吴哲仁:把中德文化交流当作艺术品来做
2018-04-04汤建驰
汤建驰
德国汉堡当地时间2018年2月20日,正是中国欢度春节时节,第七届德国汉堡“中国时代”活动在当地启动。在活动中,吴哲仁在中华人民共和国驻德国汉堡总领馆孙从彬总领事的见证下,把一幅寓意着中德两国友好发展的作品《汉堡之梦》赠送给德国汉堡第一市长肖尔茨先生。这张画寓意着中德两国的自由平等、共同友好发展,取名《汉堡之梦》,表达了画家吴哲仁的美好愿望和祝福。吴哲仁对市长先生说,这幅作品是特意为此次活动创作的,对于他本人而言意义重大,因为能够为中德文化交流做些力所能及的事自己感到非常荣幸。
吴哲仁是浙江湖州人,虽是一位画家,但是近几年来,热衷于两国文化交流,努力将德国艺术家介绍到中国,近一年来,在他的努力下,德国音乐家在中国举办的音乐会有18场。一位画家缘何钟情于中德文化交流呢?
吴哲仁自幼喜欢绘画。高中毕业后,他到德国求学,有幸得到浙江籍汉堡自由艺术研究院院士、德国品牌学院——设计与传播应用科学大学校长、德国政府“艺术与学术”勋章获得者单凡的帮助,考进了汉堡艺术学院。汉堡艺术学院是世界上最好的十所美术学院之一,有200多年的历史,培养了不少有名的艺术家。在汉堡艺术学院,他学的是自由艺术专业,在这里,学生可以选择鸡蛋、红酒、沙子、水泥、洗洁精等任何绘画材料,不拘形式,自由创作。4年的大学学习,让他不仅有了绘画的技巧,更有了全新的创作思维。毕业后,他签约于汉堡画廊。
在汉堡,吴哲仁认识了许多艺术家。在2014年年底的一次聚会上,很多德国音乐艺术家向吴哲仁建议,能不能搭建一个平台,组织我们到中国交流艺术?
一开始,吴哲仁还是有点犹豫,一是自己从事的是美术专业,如去做更大艺术领域的文化交流,是不是不务正业?二是自己没有这方面的经验,难度太大,弄不好会搞砸!转而一想:“艺术是相通的,把文化交流做好也是一件艺术作品。”
“要做中德文化艺术交流,必须成立一个艺术机构。”有朋友建议说。2015年初,吴哲仁和在汉堡的其他两位中国朋友开始策划筹备,次年初,汉堡时代艺术中心正式成立,吴哲仁任董事长和艺术总监。汉堡时代艺术中心主要是开展美术和音乐的中德文化交流。为了顺利地开展工作,吴哲仁先在德国介绍艺术家在本土进行音乐演出和美术展览,尔后着手筹备到中国演出的签约。
经过一年的努力,由吴哲仁代表汉堡艺术中心和汉堡交响乐团管乐五重奏精英演奏家签约成功!汉堡交响乐团五重奏精英由该团团长、终身首席长笛演奏家苏珊娜·班纳,大管首席克里斯蒂安·冈茨霍恩,终身首席双簧管马克·雷纳,终身首席单簧管艾玛·霍尼格,终身首席圆号皮特·古力卡组成。
2017年5月19日,吴哲仁带领汉堡交响乐团管乐五重奏的艺术家启程到中国演出。浙江舟山市是他们在中国的第一场演出,500位观众欣赏了德国音乐家的精湛演奏。5位演奏家都是第一次来中国,更是第一次在中国的舞台上演奏,他们想不到中国观众具有很好的音乐素养,不仅聆听音乐会时秩序井然,最后一曲演奏结束时,观众的鼓掌声经久不息。德国演奏家被观众的热情所打动,返场加演曲目。演出结束后,不少观众还热情上台向德国演奏家献花并合影,有的用外语和德国演奏家热情交流。
舟山演出结束后,吴哲仁带领德国艺术家先后到浙江嘉兴、湖州和福建晋江、上海等5个城市演出。演出之余,德国艺术家游览了当地的名胜古迹,对中国的建筑文化和优美的自然环境感到惊讶好奇。
为了让德国艺术家接触更多的中国文化,5月23日,在湖州演出之余,吴哲仁安排他们到湖州市领军人才、著名画家刘祖鹏艺术工作室交流。德国演奏家对刘祖鹏创作的国画露出了好奇的目光:“一支又长又软的毛笔怎么会画出如此美妙的中国画?”刘祖鹏热情地教苏珊娜用湖笔画鸭、画梅花,在一旁的克里斯蒂安和艾玛也忍不住先后从画桌上拿起湖笔描上几笔。德国朋友被中国画的神韵和魅力所折服,拿起自己创作的画作和刘祖鹏合影留念。临别时,刘祖鹏还向5位德国艺术家分别赠送了印有自己作品的国画丝巾,留作纪念。
巡演5个城市,所到之处,吴哲仁不仅听到了观众对德国艺术家演奏美妙西方音乐的赞美声,也听到了德国艺术家对中国美好印象的赞美声!首次成功巡演,驱走了吴哲仁为演出奔忙而付出的辛劳!
