Artists
LI Chen, YANG Chihung, DONG Shawhwei, SEKINE Nobuo, KOSHIMIZU Susumu, HARAGUCHI Noriyuki, Fadjar SIDIK, HANDRIO, Umi DACHLAN, HONG Zhu An
VIP Preview
Jan 16, 2020 (Thur) 14:00 – 17:00 (invitation only)
Vernissage
Jan 16, 2020 (Thur) 17:00 – 21:00 (by invitation or advance ticket)
Public Opening
Jan 17, 2020 (Fri) 11:00 – 18:00
Jan 18, 2020 (Sat) 11:00 – 18:00
Jan 19, 2020 (Sun) 11:00 – 17:30
Asia Art Center is pleased to participate in TAIPEI DANGDAI 2020 to exhibit in booth E02 in the Galleries sector. Among the showcased artworks are postwar Chinese and Indonesian abstract art, Japanese Mono-ha artists’ mixed media two-dimensional and installation works and Optical Fiber by LI Chen (b. 1963-) will make its debut in an art fair. “Optical Fiber” is a part of the Ordinary People series that was in the 2017 exhibition “Being: In/Voluntary Drift Li Chen Solo Exhibition” in MOCA Taipei, which explores the concerns and struggles we face in a modern digital society – a desire to seek out the nature of humanity is core to Li Chen’s practice. Other exhibiting artists and artwork include YANG Chihung’s (b. 1947-) monumental work “Outstanding”, which debuted in the exhibition Majestic Momentum-Yang Chihung’s Recent Works in Guangdong Museum of Art in 2019. The striking work is the embodiment of both subtlety and poetics of Eastern paintings. By translating the essence of Chinese calligraphy into abstract art, Yang Chihung is able to illustrate a harmonious innerness coupled with spiritual balance that is unique to the East. DONG Shaw-Hwei’s (b.1962-) series “Courtyard Image” of abstract paintings is the re-envisions of the artist’s own courtyard. Through further extractions, omission and simplification in its stylized forms, the image was eventually deconstructed into symbolic abstract elements or points, lines and planes. In Art Salon sector, we present HONG Zhu An’s (b. 1955-) ink art “Untitled.”
LI Chen ─ “Optical Fiber”
“Perhaps we are the ‘community-claustrophobic patients’ who avoid the reality, engaging ourselves in the network of optical fiber, and exposing our own secrets for a moment of lonely vanity!”— LI Chen
There exists a part in human nature that longs for restraint. In the post-Internet era, we have grown accustomed to and even crave to be drowning in an overload of information. Since when did smartphones become extensions of ourselves? Since when did we surrender our mind to the internet so aimlessly and endlessly? We have lost the ability to detect any form of restraint and become lost in the midst, and artists are among the lost.
“Optical Fiber” is Li Chen’s interpretation of humanity’s inclination to excessive self-indulgence. He illustrates the absurdity of human nature through observing the state of human reliance on technology. Humans long for freedom but are used to being restrained at the same time, resulting in a paradoxical behavior as they look for validation from others and become trapped between two opposites – loneliness and vanity. Optical Fiber is still and imposes an unwavering stance. The figure is wrapped in layers of hemp rope into a ball-like shape revealing only its head and legs. Viewers may feel discomfort or pity for it at first, yet upon further observation, they will realize that it does not show unease but rather an emotional addiction at the moment of restraint of its flesh.
Works by Mono-ha Masters
Mono-ha was founded by SEKINE Nobuo along with Japanese and Korean artists between 1968-1970, and is now regarded as one of the most iconic modern art movements in postwar Japan. The movement has been championed for its inauguration of a uniquely Asian art form, manifested through the revitalization of Eastern philosophy in respect to its critique on Western culture.
