September 24 - October 14, 2009
Conversation between Curator and Artist:
5 : 00 pm - 6 : 00 pm
Opening Reception:
Thursday Sept. 24 - Oct. 14, 6 : 00 pm - 8 : 00 pm
Taipei Cultural Center is pleased to present HONG-WEN LIN: Journey Through Time. Using the multiple media such as paintings, sculptures, installations work, LIN's works reveal the inspiration of Zen Buddhism. Of all the materials he uses, there is a persistent connection that pulls the forms together. The connections are more hidden than obvious- the "qi" -is a vital energy that inhabits natural and constructed forms. His forms reveal a hidden structure, an underlying current that flows between the various constituent parts. Whether they exist in two or three dimensions, or represent figures or abstract ideas, is less important than their ability to reveal internal energies, the "qi".
According to exhibition curator, Dr. Robert C. Morgan, "Qi" is a traditional concept and practice from ancient Chinese. Especially during shamans and sages who observed and felt the omnipresent spiritual animism. It is regarded as the energies within nature, the cosmos, and within the bodies of living creatures. He is an artist who practices through his art a way of non-being within being-whereby art becomes the signifier of energy, the "qi", and the source of all knowledge.
This April, Dr. Morgan went to visit Hong-Wen Lin's studio in southern Taiwan, where he selected the work for this exhibition. After seeing Lin's works in his studio, Morgan says: "I was drawn to a comparison between the work of Hong-wen with work by the abstract expressionist painter and sculptor, Barnett Newman ? in which vertical shafts - either forged in bronze or steel - rise up from bases. In each case, the vertical ascent becomes an indication of the surrounding space as if to suggest a marker, a spiritual presence in time, or an existential moment."
The persistent "qi" in Hong-wen's work is not only a signifier of something else, but an actual presence of his own journey through time; his ability to inhale and exert force when necessary, and to exhale and relax when necessary. As with all journeys on Earth made by human beings, the rhythm of the energy is knowing when and how to exert and how and when to relax, otherwise little of consequence will happen. This is the important message in the work of Hong-wen Lin.
For more information, please contact the Taipei Cultural Center at 212.697.6188 or visit the website of www.tpecc.org ; 1 East 42nd St.,New York, NY 10017; Mon ? Fri 9:00am ? 6:00pm Sat. 9:00am~11:00am