前言

1951年12月29日，极富传奇色彩的拉丁美洲马克思主义革命家切-格瓦拉与朋友骑摩托车从阿根廷的城市布宜诺斯艾利斯出发，经阿根廷、智利、秘鲁、哥伦比亚和委内瑞拉，历时八个月完成了改变切-格瓦拉人生、改变南美意识形态格局和改变世界政治话语结构的摩托车之旅。

2011年12月29日，中国当代极具激情和表现力的著名艺术家何工只身从布宜诺斯艾利斯出发，重走切格瓦拉摩托车之旅，历时几个月完成了一场策划已久的精神洗礼，记录了一系列充满历史与记忆的旅行文献，创作完成了超越自我的崭新作品。

两个纯粹而怀抱理想的逐梦者，跨越60年的精神对话就此展开。

我们荣幸地宣布艺术家何工先生在千高原艺术空间的第二个个展“巴塔哥尼亚的风”将于2012年6月16日开幕，展览将展出何工先生去年底至今年初重走切-格瓦拉摩托车之旅归来后完成的作品，包括大尺幅的绘画、装置和相关记录文献。在这些作品中，我们除了看到何工先生对继往关注问题的持续和推进，也能看到他与另一位伟大的理想主义者切-格瓦拉的精神对话。

何工，1955年出生于中国重庆，1978年考入西南师范大学美术系，1985年获四川美术学院硕士学位，现为四川大学艺术学院教授、博士生导师。自1980年代初中国当代艺术肇始时期开始，何工即开始个人艺术实践活动，在硕士研究生期间即以油画《往事依稀》、《巴赫的寓言》等作品表现出对历史文化的反思和对人的当下生存状态的关注。1986年后，何工赴美国和加拿大学习，并在多所大学作访问艺术家和客座教授，其间广泛参加国际学术研讨和创作活动。在研究西方后现代艺术思潮的过程中，进行绘画、装置与观念艺术实践，有装置作品《梦见方舟》、《这不是五月花号》、《后扬子豚方案》，油画《欧洲车站》系列、《通往布鲁克林的地下铁》等作品，表现了跨文化的感受与思考。本世纪初回国定居之后，何工的作品更趋于文化与哲理思辨的具象呈现，在恣意涂抹的画面中散发出强大的张力，而透过这种张力我们能够窥知到何工作为一个“有机知识分子”艺术家的质疑和对理想的追逐。正是这种对理想的追逐，在切-格瓦拉踏上摩托车之旅60周年之际，何工----又一个怀抱理想的逐梦者，重新踏上了巴塔哥尼亚高原的追风之旅。

“巴塔哥尼亚的风”项目计划是在千高原艺术空间、天府长岛和其他个人的帮助下，著名艺术家何工先生实践的个人艺术计划。计划由何工先生提出，千高原艺术空间、策展人杜曦云共同策划完成。该计划的提出和实施既是何工先生作为一位始终处于质疑、追问、理想追逐、实验的“有机知识分子”艺术家的必然，其实也是何工先生具体作品创作的外化，我们甚至可以说----何工先生最大最好的作品就是他的不断质疑、追问和对理想的追逐----这可能是何工先生作为中国第一代现当代艺术实践者最重要的史学价值。基于同样或者类似的理由，千高原和相关机构、个人同样以高度的热情和责任介入其中。本项目计划的实施完成，毫无疑问将彰显、丰满和提升何工先生作为一位优秀艺术家的个体价值。同时对发展中的中国当代艺术和文化提供有价值的个案参考----尤其在纷扰的今日之中国。

Preface

December 29, 1951, the legendary Latin America Marxist revolutionary—Che Guevara started with a friend from the Argentine city of Buenos Aires, through Argentine, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Venezuila, taking eight months to complete a motorcycle tour, which changed Che's life, as well as the pattern of South American ideology, and the structure of the world's political discourse.

December 29, 2011, the famous contemporary artist in China—He Gong started alone from Buenos Aires to re-take the motorcycle journey of Che Guevara, taking months to complete a long-planned spiritual baptism, recording a series of travel literature, creating new works of self-transcendence.

Between two pure and idealist dream chasers, thus a spiritual conversation begins.

It is my honor to pronounce that the "Patagonia Wind",He Gong's 2nd solo exhibition in A Thousand Plateau Art Space,is going to open on 16, June, 2012. The works in this exhibition were made after his motorcycle tour following Che Guevara's path from the end of last year to the beginning of this year. These works include large size paintings,installations and pertaining documentaries. From these works we can see Mr.He's continual and deeper concerning on previous issues and his spiritual conversation with another great idealist Che as well.

He Gong, the famous contemporary artist, was born in Chongqing，China in 1955. In 1978, he was admitted to the Fine Arts Department of Southwest Normal University, and won the Master's degree at Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts in 1985. He is now a professor and doctoral tutor in Arts College of Sichuan University. Since the early 1980s, when Chinese contemporary art started to thrive, He Gong began his personal art practice. During the period of postgraduate, he created works such as Dilute Memory and Bach's Metaphor to show his reflections on history and culture and the concerns of man's present living condition. From 1986, He Gong studied in the United States and Canada as a visiting artist and visiting professor at several universities, during which he had actively participated in the international academic forum and continued his personal art activities. In the process of studying Western post-modern movement in art, he created paintings, installations and conceptual art, such as  the installations Dream of Ark, This is Not The Mayflower, Program of The Post-Yangtze Dolphin, oil painting European Station, The Subway to Brooklyn, and so on, to convey the cross-cultural feeling and thinking. After coming back to China at the beginning of this century, the works of He Gong tended to be more concretely presenting the cultural and philosophical speculations. A strong tension exudes from the paintings with seemingly casual and random brushstrokes unveils He Gong's doubts and his pursuit of ideal as an intellectual artist.  It is exactly this pursuit that inspired He Gong, the dream chaser, re-embark on the trip to Patagonia Plateau at the 60th anniversary of Che Guevara's motorcycle trip.

Patagonia Wind is a personal art project carried out by renowned artist He Gong with the assistance of  A Thousand Plateau Art Space, TIANFU PARK ISLAND and other individuals. The project was initiated by Mr.He and accomplished jointly by himself, A Thousand Plateau Art Space and curator Du Xiyun. This project is a necessity for Mr.He as an "organic artist" who has always been scepticizing, questioning dream-chasing and experimenting and it's also the extension of his substantial art works. We can even say, Mr.He's best and greatest work is exactly his constant scepticizing ,questioning and chasing of his ideals and this could possibly be the most important historical value created by Mr.He as one of China' first generation of contemporary artists. Based on the same or similar reason, A Thousand Plateau Art Space and relative organizations and individuals also took part in this project with great passion and responsibility. The accomplishment of this project will undoubtedly promote and elevate He's individual value as an outstanding artist, meanwhile, it will present a valuable reference for the developing Chinese contemporary art and culture, especially in today's chaotic and fickle China.