Pioneers of Post-War Modernism in Taiwan
Booth | M05 Frieze Masters
Artist | Yuyu YANG, CHU Weibor, JU Ming,
Date | 3-6 September 2025
VIP Preview
3 Sep 2025 (Wed) 11:00 - 19:00
4 Sep 2025 (Thurs) 11:00 - 15:00
General Audience
4 Sep 2025 (Thurs) 15:00 - 19:00
5 Sep 2025 (Fri) 11:00 - 19:00
6 Sep 2025 (Sat) 11:00 - 19:00
Asia Art Center has long established itself as a key advocate for post-war modern masters and is honoured to present works by three seminal figures in post-war Taiwanese art – Yuyu YANG (1926–1997), CHU Weibor (1929–2018), and JU Ming (1938–2023) – at Frieze Seoul, one of the most prestigious art fairs in the world. The gallery engaged in sustained collaboration with each of these artists over many years prior to assuming formal representation of their estates. Through sustained research and international engagement, Asia Art Center has helped position their practices within the evolving narrative of Taiwanese modern and contemporary art. Highlights from this presentation include a rare edition of Yuyu Yang's Sika Deer from his famed poetic calligraphy series; Flow of Ideas by Chu Weibor which has never before been shown publicly; as well as sculptures from Ju Ming's internationally acclaimed Taichi Series.
The chiselled lines in Ju Ming's Taichi Series reveal a technical lineage traceable to Yuyu Yang's technique from Taroko Gorge and The Tower of Dreams, both executed using moulds carved in polystyrene and cast in copper or bronze, materials favoured by both artists. The delicate yet rhythmic small-scale Taichi Arch sees the transformation from a duo of figures engaged in martial art to a harmoniously balanced arch. Flow of Ideas breaks away from two-dimensionality with Chu Weibor's iconic manipulation of fabrics, creating a surface with the effect of a relief-sculpture. Chu's pioneering ink and paper cutting method applied on Dynamic and Pass Down II echo Sika Deer from Yuyu Yang's Calligraphy Series, with poetic flowing lines derived from classical Chinese literati art.
The works presented date from 1962, the height of Taiwan's avant-garde movements such as Fifth Moon and the Ton Fan art groups which both Yuyu Yang and Chu Weibor were respectively associated with, to Ju Ming's evolution of the Taichi Arch Series in 1998, spanning nearly four decades. Together, they trace a critical arc in Taiwanese art history, a period when artists not only assimilated Western influences but also championed local cultural expression. Their enduring legacies continue to inform and inspire contemporary art practice today.
Yuyu YANG (1926-1997)
Also known as Yang Ying-feng, the multidisciplinary artist created more than 2,500 works during his lifetime. Yang is best known for his innovative sculptures, such as the renowned landscape sculpture Advent of the Phoenix, created for Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan. His contributions to modern art made him a key influencer in Taiwan's sculpture scene, impacting artists like Ju Ming. Yang's love for nature stemmed from his childhood in the beautiful landscapes of Yilan, where he was immersed in natural surroundings from a young age, fostering a deep passion for art in clay sculpture and paper cutting. His educational journey in architecture at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts and his three-year stay in Italy provided him with experiences that led to a realization of the differences between Eastern and Western cultures, aesthetics, and philosophies. He gradually moved away from the excessive use and development of Western technology and materialism, embracing the Chinese philosophical concept of ''unity of heaven and humanity,'' which advocates for harmonious coexistence between humans (microcosm) and the natural environment (macrocosm).
CHU Weibor (1929-2018)
Inspired by Lucio Fontana (1899-1968), founder of Spatialism, Chu Weibor devoted himself to a long-term exploration of Spatialism by slashing his canvas to create spaces of hollowness and bulges, such creative method that shows Chu's spirituality as he pursued a philosophical artistic narrative. Chu's iconic manipulation of fabrics creates a surface with the effect of a relief-sculpture that breaks away from two-dimensionality; whilst his pioneering ink and paper cutting method applied on his works on paper echo the flowing lines derived from classical Chinese literati art. Chu had exhibited in established public and private institutions including the Bechtel International Center of Stanford University, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, 4th and 6th Biennial of British Prints in England, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, and Shanghai Art Museum. As one of the core members of the Ton Fan Art Group, which significantly changed the history of art in Taiwan, Chu's works continue to inspire and influence artists of this generation.
JU Ming (1938-2023)
A sculptor of unparalleled prominence in the Chinese-speaking world, Ju Ming's strong sense of humanistic concern and the rugged, chiseled characteristics of his work immediately garnered widespread attention, making him a significant symbol amidst waves of cultural movements in the 1970s calling to revisit and revive native Taiwanese cultures.
Ju Ming became the first artist from the Chinese-speaking world to exhibit at Place Vendôme in France in 1997, marking the pinnacle of his international artistic acclaim. Since then, his works have been exhibited in prestigious museums in various cities, including Luxembourg, Brussels, Berlin, Beijing, and Hong Kong, where they have been acquired and collected. In 1999, Ju Ming realized a momentous dream with the opening of the ''Ju Ming Museum,'' a project he conceived and executed himself, bringing his vision of “planting seeds of art” to fruition. As the largest artwork in his entire artistic career, the museum symbolizes the artist's enduring commitment to making a meaningful contribution to society.
Frieze Highlights | https://www.frieze.com/article/standout-masters-galleries-frieze-seoul-2025
