I-Hsuen Chen - Weathering Lithography

靜物研究IV：風化顯影

Weathering Lithography（2025）Weathering Lithography（2025）
Archival inkjet prints with aluminum frame, weathering

Commissioned by Matsu Biennial 2025

I-Hsuen Chen plans to present a project in which images captured across Beigan, Matsu are exposed in an open-air venue. Intentionally allowing the photos to fade over time, the artist sees the material "defect" of sun bleaching as a form of reverse development. Throughout the process, Chen experiments with various output methods, materials, and alternative "light-room techniques” by using local rocks as dodging screens. These rocks also serve as the counterparts of the faded elements in the photographs. Through the project, Chen holds a central question: through reverse development and open-air exposure, will the stories of Matsu slowly blur into obscurity within the venue — or will they gradually reveal their original, unweathered form?

馬祖受到海島環境的獨特影響，包括鹽霧、強風、曝曬、與高濕度等因素，這些都加速了岩石和土壤的風化和侵蝕過程，讓島上的汽車生鏽、建築牆面斑駁落漆；尤甚，長達45年的軍管歲月，使得原先在島上種田捕魚的閩東沿海居民，生活型態劇烈的改變。這樣的軍管介入，彷彿將某部分遮蓋住了⋯

陳以軒在當地拍攝了一系列關於生鏽落漆的照片，放置在露天展場中曝曬，利用曝曬後會褪色的缺陷，進行各種逆向的「顯影」，過程中實驗不同的輸出方式、紙材，也嘗試各種「亮房」技法，例如撿拾當地的石頭物件，「遮蓋」在照片上，作為減曬（Dodging）的遮蔽物，展期中與照片內的各種落漆痕跡風雨作伴——藝術家想提問的是：透過逆向顯影與露天的攝影裝置，馬祖的故事究竟是會在展場中慢慢被風化模糊，或是逐漸顯現其原初的樣貌。