一万只蚂蚁构成的巨型装置，顶着暑期酷热的阳光和午後突来的西北雨，将台北当代艺术馆的门面和建筑层层包围，透过视觉的放大与数量的繁多，艺术家陈志光用大众熟悉的符号，意欲传达他看世界的视角与方式。这些以赤铁打造而表面长着褐黄锈斑的蚂蚁大军，是陈志光继之前脍炙人口的电镀七彩蚁和超大不锈钢蚁之後，从去年开始发展，一个别具新风、充满视觉张力和时代意象的创作新系列。

A gigantic installation comprised of one thousand ants surrounds the front and the museum building under the scorching summer sun and the sudden afternoon showers. Through its giant size and massive number, Chen Zhiguang employs a symbol that the public is familiar with to display his way of viewing the world. This army of ants cast in red iron with brown spots on the surface is a fresh, visually stimulating series that symbolizes our time after the artist has presented the electroplated, iridescent ants and the stainless steel mega-sized ants.

这个以「乌合之众」为名的艺术蚂蚁大军，除了以低调素朴的生物样态象徵着各式各样的小人物和社会群众，艺术家也表明了此次希望藉用质朴价廉的赤铁材料，特别打造一批最终可让一般人士持分共享，而不是只能被少数收藏家垄断独拥的艺术蚂蚁；另外，铁打的蚂蚁大军看似倾巢而出，群聚在一座美术馆门前和广场，除了形成一种奇观和胜境，也赋与了一些联想的意义，例如，它们或许也代表着众多孜孜不倦地往上爬、想要争取机会出头，在艺术机构和殿堂展现自我，被社会大众接纳的艺术家们，换言之，这也可视为一个「登上艺术创作顶端、迈向历史文化颠峰」的寓言装置！

This artistic army of ants, titled Herd of Ants, embodies a vast array of ordinary people in a low-profile and unadorned manner. The artist hopes to use this inexpensive material of red iron to create a bunch of artistic ants that could be shared with the general public rather than being monopolized by a handful of art collectors. Moreover, the iron-cast ant army gathering in front of a museum and on its plaza has formed a spectacular site and created an opportunity of free association. For example, they could represent the diligent, hardworking artists who are endeavoring for a chance to show themselves in art institutions and be accepted by the public. In other words, the work could also be viewed as an allegorical installation that epitomizes "climbing to the top of artistic creation and soaring to the peak of history and culture."

陈志光一九六三年生於漳州，於福建师范大学美术系毕业後，从架上绘画转向雕塑艺术的自我研发，二ＯＯ三年以蚂蚁雕塑奠定了独特的造形体系与美学脉络。在生物学上，蚂蚁的种类超过一万一千七百多种，印证了它们呼应外在不同环境而机转适应的强大本能；在艺术创作中，陈志光藉由蚁族表徵人类不同的心理状态与行为现象，历年完成的每只放大版的蚂蚁，也因此都有着不同的心理参照与肢体语汇。

Born in Zhangzhou, China in 1963, Chen graduated from the Department of Fine Arts, Fujian Normal University and shifted from painting to sculpture after graduation. In 2003, the ant sculptures established a unique form and aesthetic context of his own. Biologically speaking, there are actually over ten thousand and seven hundred types of ants, proving their powerfully adaptability to different environment. In terms of artistic creation, Chen uses the ants as a metaphor for individual human psychology and behavior. Each enlarged ant that he has completed throughout the years stems from varying psychological state and body language.

做为陈志光雕塑艺术核心的『概念性』，先後演绎发展出了蚁族，荷池，戱台，静物供桌...等不同的作品系列，也普获许多策展人的肯定和各地机构的展览邀约，这当中，唯独蚂蚁雕塑不断衍变发展而从未间断---蚂蚁无疑已成为其雕塑艺术的旗标和美学认同的符号；而正如蚂蚁之繁衍不息，陈志光对蚂蚁艺术的创作发展，也有着源源不绝的灵感，从单体造型，英姿昂扬的独立蚂蚁雕塑，转向呈现一种丛集的生命样态，乃至於一种戏剧化的群聚行动，使作品进而与不同空间场域互相呼应，并在作品和不同时空与文化背景的观赏者之间，预设了一些引发主动阅读和积极对话的机制；综合以上几个不同论点，陈志光这次在台北当代艺术馆「登场而不入室」的『乌合之众』铁雕蚂蚁装置大展，是相当具有「社会雕塑」意涵的！

Artistic concept has always been at the core of Chen's sculpture, and he has developed various series, including the ants, lotus pond, opera stage, still life on the altar, etc. His work has been positively received by many curators and have been shown in exhibitions around the world. Among these series, the ant sculpture is the only one that has kept evolving—ants have undoubtedly become his sculptural signature and symbol of aesthetic identification. Like the constant propagation of ants, Chen also has continuous inspiration for his creation of ants. From a single ant sculpture that is heroically free-standing, to the representation of ants in groups, to the dramatic collective action of ants, these works echo their surrounding space and invite reading and dialogue from their viewers of different age and cultural background. Therefore, Chen's exhibition of the iron ants in front of the MOCA, Taipei, which "visit but not enter the museum," could actually be viewed as a kind of "social sculpture."

『乌合之众』也是陈志光首次在台湾举行的个展，一万只蚂蚁爬向台北当代艺术馆这座古蹟建筑的创作构想，以及反讽的展览名称，敢情也传达了他对於艺文生态现象的个人解读，和一种自我解嘲的态度。对专程来访或不经意遇见这个展覧的所有观众，艺术家诚挚的期待则是，每个人可以很轻松自在地，从视觉的相逢邂逅，延伸到精神意义的提炼和分享，乃至於情感内涵的共鸣与交流。

Herd of Ants is Chen's first solo exhibition in Taiwan. The creative idea of thousand ants crawling towards the museum as well as the sarcastic exhibition title in Chinese convey his personal interpretation of the artistic and cultural environment and his humorous attitude. Whether visitors come to the exhibition to see the work or simply happen to pass by, the artist sincerely hopes that everyone could have a relaxing time to enter a viewing process of first seeing the artwork, receiving and sharing its meaning, and eventually enjoying an inner resonance and exchange of feelings.