（Idris Khan/图）
"That's how it all started. Let's create these shapes and bring the lines to life in the 'stacked' towers. ”
On March 23, 2024, British artist Annie Morris's first large-scale institutional solo exhibition in China, "A Glimmer of Hope", opened at the Fosun Art Center in Shanghai, presenting Morris's sculptures, tapestries and paintings since 2012, especially her iconic "Stacking" series: ultramarine blue, turquoise, oxblood red, violet...... Large and small irregular spheres appear in vivid and changing colors, maintaining a delicate balance with each other, as if suspended in a moment before collapse.
"When I'm surrounded by sculptures in the studio, they definitely talk to each other. When you look at the colorful ice cream ball-like sculptures, you can see that the particles on the surface of the balls are like nascent seeds, "as if they were still in a paint jar." For Morris, these colorful and wondrous structures originally meant "lost shape". After suffering a miscarriage in 2012, a grieving Morris began collaging oval patterns that resemble eggs and the belly of a pregnant woman. She sculpts these spheres using foam and plaster, and holds them high on a stand to create a precarious form, each fragile "stack" as an eternal memorial to the lives lost.
"I draw very freely, subconsciously and spontaneously with energy, just like the way I like Pollock's painting, as if I was hypnotized. When you create quickly, everything happens naturally, and you create something you wouldn't have thought of. ”
In Morris's paintings and tapestries, the image of a woman with a face outlined as a flower appears repeatedly, expressionless, and emotions are reflected in those dynamic lines, and the "flower girl" has become a composite portrait of Morris himself. "Flowers are fleeting, and they are dying. In the sketches, the emotions of the female figure are conveyed through the withered petals, which I really like. ”
After six or seven months of intensive work, Morris also created what she calls "line drawings", "I started creating tapestries before the sculptures, and it has always been one of the core of my work. When sewing and weaving, you need a lot of energy and sometimes anxiety because you have to deal with so many threads and all your anxiety has to be vented in the face of that sewing machine, but I love the toiling, abrasive part of it, which reminds you of how this ancient traditional female craft has been passed down. I'm trying to make some breakthroughs, mess it up a little bit, make a stronger image, maybe subvert your impression of traditional tapestries. ”
On the opening day of the "A Glimmer of Hope" exhibition, Morris was interviewed by a reporter from Southern People Weekly, revealing her vivid and lyrical art world. "Everything I create is a musical note between sculpture and painting, they tie the work together, some about shape, some about color, but at the end of the day, it's all about exploring what sculpture and painting are, and where they're headed. ”
"A Glimmer of Hope" Exhibition, 3rd Floor Exhibition Hall (Fosun Art Center, Shanghai/Photo)
When happiness falls, a glimmer of hope is "stacked".
Southern People Weekly: You named this solo exhibition "A Glimmer of Hope", please share the inspiration for the title of the exhibition, why "Hope" is tied to "A Glimmer of Hope"?
Anne Morris: I love poetry and I always look for inspiration in the lines of poetry, and I am struck by the phrase "a glimmer of hope" because many of my works end up pointing to "hope", which is one of the most important themes for me. As you may know, my work originates from some trauma, I try to find "hope" in my creation, I feel that time is precious and limited, "hope" is a mysterious word, it brings out many things behind it, starting from this thin line, it can help us to organize our thinking about "hope". In fact, my paintings also start with "a thin line", and when I create, I always start from "a thin line".
Southern People Weekly: How do you see the fragility and strength of the artwork, and how do you strike a balance between the two?
Anne Morris: I think I've been walking a tightrope between vulnerability and a sense of strength, and for me, the two are inextricably intertwined. You want to feel empowered, but at the same time, you often feel like you're going to fall, and you know, there's a lot going on in life that you can't control, and we go through all kinds of problems every day. I find the balance that I want to achieve in my art, and I think that sometimes the more you work, the more you can hide it, and you can create that ideal balance.
Southern People Weekly: You used to have an exhibition called "When a Pleasure Falls", the title of which is derived from Rilke's poems?
Anne Morris: yes, I like this poem because it describes "happy things", something figurative, and "hope" as well, which are usually abstract. Sometimes you do have the feeling that something happy is falling, bringing you back to some painful experience in your memory, and you can't stop it from happening at the time...... I think this poem is beautiful, and a lot of my work is trying to freeze that moment.
Southern People Weekly: Share the poems of the poets you admire, and how do they inspire your artistic creation?
Anne Morris: I like Emily Dickinson very much, and I find some of her poems whimsical, very funny, and some quite sad. I also like T· S. Eliot, his "The Waste Land" is incomprehensible, but charismatic. And, of course, Rilke. Sometimes you can't understand the verses, you read them over and over again, and some of the words are so mysterious, they are always with you. And then you'll remember, that's how I read Rilke.
