A conversation with Susy Lee, recipient of 2022 Hans Christian Andersen Award
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2022年,蘇西・李(Suzy Lee)獲得國際安徒生文學獎插畫獎(Hans Christian Anderson Award for Illustration),成為南韓第一位獲得此殊榮的藝術家。
我想從倫敦的那個壁爐說起。
那似乎是故事的開始。
一個入口。
千禧年剛開始,義大利藝術家布魯諾・莫那利(Bruno Munari, 1907-1998)逝世兩年,《霧中的馬戲團》(The Circus in the Mist, New York: World Publishing Company, 1969)出版三十一年後,蘇西・李(1974-)於倫敦藝術大學坎伯韋爾藝術學院(Camberwell School of Arts, University of Arts London)讀書籍藝術(Book Art),住在維多利亞式建築裡。我的英國朋友家裡也有一樣的壁爐,有人生火取暖,有人緬懷過去,有人清理乾淨作另一種儲藏空間,蘇西・李將它作舞臺,在上面架布幕與場景,甚至將兒時的自己擺進去做演員,演一齣無聲靜態的戲,演她自己版本的《愛麗絲幻遊奇境》(Alice in Wonderland, Mantova: Corraini Edizioni, 2002)。
她當年按下的一聲又一聲快門,是每一幕的開始與結束。是做畫的過程。是火。
這團火後來帶她走到世界的眼睛裡。
我一直深信,她是那個站在中間的人——虛構與現實的中間、純藝術與插畫的中間、左頁與右頁的中間——如同當年的那個壁爐,是連接室內與室外的中間。
是那個中間,打開許多可能性。一如她的創作,不斷在試圖敲破邊界。
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談起過去在藝術學院學習西洋畫的經驗,「繪畫是給藝術的藝術。」她希望她的創作能夠走出白盒子,能夠不只是掛在畫廊牆壁上,能夠更輕易接觸到觀眾。前往倫敦以前,她先做繪本的繪者,被身邊的朋友與前輩歸類到藝術之外。我想起曾經有朋友忿忿向我提起,「藝術從來都無法走入常民生活,藝術自始至終只存在於精英階層。」
真是如此嗎?
蘇西・李說自己是picture book artist(圖畫書藝術家),這個稱謂包含了三個對她最重要的字:picture、book、artist。圖像是她說話的聲音。「我從來都不是一個插畫家,」她說,「一個插畫家用一張圖說一個故事;一個書籍藝術家是用一系列的圖說一個故事。」
身為創作者,我非常理解這種身分(identity)建立的重要。她說那是自己所能定義,也是對自己不斷的提醒。只有在自己相信之後,才能說服他人。
義大利藝術家布魯諾・莫那利是她的啟蒙之一,《霧中的馬戲團》讓她發現書作為一種藝術媒介的可能性。綜觀兩人的創作,可以發現一種聰明——他們都將書的物理性研究透徹,最大化利用有限的空間,在意義上疊加意義。「因為喜歡書,所以盡可能地觀察書的模樣。」她是這麼說,《愛麗絲幻遊奇境》作為她的出道作,裝進了很多當時對書的好奇與拷問。很多人理所當然地認為書是由左往右翻(或由右往左翻)、書是被裝訂起來的,但從未思考為什麼。
所以,書到底是什麼?蘇西・李表示這個問題她想了二十年,始終沒有一個清楚的答案。不變的是,書是不斷被複製的物品。「一個很大的世界,對折再對折再對折,可以收進書架。」書是小容器,卻能夠裝下大故事。我喜歡她說的「對折再對折再對折」,她的思考忽然立體起來。她過去西洋畫的創作,尺寸龐大,不易收藏。對折再對折再對折之後方能收納。我擅自將她解讀成這是不斷地自我修剪與精煉。她接下來即將出版的文集《Tangible Thoughts》(暫譯:有形的思考),是對她的創作脈絡進行更廣泛的反思與梳理。
近幾年實體書的銷售愈趨下滑,我向她問起如何看紙本書的未來?她誠實說,「很抱歉,但我覺得紙本書會消失⋯⋯」蘇西・李在創作繪本時把書的形式考慮進去,某些程度增加了紙本書的不可取代性。她也好奇書能夠走到哪裡,會繼續保有好奇,做更多不同的嘗試。「只有做得完整的書會留下來。所以最重要的事,就是『把書做好』。」
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蘇西・李的創作通常來自一段單純的經驗——倫敦的玩具店、桌上的鏡子、海邊撿拾貝殼或是身邊的影子⋯⋯,我問起觀察的練習,她說她從未練習,僅是本著天性,持續在身邊發現有趣的事。《鏡子》(Mirror)、《海浪》(Wave)與《影子》(Shadow)組成的「邊界三部曲」(The Border Trilogy),主角都是小女孩,無論有意無意,蘇西・李似乎都將自己折射進創作的舞臺裡。
回頭去看,「現實與虛構」幾乎是她的繪本共同倚著的主題。「我並不知道,但好像真的是這樣。也許我的繪本都在說同一個故事,只是用不同的說法說出來。」
「童書」的標籤會困擾她嗎?
