文/鄭乃銘

 

熊宇，始終把創作當作是一種對自我梳理的過程。《塔羅》這個系列尤其明顯。

 

塔羅牌，這個以歐洲為主要中心點，所發展出來反映個人內在的圖像媒介，嚴格上來說，它一開始并非是被拿作為預測個人命運的工具，它其實是拿來作為對自己內心現境變化更加認識的一種牌面工具。由于，塔羅牌有分成大秘儀與小秘儀兩類，其中大秘儀總計有22張牌，它從「愚人」這第一張牌開始，到「世界」這最后一張牌作為結束，22張牌等同于是生命的一種循環，它具備陳述人生面臨各種大小事情的基本型態作用，但假如要更加細密來說明深層的環節，則需要再經由小秘儀的牌面來作為輔助。因為，塔羅牌是鼓勵自己來翻閱出牌面，這當中就能透露出個人對現階段所遭遇事情的最直白心情。或許是因為這個緣故，塔羅牌逐漸被專長命理的人拿來作為占卜使用，因為牌面的圖像象征意義是固定，相對之下就得看擅長說牌的人如何去解讀選牌者所欲知悉的心理因由。塔羅牌發展到后來，牌面的基本意涵雖然不可能改變，但是圖像則隨著區域的變化被賦予更多不同樣式，甚至進而演變成為一種收藏品。不過，塔羅牌從最早開始它的圖像就流露出古典氣息，雖然有很多不同的圖像出現，但這份古典特質其實還是被適度做了保留。其次，塔羅牌所觀測的是個人內心現況活動軌跡，多少就會使得塔羅牌無法甩開讓人覺得神秘的想象空間，更何況在歐洲許多吉普賽人都習慣拿塔羅牌來為人算命，這種內心活動的窺探與解讀，很自然就會讓塔羅牌蒙上一層黑色氛圍。

 

熊宇之所以會以塔羅牌來作為創作的一個系列，說來并非是他對于精算運命有特殊愛好，一來是因為塔羅牌本身的神秘氣息，對他造成基本吸引力。二來則是許多的動畫片，在劇情內容上都談論到塔羅牌，這無疑對他加強了吸引力。另外，最重要的因素，則是來自塔羅牌雖然有一定牌面意涵，但卻能隨著翻牌者與解牌者的內心角度不同，而有不一樣的看法。這也就是說，塔羅牌會因為人本身的因素，提供一個不同觀看世界的方式。對熊宇來講，22張塔羅牌的大秘儀，意味著人生所會遭遇到的各種處境，透過這些牌面呈現了一個完整的世界觀，也等于體現一個完整的人生。熊宇對于為塔羅牌塑造新的牌面圖像，其實并沒有多大的興趣，但是他很渴望經由這個創作的入徑，為他自己在創作的表達找出不同方式，另外也希望從這個基礎點上；為自己的藝術尋找各種不同的可能性。實際上，熊宇在投入這項主題創作的同時，冥冥中已經是在將自己推向一個彷若解讀塔羅牌牌面的人，他企圖引領著觀者跳開以前欣賞他作品的慣性，從不一樣的角度來進入這個主題作品中。

 

其次，我比較想從內在化語境中來談熊宇塔羅系列的創作。我個人認為，私心里；熊宇想透過塔羅牌這個創作的機會，為自己作一番梳理。熊宇是個絕對幸福的人。他的人生有著自己的規劃與所愛的人對他的期望，從生命的境遇造弄來講，灰灰暗暗，確實不是熊宇人生的一項「強項」。熊宇非常清楚自己的性格位階，也未曾想過要去對自己進行挑釁，他的世界自始至終都有他自己所畫出來的圓。但是，塔羅牌所為他揭露的境遇播遷與心理抉擇，確實也是充滿著吸引。熊宇的藝術創作，在過去總會被大家放到新世代受到動漫美學影響的范疇中來談，他的架上作品也曾被廣泛指稱充滿著憂郁情節。這些其實都是一種表相式解讀方法，但不容否認熊宇站在這樣的位置聽到眾多聲音，終究會很希望自己能夠更為深切書寫人生的境遇曲折與心理糾纏。因此，塔羅牌所提供的不同階段經驗，帶給這位原本就擅長想象飛馳的藝術家，有了一個把想象放到土地上的真實心念，塔羅提出了路徑；熊宇讓想象緊跟著它，于是；這位藝術家把自己從現實的性格中抽離出來，自此，一個不相同卻也真實的熊宇以更貼近生命的方式，來為自己所遭遇的人生課題，以圖像來理出看法。這一點，應該是塔羅牌真正讓熊宇走進來的最私心理由吧！

