Wandering in the Creative Play of Forms and Materials
2015.05.15～2015.07.12
09:00 - 17:00
text by Tsai Ken I have long been treating materials as the point of departure for my creations. What really concerns me is the relationship between materials. Previously, materials served as the media for tackling forms in space arts. In modern times, materials have been regarded as part of presentation. Materials are to forms what the jowls are to the jaws. The forms of my creations are generated from my treatment of materials. In other words, I do not envisage the forms of my works. This approach is completely different from the previous ways of presentation in space arts. Such a technique of presentation is associated with my viewpoint to the Dasein of things. Human beings co-exist with flora, fauna, as well as natural and artificial inanimate objects in this world. Humanity does not exist alone but live together with the whole creation. Accordingly, dealing with the whole creation has become an unavoidable task for us. Conflict and harmony are two possible scenarios of the relationship between humanity and the whole creation. So is the relationship among human beings. Since we were born different, we can choose to respect and appreciate each other, or struggle and fight with each other. My creations are inspired by my living experiences that are primarily contingent on my attitude and relation to the whole creation. The Uniformity of All Things, namely the second chapter of Zhuang Zi, stated that
Once life assumes its physical form, its parts do not cease to perform their functions till the very end comes. In conflict or harmony with things, life pursues its course with the speed of a galloping, unstoppable horse. Is it not thoroughly miserable?” This is the common fate of human beings, which prompts us to ponder on the way to deal with other things. I grasp such a relationship from the levels of body, mind, and soul. The level of body represents a physical relationship of direct contact. The level of mind indicates a chemical relationship of feeling. The level of soul is a fairly mysterious intersection of body and mind, which is the primary concern of my creations.
Object” is the major element of my works for this exhibition. An object is simultaneously a material and a form. These objects are arranged in a relational manner, encouraging constructive dialogues among materials, forms, and myself, and thereby shape the ultimate forms of the exhibited works. In other words, the ultimate forms of my works are shaped unconsciously. They are no longer visual forms but spiritual constructions. I reduce my disposal of materials to just settling these objects. Therefore, the arrangement of objects becomes the kernel of the spiritual constructions. The seemingly arbitrary arrangement of objects reflects the relationship between objects and myself, which is why I wittily call my creative approach as
wandering in the fantasy of forms and materials.” My creations reflect the status of my life at that very moment. The experiences in my quotidian life constitute the proof of my existence. I create works by completely following my heart and persisting in my own way. Working in the atelier has become an indispensable part of my life. There are many ongoing works in the atelier because I do not set specific deadlines for their completion. Not knowing when they got started and when they will be finished, I let the time call the shot. In my 1997 solo exhibition Beyond the Form, Beyond the Horizon, I have clarified that the point of departure for my creations is not the form per se but a game of material integration. In recent years, my creations have switched to combining objects made of different materials. The form is gradually constructed through the search for objects and the integration of materials. In Western space arts, materials are subject to forms that serve as the core of artworks. Inspired by Lao Zi (Daodejing), I do it exactly the opposite; to wit, treating materials as the core that is followed by forms. I dare not to cite Lao Zi here but to simply quote the final sentence in Chapter seventy-eight of this classic:
Orthodox sayings are seemingly reversed.” Forms and materials are two magic keys to conveying my ideas embedded in my works. Since I cherish objects, I find great delight in collecting, arranging, storing, and staying with objects. I am firmly convinced that objects have their own souls. Objects will communicate with you as your pets do. You will understand each other after spending time together. The spiritual intersection will become real enjoyment of life. The integration between objects and myself not only demonstrates my philosophy of life but also allows me to transcend the confrontation and wandering in absolute freedom. The Uniformity of All Things stated that