接着,吴哲仁又先后和北德广播交响乐团弦乐四重奏精英演奏家和斯坦威双钢琴重奏两个艺术团队签约到中国巡演。北德广播交响乐团弦乐四重奏精英由北德广播交响乐团的终身首席大提琴尤里-夏洛特·克里斯蒂安森、第一小提琴副首席霍夫汉内斯·巴格哈达萨良、首席小提琴演奏家亚历山德拉·萨热娃、中提琴演奏家阿拉·路特四人组成;斯坦威双钢琴重奏由施坦威签约钢琴演奏艺术家尤利婭·波奇科夫斯卡娅和汉堡交响乐团钢琴演奏家玛丽娅·杨科娃两位女士演奏家组成。7月29日至8月6日和9月8日至9月13日,吴哲仁先后率领北德广播交响乐团弦乐四重奏精英演奏家和斯坦威双钢琴重奏赴中国上海,浙江嘉兴、湖州、杭州和福建晋江5个城市巡演。这两个演奏团队的德国艺术家也都是第一次来中国,他们的演出都获得了中国观众的赞美,而中国也给德国演奏家留下了美好的印象!
2017年,吴哲仁成功引领德国演奏家来中国演出18场。做好中德文化交流这件艺术品,对吴哲仁来说只是一个开头,未来的路还很长。他说:“我还很年轻,做中德文化交流是一件有意义的事,我还想把中国的画家、音乐家介绍到德国,把更多的德国艺术家带到中国交流,扩大中德文化交流的领域,通过交流来讲述中德两国的故事,让两国人民分享彼此的优秀文化!这也是汉堡时代艺术中心的职责!”
Wu Zheren, a Chinese artist who lives in Germany, has successfully built a bridge for cultural exchanges between Germany and China since 2017. In last year alone, German musicians held 18 concerts in China thanks to the arrangements of Wu.
Wu is a native of Huzhou, a central city in northern Zhejiang province. Upon graduation from Hamburg Academy of Art, he has stayed in the great city. In 2014, he met some German musicians, who suggested that Wu make arrangements so that they could perform in China. Wu and his friends thought it was a good idea.
Nevertheless, Wu hesitated, not sure whether he should engage himself in cultural exchanges, which were apparently beyond his specialty. He worried he might make mistakes since he lacked expertise about music shows. He persuaded himself with this argument: promoting cultural exchanges resembles creating an artwork and such a project would be worth trying since all it engaged is art.
He was advised to set up an agency to make such arrangements with China possible. In 2015, he and two Chinese friends in Hamburg began to make preparations for setting up the agency. In early 2016, Hamburg Modern Art Center came into being. With Wu Zheren as president and art supervisor, the center aims to promote Sino-German cultural exchanges in the field of art and music. Wu familiarized himself with business by holding concerts and art exhibitions in Germany. Eventually he signed a performance contract with the woodwind quintet of Hamburg Symphony Orchestra to perform in China.
The quintet artists left Hamburg for China on May 19, 2017. The first concert was held in Zhoushan, the capital city of Chinas largest archipelago in Zhejiang. Five hundred people attended the concert. The German musicians were surprised to find that the audience was versed in the concert manner. After a long standing ovation, the musicians came back and made an encore. After the show, some audience members came upon stage presenting flowers to the musicians and taking photos with the musicians. Some even conversed in English with the German musicians.
With Wu Zheren as the group leader, the quintet performed in Jiaxing and Huzhou in Zhejiang Province, Jinjiang in Fujian Province, and Shanghai, the largest metropolis in the Yangtze River delta. The concerts were successful. Wu felt relieved and happy.
In Huzhou, the quintet musicians visited the studio of Liu Zupeng, one of the best artists in Huzhou. The Germans were amazed by the brush pens Liu used to paint in the Chinese traditional style. Liu gave some tips and two German musicians tried their hands at painting.
Shortly after the initial success of the woodwind quintet in May, two more German musician groups visited China with Wus arrangements. The first was a string quartet which performed in Shanghai, Jiaxing, Huzhou, Hangzhou and Jinjiang from July 29 to August 6. The second group was a piano duo. The two pianists also held concerts in the five cities.
Wu considers the 18 concerts in China as a beginning of an artwork which is the China-German cultural exchanges. “I am young and there is a long way to go for more cultural exchanges between the two countries. I want to introduce Chinese artists and musicians to Germany and more German artists and musicians to China. This way, we can promote exchanges and share stories of China and Germany. The center considers it a responsibility,” said Wu.