 

熊宇的藝術，當然還是與他的環境背景與個性有絕對性牽連，也就是：第一、成都的地理環境。第二、技巧所意味的內在化意涵。第三、熊宇自身的性格。我想先從這三個背景因素談起，最后；再以塔羅這個主軸作為結束。

 

環境塑造色彩的統馭性

熊宇的藝術，吸引我的因素之ㄧ，就是畫面的顏色。熊宇的作品，色調幾乎都很單純，他完全沒有新世代藝術家那種喜歡賣弄色彩的感官欲望，熊宇在簡單的顏色結構鋪陳之下，不斷去轉折出畫面空間的呼吸，這絕非是年輕藝術家輕易能做到的表現方式。單一的顏色溫度，我想應該是來自熊宇多年來始終居住在成都，這個本身就不是一個陽光眷戀的城市，常年灰灰沉沉的，很自然使得熊宇在面對創作的傳達上，也選擇比較純化的顏色來作為訴求，他放棄煮沸喧囂式的顏色作風，讓畫面的視覺處于一種熊宇自己控溫狀態下，沉靜地、成功地把觀者的眼球留在他的畫面上。從色彩的心理層界來說，這樣的顏色更趨近于人內心的蠢動，也更吻合熊宇所架設出來的想象場域。

 

技巧所呼映的內蘊厚度

我以前曾經提過，熊宇的作品有著中國水墨畫的深情筆觸在其中。我個人覺得，這個形現于外的技巧，應該是從環境因素所培養出的自然發生渠道。當然，熊宇個人對于中國傳統文化的感應與內在貼近，也是他自己能夠善用與轉借這些元素精神的另一股潛在動能。熊宇從環境本質(這所謂環境本質，明確講就是成都這個城市給人的灰白色調感受)的條件性得到啟發，也等同于是他發現這個環境本質性能夠加以延伸所帶來豐富想象，他在畫面的結構方面，既把中國水墨畫墨染的層次運景做了適度發揮；但最主要是他沒有讓自己的表現因為要借水墨的魂而被水墨的章法給拘泥，熊宇讓色的韻染有著隱約透露著光暈的推景作用，使得畫面因此能夠既有景的秩序，也能看出景的深度。另外，熊宇在人物的處理方面，你當然可以把它視為一種寫實性技法表現，可是就某種程度而言，熊宇何嘗不更貼近著中國工筆畫的細膩作工，他在運筆流轉的過程中，每個筆觸都在留住觀者的視線，但熊宇也沒有讓這樣的筆觸因為過于耍弄技巧而流之于油滑。熊宇在他整個畫面的構筑中，始終都掌握著「筆意」，而沒有特意去夸張技巧的熟練。我個人認為，熊宇其實是個很在乎所謂讀畫慣性的人。因為，一旦一個人在看畫過程中，再有一層讀畫的習慣，那么就能從畫面中看出更多自己的心得，也能更體會藝術家的潛心。而他就不斷經由自己的作品，發酵著這樣一份心思，知者；也就自然上到這路徑。

 

宅男性格讓想象更遼闊

熊宇是個很標準的宅男。他在計算機游戲機里，真正印證與實踐著自己的第二人生，而他始終樂此不疲。計算機游戲提供熊宇一個思想可以開啟的大門，進到這個門之后，他不是現實生活當中的熊宇，他的角色只是一個昵稱；一個隨時可以改變稱謂的「代號」，生存的動機也回到比較物性的規格。不過，熊宇喜歡計算機游戲，自然也影響到他的創作方式。從中，熊宇讓自己發展出一個很完整體系的創作語體，這個語體也就是我們所看到的熊宇式人物。這些畫面上的人物，并沒有特別突顯的性別之分，因為美到極致的人，性別其實并不是一個困擾的課題。這些人都擁有一雙美麗清澄的眼睛，因為深邃自然就被誤讀為憂郁。這些人都長著長長脖子，而且還都被衣服給保護著。原來，熊宇認為人的脖子與眼睛一樣都屬于外露，很容易受到傷害，應該要嚴謹保護著。畫面上的人，也都長著一雙白色翅膀，對熊宇而言，人既然有了翅膀，就意味有自由的權利，也代表著有理想足以追尋，可以隨時飛走。另外還有一項，則是熊宇的作品從以前到現在，他所涉及的題材顯得特別具有和諧性，沒有一絲反映內心的不安全感，也不去觸擊到社會議題，他的作品，也就是在為自己尋求一個可以放肆又能找到路回家的出口。熊宇或許愿意讓自己像個風箏，但卻又很在乎線是不是有被地面的人握在手中。

