Mustafa推薦序

Ebru Art 

“Mutato nomine et de te fabula narratur." (Only change the name and it is your story that is being told) 

Horace, 35 B.C. 

In history,  humans probably  

Saw themselves in water for the first time. 

Or in the eyes of their beloved.  

It was a reflection. 

A moment coming to eye contact. 

It was a matter of looking at one another.  

Experiencing the "amazement" before the universe.

What a beautiful thing that was!

Being able to see oneself. 

Seeing  

And that, 

For the first time.  

---

For centuries 

In the east and west

Find yourself

they would say

Know yourself.

But how would this be?

How would humans find themselves?

Humanity was in a quest for what they had lost,   

but it wasn't certain whether they would find that. 

But how would they grow aware of what they did possess? 

Human,  like water flowing on

What would they do with what they found now?  

How would they protect it?

And then what? 

How would they use it?

Was this humans’ returning to their self?

Maybe it was related to their looking and seeing.  

For what appeared was neither an end, nor infinity.  

Maybe it was the beginning of the end.  

Maybe it was realizing the existence. 

Maybe they didn't find themselves at all. 

The road tired some of them may be. 

Whereas some of them tired the roads. 

And there were those with insight. 

As they worked,  as they endeavored

So many managed to break their shackles. 

It was the sweat of their brow.

It was a drop from the sea.

It was the beginning of the end maybe. 

So what was this “end”?

What is this beginning?

And they talk about ebru; 

and they say how beautiful it is. 

But what does ebru mean?

It is the water of life. 

It is the meeting of colors with water. 

It is the appearance of a mood on water.  

For whatever you hold within,  

that is what pours on the tray. 

Nothing more,  nothing less. 

A person is  

whatever he or she is. 

 --- 

This is water, 

this is ebru. 

It hides the mythical herb of immortality King Gilgamesh sought for. 

It is the friend of worried ones. 

It upholds those who open up it. 

Every trouble turns into a hue. 

Then they turn into rejoice in your heart. 

Pour down one by one,  

earth-based dyes to the tray

one hand holds the brush

And the other hand becomes a companion 

of the artist

dyes are like untrained colts 

even though they escape here and there at first  

then they get familiar with your hands.

Because it takes time,  

because it takes effort. 

As the dyes are poured to the tray 

they attract you to themselves

Even though the destination you seek and the way you go are not always the same 

In the course of time you find your way, you arrive at the destination you wish 

whether you like it or not 

 first you must accept what you do  

There will surely be your ways you wish to correct

then you make them up in your own way

it requires time,  

it requires patience,  

so does it require efforts.  

you touch the water in the tray with the needle

It flows, and then colors follow 

Wherever you wish to take them... 

They become patterns, flowers, trees , or a heart...  

It becomes a white base, which meets the ocher yellow 

Leaves gain vividness from the green of the stem,  

Tulips start blooming, out of the earth-red,  

And the blue cloves,  

Purple violets, 

Yellow daisies 

And so many others.  

Paper descends on the tray, like a delicate lover

It reunites with the colors.  

It merges with color

And finally, gum tragacanth becomes the seal of the paper. 

And now the spirit is ready to leave its cage

The paper is taken out of the tray

What appeared on water, is on paper now 

The paper becomes history.

It is now a memory 

For the future generations.

Although seeing will take time.  

What you made, what you wished to look at, your very mood is in front of you now.   

Reading  

and seeing  

although they take time. 

Yes, here it is. 

The art of Ebru that continues for centuries  

is now a companion of yours. 

Its affection is hidden in its birth. 

He never turns anyone empty-handed. 

The colors poured in its heart 

it does not leave them unresponded. 

It pleases both its master and apprentice.  

It is born as an orphan 

Even from the very first day. 

There is no fixed homeland for it

It travels around the world. 

and it makes visits

to Japan,to China, to Taiwan,

to the lands of Indians and Persians 

To Anatolia, to Europe 

And in so many more places. 

This is ebru. 

It is a guest for civilizations. 

It has freedom. 

It does not look for an owner. 

It is in the home of whoever endeavors and sweats. 

It becomes guest to where it is hosted well. 

It has no fixed abode or home 

Ebru is a guest

It visits and moves on 

This is all about it; 

It is your story I am telling. 

WRITING FOR BACK COVER 

This work, which consists of a set of cards different from one another, has the gift of being a first in its field.   Although the purpose of the work is to view artworks, to understand them and to comment about them, the work bears an extra mission along with its artistic function: it reminds the fact that humans, creatures helpless in many ways, are in need of becoming aware of their own existence.   

