落腳燕郊 中國青年藝術家的理想與現實(下)

I was preparing to really do the poor, starving Artist thing in Songzhuang, a well-established artist village about a half-hour away, said Li Tianqi, 24, another founder of On Space.

本來我是打算在宋莊做一個貧窮的、吃不飽飯的藝術家，On Space的另一位創始人、24歲的李天琦說。宋莊是距離這裏約半小時車程的一個著名的藝術家村。

But why rent a tiny shack in Songzhuang when you can have a nice studio in Yanjiao?

如果你能在燕郊擁有一個很好的工作室，那你爲什麼要在宋莊租一個小棚子呢？

No one knows how many young artists now call Yanjiao home, though the On Space founders estimate that at least several hundred have space here.

沒有人知道燕郊現在究竟住着多少年輕藝術家，不過On Space的創始人們估計，至少有幾百名藝術家在這裏設立了工作室。

Last year, the gallerists tried an informal census of the city’s artists, but ran out of time after conducting interviews with about 60 people.

去年，畫廊老闆們嘗試對該市的藝術家進行一個非正式人口普查，但是在採訪了約60人後，就沒時間繼續進行了。

Yanjiao has also caught the eye of established artists.

燕郊也吸引了一些著名藝術家，其中最出名的是高氏兄弟。

Its most famous tenants are the Gao Brothers, a pair of multimedia artists internationally known for their irreverent sculptures.

這對多媒體藝術家在國際上以不敬的雕塑聞名。

In 2013, they bought a former factory building and turned it into an airy studio complex they call Blessgo, which they use for making larger works.

2013年，他們買下一間廠房，改造成寬敞的工作室，稱之爲Blessgo，用來創作大型作品。

Referring to the quickly gentrifying 798 Art District in Beijing, Gao Zhen, the older brother, said in an interview, In 798, we still won’t be allowed to exhibit certain works of art, and you just can’t completely let go of your worries because even renting studios in 798 isn’t completely stable, with demolitions and relocations.

哥哥高真在採訪中提到快速中產階層化的北京798藝術區時說：在798，他們還是不允許我們展覽某些作品，而且你沒法完全放心，因爲在798租工作室都不穩定，有拆遷問題等等。

The siblings still maintain a studio in the 798 district, but plan to eventually relocate entirely to Yanjiao.

兄弟倆在798藝術區依然擁有一間工作室，不過打算最終徹底搬到燕郊。

Most artists in Yanjiao work in more humble circumstances.

燕郊的大部分藝術家在更簡樸的環境中工作。

Much of the city’s surplus of residential space takes the form of cheap, unfinished apartments called maopifang.

這座城市多餘的住宅空間很多都是沒有裝修的廉價毛坯房，基本上就只有混凝土主體，

Little more than concrete shells, they are perfect for artists looking to create studios on a shoestring.

非常適合那些想以極低成本設立工作室的藝術家們。

Because of the dominance of residential space in Yanjiao, its atmosphere differs markedly from the gritty industrial hipness of Caochangdi or the more touristic 798, where cafes, boutiques and galleries have sprung up alongside artists’ studios.

由於燕郊以住宅爲主，所以它的氣氛與草場地粗獷的工業時髦氣息或798更像景點的氛圍迥然不同——798的藝術工作室周圍涌現出很多咖啡館、時裝精品店和畫廊。

In Yanjiao, virtually nothing comparable has appeared.

在燕郊，基本上沒有此類事物。

But many of the Yanjiao artists have embraced its decidedly suburban aesthetic.

不過，燕郊的很多藝術家很喜歡這種純粹的郊區美感。

Zhang Zhanzhan, a painter, has completely transformed his maopifang over the years, covering the concrete floors with whitewashed pine slats and the empty doorways with colored fabric.

這些年，畫家張佔佔將自己的毛坯房進行了徹底改造，用粉刷成白色的松木板覆蓋混凝土地板，用五彩斑斕的織物覆蓋空空的門廊。

Pictures of his chic studio have been viewed by thousands of users on WeChat, a Chinese social media app.

他那時髦工作室的照片在中國社交媒體應用程序微信上得到了成千上萬用戶的瀏覽。

I once went to drop off some paintings at a Beijing gallery, and the person there asked me if I was the artist with the ‘Tokyo-style studio,’ he recalled.

有一次，我去北京送幾幅畫，有人問我，你是那個‘東京風格工作室’的藝術家嗎？他回憶說。

Yanjiao’s days as an affordable outpost may be numbered.

燕郊作爲負擔得起的藝術家聚居點的日子可能也不多了。

Rents have more than tripled since the first artists moved in, mainly because of property speculation, and the number of unfinished maopifangs has dwindled.

從第一批藝術家入住到現在，租金已經漲了3倍多，主要是因爲地產投機，也因爲毛坯房的數量在逐漸減少。

Moreover, despite the city’s now solid reputation as an offshoot artistic community, Beijing’s big-city allure remains.

此外，儘管現在這座城市作爲分支藝術社區的名聲已經確立，但北京的大城市誘惑依然存在。

While a fresh wave of graduates from the capital’s art academies move into Yanjiao each summer, many older artists have already left.

儘管每年夏天都有新一批北京藝術院校的畢業生搬到燕郊，但是很多年長的藝術家已經離開。

Last year, On Space decided not to renew its lease, because most of its events are now held in collaboration with organizations in Beijing.

去年，On Space決定不再續簽租約，因爲現在它的大部分活動是和北京的一些組織聯合舉辦的。

Zhang Yongji is going back to the capital to pursue a master’s degree.

張永基打算回首都攻讀碩士學位。

This is a very temporary place, he said.

燕郊還是一個暫時停留的地方，他說，

We’re all here still hoping to someday make it in Beijing.

我們都還是想什麼時候能在北京功成名就。