《水晶城市008》，2017，軌道、馬達、HID、塑膠，尺寸可變
Crystal City008, 2017, Track, motor, HID, plastic, Dimensions variable
Far from East－Wu Chi-Tsung Solo Exhibition
Venue｜Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin (Kottbusser Straße 10. 10999 Berlin)
Date｜Nov. 16 – Dec. 10, 2017
Reception｜Nov. 16, 2017. 7pm
Wu Chi-Tsung has participated in the artist-in-residency program co-organized by Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture and the Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin, Germany. From November 16th to December 10th, 2017, the program will present his solo exhibition “Far From East” at Berlin, showcasing his recent works, including installations, photography, and videos.
In Wu Chi-Tsung’s early works, he utilized media art to discuss the fundamentals of images and seeing. In recent years, he expanded his research field, traversing through the field of culture and art from East to West, as well as integrating traditional aesthetics and contemporary artistic concepts. In his dialectics and diverse way of practices, his artworks nonetheless preserved the sensibility and romance of an oriental literatus.
The exhibition begins with “Crystal City,” giving the audiences a glimpse of the artist’s point of view. Under the radiating light, the sharp and clear shadows of the ordinary plastic boxes became distinct, projecting a view resembling a concrete jungle of skyscrapers. In this artwork, Wu Chi-Tsung observes the ambiguous boundary between reality and fantasy, questioning as the cyber space took a major part in our daily lives, then what is real, and what is illusory?
“Wrinkled-Texture” and “Cyano-Collage” redefine the junction of photography and painting. The photography series “Wrinkled-Texture” is inspired by the “texturing method”, which is the core technique of Chinese literati painting. Cultivating the technique and the spirit of calligraphy, artists draw down a representational depiction of mountains and stones, which serve as the projection of his inner-thoughts. In “Wrinkled Texture”, Wu utilized cyanotype techniques to apply a photosensitive emulsion on Chinese rice papers, and then exposed the hand-wrinkled papers under the sunlight. After washing off extra emulsion, the shades and the patterns of the wrinkled papers were documented. The complete imagery resembles Chinese landscape – Shan Shui, which Wu substitutes ink and brush with photogram. “Cyano-Collage” inherits the cyanotype photography “Wrinkled-Texture.” The exposed rice papers were collaged into mountains, allowing the artist to further probe into the aesthetics of traditional paintings.
Lastly, the artwork “Still-Life 006 – Chrysanthemum” translates the traditional cut-branch flower painting into a time based moving image. As a video installation, the piece is projected on a hanging scroll, suggesting an outlying and ephemeral scenery that is akin to a vaguely fleeting memory. “Still-Life” series is originated from the artist’s awe to contemporary art and his nostalgia to traditional art.
Given the dominance role of European and American culture in globalization, contemporary art has been rapidly expanding, revolutionizing and innovating. However, it is disconnected to local traditional cultural contexts, increasing the disappearance of unique regional arts and aesthetics. Raised under traditional art cultivation, Wu Chi-Tsung is deeply aware of such disconnection. In his recent artworks, Wu has been finding the possible balance between Eastern and Western cultures, as well as traditional and contemporary art.
The term “Far East” is a Eurocentric geographical concept. Yet, in a globalized epoch, Far East is no longer far away, and the East is no longer east.
吳季璁個展「Far from East」
地點｜柏林貝塔寧藝術村，Kottbusser Straße 10. 10999 Berlin, Germany
時間｜11/16 – 12/10
開幕酒會｜11/16 pm7
吳季璁參與德國貝塔寧藝術村與台灣文化部合作的駐村計劃，將在2017年11月16日至12月10日於柏林舉辦個展《Far from East》，展出其近期創作，包括裝置、攝影與錄像。
吳季璁的創作早期由媒體藝術切入，探討影像與觀看的本質，近年來積極拓展其研究範疇，橫跨東西方文化藝術，作品融合傳統美學與當代藝術語言，在觀念性的辯證與多元的表現形式中，依舊保有東方文人式的感性與浪漫。
展覽以《水晶城市》作為開端，帶領觀眾進入藝術家的視閾。日常生活中平凡的塑膠包裝盒在強烈光源照射下，銳利清晰的影子比物件本身更加強烈真實，映照出彷彿高樓林立的城市景象。在此作品中，吳季璁敏銳地觀察到當代生活中虛擬與真實之間的模糊界線，當網路世界（Cyber space）成為我們的日常生活空間時，熟為真實？孰為幻象？
《皴法習作》與《氰山集》則重新定義影像與繪畫的交界。《皴法習作》系列攝影作品，發想自水墨畫中的「皴法」概念。皴法是傳統中國文人繪畫中的核心技法，以書法的筆墨精神，對山石紋理概括描繪，畫家藉此投射個人內心的山水景物，寄情其中。《皴法習作》運用古老的氰版技術（ Cyanotype ），以無相機攝影（ Photogram）的手法替代筆墨，將感光藥劑塗佈於宣紙上，乾燥後在陽光下曝光，而後水洗定影記錄下皺摺紋理的光影變化，成像宛如山水景致。而《氰山集》延續《皴法習作》的氰版直接攝影，將曝曬過後的紙張以蒙太奇（Montage）的手法拼貼成叢山萬嶺的景象，進一步探究傳統繪畫的美學。
最後，作品《小品之六 菊》將傳統折枝花卉的繪畫形式，翻譯成具時間性的動態影像，以錄像裝置的形式呈現，投影在懸浮的空白卷軸上，悠遠飄妙的意境，宛如逐漸消散的模糊記憶。小品系列源自-藝術家對於當代藝術的喟嘆，與對傳統藝術的緬懷。
伴隨著全球化，當代藝術在歐美強勢文化的主導下快速擴張，不斷地顛覆與創新，卻也斷裂於各地的傳統文化脈絡，加速許多區域性特有的藝術與美學的消逝。成長於傳統的藝術養成，吳季璁特別有感于此斷裂，近年的創作，不斷地在東西方文化，傳統與當代藝術之間，尋求兼容平衡的可能。
遠東（Far East）是以歐洲為中心的地理觀念，對於東亞區域的總稱。然而在這全球化的時代，遙遠的東方早已不再遙遠，卻也早已不再東方。