「我很驕傲兒童作為我的讀者,因為他們是最有創意的一群讀者。」
「在南韓,我們有一個分類是『0~100歲』,但我更喜歡稱為『Children of all ages』(有童心的所有人),它的意義更廣泛了。」
「所以我一點也不在乎。」
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蘇西・李也獨自經營Hintoki Press,以小量發行為主,是她的遊樂場與實驗場。倫敦留學期間,一次參觀書籍藝術家工作室的經驗,讓她也想擁有自己的一間Press,取名Hintoki(韓文:兔子),也是她第一本書《愛麗絲幻遊奇境》裡的那隻兔子。
又回到一開始。後來的許多本創作也是慢慢從第一本書抽絲剝繭長出來的。蘇西・李好奇「在主流市場之外,書能夠長成怎麼樣呢?」秉著探索更多書的可能性的精神,她也號召身邊幾位創作者一起組成「Vacance(夏天休假計畫)」,試圖拓展紙本書的邊界,每年以不同企劃為主題個別進行書的創作,過程也飽受質疑:「做這些書,又有什麼用呢?」
有沒有用?
在創作生涯裡,她也接過類似的質疑,「如果你認為我的繪本有用,那就有用;如果你認為沒有用,那就沒有。」
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「做一本繪本還是一樣難,」在距離第一本書出版二十多年後的今天她說,「創作繪本是一個偉大的志業,需要富有哲思與智慧的作者才能完成。」
此刻坐在我面前的蘇西・李,一樣謙卑自信,一樣像二十年前那個在壁爐前持Henry吸塵器的蘇西・李,只是想把一件事做好。
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In 2022, Suzy Lee received the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration, making her the first artist from South Korea to achieve this prestigious honour.
I'd like to start with that fireplace in London.
It seems to be the beginning of the story.
An entrance.
At the beginning of the millennium, Italian artist Bruno Munari (1907-1998) passed away two years prior, and thirty-one years after The Circus in the Mist (New York: World Pub. Co., 1969) was first published, Suzy Lee (1974-) studied Book Art at the University of the Arts London, living in a Victorian-style building. In my British friends’ home, there are some similar fireplaces; some use it to light a fire for warmth, others take it as a nostalgic symbol, and some clean it to create additional storage space. Suzy Lee turned it into a stage, setting up curtains and scenes. She even placed her childhood self in as an actress, acting in a silent and static play, performing her own version of Alice in Wonderland (Mantova: Corraini Edizioni, 2002).
The clicks of the shutter she pressed back then marked the beginning and end of each scene. It was the process of creating images. It was a fire. A fire that burned, unseen.
This fire later led her into the eyes of the world.
I have always firmly believed that she is the person standing in the middle—between fiction and reality, between fine art and illustration, between the left page and the right page—much like that fireplace from years ago, serving as the connection between indoors and outdoors.
It's that middle ground that has opened up numerous possibilities, much like her creations, continuously attempting to break through boundaries.
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Speaking of her past experiences studying Western painting at the art college, she remarked, "Painting is art for the sake of art." She hoped her works could step out of the white box, not merely hanging on gallery walls, but easily accessible to the broader audience. Initially labelled by friends and seniors as a painter of picture books, she was considered outside the realm of art. I recall a friend once expressing frustration, saying, "Art has never been able to enter everyday life; it has always existed in the elite class."
