協作的實踐在馬來西亞當代藝術中越發流行。現有關於協作的討論主要從西方世界發展出來,並且以西方觀點為中心。在馬來西亞,協作的發展與源自爪哇農業社會中的一種互助系統 gotong-royong 的推行更有關。然而,隨著城市化地景和經濟活動的變化,gotong-royong 也出現遞減之趨勢,因此當代藝術中推行的gotong-royong實踐,即是對傳統價值的活化,也是對於當前形式的新詮釋。 本研究以兩個藝術家自組織為研討對象,他們提倡串連跨族群、宗教、專業和意識型態的群體,形成網絡並進行協作。這兩個考察對象分別為吉隆坡蘇丹街面對徵地事件時組成的「茨廠街藝術計畫」(Petaling Street Community Art Project)和長期在沙巴偏遠社區進行集體木刻創作的「龐克搖滾舍」(Pangrok Sulap)。他們所採取的行動看似企圖干預現有的社會架構,以及在國家主流論述中提出關於族群關係和階級矛盾的另類陳述,但在馬來西亞相對於這類型藝術項目的落實卻沒有出現同等的批判。 以當地的脈絡論述以人為主體的藝術項目,大多止於描述項目的進行方式和過程,鮮少以批判社會架構和它們對族群關係的影響為討論。由於缺乏在地觀點針對協作式實踐的論述,使得這類藝術停滯於類似歡樂型活動,卻難以介入當前的社會架構,更不可能對現有社會問題的提出另類論述或解決方案。因此,通過採用洪席耶提議的藝術審美體制(aesthetic regime of art)學說,本研究企圖提出一個理解當代協作式藝術實踐的框架,並針對馬來西亞的協作實踐進行批判性的回顧。
The practice of collaboration is getting more and more prevalent in contemporary art in Malaysia today. While existing discussions of collaboration are mainly developed from the West and is Western centrism, the formation of collaboration in Malaysia is more related to the common practice of gotong-royong, a mutual aid system originated from agrarian society in Central Java. However, the practice of gotong-royong has an obvious diminution due to urbanised landscape and the change of economic activity, therefore the application of gotong-royong in contemporary art practices are both revitalisation of traditional ethos from the past and new interpretation of the present. This research studies two artist initiatives that establish networks and form collaborations among groups of various ethnicities, religions, professions and ideology stands, they are the Petaling Street Community Art Project (PSCAP) formed out of the land expropriation on Jalan Sultan in Kuala Lumpur, and Pangrok Sulap that worked with rural communities by adopting collective woodcut making in the interiors of Sabah respectively. While they seem to intervene in existing social structure and national discourse regarding ethnic relations and class issues, we do not see equivalent critique on such practices. To date, existing literature on art projects that involve humans as subjects from the local perspectives are limited to reviews on method and process conducted, but criticism on the social structure and its impact on ethnic relations are rarely discussed. Since there is a lack of theoretical discourse available in understanding collaborative practices in the local contexts, we need to construct a framework for identifying these undertakings and the values of these projects. Therefore, by adopting the aesthetic regime of art coined by Ranciere in The Politics of Aesthetics, this research suggests a framework to understand the concept of collaboration in contemporary art practices, and take a critical review on the practice of art in Malaysia.