Mind Set Art Center is pleased to present in its Project Room “Landscapes of Fragmented Structures”, a solo exhibition of young artist Hung Sheng-Hsiung. The show will be a continuation of Hung’s creative path and consists of site-specific works such as “YAYOI”, “See You”, “Boundary” as well as a brand-new series titled “Stacking Shells”. Through his works, the artist is hoping to immerse the viewers in a space where time has a layered quality, to present the meticulous language specific to the material, and to showcase the possibilities of contemporary sculpture. The show is scheduled to kick off on 29 June. The gallery will host an opening talk at 3:00 p.m. between the artist and Chen Kuang-Yi, director of the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, following by an opening reception at 4:30. You are cordially invited to join us at the event.
Clay sculpture is traditionally constructed through the process of “addition”. Clay is either accumulated in mass on its own or added onto existing architecture to imbue it with specific visual or temporal qualities. With that reference in mind, the artist has sculpted “YAYOI” with white air-dry clay. The artist has repeatedly sculpted its surface, eventually forming a surface that’s random yet even. Malleability is eventually removed from the dried clay, leaving a layer of hardened skin that looks like a membraned frozen in time. Compared to “YAYOI”, Hung’s two other works, “See You” and “Boundary” is more closely connected to architecture, as they both respond to the history and status quo of the discipline in a minimalist manner. The making of 2020’s “See You” involves digging the ground around a pillar of a to-be demolished museum, and building the resulting rubbles into a pile as a metaphor for a ruined landscape. “Boundary”, made in 2021, is based on the Shihlin Paper Factory, which was part of Taipei’s urban redevelopment plan. The artist digs a long ditch on the ground floor, and fills it with pieces of cracked cement to form sharp and angular lines. The rubbles from the making of “See You” and “Boundary” are then put into a wooden box for display. After being dug out, carried through long distances, sealed in boxes, and eventually lost after the display, the rubbles have been transformed into a neutral medium imbued with spirituality. “Stacking Shells” is a new series by Hung Sheng-Hsiung after his careful deliberation on site-specific creation. The artist starts with the routine act of “breaking egg shells” and refines the layered interaction between the act and its surrounding space. The thin yet resilient shell allows the artist to clearly display the change in its shape. The final work goes beyond its visual quality and hints at the repeated nature of the artist’s craft and movements in the process of making.
To Hung Sheng-Hsiung, sculpture is more than the creation and portrayal of a single object. It is a comprehensive landscape that is both grounded in reality while exhibiting abstract sensibilities. The artist demonstrates these qualities in his works. By collecting and assembling fragmented scenarios, Hung unveils many the skin-like layers in space and time and constructs a realistic yet abstract landscape.
Sponsor｜National Culture and Arts Foundation, Antho-Life Art Foundation