Stack 8, Light Ultramarine Blue, 2024, Anne Morris, Foam core, plaster, sand, pigment, concrete, steel, height 247cm, width 60cm (Anne Morris Studio/Picture)
Southern People Weekly: You also had an exhibition called "Eternal Moments", and many of your exhibition titles are related to time, sculpture is the art of space, how to present temporality in it?
Anne Morris: "Eternal moments" because I like the contradiction in that, like you said, finding some kind of balance between the eternal and the transient, because I find that change always makes me uncomfortable.
Most of the titles of my exhibitions have to do with time, because time is the measure by which we understand all things, and it is something that we often resist. I think sculpture is very much about "solidifying" a certain moment, when I go through a miscarriage and learn that my baby is stillborn, I just want to erase the whole thing from my mind, and I start making "stacks" of sculptures that allow me to get through and move on. But in the process of making these sculptures, I decided not to skip it and remember the unborn child, so these works became some kind of monument to the memory of the dead. It's actually a reboot that cheers us up and gives us hope.
Southern People Weekly: Sealing the Memory?
Anne Morris: That's right, and the shape of these sculptures is the shape that I lost in the first place. When I found out that it was almost impossible to put those spheres of different sizes into such an almost impossible structure, it fascinated me because usually they would roll down like you shouldn't stack it like that, because it goes against our preconceived notions. I'm challenging some kind of "impossible mission".
Southern People Weekly: This "stacking" series was originally related to your sad experience, and now people see this batch of works, and some people describe it as a cute summer colorful ice cream ball. What are your personal favorite comments about this batch of works?
Anne Morris: When people tell me that they find relief and happiness in the middle of those sculptures, I am so happy when I hear it. When people say they get a sense of happiness from your work, that's a beautiful thing. I find myself becoming more and more obsessed with being the kind of artist who can convey joy in his work, just like Picasso and Matisse, and one of my favorite paintings is Matisse's "Snail", which is just a collage of the most wonderful, simple image of a snail in various colors, which is a great masterpiece, because you don't quite understand why it gives you such pure joy. I think you create art, and you want it to move the audience, that it helps people start making a difference, and that inspires the next generation.
When a certain color pops up and says: Sing!
Chair, Manganese Purple, 2024, Anne Morris, Linen, Thread, Antique Chair, 96.5cmx79cmx91cm (Anne Morris Studio/Picture)
Southern People Weekly: You've said that your use of color combinations stems from intuition, experimentation, and play. I've found that you particularly like to use that Klein blue in your work.
Anne Morris: Yes, it's also called ultramarine. In this exhibition, I made a very large new work, and in the exhibition hall I feel that it is a bit like a mother, because it is very tall, she looks down at the other groups of works in the exhibition hall. I also made some small pieces, but no matter how big or small, each piece still has its own moment and place, and each color has its own intensity and presence.
This "mother" has a blue sphere at the top. I think when you're talking to people about color, blue resonates and inspires emotions the most for most people, and people often talk about how blue makes them feel calm, harmonious. It's very noble and beautiful, but I don't want to always rely on blue, and when it takes over, I'll probably give it up. For me, it's really about the balance of colors, just like when you paint a painting, I try to get the best balance of colors in the painting, and it's the same with these sculptures.
Recently I have also been using a lot of turquoise, which seems to transport me to a very peaceful holiday and evokes many of my childhood memories. When I left home for the first time when I was young and saw a particular color, memories came to mind. Now when I travel, I spend a lot of time thinking about colors. I travel to Morocco or India and get inspiration from a variety of color combinations, whether it's someone walking by in a purple dress or orange shoes, and a year later, it might find its way into my work. It's subconscious, I'm always drawn to color, and once I start making sculptures, some kind of color says, "Sing!" I know it's ready.
Southern People Weekly: Which color would you choose to describe your impression of China?
Anne Morris: When I first came to China last year, I think I would definitely say red, because after visiting the Forbidden City, I was really amazed by that red. But this time, I saw a lot of navy blue, and a lot of blue and crimson combinations, and many of my friends in China wore only black, perhaps to highlight the colorful works at the exhibition.
Southern People Weekly: The works such as "Red Road" on display this time are based on red.
Anne Morris: The Red Road is a large tapestry in this exhibition. I always call my tapestries "line paintings" because they are a bit like paintings and drawings, but I weave them with a lot of threads, hundreds of yards long, and I'm obsessed with that. The Red Road comes from a small painting of mine, which I painted very quickly and then spent months sewing, and I hope that there is a mysterious combination between the tapestry and the painting. I put three or four pieces together and ended up with this piece.
Southern People Weekly: I heard that the work "Red Road" is related to your mother?
Anne Morris: Yes, my art has been closely linked to family memories since I was a child. My mother was a very strong woman. Unfortunately, my parents separated and I think it was a huge shift for her, she had to adjust to her new life, and I watched it happen and also saw the change in the relationship between my parents. In an upstairs gallery, there are many colorful paintings with animals and people that are very childlike, which are related to my childhood memories and the interaction with my parents. Many of my works are related to parents, and gradually extended to the expression and presentation of various interpersonal relationships between men and women, husbands and wives, etc.
