Taiwan Contemporary Art Archive.
“Inner Turmoil”
The creativity of artists never fails to amaze us. In each artwork we are able to see some special skill, or some concept which we would have never thought of.
Just like that, Taiwanese artist Tung Ming-Chin brings his metaphors and concepts to life by using his mastery of transforming wood into pensive, emotive sculptures. Often dealing with different themes of inner emotion and subconscious mind, his sculptures show figures trapped within the wood, pressing themselves against the outer layer in an attempt to break free. The sculptures change shape as the viewer moves around them, slowly revealing surprises.
In his artwork titled Breath (2013), he used a special metaphor of “the transformation of a physical space into an inner psychological space affected by vision.” Below the wooden humps, which almost emerge from boxes like tortoise shells, limbs subtly jut out and lead the viewer to ponder the mystery encased within.
H/T: Taiwan Contemporary Art Archive
“Breath”
“Breath”
In Inner Turmoil, the artist transforms wood into seemingly thin tissue paper nailed to a wall. It gives you the impression that a person is pushing against this wooden wall. This space created by the figure can be viewed as a way to explore his inner unrest in life.
“The Birth of a New Hero”
“The Birth of a New Hero”
In his other sculptures like Between Round and Square: Past, Present, and Future he also incorporated familiar cultural symbols. He plays with forms of traditional jade cong and jade bi, which symbolize the earth and the sky in ancient Chinese culture. This is a kind of a memoir, being nostalgic while looking at the future.
“Between Round and Square: Past, Present, and Future”
“Between Round and Square: Past, Present, and Future”
“The work is presented in the prismatic form; the appearance of the object demonstrates the passing of time,” he says. “The bottom of the pillar lays the ancient jade cong and the plastic bottle sits on the top. The hidden part in the middle implies the development and imagination of square and round during the course of time in the past. On the body of the pillar are mostly utensils, and from the utensils we can see the change of times and the lifestyle of people. Time passes and people change, but some truth and aesthetics will last forever.”
“Between Round and Square: Past, Present, and Future”
“New Lonely”
“New Lonely”
“A Stack of Heads”
“Self-Portrait”
“Self-Portrait”
“Self-Portrait”