 

這些特質對于熊宇的創作都有相對性植入關系，同時也被他放到《塔羅》這個系列主題中。《塔羅》與他過去的作品最明顯差異之處，應該是在他去除掉以前較為厚重的畫面鋪陳，讓原本就純化的顏色因此更顯出清逸，營造出類似失重的飛揚狀態，這樣的狀態很直接就把熊宇可望訴達的內心活動軌跡給點明。我個人認為，熊宇這種類似白描的筆法，大量出現在畫面上，分外使得這個主題系列的創作更接近中國藝術的視覺情境。熊宇的藝術體系，當然還是比較偏向于西方的視覺架設與慣性，但更為明顯的是，在《塔羅》這個系列當中，熊宇嘗試讓自己有一個清晰脈絡的獨立性發展，沒有特意去描述畫面的時空背景，他在牌面所代表的意涵當中，發揮對于詮釋圖像的想象性與自由度，并且試圖通過畫面氛圍的塑造，使得讀畫的觀者更能體察出內心化情境起落。比如說，塔羅牌第一張牌面就是〈愚人〉，傳統這個牌面一定會出現旭日、懸崖；一個打扮近似小丑的人，滿臉帶笑卻一只腳已經踏在懸崖外。這張牌面其實用來隱喻一個人并不清楚自己正面臨什么狀況。熊宇在詮釋這張牌面，就舍棄懸崖這個環節，他以一個正飛躍在半空中的人物為主圖像，藍天白云，絲毫看不出任何安全與危險的可能性。或許傳統的塔羅牌面對于愚人的觀感，會比較傾向于不聰明或有點失瘋狀況的描述。可是，在熊宇的解讀中，愚人的定義不再那樣的窄化，因為，當每個人所處的位置與角色不同的時候，所做出的決定對于某些人或許是蠢極；就另外的人則會是正確的選擇。熊宇不斷從一個現代語意學里去推翻舊思維樣貌，展現一個很符合自己背景的思考范疇。例如在〈隱士〉這件作品，傳統意義中，隱士或許被認為是比較消極的人，但是在熊宇筆下，則是置身于云端、心中懷有一盞明燈對萬般諸事了然于心的人。〈力量〉本來是指與內在所壓抑的力量相抗衡，熊宇的畫面則出現一位躺在獅子懷里的瘦弱人物，一個外表羸弱的人，也許內心是一只勇猛威武的巨獅，而或許一位外表雄武不羈的人，內心反倒是脆弱而敏感的。熊宇所要談的不單單是一種內與外的抗衡，從畫面上，熊宇或許較偏向人應該學習與內在的自己做一種合諧共生的相處。在〈女祭司〉與〈魔法師〉這兩者比較屬于人內心陰暗的角色，熊宇則以黑色來作為畫面情緒的主導，突顯人內在不易被人窺知的心理。熊宇很擅長透過顏色來點出心境，在〈吊人〉與〈塔〉這兩件作品中，前者將背景處理成黑色，從上面墜下、一臉無辜的人，則是意味著現實環境扮演被犧牲角色，何嘗不也是完全不知自己到底是因何而死的心理嗎？至于〈塔〉則是拿來形容心理放不下的東西正處于瓦解狀態，而畫面底下的海洋，似乎也正等待著要把所有的疑慮給洗凈。〈戀人〉在熊宇的解釋之下，則是兩個眼神飄近、手背輕偎卻各轉向對立一方的情侶，而中國話說沉醉于愛河，但畫面這對戀人所處的愛河則是波濤暗涌，如此的畫面像極現代兩性關系，彼此或許想相互取暖卻又不愿因此就相屬，情感的這個路徑，自然也就不會如常理的平靜。

 

熊宇在《塔羅》的系列創作，一方面把自己個性中樸實與寬厚，很充分放在塔羅所涉及境遇抉擇的處理心境描述上。在他的畫面中，他傾吐著自己的人生思維，沒有過度攻城略地的高囂企圖心，沒有特意迎合的人生姿態，熊宇的《塔羅》成為他個人內心世界的一份選擇，就好比在他所畫的〈正義〉這件作品中，象征著正義與公理的天平很穩當維持在平均等重狀態，只是，那天平被熊宇畫得很小而不是一個特意突顯的夸張道具。這真的很像熊宇！就是那種把準則放在心理，而不是掛在外表上來贏取注意，甚或至成為人際關系中煽情的春藥。

