Clara Lieu｜To Overcome Depression with Art 通过艺术克服萧条
Depression is a disease that afflicts more than 200 million people of all ages globally. It leads to negative thoughts, panic attacks, and can even render a person unable to do simple tasks. Especially in Asian cultures, receiving treatment for depression is not yet widely accepted and can often lead to increased social pressure as it seemingly puts a burden on others.
抑郁症是一种困扰全球2亿多人，跨越各人群的疾病。它会导致想法消极，恐慌发作，甚至可能使一个人无法完成简单的任务。尤其是在亚洲文化中，对抑郁症的治疗尚未得到广泛的接受，并且由于可能给其他人带来负担，常常会导致患者社会压力的增加。
“What’s wrong with you?”
“你究竟怎么了？”
…
“Why can’t you handle pressure like everyone else?”
“为什么你不能像其他人一样面对压力呢？”
…
“Your state of mind is a reflection of your choices and actions, own up to it“
“是你自己的选择和行动造成了现在的心理状态，你应该自己面对”
…
Harsh criticisms like these strike the hearts of many afflicted individuals who need a supportive environment. However, that is not to say that all people feel this way. Often times, people don’t want to give negative energy, but it’s more of a reaction than a willing response. Depression may be a temporary emotional response, but if it goes on for a long time it can lead to a fatal end. That is why it’s important for humans as a social being to find a way to release and let go of their negative feelings from time to time. Words don’t come easy but expressing feelings of depression through art may be a gateway to feeling better over time.
很多心理上需要支持的人都被诸如此类的批评折磨着。但是，并不是所有人都想要这样。通常，人们不想带给人负面的能量。这更多的是一种生理的反应，而不是自发的行为。抑郁症兴许是暂时的情绪反应，但如果长时间发展下去，可能会导致严重的后果。这就是为什么对于社交属性的人类而言，重要的是找到一种能够偶尔放松并释放其负面情绪的方法。语言和文字很难轻易表达，但通过艺术来表达沮丧的情绪不失为一种方法，让你随着时间变得更好。
About the Artist
关于艺术家
Artist Clara Lieu
艺术家克拉拉·里乌
Clara Lieu runs a free website for learning visual arts and taught Foundation Studies, Printmaking, Painting, and Illustration as an Adjunct Professor at the Rhode Island School of Design for 13 years. She is constantly working to provide ways for people to access art for free through her website, Art Prof. When she is not teaching, she creates works that communicate her views on life using mixed mediums. Her work has been exhibited at the International Print Center New York, the Danforth Museum of Art, the Currier Museum of Art, and the Davis Museum and Cultural Center.
克拉拉·里乌（Clara Lieu）开办了一个免费的视觉艺术网站，并在罗德岛设计学院（RISD）担任客座教授，教授基础研究，版画，绘画和插图长达13年。她一直致力于通过自己的网站，“Art Prof.” ，为人们提供免费接触艺术的机会。当她不教学时，她使用混合媒介创作的作品来传达她对生活的看法。她的作品曾在纽约国际印刷中心，丹佛斯艺术博物馆，库里尔艺术博物馆和戴维斯博物馆及文化中心展出。
Artist Clara Lieu recounts her ongoing experiences with depression since childhood which brought on frequent episodes where she would feel emotionally and physically out of control. She relied on her physical limitations to eventually end these episodes to no avail, coming to a realization that her state of mind, from some day, began to belong to depression rather than to her own personality. In light of this, she began official treatment while complimenting it by starting her art project, the Falling series which is a representation of her process of decoupling from depression.
艺术家克拉拉·利乌（Clara Lieu）讲述了自童年以来一直在经历的抑郁症经历，这种经历的频繁发生，使她在情绪和身体上都失去了控制。她尝试依靠自己的身体局限，但无济于事，直到她意识到她的心理状态从某天开始归属给了抑郁症而不是她自己的个性。鉴于如此，她开始了正式的治疗，同时通过开始她的艺术项目“堕落”系列来奖励自己，这代表了她从抑郁中解脱出来的过程。
The Falling: Portrait
坠落：肖像
Encompassing over 4 years of work, the Falling series is an amalgam of drawings, mezzotint prints, photographs, and sculptures. Wrinkled faces and strangled expressions surrounded by dark backgrounds represent the physical reactions of her inner feelings. Hate, anger, despair… what to feel is derived from the viewer’s mind. Through this interaction, the artist draws the physical reaction back to the viewer: How does the viewer respond to her remorse? How does she express her recovery from depression? Are all the portraits displaying the same type of pain?
