克罗齐有句名言：“一切历史都是当代史”；英国历史学家爱德华·卡尔也说过：“历史是历史学家跟他的事实之间相互作用的连续不断的过程，是现在跟过去之间的永无止境的问答交流。”（爱德华·卡尔：《历史是什么？》，吴柱存译，商务印书馆1981年版，第28页）艺术家用自己的作品去复活历史的世界，正是现在跟过去之间的永无止境的问答交流。艺术家对中国社会主义时代视觉图像进行研究，找到红色记忆与当下的关联性，形成当代艺术“历史转向”的趋势。

贵点艺术空间已经举办及将要举办的一系列展览正是对中国当代艺术“历史转向”趋势的回应。去年11月13日至今年3月7日，《穿越历史——中国当代艺术邀请展》在贵点艺术空间展出，参展艺术家有张大力、汪建伟、马堡中、南溪、徐唯辛、舒群、王明贤、李邦耀、刘彦、刘卓泉、黄引等。展览尝试从文化史和思想史的角度梳理毛泽东时代的视觉文化遗产，并论及作品的艺术史定位等问题。展览同时还举办了批评家研讨会，学术主持王明贤，策展人左函，艺术批评家刘骁纯、鲁虹、朱青生、高岭、冀少峰、吴鸿、盛葳，中国社科院研究员叶廷芳、徐友渔等与参展艺术家共同探讨了关于中国当代艺术与新中国的视觉文化遗产等诸多话题。为了更进一步讨论这一主题，贵点艺术空间将于今年11月12日举办《穿越历史——中国当代艺术邀请展第二回展》，邀请王广义、王 晋、王承云、王国锋、包 泡、吴少湘、陈文令、邵译农+ 慕辰、南 溪、隋建国、蒋 朔、琴嘎等艺术家参展。第二回展的作品既保持了对“穿越历史”文化问题的深入探讨，又着力于探索新的艺术语言，生动诠释了“历史实在”，和第一回展有着截然不同的学术面貌。

《穿越历史》系列展将历史留下的碎片重构为当代艺术，既有历史的深刻性又有艺术的独创性。艺术和历史也许有可能成为解剖中国问题最犀利的手术刀，这使我想起卡西尔的隽语：“艺术和历史学是我们探索人类本性的最有力的工具”。

                                                2011年10月

Endless Exchange of Questions and Answers

Wang Mingxian

There is a famous saying by Croce that "All history is contemporary history". British historian Edward Carr also said: "History is a continuous process of interaction between the historian and his facts, an unending dialogue between the present and the past." (Edward Carr: “What is History?” 1961). Artists’ using their works to revive the world of history is the unending dialogue between the present and the past; artists’ research of the visual images of China's socialist era is the relevance between the red memory and the present. This concept outlines the trend of the "historical shift" in contemporary art.

The series of exhibitions that have been and will be held at G-Dot Art Space are in response to the trend of the "historical shift" in Chinese contemporary art. From November 13th 2010 through March 7th of this year, "Across History – the Invitation of Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition" was shown in G-Dot Art Space. Exhibiting artists included Zhang Dali, Wang Jianwei, Ma Baozhong, Nanqi, Xu Weixing, Shu Qun, Wang Mingxian, Li Bangyao, Liu Yan, Liu Zhuoquan, Huang Yin among others. The exhibition examined the visual heritage of the Maoist era from the perspective of cultural and philosophical history and discussed the significance and impact of the works in art history. A seminar was held with many critics including academic chairperson, Wang Mingxian, curator Zuo Han, art critic Liu Xiaochun, Lu Hong, Zhu Qingsheng, Gao Ling, Ji Shaofeng, Wu Hong, Sheng Wei, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences researcher Ye Tingfang and Xu Youyu, along with participating artists who discussed topics such as contemporary Chinese art and the visual cultural heritage of the new China. To further discuss this topic, G-Dot Art Space will be holding "Across History – the Invitation of Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition II" on November 12th this year, inviting such big names as Wang Guangyi、Wang Jin、Wang Chengyun、Wang Guofeng、Bao Pao, Wu Shaoxiang、Chen Wenling、Shao Yinong+Mu Chen、Nan Qi、Sui Jianguo、Jiang Shuo、Qin Ga and other artists to participate. The works of the second exhibition, while maintaining the in depth examination of the cultural issues in "Across History", will also focus on exploring new artistic languages, vividly interpreting "historical reality", allowing for a completely different academic outlook from the first exhibition.

The series of "Across History" exhibitions will reconstruct the debris of history into contemporary art with both historical depth and artistic originality. Art and history may be the sharpest scalpel in dissecting China’s issues. This idea could be conveyed by Cassirer's Paradox: "Art and history are the most powerful instruments of inquiry into human nature."

                                                October 5, 2011