The series “Phase Conception” that SEKINE Nobuo (1942-2019) created in the 1980s, and the series “Phase of Nothingness—Skin” and drawings presented in his last solo exhibition in Asia Art Center are specially exhibited in AAC’s booth. The works from the series “Phase Conception” are created with Japanese papers, gold leaf and black lead foil, which are as differing aspects of Yin and Yang. This series demonstrates that three-dimensional sculpture and two-dimensional painting are not really different from one another because in “phase conception”, painting is one of the topological spaces which includes three or even four dimensional spaces.“Phase of Nothingness—Skin” integrates topological theories (study of the properties of space) into artistic experimentation and examines the intrinsic quality of matter under different phases of transformation. The manifestation of topological phases through the creases and folds on canvas that reflect the spatial waves in the membrane of the universe. Recent cosmology suggests the possibility of contraction of the universe in future (despite the fact it is rapidly expanding ever since the Big Bang). In which case, the elastic canvas of “Phase of Nothingness-Skin” truly is a microcosm of the macrocosm. Each wrinkle and fold records a pinch of the universe.
HARAGUCHI Noriyuki (1946-) is the central figure of “Post-Mono-ha” Haraguchi Noriyuki, from “The Nichidai Connection” (Nihon University). He is distinctively recognized for the predominant use of industrial materials in his installation art that critiques on society. The “Wall and Wire Rope” works are specially made for his solo exhibition in 2019 at Asia Art Center Taipei, which adheres to his overarching theme of repurpose. In his compositions, objects abandoned, neglected or forgotten by society are once again revitalized as media of recalling memories, or perhaps as exhibits of re-thinking history. The plywood, wire rope, iron, plaster materials eminent in these works though still retain their industrial materialistic qualities, their once glossy surfaces are already dulled and muted; nevertheless, after their presumed functions as “objects” are completed, each is then liberated to regain its nature of “matter”.
The investigation of material and space of Koshimizu Susumu (1944-) resulted in some of Mono-ha’s most definitive artworks. His installations and sculptures focus on the qualities inherent to but not visible in an object and show concern for the materiality of objects—a desire to expose the fundamentals of sculpture, often revealed through juxtaposition. At the beginning of the 1970s, Koshimizu started to explore specifically the structure of surfaces with his continuous creations of the series “From Surface to Surface”, which align wood, textile and canvas to demonstrate the contrast of matters and objects. In 1980s, he has explored a variety of Japanese woods though the concept of “working tables.” AAC presents ones of the most important pieces of “From Surface to Surface,” the “From Surface to Surface-Peony Garden” and the feature work “Work Bench – Spicebush” in the series “Working Tables”.
YANG Chihung (1947-) began his series Eastern Poetics in 2011; the series merges the understanding and insight of Eastern aesthetics into his art while emphasizing on the power of spontaneity within. Yang builds a distinct expression on subconsciousness and transforms the essence of Chinese cursive calligraphy into the fundamentals in his abstract art, indulging himself in fluid brushstrokes on canvas. Exhibited works “Faith” and “Carefree Mood” are the epitome of a striking visual force that can be so wildly untamed – its fluidity brings out a restrained control within, displaying the artist’s profound ability and understanding of working large canvases. Yang creates abstract paintings out of life experiences and human consciousness, converting a moment in life into the intricate language of art for eternity.
The abstract works by DONG Shaw-Hwei (1962-) are built upon her astute observations of the external imagery of her surroundings and life experiences. While the canvas contains the elemental shapes of abstract art, in the realm of vague similarity, one can see flowers and trees growing in the courtyard, fences and potted plants, the play of the weather, and the atmosphere created by the interplay of light and darkness. On the one hand, these abstract paintings embody the artist’s deep emotions of life with an old courtyard. On the other, they display the rational analysis of the artist during her process of deconstructing forms and shapes. This opens up the generation of her personal abstract style. Dong’s abstract paintings have been heavily influenced by principles in modern Western art, but the intentions of her emotional connections are closely linked to the cultural traditions of the pastoral hermitism of Chinese literati. Hence the artist constantly devoting herself to the aesthetic of “quiet observation” and the echoes of this style appearing in the details have become another significant appearance of the system behind her artistic creations.
