TAIPEI.- In the face of the changing tides of 2024, the term "nature" carries multiple interpretations: it is both a refuge after enduring worldly hardships and a sedimentation of humanity accumulated over time; it is a vessel for new beginnings and a symbol of what Hamlet referred to as "passing through the earthly to reach the eternal." The works in this group exhibition inherit the classics, beginning with various media such as ink, oil paint, and photography, and gradually developing profound conceptual practices as time progresses. These works not only convey a tangible sense of reality but also incorporate Eastern cultural understandings of infinite time and space, showcasing the relationship between the East, nature, and the universe. Nature exists as a coherent reality, yet independent of reality itself, allowing the audience to project themselves both within and beyond this space.
The exhibition opens with the photography of Wu MeiChi (b. 1989). Her still life photography continues the concept of classical realism while exuding the fluidity of contemporary forms and the fragility of emotions. In dialogue with her work is Antone Könst (b. 1987) and his still life floral pieces. In his creations, Könst explores different cultural and representational systems, with a particular focus on the interpretations of nature and culture in both Western and non-Western contexts. His work "Pink Flower" (2023) depicts a serene scene composed of branches and a purple sphere wrapped like honey, with petals on the left extending like a tongue, suggesting an interaction with a small vase that implies ecological and erotic meanings under moonlight and in the vast night sky.
Li Fang (1933 - 2020) left Taiwan in 1959 and gained renewed attention last year due to a group exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery in London. In 2022, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum also received several works donated by her family, reopening the study of Li Fang's contributions. The exhibited piece "Trees" (1961) is one of her rare early ink works, showcasing the artist's profound life-time interpretation of trees and nature, reflecting her early involvement in the May Painting Society. Half a century later, Jocelyn Shu, born in California and now residing in Taipei, reinterprets the land of Taiwan from a returning Asian perspective, transforming culturally significant symbols such as culture, language, calligraphy, and orchids, revealing the unique state of many Chinese Americans today.
In a contrasting direction, Lin YiHsuan (b. 1985), who has lived in Latin America for 15 years, presents a special work titled "Folk Songs" (2023). The large areas of black texture evoke the layered expression of ink, resonating with the new thoughts frequently proposed in the artist's calligraphy. In the work, two fruits that may be coffee beans are juxtaposed with a curved ultramarine paint stripe, symbolizing a window to a distant horizon. The concepts of nature, visibility, and infinity float in time and space, relying on the audience's imagination to separate them from reality. A similar effect is also found in Li YuanChia's iconic work "Untitled" (1963).
In the works of Hilo Chen (b. 1942) and Hou ChunMing (b. 1963), explorations of figures, life and death, and mysterious forms are fully expressed. A tranquil mountain by Lang JingShan (1892 - 1995) pays homage to Eastern philosophy in the simplest way. In recent travels, Xu Jiong (b. 1984) has integrated his encounters with nature and humanity into his calligraphy and painting practices, conveying that artists should face themselves honestly when confronting nature; fear and avoidance can only attract fleeting fame and fortune like mayflies. His sincere calligraphy and painting, reminiscent of letters, provide a new form for the tactile expression of the East, recreating cultural relics that many fear, offering them a fresh perspective in the present.
