西蒙．李畫廊（Simon Lee Gallery）：別樹一格的觀念藝術品味

曾有美術館、拍賣行、文化公部門和畫廊等藝術行業不同領域工作經驗的西蒙．李（Simon Lee），於2002 年在倫敦創立了自己的畫廊，並以一貫以來對觀念藝術的獨特偏好和專注作為經營主軸，獨樹一幟，致力於挖掘和推介不同世代的先鋒藝術家，從漢斯．哈同（Hans Hartung）、米開朗基羅．皮斯特萊托（Michelangelo Pistoletto）、喬治．康多（George Condo），到托比．齊格勒（Toby Ziegler）、安吉拉．布洛克（Angela Bulloch）和貝爾納．弗里茨（Bernard Frize），他們的創作媒材橫跨繪畫、雕塑、裝置、攝影、影像等多元樣態。

西蒙．李畫廊倫敦空間一景。（西蒙．李畫廊提供）

2012年西蒙．李畫廊在香港設立了第一個海外空間，除陸續引介西方觀念藝術到亞洲市場之外，更是有意識地支持本地藝術家的發展，不僅數度以聯展形式展出香港藝術家作品，也主動將鮮為西方所知的華人藝術家帶至海外，譬如2018 年為年輕新銳畫家禤善勤（Chris Huen Sin Kan）在紐約設立的空間舉辦了其在美國的首度個展。

西蒙．李畫廊即將於「台北當代藝博」呈現梅爾．博赫納（Mel Bochner）「Ha Ha Ha」系列。（西蒙．李畫廊提供）

畫廊曾於2017 年香港巴塞爾藝術展（Art Basel Hong Kong）期間，同步於畫廊空間成功舉辦梅爾．博赫納（Mel Bochner）的個展，廣受亞洲藏家肯定。因此西蒙．李畫廊頗有自信地為首屆「台北當代藝博」展位規劃了這位美國觀念藝術代表人物的個展，主力推出其2018 年的新作系列「Ha Ha Ha」。博赫納標誌性的「字詞」繪畫，代表其在語言與視覺表達交匯點上的不斷探索，厚重油彩注入字模、壓制印刷而成的大幅畫作，從視覺出發、為多重感官傳遞強烈衝擊力。

畫廊主西蒙．李（Simon Lee）。（圖片由西蒙．李畫廊提供）

Simon Lee Gallery: Uniqueness through Taste in Conceptual Art

By Yan Xiao-Xiao

Simon Lee has worked in various fields of the art industry, such as museums, auction houses, public sectors, and galleries, and in 2002 he founded his own gallery space in London. Since then, the Gallery developed a unique preference and dedication to Conceptual Art, and the discovering and introducing conceptual artists of different generations. From Hans Hartung, Michelangelo Pistoletto, and George Condo, to Toby Ziegler, Angela Bulloch, and Bernard Frize, their artistic practices range from painting, sculpture, installation photography, to moving images and other multi-disciplinary practices. In 2012, Simon Lee Gallery set up its first overseas gallery space in Hong Kong. In addition to introducing western Conceptual Art to the Asian market, it also consciously supports the development of local artists. Simon Lee Gallery not only exhibits the works of Hong Kong artists in several of its exhibitions, but the gallery also takes the initiative to bring Chinese artists aboard to the West, such as the first solo exhibition of the young and emerging painter Chris Huen Sin Kan in New York in 2018.

During the 2017 Art Basel Hong Kong period, Simon Lee Gallery held a hugely successful solo exhibition of Mel Bochner in its gallery space, which was widely recognized by Asian collectors. Therefore, Simon Lee Gallery is confident with a solo exhibition of the iconic American conceptual artist for its booth for the first edition of "Taipei Dangdai", focusing on Mel Bochner's new series "Ha Ha Ha" in 2018. Bochner's iconic "text-based" paintings clearly present the constant exploration of the intersection between language and visual expression. The heavy oil paint is painted upon the letterpress, pressed and printed into large-scale paintings, setting off a strong visual impact which resonates across multiple senses.