《Artist Statement》 Generally speaking, the creation of etchings is conditioned by the size of intaglio presses, upon which the size of finished artworks rest. During 1994 and 1995, I created the work Duo by collaging three plates. As early as that time, I conceived an etching which would be at least one to two meters in length, in an attempt to transcend the confines of the size of intaglio presses. Nevertheless, I did not put the conception into practice, because I left Paris and stayed in Taiwan during 1996 and 1998. In that period, I created instead three associated pieces of works, namely Nostalghia, Plateaux, and Formosa. After collecting clear and sharp photographs and several sketches, I returned to Paris and embarked on an arduous journey of creating the work Le temps scellé—the scenery of Taiwan’s northeast coast in the second half of 1999. In this work, the disused copper mine, the mountain-scape, and the seascape were originally three independent projects. I decided to combine them into one in 2000 when I was etching the third plate. The finished work consisted of twelve plates that were totally six meters in length. These constitutive plates can be admired not only individually but also collectively, which granted this work an endless flow of vitality. In the six years of the creative process, I spend considerable time conceiving and etching the scenery on these copper plates, striving to capture all the details of the scenery and faithfully represent them in this work. What I expected and felt at the time of naming this work was to seal the space-time I have experienced in the copper plates as much as possible. The images in my mind, the sketches, and the details of scenery recorded in the photographs collectively represent
the time of the past;” while the content of this work represents
the time of the present.” The finished work may carry different meanings when I review it or present it to others. The different meanings generated from different perspectives imply not only the extension of this work but also the unknown
time of the future.” The coastline was an indispensable part in my background of growth. I also witnessed the change in the scenery. In the river of time, everything moves forwards and finally demises. I depicted the coastline out of my nostalgic yearning, regarding preserving the traces of our quotidian existence as a challenge to myself. The traces were already left on the work. However, I am still caught in a permanent race with time, which makes me as miserable as Kua-fu who was eager yet failed to chase and catch the Sun.