Southern People Weekly: You used purple again in your recent book, Manganese Purple, and if I'm not mistaken, you wore a purple shirt last time at the Royal College of Art's forum. Seems obsessed with purple lately?
Anne Morris: I think purple is both mysterious and magical, it's not a color that you come across every day, it may not appeal to some people, but for me, it's extremely rich. Historically, purple was one of the most expensive pigments, symbolizing sacredness, and because of its high reputation, it was almost impossible to obtain. At that time, to be exact, it was more expensive than gold. When I was a student in Paris, I could only afford a few colors of paint. As an artist, there's only so much you can do when you don't have a lot of money and you haven't sold your work yet, so I always used cheap paints, but I fantasized about being able to buy amazing colors like manganese violet, turquoise or cadmium red. Now I can afford it, which is exciting.
Southern People Weekly: The purple animal in "People, Manganese Purple" is a fox?
Anne Morris: Actually, this pattern is based on my father, a bit like a fox, but not exactly, I drew an animal with a row of fangs, and the flower next to it is my mother. You know, animals like foxes are not very reliable. (laughs)
Bourgeois is strong and Yayoi Kusama is exciting
Southern People Weekly: I heard that you almost became Princess Diana's flower girl in your childhood?
Anne Morris: Yes, but it didn't work. You know, Diana was a teacher before she entered the royal family, and she taught me when I was very young. I remember she was very kind and we had a great time, but I was too young to remember much, just a few pictures with her.
Southern People Weekly: Your "Flower Girl" series is a woman whose face is depicted as a flower, how did this image come about?
Anne Morris: To be honest, I think it's a subconscious creation. I started drawing that character and didn't want to draw a face because it gave away too much information. Once you've drawn a face, there's a lot of detail, and I want it to be a little more abstract. The creation of a flower representing a woman's face came from my impression of my mother, and I think now it has become a self-portrait of me, and I have become a mother myself. The short-lived beauty of flowers is reminiscent of the sadness of a woman's passing youth, and I find that many women struggle with this and find it difficult to cope with the passage of time and changes in identity. As you grow and age as a teenage girl, you may not realize it, but it's happening, you have different roles, you have different challenges, and sometimes it's hard to find your place in a new role. In my creations, the "Flower Girl" is like an eternal protagonist, constantly on the move.
Flower Woman, Cadmium Red, 2023, Anne Morris, Steel, Pigment, Wooden Base, 172cmx72cmx72cm (Anne Morris Studio/Picture)
Southern People Weekly: What's your favorite sculptor?
Anne Morris: I go back to the late masters, I'm very inspired by Giacometti, and I'm very fond of Louise Bourgeois, and I'm lucky enough to meet her in New York. That meeting was memorable because she was angry, aggressive, and mean. I remember that she made people cry, and two Germans showed her a painting with a tree on it, and she said unceremoniously: I hate trees!
Southern People Weekly: Do you like the big spiders she creates?
Anne Morris: yes, I think I like the way she has about everything, even the way she walks around the house like her paintings. She was small and miniature in stature, but there, she was an incredibly amazing presence, and she had a unique face.
I've always felt that her approach to writing is extremely radical, and people don't usually create so wildly. She paints almost wildly and angrily, and there is something very dark about her work, but I have a lot of respect for her, and it's hard to achieve something so amazing with just pen and paper.
Southern People Weekly: You have said that you have followed the style of Robert Rauschenber and Anthony Tàpies, can you comment on the style of these two and their influence on you?
Anne Morris: Tàpies is an artist who works incredibly creatively, and his approach to working with those materials is surprising and bold. I've always loved Rauschenberg, and I appreciate his collages. The artists I like seem to be interested in separating color from the image, and Rauschenberg's paintings often have a palette-like patch of color separated from the image, which is the ideal state that I always think about when I create sculptures: to freeze a color at a specific moment in order to capture the power of that color. I remember another piece that inspired me was one of Tàpies' "beds", and the use of colour also made me think about how to freeze special moments in life when making sculptures.
Southern People Weekly: Your exhibition is the third solo exhibition of female artists launched by Fosun Art Center in Shanghai, following the solo exhibitions of Yayoi Kusama and Cindy Sherman. What do you think of Kusama, and what do you think of her iconic "pumpkin" sculpture?
Anne Morris: Kusama's work is exciting, especially for me, I spent a lot of time in her exhibitions for a couple of years, and I found her to be a true hard-working artist, and everything she does revolves around making art. She was a great inspiration to me, her sculptures are instantly recognizable and have a power to be reckoned with, they have succeeded in touching children and adults from all corners of the world, and people love her work universally. Now, when people see "polka dot pumpkin", no one will not think of her. She is a very original star artist, and she and her works are absolutely phenomenal.
Southern People Weekly reporter Li Naiqing
Editor-in-charge: Yang Zi