The elephant in bondage No.1 束縛的象 1

Media: Color on the silk 绢本设色

Size: 78 cm x 117 cm

Artist: Chang，Lei 常磊

In The Bound Elephant No.1, the elephant crouches in a low depression, its body drawn inward, movement suspended. No visible force or agent of restraint appears; the binding is not imposed by an external device, but manifests as an internalized condition. The elephant’s mass does not resist the surrounding space, which remains dim and enclosed. Faint structural forms emerge in the distance, yet offer no clear passage. Rather than depicting struggle, the work presents a posture shaped by prolonged confinement—a state of being that has adapted to restriction.

《束缚的象 1》中，象蜷伏于低洼之地，身体收紧，动作停滞，四肢呈现出自我约束的姿态。画面中并未出现明确的外力或施加者，束缚并非来自可见的工具，而更像一种内化后的状态。象的体量与环境之间缺乏对抗，周围空间幽暗、封闭，远处若隐若现的结构形态并未形成出口。作品呈现的不是挣扎的瞬间，而是长期停留之后形成的姿态——一种已经习惯于受限的存在状态。