It is inherent in everything that it is something. It is inherent in everything that it should be approved. There is nothing that is not something. There is nothing that should not be approved.” The chapter also claimed that
Everything has its ‘that side’ and ‘this side’. What is ignored from ‘that side’ may be perceived from ‘this side’, which means that ‘this side’ and ‘that side’ give rise to each other.” However, we tend to judge the whole creation subjectively with the rigid dichotomies of good/bad, worthy/unworthy, right/wrong, useful/useless, beneficial/ detrimental, and so forth. Co-existing amidst the heaven and the earth, all things are actually created equal. Being different notwithstanding, they complement and manifest one another. So are human beings. Everyone has his/her own limits and characteristics that complement/reflect and can be complemented/reflected by those of others. Differences give rise to dramatic tension that may exude considerable aesthetic charm if we apply it appropriately. In other words, I coordinate the relationships among these objects according to aesthetic principles, allowing them to be associated with the whole from their respective positions. In fact, they co-exist in the world rather than stand in isolation. Based on my philosophy of life, everything is relative and complementary to others. I have been trying to embody such a philosophy in my life. After forty years of creation, I discard skills and techniques, turning to the combination of objects in order to fulfill such a philosophy. My practice also echoes the words by Zhuang Zi:
Set your mind at flight by going along with things as they are and cultivate your mind by resigning yourself to the inevitable,” through which I fulfill my aspiration. Human beings continuously seek to locate themselves in the era that things change rapidly. The highly materialized civilization offers human beings many options that were unavailable in the past. However, do human beings take options or options dictate human beings? We achieve happiness in order to create greater possibilities. Nevertheless, does the realization of happiness entail so many conditions? Is a simple life really a fairy tale? After I enter my sixties, these questions keep bombarding me. Reading Daodejing and Zhuang Zi brings me great consolation. Sometimes I may feel that such a practice seems to run against the Zeitgeist of modern times. However, I indeed find inner sustenance from the ancient wisdom that has the power of tranquilizing human minds and souls. The trajectory of my creations evolves from the exhibitions Still Life in 2006, The Great Form without Shape in 2009, and Forty Years of Forming in 2010. My 2015 solo exhibition is associated with the exhibition Round Melon, Melon Ground in 2000 that featured my idea of
fulfilling my aspiration by returning to the nature.” I adopt Wandering in the Creative Play of Forms and Materials as the title of this solo exhibition. It faithfully reflects the course of my sixty-five years of life. One of the exhibited works, The Forms Embedded in the World is originally entitled as The Great Form without Shape in my 2009 solo exhibition. I intend to use the retitled work to embody my philosophy of life, that is, life is a process from creatio ex nihilo to the state in which individuality is extinguished and absorbed into the supreme spirit. Epilogue My house perches at the root of mountains with a view of the sea. The study and the atelier sit vis-à-vis. Datun Mountain looms on the right side beneath the canopy. I go through the following daily routines: observing the nature in the daytime and reading ancient classics at night. I follow my heart right up to the end. I set my mind at flight by going along with things as they are and cultivate my mind by resigning myself to the inevitable, through which I fulfill my aspiration. This is the way I persist in my career as an artist. 15 May 2014, a year before the exhibition A day after the 36th wedding anniversary
Once life assumes its physical form, its parts do not cease to perform their functions till the very end comes. In conflict or harmony with things, life pursues its course with the speed of a galloping, unstoppable horse. Is it not thoroughly miserable?” This is the common fate of human beings, which prompts us to ponder on the way to deal with other things. I grasp such a relationship from the levels of body, mind, and soul. The level of body represents a physical relationship of direct contact. The level of mind indicates a chemical relationship of feeling. The level of soul is a fairly mysterious intersection of body and mind, which is the primary concern of my creations.