Is it really so?
Suzy Lee identifies herself as a Picture Book Artist, a title comprised of three words crucial to her: Picture, Book, Artist. Images are her language. "I've never been an illustrator," she says, "an illustrator tells a story with a single image; a book artist tells a story with a series of images."
As an image maker, I deeply understand the importance of this identity. She mentions that it's something she can control and a constant reminder to herself. Only by believing in oneself can one convince others.
Italian artist Bruno Munari was one of her enlighteners, and The Circus in the Mist opened her eyes to the possibility of books as an artistic medium. Examining the works of both Munari and Suzy Lee, one can discern a cleverness stemming from their thorough exploration of the physicality of books, maximising the utilisation of limited space. "Because I love books, I enjoy observing how they look," she says. Alice in Wonderland served as her debut book, encapsulating her curiosity and questioning of books at that time. She mentioned that many people take for granted the conventional notion that books are flipped from left to right and that books are bound together, but they seldom ponder the underlying reasons behind these conventions.
So, what exactly is a book? Suzy Lee has contemplated this question for twenty years, and there is still no clear answer. What remains constant is that a book is an item constantly being replicated. "A vast world, folded and folded again and again, fit into a bookshelf." A book is a container, capable of holding many stories. I appreciate her phrase "folded and folded again and again"; her thoughts suddenly take on a three-dimensional aspect. She describes her paintings, large in size and challenging to store. Only by folding and folding again and again could they be put away. I interpret this as a form of self-trimming and simplification. Her upcoming anthology, tentatively titled Tangible Thoughts, reflects a broader introspection and organisation of her body of work.
In recent years, the sales of physical books have been declining. I asked her about her perspective on the future of printed books. She honestly responded, "I think physical books will disappear." Suzy Lee, when creating picture books, takes the form of the book into consideration, to some extent increasing the irreplaceability of printed books. "Only well-made books will endure. So, the most important thing is to make a book well," she emphasised.
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Suzy Lee's books often come from simple experiences—a visit to a toy shop in London, a mirror on the table, picking seashells at the beach, or the shadows around her, among others. When asked about her practice of observation, she mentioned that it's purely driven by her intuition and curiosity, constantly seeking interesting things. Mirror, Wave, and Shadow, forming the " The Border Trilogy", features a young girl as the protagonist. Whether intentional or not, Suzy Lee seems to reflect herself onto the stage of her works.
Looking back, the theme of "reality and fiction" is almost a common theme in her picture books. "I don't know, but it seems to be true. Perhaps my books are all telling the same story, just expressed in different ways."
Does the label of "children's books" bother her?
"I am proud to have children as my readers because they are the most creative readers."
"In South Korea, our category is called '0 to 100 years old,' but I prefer to call it 'Children of all ages,' which broadens the meaning."
"So, I don't mind at all."
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Suzy Lee also manages Hintoki Press independently, primarily focusing on small-scale publications, serving as her playground and experimentation space. During her time studying in London, a visit to a book artist's studio inspired Suzy Lee to desire her own press. She named it Hintoki (Korean for rabbit), the same rabbit from her first book, Alice in Wonderland.
Returning to the beginning, many of her subsequent creations have slowly evolved from the ideas behind her first book. Suzy Lee is curious about "how books can grow outside the mainstream market." With the spirit of exploring more possibilities of books, she also rallied a few fellow creators to form the "Vacance Project," attempting to expand the boundaries of printed books. Each year, they focus on different themes for individual book projects, facing constant questioning during the process: "What's the point of making these books?"
What’s the point?
Throughout her creative career, she has faced similar doubts. "If you think my picture books are useful, then they are; if you think they are not, then they are not."
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After more than twenty years since Alice in Wonderland was published, “making a picture book is still equally challenging," she says today, "creating picture books is a great undertaking, requiring an author rich in contemplation and wisdom to accomplish."
Suzy Lee right now sitting in front of me remains humble and confident, much like Suzy Lee from twenty years ago by the fireplace with a Henry vacuum cleaner in hand—both driven by the same desire to do one thing well.
刊於自由時報 March 16 2024