陌生化與超現實主義 ── 當代藝術家楊文穎 Jonah Yang 透過色彩與構圖的願景奧德賽

藝術家 Jonah Yang 楊文穎，旅居英國倫敦的卓越台灣當代藝術家。畢業於倫敦 金斯頓大學，取得藝術與空間的碩士學位。

他過去在眾多英國及其他國際畫廊和非商業空間展出，也曾因為他原創的「星空系列」大型油畫作品，被中國藝術指導團隊邀請至浙江寧波現場創作，作品因而出現在多部跨國影視劇，並且在中國、新加坡、馬來西亞、泰國、越南等國的藝術平台上播出，讓他將對繪畫的執著與創作能量發揚國際。

藝術家 Jonah Yang 楊文穎，以一種相對「古典」的方式，在百花齊放的當代藝術觀看之中，開闢了一條蹊徑，纖細卻強烈、灼熱而銳利；我（筆者）會說:：「這是一道紫藍色的閃電，挾帶轟鳴的劇烈躁動與令人傷神的陰翳之美」。

繪畫作為書寫媒介（語式）他必然存在著某種局限性，他不能如同文字精確、 也不能如同音樂一般令人沈浸，繪畫存在著觀看向量（此旨觀看方向與距離）；但繪畫也有其優勢，那即是「相比其他體裁，繪畫本身就帶有藝術性」。

相比於文字敘事，圖像敘事更背離日常語言的實用性（或說目的性），這使得繪畫更有文學性（形式主義的藝術性），也因為是在有限的範圍內呈現，分析 Jonah Yang 楊文穎的繪畫語言，其效果近似於「引號」，除了將敘事聚焦也同時包覆了畫面 所營造的張力。

「邊界感」是圖像作品（此旨繪畫）獨有的特性，有著對於時間、空間的強烈錨點，暨如同一扇窗；藝術家 Jonah Yang 楊文穎對於邊界的定義的結構處理相當特別，常可以看到畫中物件有「頂天立地」的現象。

而我們以「存在結構」（Existenzialien）來看，敘事成立在有讀者的狀態下，即 使書寫與閱讀有著時間跨度，換言之繪畫在某種程度上是為了展場而生，在當 代氛圍下作品的分析也從「作者論」導向「觀者論」（筆者更傾向兩者皆具，且無法單獨存在），而藝術家 Jonah Yang 楊文穎即是兩者兼具的表率，其作品比起是一種解答，更像是設問。

當代氛圍下的創作者，更加注重讓「觀眾回答」，從解題人成為出題人;作品 (待填)，其敘事的寓言（fabula）相對晦澀，增加了審美的時延，使觀眾有更 多的機會，得以聯想。

「即便是不可能的事，也總在這世界上不斷發生」 超現實主義藝術家並不是一群捏塑幻象的造夢者，而是緊貼並感受世界的再現者，而他們敏感而固執，不肯屈就於麻木與定勢，而這種砥礪與摩挲造就了超現實主義藝術家的作品總帶有一種不安定（或雀躍或焦躁）與傷感，Jonah Yang 楊文穎的作品正是一好例子。

在畫面結構的佈局上，刻意削弱畫中角色的主賓關係;在作品中可以發覺作者 並不遵守中線構圖邏輯，少了畫面經營上的刻意為之，卻多了瞬時性與共時性。

我們在觀看 Jonah Yang 楊文穎的作品時會同時感受到「與現世的疏離感」卻也 萌生了「強烈地熟悉知覺」，而這正是藝術家在敘事上刻意為之的，使用現世中不存有的用色與質地(紫藍色的選用相當精準，自然界之中鮮少有紫藍)，很有效地達成「陌異化 Defamiliarization」，卻依舊緊緊扣著日常語言（例如遊樂場、玩具、卡通人物），而這些符號更好地讓觀者能夠引起共感，達成了「可被感受的陌生」，也造就了比夢境更像夢境的畫面，如是夢核（Dreamcore）的效果。