Object” is the major element of my works for this exhibition. An object is simultaneously a material and a form. These objects are arranged in a relational manner, encouraging constructive dialogues among materials, forms, and myself, and thereby shape the ultimate forms of the exhibited works. In other words, the ultimate forms of my works are shaped unconsciously. They are no longer visual forms but spiritual constructions. I reduce my disposal of materials to just settling these objects. Therefore, the arrangement of objects becomes the kernel of the spiritual constructions. The seemingly arbitrary arrangement of objects reflects the relationship between objects and myself, which is why I wittily call my creative approach as
wandering in the fantasy of forms and materials.” My creations reflect the status of my life at that very moment. The experiences in my quotidian life constitute the proof of my existence. I create works by completely following my heart and persisting in my own way. Working in the atelier has become an indispensable part of my life. There are many ongoing works in the atelier because I do not set specific deadlines for their completion. Not knowing when they got started and when they will be finished, I let the time call the shot. In my 1997 solo exhibition Beyond the Form, Beyond the Horizon, I have clarified that the point of departure for my creations is not the form per se but a game of material integration. In recent years, my creations have switched to combining objects made of different materials. The form is gradually constructed through the search for objects and the integration of materials. In Western space arts, materials are subject to forms that serve as the core of artworks. Inspired by Lao Zi (Daodejing), I do it exactly the opposite; to wit, treating materials as the core that is followed by forms. I dare not to cite Lao Zi here but to simply quote the final sentence in Chapter seventy-eight of this classic:
Orthodox sayings are seemingly reversed.” Forms and materials are two magic keys to conveying my ideas embedded in my works. Since I cherish objects, I find great delight in collecting, arranging, storing, and staying with objects. I am firmly convinced that objects have their own souls. Objects will communicate with you as your pets do. You will understand each other after spending time together. The spiritual intersection will become real enjoyment of life. The integration between objects and myself not only demonstrates my philosophy of life but also allows me to transcend the confrontation and wandering in absolute freedom. The Uniformity of All Things stated that
It is inherent in everything that it is something. It is inherent in everything that it should be approved. There is nothing that is not something. There is nothing that should not be approved.” The chapter also claimed that
Everything has its ‘that side’ and ‘this side’. What is ignored from ‘that side’ may be perceived from ‘this side’, which means that ‘this side’ and ‘that side’ give rise to each other.” However, we tend to judge the whole creation subjectively with the rigid dichotomies of good/bad, worthy/unworthy, right/wrong, useful/useless, beneficial/ detrimental, and so forth. Co-existing amidst the heaven and the earth, all things are actually created equal. Being different notwithstanding, they complement and manifest one another. So are human beings. Everyone has his/her own limits and characteristics that complement/reflect and can be complemented/reflected by those of others. Differences give rise to dramatic tension that may exude considerable aesthetic charm if we apply it appropriately. In other words, I coordinate the relationships among these objects according to aesthetic principles, allowing them to be associated with the whole from their respective positions. In fact, they co-exist in the world rather than stand in isolation. Based on my philosophy of life, everything is relative and complementary to others. I have been trying to embody such a philosophy in my life. After forty years of creation, I discard skills and techniques, turning to the combination of objects in order to fulfill such a philosophy. My practice also echoes the words by Zhuang Zi:
Set your mind at flight by going along with things as they are and cultivate your mind by resigning yourself to the inevitable,” through which I fulfill my aspiration. Human beings continuously seek to locate themselves in the era that things change rapidly. The highly materialized civilization offers human beings many options that were unavailable in the past. However, do human beings take options or options dictate human beings? We achieve happiness in order to create greater possibilities. Nevertheless, does the realization of happiness entail so many conditions? Is a simple life really a fairy tale? After I enter my sixties, these questions keep bombarding me. Reading Daodejing and Zhuang Zi brings me great consolation. Sometimes I may feel that such a practice seems to run against the Zeitgeist of modern times. However, I indeed find inner sustenance from the ancient wisdom that has the power of tranquilizing human minds and souls. The trajectory of my creations evolves from the exhibitions Still Life in 2006, The Great Form without Shape in 2009, and Forty Years of Forming in 2010. My 2015 solo exhibition is associated with the exhibition Round Melon, Melon Ground in 2000 that featured my idea of