 

嚴格上來說，熊宇的《塔羅》是他為內心的自我，所做的一份說帖。這份說帖并不全然是一份想象，也不是拿來作為他個人社會經驗不豐富的遁世托辭，而是在這當中更讓人清楚熊宇為自己所畫出的圓，在迂回曲折或硝湮彌漫現實環境中，這位藝術家始終清楚自己的路在那。

 

 

By Zheng Naiming

Xiong Yu has all along treated his work as a way of putting his inner world in order. The Tarot series is a particularly clear case in point.

Tarot cards, which originated in Europe, developed into a pictorial medium reflecting the inner-self but strictly speaking were not originally designed as a tool for fortune-telling. In fact, they were a means to understanding further changes in one’s inner-mind. They are divided into two parts: the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana contains a total of 22 cards starting with the first card The Fool and ending with the last card The World. Thus the 22 cards form the cycle of life and try to explain the full range of basic scenarios one may face in life. If, however, one needs to probe further into the details, cards from the Minor Arcana may be consulted. Because tarot relies upon personal interpretation of the cards, the process is able to reveal one’s most direct feeling towards any given situation. Perhaps it’s because of this reason that tarot cards have gradually come to be used in fortune-telling. As the images’ symbolism is fixed, one must look to how the diviner deciphers the psychological reasons for the drawing of cards that have been chosen. Throughout history, despite cards’ basic meanings being left unchanged, their pictorial forms have differed in line with regional variations, in some cases even becoming collector items themselves. However, if one thing has remained the same, it is tarot cards’ classical air. Regardless of the many different images that have appeared, their classical nature has always been left intact. Tarot cards study the footprints of man’s psychological activity, so much so that tarot cards have unavoidably earned a mysterious reputation. In Europe, they have been widely used by gypsies for fortune-telling and being associated with such prying into people’s innermost thoughts has meant that quite naturally, they have been enshrouded by a dark veil of suspicion and mystery.

The reason for Xiong Yu deciding to paint a series of tarot cards had little to do with any special interest in fortune-telling per se. He was initially drawn in more by their esoteric nature and secondly by the fact that they have been the subject of many cartoons, which no doubt added to their attraction. But the most important feature for Xiong Yu was that despite their fixed meanings, tarot cards’ final interpretation varies so much upon their selector and reader. In other words, depending on the human element, tarot cards can provide an entirely different way of looking at the world. As far as Xiong Yu is concerned, the Major Arcana represents all the scenarios one is likely to be faced with in life, which together provides a complete world vision; a complete life. But Xiong Yu wasn’t particularly interested in producing new tarot card designs as such; he was far more interested in exploring new avenues of his own creative process, using tarot strictly as an entry point for such exploration. Despite this, once Xiong Yu had begun working on this theme, unbeknown to himself, he had already become a tarot card reader of sorts, attempting to help people appreciate his work from a different perspective than before.

And hence I would like to discuss Xiong Yu’s tarot card series in the context of internalization. In my opinion, Xiong Yu has, quite selfishly, thought that by producing the tarot card series, he could give his own mind a going over. There is no question that Xiong Yu is a lucky man. His life has a purpose and the hopes of loved ones all around him. Looking at his life, doom and gloom is really not one of Xiong Yu’s strong points. Xiong Yu is very clear on whom he is and has never felt the need to provoke himself before. From start to finish, his world has been carefully planned out, but the potential revelation of his inner world and own psychological choices was nevertheless incredibly attractive to him. Xiong Yu’s work has previously always been categorised as being of the New Generation, heavily influenced by cartoon aesthetics and generally viewed as being rather depressing. Such comment has of course just been a superficial interpretation of his work but it’s easy to understand why Xiong Yu, after hearing such voices, would sooner or later wish to be able to portray more profoundly life’s complications and worries. Tarot cards thus provided this lofty-minded artist with a path on which he could set down his dreamy visions in stone and Xiong Yu let his imagination follow it. Thus it was that he withdrew himself from reality and henceforth a different but nonetheless real Xiong Yu engaged with questions of life he was faced with, thinking his opinions through in pictorial form. This is probably the most selfish of Xiong Yu’s reasons for getting involved with tarot cards!

