Exhibiting Artists | CHEN Ting-Shih, Yuyu YANG (YANG Ying-feng), FONG Chung-Ray, CHUANG Che, CHU Weibor, LEE Shi-Chi, JU Ming
First Choice (by invitation only)
Wednesday, March 25. 12:00 - 20:00
First Choice and Preview VIP Days (by invitation only)
Wednesday, March 25. 15:00 - 20:00
Thursday, March 26. 12:00 - 16:00
Friday, March 27. 12:00 - 14:00
Saturday, March 28. 12:00 - 14:00
Sunday, March 29. 11:00 - 12:00
Vernissage
Thursday, March 26. 16:00 - 20:00
Public Days
Friday, March 27. 14:00 - 20:00
Saturday, March 28. 14:00 - 20:00
Sunday, March 29. 12:00 - 18:00
In 2026, Asia Art Center revisits a pivotal moment in the history of postwar Taiwanese modern art by presenting key artists who led the emergence of modernist art collectives. The exhibition features works by CHEN Ting-Shih (1913-2002), Yuyu YANG (YANG Ying-feng, 1926-1997), FONG Chung-Ray (1934-), CHUANG Che (1934-), CHU Weibor (1929-2018), LEE Shi-Chi (1938-2019), and JU Ming (1938-2023). Through their practices, the exhibition examines how modernism took root in Taiwan through avant-garde groups such as the Fifth Moon Group and the Eastern Painting Society. By integrating classical Eastern philosophy with modern visual language, these artists redefined abstraction within an Asian visual context and forged a distinctive trajectory within global modernism. The exhibition seeks to reintroduce their artistic achievements to an international audience while reconsidering Taiwan's place within the broader narrative of postwar art history.
During the 1950s and 1960s, as Abstract Expressionism spread across the world and carried the ideological aspirations of the free world, Taiwan's art scene also advanced rapidly. Cultural exchange was limited and access to global information remained constrained. Nevertheless, artists and cultural practitioners actively sought dialogue with international avant-garde movements and repeatedly raised a fundamental question: What could modern art represent in Taiwan? From this inquiry emerged one of the most important chapters in Taiwanese art history, the rise of modernist art collectives. As a Cold War frontier, Taiwan occupied a geopolitically marginal yet culturally dynamic position. Within this context, art became a crucial medium through which artists articulated local identity and philosophical reflection. While responding to global abstraction, Taiwanese artists also drew upon Chinese cultural traditions, developing hybrid visual vocabularies shaped by both rebellion and inheritance.
Chen Ting-Shih began experimenting with bagasse boards in 1957, transforming this locally sourced agricultural byproduct into an innovative medium for printmaking. His prints were not reproductions but original works grounded in material experimentation, expressing a visual language that was distinctly Taiwanese in both form and spirit. Yuyu Yang, one of the most influential postwar artists in Taiwan, developed a sculptural language characterized by abstraction, linear penetration, and spatial construction during his bronze period. His work Sika Deer (1962) exemplifies a sense of lightness, poetic rhythm, and vitality. Later, his stainless-steel sculpture Advent of the Phoenix (1) (1970) transformed the delicate aesthetics of traditional papercutting into monumental steel structures, embodying the Daoist ideal of harmony between humanity and nature. Chu Weibor moved beyond the limitations of the pictorial surface to explore Taoist concepts of duality, including presence and absence, void and form, within minimalist structures. His later work Hongxi (2017) conveys a sense of clarity and quiet spiritual warmth.
Fong Chung-Ray, deeply influenced by calligraphy and Zen Buddhism, incorporated Chinese characters into abstract compositions. Through collage and layered pigments, his paintings evoke a contemplative atmosphere that resonates with the insight of the Diamond Sutra: All conditioned phenomena are like a dream, an illusion. Chuang Che's painting As Lofty as a Mountain (1960) marks a pivotal moment in his artistic development. In this work, traditional ink brushwork intersects with Western Abstract Expressionism. Drawing inspiration from the natural world, it laid the foundation for his lifelong synthesis of Eastern aesthetics and modern painting. Lee Shi-Chi developed a distinctive visual language by combining the refined cultural spirit of the Han dynasty with modern material experimentation. His remarkable series The Elegance of Han Dynasty: Oriental 2014-1 (2014) distills the clarity of his artistic vision while reflecting a profound cultural depth. As a disciple of Yuyu Yang, Ju Ming observed the dynamics of the human body with exceptional sensitivity. His renowned Taichi Series, Living World Series, and Living World Series: Ballet balance realism and abstraction through simplified forms and expressive movement. The largest work in the booth also recalls Ju Ming’s 1997 exhibition at Place Vendôme in Paris, where he became the first artist of Chinese descent to present work at that historic square.
Together, the practices of these artists reveal how Taiwanese modernism gradually emerged within the complex intersection of geopolitics and cultural tradition. Each artist developed a distinctive visual language while seeking to reconcile inherited philosophical thought with modern aesthetics. Their works offer profound insights into cultural subjectivity, identity, and the evolving trajectory of contemporary art.
