Mind Set Art Center is honored to present the works of its top artists at the Galleries section of Taipei Dangdai 2022. The artists include Marina CRUZ, Rao FU, SHI Jin-hua, TANG Jo-hung and Lee YANG. The exhibition will run from May 20 through May 22, 2022 at the Taipei World Trade Center. A preview session is scheduled for 2 p.m. on May 19. We extend a cordial invitation to you to join us at the event.
At Booth A09 in the Galleries section, Mind Set Art Center is set to present Rao FU’s latest show called “Nameless Planet” as an exhibition-within-a-exhibition. The artist reflects on the global turmoil and the life-and-death situations that many have to face, and explores the nature of man that transcends life itself. Next to FU’s exhibit is a group show called “The Landscape of Man”, consisting of the works from Marina CRUZ, SHI Jin-hua, TANG Jo-hung and Lee YANG. The artists, each in their own way, interpret key objects in their surroundings that preserve family memories such as writings and photographs. By transforming these mediums into their own artworks in this pivotal time in history, the artists explore the depth of life in the present day, and hope to inspire us all to reflect more deeply on the life we live.
Rao FU has been living and working in Germany for over two decades. In his latest work, FU has once again emphasized the concept of “man”. As the leading species in modern civilization, man is gifted with great creativity while also possessing a strong tendency for destruction. The conflicting qualities of man are made increasingly divisive in a time of uncertainty and turmoil. The figures created by FU are men without faces, empty bodies without souls. These are the embodiment of the modern man: unsettled, anxious, helpless and lost. In his painting “Turtledove”, a man stands in the middle of the frame and leans forward in an uneasy manner. He focuses his gaze in the distance and is unaware of the looks of contempt from others. Rao FU has infused a sense of distance and isolation in his rendering of an imaginary scenario. The artist also paid attention to the energy of the characters on different focal planes, and used dense and wild colors to express a sense of sorrow and his profound reflection on the nature of life. In “Man Skiing I”, “Man Skiing II” and “Torrent”, FU has shown his ability to fuse influences from the New Leipzig School, romanticism and neo-expressionism in order to express a new form of imaginary narrative with intense and avant-garde techniques.
“The Landscape of Man” consists of the artworks from Marina CRUZ, SHI Jin-hua, TANG Jo-hung and Lee YANG. In “Pen Walking #179 – Seeing Compassion Lake Around Mount Kailash”, concept artist SHI Jin-hua sticks the shavings of pencils he used in a drawing on the paper to create a landscape with unique texture. The artist displays the pencils’ trail as a metaphor of his own life-long Buddhist practice. His other painting, “Rock Landscape”, was made for his 2021 exhibition in the Taitung Art Museum. It is a reinterpretation of his earlier concept art “X Yoga Tree 034”, which was exhibited in the museum during the early stage of his career. The artists used pencil, graphite and ink to paint the details and texture of the rocks. It was also during this period of paying fastidious attention to his subjects that he rediscovered the value of his own creation. TANG Jo-hung, on the other hand, uses bright, vibrant colors to add a sense of theatre in his paintings. In his latest works, Tang has ventured into a new creative chapter by taking inspiration from movie characters. This has allowed him to paint more intimate indoor scenes and figures with pronounced textures. Filipina artist Marina CRUZ is known for producing a series of paintings of the clothes left by the matriarchs of her family. In this exhibition, she has shifted her attention and made “This is Not a Seascape I”, a painting of a flooded alley outside of her old house. By implementing an important visual element, water, CRUZ portrays the effect of constant bad weather and soil liquidation, and hints at the grit and wisdom of the local residents who have to live with such challenges in the long run. Lee YANG, who’s still in his late 20s, has brought a humorous and satirical take on daily events. His paintings of everyday life and landscape are highlighted with Pop Art-like vibrant colors and energetic compositions. YANG has implemented his own explosive creative energy and a light-hearted narrative into his work and has managed to produce a lively sensibility that’s unique to the new generation of artists.
In the “Art Salon” section of the event, Mind Set Art Center will present “Longmen Gray No.10”, a painting by SHI Jinsong. The artist had collected the dust from places that held important memories and used it to mix a bespoke paint. He then painted his own version of the Longmen Grottoes, which strides the line between concrete and abstraction. He swift lines and calligraphy-line brush strokes also form a new spectrum of humanity and spirituality.