用個感性的說法「所有無法自拔的夢，都散落著不可回溯的記憶，無論是美好 或是不堪，都令人沈溺，陶醉著那種逆行時間的錯覺」，超現實主義藝術作品的 唯美莫過於此。

藝術家 楊文穎
楊文穎（Jonah Yang）是一位現居倫敦創作的傑出台灣當代視覺藝術家。畢業於英 國倫敦金斯頓大學，取得藝術與空間碩士學位。除了本篇文章開頭所述，楊文穎自幼展現驚人的藝術長才，得獎無數。

17 歲時甚至於國際蘭馨會（U.S. Soroptimist）所舉辦之國際繪畫比賽中，以「偉大的女性」為主題，於 19 個國家的參賽藝術家中脫穎而出，取得全世界第一名的驚人 成績。他的得獎作品被印製成義賣商品，而全數所得捐款給國際慈善團體與機構。

楊文穎的作品在國際上受到矚目，曾到日本與南韓參展，也在英國的 Stanley Picker Gallery、The Swan Studio、泰德現代美術館 Tate Modern 等空間展出。展 覽經驗豐富的他，2018 年時與來台之喬治亞與盧森堡藝術家跨文化合作於非常 廟藝術空間展出。接受過 KK NEWS、民眾日報、國語日報、自由時報、聯合 報、中國時報、世界衛星電視台等採訪，作品現收藏於佛光山佛陀紀念館。

近期受許多英國藝術大學及機構的邀請，到現場進行藝術創作的分享與演講， 並且擔任倫敦 West Thames College 藝術學院藝術比賽的主要評審。除此之外， 雖然楊文穎旅居英國倫敦，他的作品目前也正在台灣的兩個畫廊 The Light Art Gallery 和 De.Light Art Gallery 有長期展出。

更多資訊：Website、Instagram @jonah.yang.finearts

展覽資訊
De.Light Art Gallery
地點｜高雄市前鎮區林森三路 193 巷 6 號）
時間｜2023 – 至今

The Light Art Gallery
地點｜高雄市苓雅區建國一路 137-5 號
時間｜2022 – 至今

藝評作者
李宗憲 Ivan Li，當代藝評人，1994 生於眷村。畢業於國立台北教育大學藝術 所，當過詩人、閒人、異鄉人。經營台北藝評人已累積超過 20 萬字藝術評論， 現職藝術雜誌編輯。

Defamiliarization and Surrealism: Contemporary Artist Wen-Ying ‘Jonah’ Yang’s Visionary Odyssey Through Color and Composition

Artist Wen-Ying Yang (Jonah Yang), a cutting-edge Taiwanese Contemporary Artist residing in London, United Kingdom. He graduated from Kingston University London with a Master’s degree in Art & Space. He has exhibited his artworks in numerous galleries and non-commercial spaces in the UK and internationally. His original large oil paintings “Starry Sky Series” caught the attention of a Chinese art direction team, leading to an invitation to reveal his paintings and create on-site in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China. As a result, His artworks have appeared and been featured on multinational art platforms in China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, showcasing his dedication and creative energy on a global stage.

Artist Jonah Yang takes a relatively “classical” approach to art within the diverse landscape of contemporary art. His work is delicate yet strong, intense, and sharp. I (the writer) would describe it as “It’s a violet-blue lightning bolt, carrying a thunderous intensity and a haunting shadowy beauty.”

Painting, as a medium of expression, inherently has some limitations. It lacks the precision of words and the immersive quality of music, with viewing angles and distances affecting its perception. However, painting holds the inherent advantage of artistic expression. Compared to narrative in text, image-based storytelling moves away from the practicality of everyday language, giving painting a more literary quality (the artistic quality of formalism). Presented within a limited space, Jonah Yang’s visual language functions like quotation marks, focusing the narrative while encapsulating the tension created by the imagery.

The sense of “boundary” is unique to visual art (this painting above), serving as an anchor in time and space, like a window. Artist Jonah Yang’s structural treatment of boundaries is particularly distinctive, often showing objects in his paintings with a “towering” presence.

From the perspective of “existential structure” (Existenzialien), narrative relies on the presence of a viewer. Even with the time gap between creation and viewing, paintings are somewhat made for the exhibition space. In contemporary analysis, the focus shifts from “author-centered” to “viewer-centered” perspectives, and Jonah Yang exemplifies both. His artworks are less about providing answers, but more about posing questions.