Of course Xiong Yu’s art is however still inextricably linked to his environment and personality. Firstly we have Chengdu as a geographical environment; secondly, the implications of the painting techniques he uses and thirdly, Xiong Yu’s own personality. I would now like to discuss these three factors, before finally coming back to the central axle of tarot itself.

THE ENVIRONMENT’S CONTROL OVER COLOUR

One of the reasons I was first attracted to Xiong Yu’s work was his use of colour. The colour scheme used in his work is almost uniformly simple, void of the sensory desire to show off colour in the way that so many New Generation artists do. Xiong Yu instead elaborates on this simple colour construct, never ceasing to change the feel of the canvas – a form of expression that very few young artists are able to achieve. The use of such a monochromatic palette originates, I believe, in Xiong Yu having lived in Chengdu for such a long time. Chengdu is not a sun-drenched city by any means, often heavy with cloud, and so it seems natural that Xiong Yu uses such colour in meeting his creative requirements. He has put aside blowing air with noisy colours, preferring instead to make the canvas a controlled environment, quietly and successfully guiding the viewers’ eyes to rest upon it. In terms of psychology, this kind of colour correlates more with man’s worries, and is thus better suited to the imaginary world that Xiong Yu here creates.

DEPTH THROUGH TECHNIQUE

I have previously claimed that Xiong Yu’s painting has a certain element of traditional Chinese ink painting to it and I believe that this technique is a natural outcome of environmental factors. Xiong Yu is of course intimately related to traditional Chinese culture but he also has a certain ability in knowing how best to make use of and adopt its spirit. Xiong Yu draws inspiration from his environment’s essence (this so-called ‘environment’s essence’ refers to the grey tone that Chengdu leaves upon its visitors), which he has discovered can stretch his bountiful imagination even further. The depth to his work also bears the mark of Chinese ink painting but while carrying on the spirit of traditional composition he has not let himself be bound by it. By using colour with a certain degree of transparency, halos shine out from behind and both order and depth are given to his background. Aside from this, Xiong Yu’s composition of figures could certainly be seen as realist in terms of skill and technique but doesn’t it also resemble traditional Chinese ‘gongbi’1 painting? Using this style, every brushstroke rests within the viewer’s line of vision but Xiong Yu has been careful not to overdo this as technical overkill could have been misinterpreted as a rip-off. From beginning to end, Xiong Yu constructs his work with keen regard to its ‘artistic sentiment’ and has veered away from over exaggerating its technical prowess. I believe Xiong Yu to be someone who is truly concerned for those people who gape on unenthusiastically at paintings. As soon as one picks up the habit of looking at paintings, one is able to learn more from the painting and further appreciate an artist’s hard work. This is an idea that bubbles constantly through Xiong Yu’s work and for those who understand, they will appreciate where his is going with his art.

A GEEK’S EXPANDED IMAGINATION

Xiong Yu is the quintessential geek2. Playing on his computer game console, he plays out a second life all of his own and couldn’t be happier doing so. Computer games provide Xiong Yu with a gateway to opening his mind. Once through it, he is no longer the Xiong Yu of daily life, but plays the role of a nickname, an ever-changeable ‘code name’, living by the rules of the jungle. Of course, Xiong Yu’s love of computer games influences the way he works. Xiong Yu has developed his very own creative language from this, represented by the Xiong Yu’esque figures we see in his paintings. These figures have no clearly defined gender because for people of such extreme beauty, gender is really not an issue. Their eyes are stunningly clear, whose abstrusity is often misread as tristesse. Their necks are long and well protected by their clothing. Originally Xiong Yu believed that necks and eyes were especially prone to harm and should be well guarded. The figures in his paintings have also grown a pair of white wings with which they could fly away with at any time. For Xiong Yu these symbolize their freedom as well as their ability to fulfil their dreams. Another point that needs mentioning is how harmonious the subject matter of Xiong Yu’s work has always been. There has never been any hint of insecurity in his work, and he has never tackled any of today’s societal issues. On the contrary, his work has been a personal search for a wanton outlet, but one with a way back home. Xiong Yu might be quite happy to be a kite but he still cares about whether or not the man on the ground is holding on to its string.