Indonesian Postwar Abstract Art
Fadjar SIDIK (1930-2004) was born in Surabaya, Indonesia. He joined the social realist group Sanggar Pelukis Rakyat (The People’s Painters Studio) under the tutelage of Hendra Gunawan and Sudarso in 1947, studied Literature at the Gadjah Mada University in 1952, and studied Painting at Indonesian Institute of the Arts, Yogyakarta in 1954. Distinct from his artistic peers’ pursuit in realist paintings, Fadjar Sidik committed to the creative innovation of abstracted forms and compositions, which cemented his irreplaceable contribution to the development of modern abstract art in Indonesia. By using geometric imagery of natural elements, his compositions explore the universal relationship that exists between the trinity of nature, space, and human, while reflecting the regional characteristics and spiritual consciousness of Indonesian culture. Fadjar Sidik’s works are collected by institutions, such as the National Gallery Indonesia, the Neka Art Museum, National Gallery Singapore, and the OHD Museum.
HANDRIO (1926-2010) was born in Purwakarta, Indonesia. He began his career of the art of painting by studying to Basuki Abdullah (1915-1993). Then, during the Japan Occupation, he studied to Sudjojono (1913-1986) and Agus Djaya (1913-1994) at Keimin Bunka Shidoso (Institute for People’s Education and Cultural Guidance) and Putera (Centre of People’s Power) in Jakarta. At first Handrio’s paintings were in realism and surrealism styles. In 1950s; he changed his style into the semi abstract style, analytically by breaking the geometric planes. This style was different from the styles of the painters in Yogyakarta who painted with the popular themes from realism, expressionism, to decorative styles. Handrio is best known in Indonesian art history for exploring the musicality of painting. He spent the greater part of his established artistic career answering the question, “why should paintings not be similar to music, having only sound and rhythm?” Handrio distinguished himself from his peers in Yogyakarta with his paintings of richly saturated color fields. Sensorial and intuitive in nature, his paintings suggest musicality through the visual features of rhythm and rhyme. The cleanly delineated lines also suggest Handrio’s interest in the ebb and flow of time and space. His works hint of utopian realities, be it in the futuristic age, in the artifice of still-life, or just simply a reality founded upon the fundamental belief in the orderliness of geometry.
Umi DACHLAN (1941-2009) was born in Cirebon, Indonesia. She is an abstract artist in the second generation of the Bandung School who is just now beginning to claim her rightful place within the postwar Indonesian art historical discourse. As the Institute of Technology, Bandung (ITB) Art Department’s third female graduate, Dachlan demonstrated the same consistency in innovation and creativity as other artists from the city of Bandung. Dachlan started out working from the principles of artist and ITB art professor Ahmad Sadali (1924-1987). After graduation and working tirelessly from 1969 to 1999, she gradually emerged from her teacher’s shadow to develop her own iconography, earning her a seat at the table within the discourse of Indonesian abstraction, alongside artists such as Mochtar Apin (1923-1994), Popo Iskandar (1927-2000) and A.D. Prious (b.1932). What sets Dachlan’s works apart is her use of elements such as the mixed-media addition of ancient coins to signify an association with the archaic, and the recognisable textural accents upon the surfaces, such as the 1979 work Untitled. Dachlan paints what touches her, literally, sparking off an imitation of textures of surfaces she comes into contact with in nature, such as that of the earth or rocks. Her abstraction of the forms she observes in nature results in symbolic rather than representational elements resting on the canvas surface. The combination of Dachlan’s personal alignment with philosophy and appreciation of nature results in the textural abundance and naturalistic forms that as appeared in her 1990 work Untitled. Philosophy and nature can be said to be two of her strongest aesthetic stimuluses, and abstraction was a style that she could most freely express the sensations she felt when immersed in nature.
Salon｜HONG Zhu An’s “Untitled”
HONG Zhu An (1955-) was born in Shanghai, China. He studied under the famous art scholar Wang Zidou and Prof. Huang Wei Yi at the Shanghai Art & Culture Institute and the Sichuan Art Academy respectively. He received his MA from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia, and LaSalle-SIA College of Arts, Singapore, in 1997; Ph.D. from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, in 2001; he currently lives and works in Singapore. Proficient in both Chinese and Western art, Hong’s compositions combine the energy from spontaneous calligraphic brushwork with a rich earth-tone palette. Though the layering of color planes, his works emanate a sense of simplistic serenity that offers insightful abstract interpretations upon the enchanting visuals. The exhibited work Untitled echoes a mental state which leads viewers into a contemplative or even meditative state of mind.