fulfilling my aspiration by returning to the nature.” I adopt Wandering in the Creative Play of Forms and Materials as the title of this solo exhibition. It faithfully reflects the course of my sixty-five years of life. One of the exhibited works, The Forms Embedded in the World is originally entitled as The Great Form without Shape in my 2009 solo exhibition. I intend to use the retitled work to embody my philosophy of life, that is, life is a process from creatio ex nihilo to the state in which individuality is extinguished and absorbed into the supreme spirit. Epilogue My house perches at the root of mountains with a view of the sea. The study and the atelier sit vis-à-vis. Datun Mountain looms on the right side beneath the canopy. I go through the following daily routines: observing the nature in the daytime and reading ancient classics at night. I follow my heart right up to the end. I set my mind at flight by going along with things as they are and cultivate my mind by resigning myself to the inevitable, through which I fulfill my aspiration. This is the way I persist in my career as an artist. 15 May 2014, a year before the exhibition A day after the 36th wedding anniversary
text by Tsai Ken I have long been treating materials as the point of departure for my creations. What really concerns me is the relationship between materials. Previously, materials served as the media for tackling forms in space arts. In modern times, materials have been regarded as part of presentation. Materials are to forms what the jowls are to the jaws. The forms of my creations are generated from my treatment of materials. In other words, I do not envisage the forms of my works. This approach is completely different from the previous ways of presentation in space arts. Such a technique of presentation is associated with my viewpoint to the Dasein of things. Human beings co-exist with flora, fauna, as well as natural and artificial inanimate objects in this world. Humanity does not exist alone but live together with the whole creation. Accordingly, dealing with the whole creation has become an unavoidable task for us. Conflict and harmony are two possible scenarios of the relationship between humanity and the whole creation. So is the relationship among human beings. Since we were born different, we can choose to respect and appreciate each other, or struggle and fight with each other. My creations are inspired by my living experiences that are primarily contingent on my attitude and relation to the whole creation. The Uniformity of All Things, namely the second chapter of Zhuang Zi, stated that
Once life assumes its physical form, its parts do not cease to perform their functions till the very end comes. In conflict or harmony with things, life pursues its course with the speed of a galloping, unstoppable horse. Is it not thoroughly miserable?” This is the common fate of human beings, which prompts us to ponder on the way to deal with other things. I grasp such a relationship from the levels of body, mind, and soul. The level of body represents a physical relationship of direct contact. The level of mind indicates a chemical relationship of feeling. The level of soul is a fairly mysterious intersection of body and mind, which is the primary concern of my creations.
Object” is the major element of my works for this exhibition. An object is simultaneously a material and a form. These objects are arranged in a relational manner, encouraging constructive dialogues among materials, forms, and myself, and thereby shape the ultimate forms of the exhibited works. In other words, the ultimate forms of my works are shaped unconsciously. They are no longer visual forms but spiritual constructions. I reduce my disposal of materials to just settling these objects. Therefore, the arrangement of objects becomes the kernel of the spiritual constructions. The seemingly arbitrary arrangement of objects reflects the relationship between objects and myself, which is why I wittily call my creative approach as
wandering in the fantasy of forms and materials.” My creations reflect the status of my life at that very moment. The experiences in my quotidian life constitute the proof of my existence. I create works by completely following my heart and persisting in my own way. Working in the atelier has become an indispensable part of my life. There are many ongoing works in the atelier because I do not set specific deadlines for their completion. Not knowing when they got started and when they will be finished, I let the time call the shot. In my 1997 solo exhibition Beyond the Form, Beyond the Horizon, I have clarified that the point of departure for my creations is not the form per se but a game of material integration. In recent years, my creations have switched to combining objects made of different materials. The form is gradually constructed through the search for objects and the integration of materials. In Western space arts, materials are subject to forms that serve as the core of artworks. Inspired by Lao Zi (Daodejing), I do it exactly the opposite; to wit, treating materials as the core that is followed by forms. I dare not to cite Lao Zi here but to simply quote the final sentence in Chapter seventy-eight of this classic:
