Text: Wenwen
Dongdaqiao, Beijing, April 21, 2017
Perfect is the Virtue which Accords with the Doctrine of the Mean
—The Analects, Yong Ye
Through the many developments and changes of the times, the Confucian “doctrine of the mean” continually influenced and inspired the ideas of the masses. It tells us not to be sticklers, and not to be extreme, but to find and apply the middle ground. This is the wisdom of seeking the point of balance on the foundation of the core essence of things.
The five artists featured in this exhibition are all from Taiwan, and all born in the 1970s and 80s. Their works are strongly imbued with the traits of their times. Changes of the times, economic development, cultural fusion, environmental degradation, and the other issues affecting the people of this generation resulted in different insights and creative styles among these artists. Direct or indirect, active or passive, present or absent, involved or on the margins, these are the different ways in which these artists chose to engage with the world. They share, however, in that they have all found a balance in their own contexts, and constantly research and move forward.
People and Nature
Nature is the environment upon which mankind depends for survival. Aside from providing us with the basic material conditions for survival, it also provides us with much to ponder about life, which inspires philosophical thought and creativity. Huang Mingchun’s research of light and color over the years, and his series, The Dream of Withered Lotus, have been a process of introspection, but even more a process of insight into life and thinking on shared existence. Chungying Hou’s “hands”are one of the main carriers of his creations. They have created an entirely new view of the cosmos, including humanist sentiments, the natural environment, and the relationships between mankind and nature. Flourishing and decline, fusion and rupture, these are insights and revelations: humanity and nature are, and always will be, one and the same.
People and Society
People are products of society, and can never survive completely independent of it. The relationship between the individual and the group has been an unavoidable topic for innumerable artists. As technology rapidly advances, and communication breaks down all boundaries, human privacy and security have come under fire. From Manmade Safe Place to Angels, Tsai Shih Hung has always straddled the line between reality and fantasy with a surreal experience, dismantling and reconstructing different cultural viewpoints, materials, concepts and states of life. Hovering over this boundary (balance point) into the unreal as an “observer,”he faces it both coldly and emotionally, always ready to retreat. Will Yu, on the other hand, believes that each person has two personalities, a visible (external) one, and a hidden (internal) one. From Bathroom Culture to Rainbow Culture, and on to The Paradise Underneath the Horizontal Line, the artist has gradually progressed from his research of the dual (or multiple) sides of personalities to skepticism of partial information, and eventually back to philosophical interpretation. Though truth and falsehood, reality and illusion all objectively exist, we must maintain skepticism and seek balance in our constant interactions.
People and Self
“Only the most sincere under the sun can fully realize their true nature.” Many of Fu Tso-Hsin’s creations in recent years have come from his inner insights into life, which he has transformed into different elements in his artworks. As the artist has said, “When you care too much about the outside world, it is easy to get lost in it. The only way to make true, pure works is to return to your own heart.” In his quest for a thread of timelessness in the constantly shifting torrents of society, the artist seems to have found inspiration in the silence of trees in nature, in the way they respond to change with steadfastness. This is a return to the purest, most primal state of nature. He seeks out a tranquil, peaceful balance between monochrome and brilliant colors, blankness and complex layers, cacophony and silence.
The best balance is found in the application. These artists each work in their unique fields with their singular artistic languages and methods in a shared quest for an effective voice in this society. As they say, true balance is steadfast and unwavering. On the artistic path, they will persist in their views and goals as they move steadily forward.
Text: Wenwen
Dongdaqiao, Beijing, April 21, 2017
Perfect is the Virtue which Accords with the Doctrine of the Mean
—The Analects, Yong Ye
Through the many developments and changes of the times, the Confucian “doctrine of the mean” continually influenced and inspired the ideas of the masses. It tells us not to be sticklers, and not to be extreme, but to find and apply the middle ground. This is the wisdom of seeking the point of balance on the foundation of the core essence of things.
The five artists featured in this exhibition are all from Taiwan, and all born in the 1970s and 80s. Their works are strongly imbued with the traits of their times. Changes of the times, economic development, cultural fusion, environmental degradation, and the other issues affecting the people of this generation resulted in different insights and creative styles among these artists. Direct or indirect, active or passive, present or absent, involved or on the margins, these are the different ways in which these artists chose to engage with the world. They share, however, in that they have all found a balance in their own contexts, and constantly research and move forward.
People and Nature
Nature is the environment upon which mankind depends for survival. Aside from providing us with the basic material conditions for survival, it also provides us with much to ponder about life, which inspires philosophical thought and creativity. Huang Mingchun’s research of light and color over the years, and his series, The Dream of Withered Lotus, have been a process of introspection, but even more a process of insight into life and thinking on shared existence. Chungying Hou’s “hands”are one of the main carriers of his creations. They have created an entirely new view of the cosmos, including humanist sentiments, the natural environment, and the relationships between mankind and nature. Flourishing and decline, fusion and rupture, these are insights and revelations: humanity and nature are, and always will be, one and the same.
People and Society
People are products of society, and can never survive completely independent of it. The relationship between the individual and the group has been an unavoidable topic for innumerable artists. As technology rapidly advances, and communication breaks down all boundaries, human privacy and security have come under fire. From Manmade Safe Place to Angels, Tsai Shih Hung has always straddled the line between reality and fantasy with a surreal experience, dismantling and reconstructing different cultural viewpoints, materials, concepts and states of life. Hovering over this boundary (balance point) into the unreal as an “observer,”he faces it both coldly and emotionally, always ready to retreat. Will Yu, on the other hand, believes that each person has two personalities, a visible (external) one, and a hidden (internal) one. From Bathroom Culture to Rainbow Culture, and on to The Paradise Underneath the Horizontal Line, the artist has gradually progressed from his research of the dual (or multiple) sides of personalities to skepticism of partial information, and eventually back to philosophical interpretation. Though truth and falsehood, reality and illusion all objectively exist, we must maintain skepticism and seek balance in our constant interactions.
People and Self
“Only the most sincere under the sun can fully realize their true nature.” Many of Fu Tso-Hsin’s creations in recent years have come from his inner insights into life, which he has transformed into different elements in his artworks. As the artist has said, “When you care too much about the outside world, it is easy to get lost in it. The only way to make true, pure works is to return to your own heart.” In his quest for a thread of timelessness in the constantly shifting torrents of society, the artist seems to have found inspiration in the silence of trees in nature, in the way they respond to change with steadfastness. This is a return to the purest, most primal state of nature. He seeks out a tranquil, peaceful balance between monochrome and brilliant colors, blankness and complex layers, cacophony and silence.
The best balance is found in the application. These artists each work in their unique fields with their singular artistic languages and methods in a shared quest for an effective voice in this society. As they say, true balance is steadfast and unwavering. On the artistic path, they will persist in their views and goals as they move steadily forward.