In today’s artistic climate, creators emphasize prompting “viewer response,” transforming from problem solvers to problem setters. His work presents narratives that are relatively obscure, prolonging the aesthetic experience and offering viewers more opportunities for association.

“Even impossible things constantly happen in this world.” Surrealist artists are not mere dream weavers crafting illusions but re-creators who closely engage with the world. Their sensitivity and persistence defy numbness and conventions, creating works with a sense of restlessness or melancholy, which Jonah Yang’s artworks best epitomize these.

In the layout of Jonah Yang’s compositions, he deliberately weakens the hierarchical relationship between elements, avoiding the conventional central composition logic. This intentional lack of premeditated composition adds immediacy and simultaneity to his artworks.

Viewing Jonah Yang’s art evokes a “sense of detachment from reality” yet simultaneously stirs a “strong sense of familiar perception.” This deliberate narrative strategy uses unconventional colours and textures (his precise use of purple-blue, a rare natural colour) to achieve “defamiliarization.” Yet, it remains tied to everyday language (such as playgrounds, toys, cartoons), creating a “perceivable unfamiliarity” that results in scenes more dreamlike than dreams themselves, achieving a dreamcore effect.

In a poetic sense, “All inescapable dreams scatter with irretrievable memories, whether beautiful or unbearable, immersing one in the illusion of time reversing.” The aesthetic of surrealist art lies in this very quality.

Wen-Ying ‘Jonah’ Yang – Artist Biography
Wen-Ying Yang (Jonah Yang) is an innovative Taiwanese Contemporary Visual Artist based in London. He graduated from Kingston University London with a Master’s degree in Art & Space.

In addition to Jonah Yang’s outstanding achievements that are mentioned at the beginning of this article, he has displayed exceptional artistic talents from a very young age, winning numerous awards. At the age of 17, Jonah Yang won First Place globally in the “Live Your Dream” International Commemorative Art Competition organized by U.S. Soroptimist, focusing on the theme of “Remarkable Women,” he stood out among all artists from 19 countries worldwide. His award-winning painting was printed and sold as charity merchandise, with all proceeds donated to international charitable organisations and institutions.

Jonah Yang’s artworks have gained international attention, having been exhibited in Japan and South Korea, as well as in the UK at venues such as the Stanley Picker Gallery, The Swan Studio, and Tate Modern. With extensive exhibition experiences, he collaborated with Georgian and Luxembourg artists who visited Taiwan for a cross-cultural exhibition at VT Artsalon in 2018. He has been interviewed by KK NEWS, The Commons Daily, Mandarin Daily News, The Liberty Times, United Daily News, China Times, and World Satellite TV; his artworks are currently collected and held in the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum.

Recently, Jonah Yang has been invited by many schools and art institutions in the UK to share his inspiring and creative skills for art creations. He also served as a primary judge for the art competition at West Thames College in London. Moreover, although Jonah Yang resides in London, his artworks are currently on long-term display, exhibiting at two galleries in Taiwan: The Light Art Gallery and De.Light Art Gallery.

Exhibition Information
De.Light Art Gallery
No.6, Ln.193, Linsen 3rd Rd., Qianzhen Dist., Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.
Exhibition Period：2023 – Present

The Light Art Gallery
No.137-5, Jianguo 1st Rd., Lingya Dist., Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.
Exhibition Period：2022 – Present

Artist Wen-Ying ‘Jonah’ Yang’s Website：https://wenying1996.wixsite.com/jonahyang-finearts
Yang’s Instagram Art Profile：@jonah.yang.finearts

About Art Critic – Ivan Li
Ivan Li, a professional contemporary art critic, was born in 1994 in a military village. Graduated from the Graduate Institute of Art at the National Taipei University of Education.

The art platform he operates: Taipei Art Critic (https://www.threads.net/@shelter_artwork) has over 200,000 words of art critiques accumulated so far.

Ivan Li currently serves as an editor for Art Map, which is an art magazine. (Note: Founded in 2003, Art Map is dedicated to promoting, documenting, and connecting the art and cultural activities in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and other regions. The magazine explores new knowledge in art, offering readers contemporary cultural trends and insights through accessible reporting.)