Orthodox sayings are seemingly reversed.” Forms and materials are two magic keys to conveying my ideas embedded in my works. Since I cherish objects, I find great delight in collecting, arranging, storing, and staying with objects. I am firmly convinced that objects have their own souls. Objects will communicate with you as your pets do. You will understand each other after spending time together. The spiritual intersection will become real enjoyment of life. The integration between objects and myself not only demonstrates my philosophy of life but also allows me to transcend the confrontation and wandering in absolute freedom. The Uniformity of All Things stated that
It is inherent in everything that it is something. It is inherent in everything that it should be approved. There is nothing that is not something. There is nothing that should not be approved.” The chapter also claimed that
Everything has its ‘that side’ and ‘this side’. What is ignored from ‘that side’ may be perceived from ‘this side’, which means that ‘this side’ and ‘that side’ give rise to each other.” However, we tend to judge the whole creation subjectively with the rigid dichotomies of good/bad, worthy/unworthy, right/wrong, useful/useless, beneficial/ detrimental, and so forth. Co-existing amidst the heaven and the earth, all things are actually created equal. Being different notwithstanding, they complement and manifest one another. So are human beings. Everyone has his/her own limits and characteristics that complement/reflect and can be complemented/reflected by those of others. Differences give rise to dramatic tension that may exude considerable aesthetic charm if we apply it appropriately. In other words, I coordinate the relationships among these objects according to aesthetic principles, allowing them to be associated with the whole from their respective positions. In fact, they co-exist in the world rather than stand in isolation. Based on my philosophy of life, everything is relative and complementary to others. I have been trying to embody such a philosophy in my life. After forty years of creation, I discard skills and techniques, turning to the combination of objects in order to fulfill such a philosophy. My practice also echoes the words by Zhuang Zi:
Set your mind at flight by going along with things as they are and cultivate your mind by resigning yourself to the inevitable,” through which I fulfill my aspiration. Human beings continuously seek to locate themselves in the era that things change rapidly. The highly materialized civilization offers human beings many options that were unavailable in the past. However, do human beings take options or options dictate human beings? We achieve happiness in order to create greater possibilities. Nevertheless, does the realization of happiness entail so many conditions? Is a simple life really a fairy tale? After I enter my sixties, these questions keep bombarding me. Reading Daodejing and Zhuang Zi brings me great consolation. Sometimes I may feel that such a practice seems to run against the Zeitgeist of modern times. However, I indeed find inner sustenance from the ancient wisdom that has the power of tranquilizing human minds and souls. The trajectory of my creations evolves from the exhibitions Still Life in 2006, The Great Form without Shape in 2009, and Forty Years of Forming in 2010. My 2015 solo exhibition is associated with the exhibition Round Melon, Melon Ground in 2000 that featured my idea of
fulfilling my aspiration by returning to the nature.” I adopt Wandering in the Creative Play of Forms and Materials as the title of this solo exhibition. It faithfully reflects the course of my sixty-five years of life. One of the exhibited works, The Forms Embedded in the World is originally entitled as The Great Form without Shape in my 2009 solo exhibition. I intend to use the retitled work to embody my philosophy of life, that is, life is a process from creatio ex nihilo to the state in which individuality is extinguished and absorbed into the supreme spirit. Epilogue My house perches at the root of mountains with a view of the sea. The study and the atelier sit vis-à-vis. Datun Mountain looms on the right side beneath the canopy. I go through the following daily routines: observing the nature in the daytime and reading ancient classics at night. I follow my heart right up to the end. I set my mind at flight by going along with things as they are and cultivate my mind by resigning myself to the inevitable, through which I fulfill my aspiration. This is the way I persist in my career as an artist. 15 May 2014, a year before the exhibition A day after the 36th wedding anniversary
Once life assumes its physical form, its parts do not cease to perform their functions till the very end comes. In conflict or harmony with things, life pursues its course with the speed of a galloping, unstoppable horse. Is it not thoroughly miserable?” This is the common fate of human beings, which prompts us to ponder on the way to deal with other things. I grasp such a relationship from the levels of body, mind, and soul. The level of body represents a physical relationship of direct contact. The level of mind indicates a chemical relationship of feeling. The level of soul is a fairly mysterious intersection of body and mind, which is the primary concern of my creations.