Although looking is easy  

seeing or realization mostly takes time 

This requires effort; this requires patience. 

浮水畫藝術（Ebru Art）

「Mutato nomine et de te fabula narratur。」（只需改變名字，講的就是你的故事）

——賀拉斯，西元前35年

在人類歷史中，人們或許第一次是在水中看見自己。或是在摯愛的眼中。

那是一種映照。是一個眼神交會的瞬間。是一種彼此凝視的狀態。是在宇宙面前體驗「驚奇」。

那是多麼美妙的事！能夠看見自己。看見——而且是第一次。

數世紀以來，在東方與西方，人們說：找到你自己。認識你自己。但這該如何實現？

人類該如何找到自己？人類在尋找他們曾失去的東西，但是否能找到，尚未確定。那麼，他們又如何察覺自己所擁有的？人類，如同流動的水，對於當下所發現的，他們會怎麼做？又該如何保護它？然後呢？又該如何運用它？

這是人類回歸自我嗎？也許與「看」與「見」有關。因為所呈現的既不是終點，也不是無限。也許是終點的開始。也許是對存在的覺察。

也許他們根本沒找到自己。有些人在路上疲憊不堪。而有些人則讓道路疲憊。也有些人擁有洞察力。當他們工作、努力時，許多人成功打破了枷鎖。那是他們的汗水。是海洋中的一滴。也許是終點的開始。

那麼，這個「終點」是什麼？這個開始又是什麼？人們談論浮水畫；他們說它很美。但浮水畫到底是什麼？

它是生命之水。是色彩與水的相遇。是情緒在水面上的顯現。你心中所藏的，就是你在盤中傾注的。不多，也不少。一個人，就是他或她本身。

這是水，這是浮水畫。它藏著吉爾伽美什王尋找的不死神草。它是憂心者的朋友。它支撐那些向它敞開的人。

每一個煩惱都化為色彩。然後在你心中轉為喜悅。

將土質染料一一倒入盤中，一隻手握著畫筆，另一隻手成為藝術家的夥伴。染料如同未馴的駿馬，雖然一開始四處奔逃，但最終會熟悉你的手。因為這需要時間，也需要努力。

當染料倒入盤中，它們吸引著你。即使你所尋的目的地與你所走的路不總一致，隨著時間推移，你會找到自己的方向，抵達心之所向。不論你是否喜歡，首先你必須接受你所做的事。你一定會有想修正的部分，然後你會用自己的方式去補足。這需要時間，需要耐心，也需要努力。

你用針觸碰盤中的水面，水流動，色彩隨之而來，你想帶它們去哪裡……它們化為圖案、花朵、樹木，或是一顆心……它成為白色底色，與赭黃色相遇，葉子從莖的綠色中獲得鮮活，鬱金香從土紅中綻放，還有藍色的丁香、紫色的紫羅蘭、黃色的雛菊，以及更多。

紙張如同溫柔的愛人般降落在盤中，與色彩重逢。與色彩融合，最終，黃耆膠成為紙張的印記。

此刻，靈魂準備離開牢籠。

紙張從盤中取出，水面上的圖像如今呈現在紙上。紙張成為歷史。它成為一段記憶，留給未來的世代。

雖然「看見」需要時間。你所創作的、你所想凝視的、你的情緒，如今就在你眼前。閱讀，與看見，雖然都需要時間。

是的，它就在這裡。延續數世紀的浮水畫藝術，如今成為你的夥伴。

它的溫柔藏在它的誕生中。它從不讓人空手而回。傾注於它心中的色彩，它總會回應。它使師傅與學徒都感到喜悅。

它是孤兒，從第一天起就是。它沒有固定的故鄉，它環遊世界。它造訪日本、中國、台灣、印度與波斯的土地，安納托利亞、歐洲，以及更多地方。

這就是浮水畫。它是文明的客人。它擁有自由。它不尋求主人。它屬於每一位努力與流汗的人。它成為被善待之地的客人。它沒有固定的住所或家園。浮水畫是客人，它造訪，然後離開。

這一切，講的就是你的故事。

【封底文案】

這部作品由一組彼此不同的卡片組成，是此領域的首創。雖然作品的目的在於欣賞藝術、理解藝術並加以評論，它在藝術功能之外還承載著另一項使命：提醒人類——這種在許多方面都顯得無助的生物——需要覺察自身的存在。

雖然「看」很容易，但「看見」或「覺察」往往需要時間。這需要努力；這需要耐心。