“坠落”系列历经4年多的工作，汇集了绘画，铜版画，照片和雕塑。深色背景包围着的布满皱纹的脸和压抑的表情正是她内心感受的写照。仇恨，愤怒，绝望……这些感受取决于观众的想法。通过这种互动，艺术家将这种生理的反应吸引回到观众自身：他们自己将如何处理自己的懊悔？她如何表达自己从抑郁中恢复过来？所有肖像都显示出相同类型的疼痛吗？
Her works invite a rather philosophical look into this rather psychological affliction. She denotes how a lack of communication deteriorated her state. Her acceptance and opening up of her feelings allowed her to distance herself from depression while creating a dialogue for others afflicted with similar feelings to share theirs despite the social stigma surrounding it.
她的作品激发了人们对这种心理困境的哲学思考。她解释到沟通的缺乏是如何使她的状态恶化。她坦然接受和开放包容的心态使她与抑郁症渐行渐远，同时也为遭受类似情感折磨的人创建了交流的机会，以分享他们的情感，尽管生活在一个存在社会耻辱的世界里。
“Since I am now public about my experience with depression because of my artwork, many students I teach at RISD often times will contact me privately and ask for help outside of class. People whom I don't know send me poignant messages, sharing their own experiences. Knowing that I can be an ear to someone because of my artwork is incredibly moving.”
“我现在因艺术品而将自己抑郁症的经历公开，因此我在罗德岛设计学院（RISD）任教时的许多学生经常会私下与我联系，并寻求课外帮助。我不认识的人给我发来痛楚的信息，分享他们的经历。知道我的作品让我可以成为某人的倾诉的渠道，这令人难以置信。”
- Clara Lieu 克拉拉·利乌
The Falling: Emerge
坠落：涌现
While the Falling: Portraits is the artist’s opening up of her mental state. The Falling: Emerge focuses more on the return of her own natural state before depression. In the works, there is a struggle marked by lines and different shades of the figure that is decoupling from the other. A non-sequential line of artworks that alternate in darkness and tone becoming a reference that the recovery process is unpredictable and endless. The negative emotions begin to fade away as she slowly tries to free herself from the affliction. At the same time, it remains like a scar, well hidden, but forever in her heart, ready to reawaken at any time.
“坠落：肖像”是艺术家将自己的精神状态开诚布公的展示。“坠落：涌现” 更多地集中在抑郁之前她自己自然状态的修复。在作品中，与其它部份分离开的线条以及图形的各种阴影标志着内心的挣扎。在黑暗和色调中交替出现的非线性艺术品系列，象征着复原过程是不可预测的且无止境的。当她慢慢设法摆脱痛苦时，负面情绪开始消失。同时，它仍然像疤痕一样，被隐藏的很好，但永远存在于她的心中，随时可以唤醒。
“I was so deeply buried by the emotions that I could not separate myself from the disease. During treatment, the depression gradually began to fade away. As the emotions slowly left, I started being able to see myself clearly for the first time in my life.”
“我被自己的情感深深地埋葬了，我无法将自己与疾病分开。在治疗过程中，抑郁症逐渐开始消失。随着情绪的慢慢消失，我开始有生以来第一次清晰地看到自己。”
- Clara Lieu克拉拉·利乌
While Clara Lieu’s work focuses on the process of healing, it is important to note that her decision to create this project needed a lot of time and consideration. Only when she was able to distance herself enough from her depression, was she able to reveal this project, even if it meant people would judge her. So far, she has managed to turn it into a dark chapter of her past history.
尽管克拉拉·利乌（Clara Lieu）作品的重点是疗愈的过程，但不容忽视她决心创建的这个项目需要花费大量的时间和充足的考虑。只有当她能够与抑郁症保持足够的距离时，她才能够开启这个项目，即使这意味着人们会评判她。到目前为止，她已经成功地将其变成了她过往历史中的一个黑暗篇章。
Work from Wading series by Clara Lieu
As the year of isolation, social distancing, and restricted travel continues, it has become increasingly important to maintain good health and share positive thinking. Exercising, eating healthy, and having an occasional release from a high-stressed lifestyle can help in preventing depression. Don’t be afraid to reach out to friends or family for help, and let’s hope for a better year where the gloom of Halloween isn’t louder than its festive spirit.
今年的疫情带来了被隔离的一年，社交距离扩大，旅行也被限制。在这一年中，保持身体健康和分享积极的思想变得越来越重要。锻炼身体，健康饮食和偶尔从高压力的生活中逃离出来，都可以帮助预防抑郁症。不要害怕寻求朋友或家人的帮助。在这个阴霾盖过了以往节日气氛的万圣节里，我们一起期待更好的一年。
For More information on the artist please click here
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Translation 翻译 Rona Xia
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