Object” is the major element of my works for this exhibition. An object is simultaneously a material and a form. These objects are arranged in a relational manner, encouraging constructive dialogues among materials, forms, and myself, and thereby shape the ultimate forms of the exhibited works. In other words, the ultimate forms of my works are shaped unconsciously. They are no longer visual forms but spiritual constructions. I reduce my disposal of materials to just settling these objects. Therefore, the arrangement of objects becomes the kernel of the spiritual constructions. The seemingly arbitrary arrangement of objects reflects the relationship between objects and myself, which is why I wittily call my creative approach as
wandering in the fantasy of forms and materials.” My creations reflect the status of my life at that very moment. The experiences in my quotidian life constitute the proof of my existence. I create works by completely following my heart and persisting in my own way. Working in the atelier has become an indispensable part of my life. There are many ongoing works in the atelier because I do not set specific deadlines for their completion. Not knowing when they got started and when they will be finished, I let the time call the shot. In my 1997 solo exhibition Beyond the Form, Beyond the Horizon, I have clarified that the point of departure for my creations is not the form per se but a game of material integration. In recent years, my creations have switched to combining objects made of different materials. The form is gradually constructed through the search for objects and the integration of materials. In Western space arts, materials are subject to forms that serve as the core of artworks. Inspired by Lao Zi (Daodejing), I do it exactly the opposite; to wit, treating materials as the core that is followed by forms. I dare not to cite Lao Zi here but to simply quote the final sentence in Chapter seventy-eight of this classic:
Orthodox sayings are seemingly reversed.” Forms and materials are two magic keys to conveying my ideas embedded in my works. Since I cherish objects, I find great delight in collecting, arranging, storing, and staying with objects. I am firmly convinced that objects have their own souls. Objects will communicate with you as your pets do. You will understand each other after spending time together. The spiritual intersection will become real enjoyment of life. The integration between objects and myself not only demonstrates my philosophy of life but also allows me to transcend the confrontation and wandering in absolute freedom. The Uniformity of All Things stated that
It is inherent in everything that it is something. It is inherent in everything that it should be approved. There is nothing that is not something. There is nothing that should not be approved.” The chapter also claimed that
Everything has its ‘that side’ and ‘this side’. What is ignored from ‘that side’ may be perceived from ‘this side’, which means that ‘this side’ and ‘that side’ give rise to each other.” However, we tend to judge the whole creation subjectively with the rigid dichotomies of good/bad, worthy/unworthy, right/wrong, useful/useless, beneficial/ detrimental, and so forth. Co-existing amidst the heaven and the earth, all things are actually created equal. Being different notwithstanding, they complement and manifest one another. So are human beings. Everyone has his/her own limits and characteristics that complement/reflect and can be complemented/reflected by those of others. Differences give rise to dramatic tension that may exude considerable aesthetic charm if we apply it appropriately. In other words, I coordinate the relationships among these objects according to aesthetic principles, allowing them to be associated with the whole from their respective positions. In fact, they co-exist in the world rather than stand in isolation. Based on my philosophy of life, everything is relative and complementary to others. I have been trying to embody such a philosophy in my life. After forty years of creation, I discard skills and techniques, turning to the combination of objects in order to fulfill such a philosophy. My practice also echoes the words by Zhuang Zi:
Set your mind at flight by going along with things as they are and cultivate your mind by resigning yourself to the inevitable,” through which I fulfill my aspiration. Human beings continuously seek to locate themselves in the era that things change rapidly. The highly materialized civilization offers human beings many options that were unavailable in the past. However, do human beings take options or options dictate human beings? We achieve happiness in order to create greater possibilities. Nevertheless, does the realization of happiness entail so many conditions? Is a simple life really a fairy tale? After I enter my sixties, these questions keep bombarding me. Reading Daodejing and Zhuang Zi brings me great consolation. Sometimes I may feel that such a practice seems to run against the Zeitgeist of modern times. However, I indeed find inner sustenance from the ancient wisdom that has the power of tranquilizing human minds and souls. The trajectory of my creations evolves from the exhibitions Still Life in 2006, The Great Form without Shape in 2009, and Forty Years of Forming in 2010. My 2015 solo exhibition is associated with the exhibition Round Melon, Melon Ground in 2000 that featured my idea of
fulfilling my aspiration by returning to the nature.” I adopt Wandering in the Creative Play of Forms and Materials as the title of this solo exhibition. It faithfully reflects the course of my sixty-five years of life. One of the exhibited works, The Forms Embedded in the World is originally entitled as The Great Form without Shape in my 2009 solo exhibition. I intend to use the retitled work to embody my philosophy of life, that is, life is a process from creatio ex nihilo to the state in which individuality is extinguished and absorbed into the supreme spirit. Epilogue My house perches at the root of mountains with a view of the sea. The study and the atelier sit vis-à-vis. Datun Mountain looms on the right side beneath the canopy. I go through the following daily routines: observing the nature in the daytime and reading ancient classics at night. I follow my heart right up to the end. I set my mind at flight by going along with things as they are and cultivate my mind by resigning myself to the inevitable, through which I fulfill my aspiration. This is the way I persist in my career as an artist. 15 May 2014, a year before the exhibition A day after the 36th wedding anniversary
Works