These factors have all had their own respective influence on Xiong Yu’s work but have also become a part of the Tarot series. The greatest difference of Tarot with earlier work probably lies in the clearing away of heavy decoration. This has brought out the purity of the work and given a sense of weightlessness to the paintings – something that has allowed Xiong Yu to highlight his inner world’s activity directly. Personally I believe that Xiong Yu’s wide use of ‘baimiao’3 style brushwork in this thematic series has endowed the work with a particularly Chinese artistic sentiment. Xiong Yu’s overall creative setup is of course governed more by the visual traits of Western art but what is notable in Tarot is that Xiong Yu has attempted to give himself a distinct and greater space for independent development, caring less to define the paintings’ context in space and time.

His work demonstrates a true desire to portray the imaginary nature and freedom of the images and help their viewers further observe the rise and fall of internalized scenarios. The first tarot card The Fool, for example, traditionally features a rising sun over a steep cliff. Dangling one foot over the cliff edge is a figure playing the joker, sporting a broad smile as he does so. This card is used as a metaphor for someone who doesn’t realise the precarious situation they are actually facing. Xiong Yu’s interpretation of this card has done away with the cliff entirely. It features a figure flying down against a backdrop of blue sky and white clouds, with seemingly no danger or threat in sight. Traditional impressions of a fool were perhaps centred on the idea of someone who was either rather stupid or losing their mind but Xiong Yu’s definition of a fool is clearly not so narrow. When everyone’s roles and positions are so different, something that might seem stupid for one person could seem quite sensible for another. Xiong Yu is thus attempting to reinterpret ancient thought with contemporary semantics, exhibiting a mind-set representative of his own upbringing. The Hermit, to take as another example, has traditionally been seen as a relatively negative character but in Xiong Yu’s interpretation, is an individual atop the clouds holding a light bulb, which casts a bright light over all. The card Strength originally indicated the power of inhibition in the mind but Xiong Yu represents this with an emaciated figure resting in the palm of a lion. Someone who appears fragile on the outside may well be a bold and aggressive lion on the inside or, on the contrary, someone with a staunch and gallant disposition may in fact have a fragile and sensitive heart. Xiong Yu is not only wanting to discuss the counter balance between outside and inside but also seems to be suggesting that people should learn to strike an harmonious balance with their inner-selves. The High Priestess and The Magician refer mainly to the darker sides of man’s heart and here Xiong Yu has painted them in black, setting the tone, to point out that man’s inner thoughts are not so easily pried into. Xiong Yu excels in using colour to suggest a state of mind. Looking at The Hanged Man and The Tower, the former features an innocent-looking figure falling down against a black backdrop, signifying the sacrifice of one’s role in ordinary life but doesn’t it also suggest the questioning of how we might die? The Tower, on the other hand, describes the destruction of those things the mind can’t let go of. The ocean at the bottom of the painting seems to be waiting to clean away all of one’s doubts. The Lovers is interpreted by Xiong Yu as two lovers whose gazes flutter, the back of their hands touching lightly but their heads both turned to face opposite directions. In Chinese we talk of being intoxicated with the ‘river of love’ but the river in which this couple find themselves is full of gushing water and rolling waves. This image mirrors contemporary relationships where sometimes both sides may wish to share their love but at the same time might find it very difficult to agree on how to. Love stories are clearly not played out in the quietude of normal life.

In the Tarot series, Xiong Yu is both frank and open in investing his own personality into the portrayal of decisions in life that tarot cards involve. He has poured his heart into the canvas without excessively aggressive ambition, nor pandering to anyone’s tastes. Tarot has become a set of decisions in his inner world, which can be likened to his painting of Justice. It symbolizes justice and universal truth, which are kept safely in the balance on a set of enormous scales; it’s just that Xiong has painted the scales very small and unexaggerated. It seems exactly like Xiong Yu himself! He’d much rather live by rules in private than showing them off to attract attention or even to act as an aphrodisiac for winning over others.

Strictly speaking, Xiong Yu’s Tarot series is really just an aide-mémoire to himself. This aide-mémoire isn’t completely imaginary and it isn’t just a hermit’s excuse for lacking in social experience; it’s a cycle that Xiong Yu has quite clearly painted for himself. In amongst all the twists and turns of the ever more complex reality, this is an artist who has all along known very clearly where his own path lies.

1. ‘Gongbi’ is a style of traditional Chinese realistic painting characterized by fine brushwork and close attention to detail.
2. The literal translation from the Chinese ‘宅男’ would have been a ‘house-dwelling male’, a term originally coming from a pejorative Japanese term for men who stay at home playing computer games = a geek.
3. ‘Baimiao’ is a style of traditional Chinese ink and brush line drawing.