們的作品對我來說，

about the aesthetic innovation

簡單來說

that their minds imagine, that their visions create

都是一種美學上的創新，

and put out there in the world,

這來自於他們心中的意象、想像力

but more, perhaps, importantly,

然後呈現在眾人面前，

through the excitement of the community

但，或許更重要的是

that they create as important voices

透過這些黑人群體的熱情

that would allow us right now to understand our situation,

他們發出了不可忽視的聲音，

as well as in the future.

這讓我們了解到當今的處境，

I am continually amazed

還有未來的定位。

by the way in which

我一直感到吃驚的是

the subject of race

透過這種

can take itself in many places

有關種族的主題，

that we don't imagine it should be.

可以帶我們遊覽到那些

I am always amazed

我們從未想像到的境界。

by the way in which artists are willing

另一個讓我感到吃驚的是

to do that in their work.

這些藝術家願意

It is why I look to art.

針對這些主題創作的手法。

It's why I ask questions of art.

這就是我關注藝術的原因。

It is why I make exhibitions.

這就是我會對藝術提出問題的原因。

Now, this exhibition, as I said,

這就是我策展的原因。

40 young artists done over the course of eight years,

就如同我剛說的，這個展覽，

and for me it's about considering the implications.

耗費了40位年輕藝術家8年的時間，

It's considering the implications of

對我來說，這展覽有其他涵義。

what this generation has to say to the rest of us.

這涵義就是

It's considering what it means for these artists

這些年輕一代要對其他人傳達的對話。

to be both out in the world as their work travels,

而這涵義也包括了

but in their communities

當他們的作品展露於全世界的意義，

as people who are seeing and thinking

還有在同類群體中的意義，

about the issues that face us.

就像人們會觀察且思索

It's also about thinking about

自身所面對的問題一樣。

the creative spirit and nurturing it,

這展覽也對

and imagining, particularly in urban America,

創意精神和該如何培養創意進行了思索。