2023.10.07 － 2023.12.14
Flora of Formosa: Yang Chung-Ming Solo Exhibition
In realms of mist, both fragile and shattered,
A mystic ash, in ethereal glow, scattered.
Amidst the void, a myriad of scenes unfurled,
My heart enchanted, yet in pieces it swirled.
A mere step away, forging a fresh visage for Taiwan’s Fine Art Prints
In 2015, Yang Chung-Ming transcended three centuries, gazing back at the antique literatures of the Ming and Qing dynasties, crafting a contemporary response “A Dream of Wandering in a Garden.”
In 2019, delving into the narrative of the flip side of time, exploring the contrast between death and life, following the artistry of master horologists, discovering the “Eternal Echoes.”
In 2023, the time-worn artifacts within the laboratory, discovered as beauty in the eyes of the artist, gave birth to the resplendent “Flora of Formosa.”
Yang Chung-Ming’s artworks always race forward at a pace that leaves us almost breathless, each artistic unveiling is a subversion. While people were still entranced by the elegant and tranquil mezzotint prints of his “Timeless” exhibition, the boundaries of Fine Art Prints have quietly expanded into a universe we could never have imagined or identified.
When you are moved solely by the beauty of a “Blank Paper”
In the 20th century, Fine Art Prints bore witness to the emergence of numerous iconic works due to the diversification of mediums and the contributions of outstanding artists. Particularly in the realm of “board/plate,” audacious experiments unfolded, resulting in magnificent visual achievements, such as Joan Miró’s carborundum technique and Zao Wou-Ki’s dust etching method.
Building upon this historical foundation, Yang Chung-Ming ventured even further, pondering the possibilities of “medium” and “substrate.” He once attempted to make the “matrix” used in the printmaking process the main focus of his creations, and this exhibition takes it a step further by liberating “Paper” from its age-old role as a mere carrier for ink.
Starting with the scientific perspective of “Handmade paper,” Yang Chung-Ming combined the principles of creative printmaking with expertise in fiber research from the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute. In the laboratory, encountered countless challenges, but through years of dedication from both the artist and scientists, spaces, objects, and botanical specimens left behind from the Japanese colonial era have been resurrected in their most exquisite form, as if returning from a distant time.
In the ‘Flora of Formosa’ exhibition, what unfolds before the viewer’s eyes are sheets of paper untouched by a single drop of ink, delicate and heart-rending. Bathed in either subtle or intense illumination, each page presents a beauty that is both real and surreal, simultaneously captivating the soul. As Yang Chung-Ming’s fine art prints stand at the forefront of printmaking art, his artworks evoke the profound beauty of objects, directing with clarity toward the deepest emotions residing within people’s hearts.
中文