作品說明 About Artworks

文／藝術家提供

薩瓦圖斯在其作品〈水痕〉中，重新詮釋他從馬尼拉二手商店蒐集的舊明信片。藝術家透過細膩的抹除過程，顛覆了明信片原本作為觀光紀念品的用途。他用液態溶液輕柔地抹除熟悉的觀光景點與地標的圖片油墨。由此產生的模糊影像，沉重地提醒我們這些明信片所描繪的風景在本質上的脆弱性。抹除油墨後殘留的「水痕」不僅是簡單的殘餘物，更昇華為強而有力的隱喻，指涉海平面上升以及深刻環境變遷對群島社區的威脅。薩瓦圖斯強烈敦促我們去思考這些「地標」將如何在這個前所未有的社會、政治、經濟、環境與文化劇變時代中，調適自身、持續存在，並形塑新的身分。
這些地點浸潤在如真實水痕般的自然史和人類史變遷之中，暗示著人類互動的原始民族誌、「遊戲」行為以及潛在的災難性後果。它們被呈現為具有時間性、瞬時性與主觀性的場域，成為既可見又難以捉摸的圖像。

In Watermarks, Salvatus recontextualizes vintage postcards that he found in second-hand shops in Manila. The artist subverts the postcards’ original purpose through a delicate process of erasure, subtly rubbing away the ink from familiar tourist images and landmarks with a liquid solution. The resulting obscured images serve as a poignant reminder of the inherent fragility of the landscapes they depict. The lingering “watermarks” from the erasure transcend simple remnants; they emerge as a powerful metaphor for rising sea levels and the profound environmental shifts imperiling archipelagic communities. Salvatus compellingly urges us to consider how these “landmarks”, will adapt, endure, and forge new identities in an era of unprecedented social, political, economic, environmental, and cultural transformation.

Much like an actual watermark, these locations—steeped in both natural histories and historical change—allude to the raw ethnographies of human interaction, “play,” and potential catastrophe. They are presented as sites of temporality, fleeting instances, and subjectivity—images that are at once visible yet elusive.

 

關於藝術家 About Artist

馬克．薩瓦圖斯

馬克．薩瓦圖斯於1980年生於菲律賓盧克班，現居奎松市。他曾於馬尼拉聖多默大學修讀廣告學。他的藝術實踐以「廢物回收計畫」為核心概念，藉此檢視都市政治的殘跡、層疊交錯的國族歷史，以及當代生活的不穩定狀態。其創作跨足物件、攝影、錄像、裝置和參與式藝術等多元媒材，透過直接或間接的參與形式，揭示能量、意義與經驗之間複雜的交互作用。薩瓦圖斯的作品曾於國際各大重要機構與展覽中展出，包括威尼斯雙年展、沙迦雙年展、廣州三年展、光州雙年展、森美術館、香港六廠紡織文化藝術館、首爾國立現代美術館，以及杜拜賈米爾藝術中心。他亦曾參與光州亞洲文化殿堂、阿姆斯特丹皇家視覺藝術學院、瑞典國際視覺暨應用藝術計畫，以及韓國國立現代美術館高陽藝術工作室的駐村計畫。他分別於2006年和2012年協同創立了街頭藝術團體「菲律賓街頭計畫」和跨領域平台「98B COLLABoratory」。2016年，薩爾瓦圖斯又與日本策展人平野真弓共同發起以馬尼拉為基地的策展與研究計畫「Load na Dito」，並以該計畫參與首屆阿布達比公共藝術展。

Mark Salvatus

Mark Salvatus was born in Lucban, Philippines, in 1980 and currently lives in Quezon City. He studied advertising at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. His artistic practice is centered on the concept of “Salvage Projects,” through which he examines the remnants of urban politics, layered national histories, and the fluid conditions of contemporary life. Working across diverse media—including objects, photography, video, installation, and participatory art—his work creates direct and indirect forms of engagement that reveal the complex interplay of energy, meaning, and experience. Salvatus has exhibited internationally at major institutions and events such as the Venice Art Biennale, Sharjah Biennale, Guangzhou Triennial, Gwangju Biennale, Mori Art Museum, Mill6 CHAT in Hong Kong, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul and Art Jameel, Dubai. He has undertaken residencies at the Asia Culture Center in Gwangju, Rijksakademie in Amsterdam, IASPIS in Sweden, and MMCA Goyang Art Studio in South Korea. In 2006, he co-founded the street art collective Pilipinas Street Plan; in 2012, the multidisciplinary platform 98B COLLABoratory; and in 2016, together with Mayumi Hirano, the Manila-based curatorial and research project Load na Dito in which they have participated at the 1st Public Art Abu Dhabi.