在人類歷史洪流的軸線上,過去的、現在的、未來的,「文明」的到來,總是伴隨著一次次的戰火紛起與新制武器的勝利,而我們何時才能非掠奪式的邁入下一個新的文明?
於本次展覽中,藝術家意圖將人類最初始對於「即將到來」(yet to come)之事物的慾望與想像;將那一份關乎往後美好世界的期待與盼望,逐步地推衍為一種未來「尚未到來」的待續時態,同時形成一種純粹而又未可知的力量,不斷地誘引著我們去期盼下一個將臨的文明。基此,本次展覽場域被定錨在「未來戰後的未來」此一弔詭的時空之中,存在於其中的作品──無論是平面繪畫、動力機械,甚或是空間及錄像裝置──皆以「機器人」的形象呈現。然而這些為了代替我們贏取未來之爭所建造的機器人們,它們的使命卻早已不再是為了上戰場爭勝,而是被視為是講述與紀錄未來戰爭歷史的重要文物。
【不曾到來的未來】透過藝術家黃贊倫後設敘述的邏輯思維,置換了不同時序下空間與立場,將虛擬與真實並置,讓未來與現今交錯。而被邀請穿越至未來並置身其間的我們,則得以去覺察在文明演進過程中所缺席的肉身與眼光,我們又該如何去進行對於未知的想像與押注,而未來,是否「不曾到來」。
In the history of mankind, the birth of past, present, and future civilizations were mostly or would possibly be accompanied with wars and victories enabled by newly invented weaponry. When could humanity venture into a new civilization without plundering?
In the exhibition, the artist delineates human being's desire and imagination of the things that are“yet to come” and gradually reveals our hope and expectation for a better future through presenting a suspended moment in time when the future has not arrived yet. This approach creates a pure and unknown force that fuels our anticipation for the next civilization to come. To achieve his goal, the artist creates a curious space-time in the exhibition that captures "the future after future wars," and the artworks on view, whether paintings, kinetic machinery, spatial or video installation, show robotic forms. However, these robots that are supposed to win the future for mankind are no longer fighting for mankind in battlefields. Instead, they are significant artefacts that document and speak the history of future wars.
In The Future That Never Comes, Huang illustrates his thinking of meta-narratives and depicts a different space-time and position by juxtaposing the virtual and the real ; interweaving the future and the present. As we are transported to and immersed in the future, Huang creates an opportunity for us to detect the absent body and vision in the progress of civilization when we wonder how we should imagine and take on the risk of the unknown. And the future, will it ever come?