Organizer｜Hsien-Yen Art Space
Co-Curator｜YIRI ARTS
Text/ Chen Hsi
"Before the renovation of Hsien-Yen Art Space was completed, Mr. Big Head 's mother, Ms. Lai Man, passed away due to an illness and was not able to see the completion of Hsien-Yen Art Space in person. As a celebration of his love and gratitude to his mother, the first exhibition is dedicated to her on the first anniversary of her passing. Ms. Lai Man was born in Tianzhong, Changhua. When she was a young girl, she worked in Chishui, Mingjian Township, where she was familiar with the local cultural landscape and natural scenery. Because of this relationship, she chose the Huang-Qiong-Ling Memorial Garden as her place of eternal rest…"
Light of Mori
In late 2020, the collector, Mr. Big Head, gradually renovated the traditional three-section residential compound in Mingjian Township, Nantou. Spanning the course of a ten-year plan, this place that symbolises immerse personal and cultural meaning has been built into Hsien-Yen Art Space, is expected to be a venue for contemporary art collection, exhibition, and educational purposes.
For Mr. Big Head, Hsien-Yen Art Space is a platform that was hatched early in his mind. In the name of Hsien-Yen, he planned a memorial exhibition of gratitude titled "Mori," located in the Huang-Qiong-Ling Memorial Garden, where his mother is buried. A personal collection made by Mr. Big Head features 12 contemporary artists Yuichi Hirako, Aya Ito, Izumi Kato, Aki Kondo, Tatsuo Miyajima, Shintaro Miyake, Tomoko Nagai, Yoshitomo Nara, Satoshi Ohno, Mayuko Ose, Otani Workshop, and Keisuke Yamamoto. Over 40 artworks are gathered here to fulfil a procession that evokes a healing atmosphere, for those who have passed and those still here.
The "Mori" exhibition offers a vision of how a collector transforms his mother's nurturing grace into his desire to share art. This also moves his spirit towards the life-cycle of art during difficult times. "Mori" is akin to a garden with bifurcated paths, which has a reverse meaning in two senses: First, as a means of portraying the Taiwanese concept of a cemetery and an elapsed life. Second, as an exceptional display method that provides viewers with an immersive experience intertwined with art. Among the works of the 12 artists, the array of colours plays Debussy's "Arabesque." The original meaning of "Arabesque" is arabesque intertwined by lines and curves. Writer Yang Zhao described the work as "a gorgeous arrangement of 'small' and 'thin'." Visually, the relationship between the works on view in "Mori" reflecting a sense of Claude Debussy's delicacy and splendour, composed of all the tiny and meticulous elements in the 12-colour wheel and 12-tone composition, makes us feel as though life can only have fleeting moments. However, the beauty conceals reflections on life and death.
Universe of 12
The concept of "Mori" builds on the number "12". The 12-digit measuring method includes 12 Links in Buddhism, astronomy, constellations and the duodecimal system, even encompassing the means of artistic techniques mentioned above. In our world, there are many that form a cycle of 12 units. Just like the "Mori" written in Chinese composed by 12-stroke orders, the term refers to a forest - from subtle units to the wooded scenery that create a spiritual meaning merging between the space and the artworks.
The works of Yuichi Hirako, Aya Ito, Tomoko Nagai, Shintaro Miyake elaborate the idea of coexistence between people and places via a decentralised composition that contains complex images and vibrant colours. For example, Aya Ito's "photographic painting," a method of creation that shifts from photography to painting. She built a props scene whose assemblage contains bright colours and rich textures, which makes her work akin to still-life theatre. Tomoko Nagai's "Study" expresses the innocence and tranquility surrounded by the fantasy and weirdness of the forest. In Shintaro Miyake's paintings, repetitive lines constitute a joyous paradise full of laughter. Beyond these works, Mayuko Ose's paintings herald the inevitable abstraction and de-individuation of individual images. While Yoshitomo Nara's "Standing on Empty" succinctly describes the realm of the living - as the viewer and a child standing inside a loosely cross-structured cardboard within a pile of skulls become no different.
As such, the largest work in the "Mori"-Yuichi Hirako's five-part collage work "Leftover 1," is like the prelude to this exhibition. A winding route goes right to left through five different busy worlds. Perhaps we can also associate it with the different stages of life (youth, summer, autumn, ageing, and detachment). Previously, the artist's iconic tree figure and animals driving cars, holding branches in their hands pointing at the starry sky, the night in the middle of the dense forest became a galaxy leading to the beginning of the universe. On the other hand, "Mori's" eulogy to celebrate the pure beauty of nature is also reflected in the works of several other artists.
Izumi Kato creates a puppet image full of primitive driving force with a simple and strong outline. Keisuke Yamamoto inherits the fetish held in Japanese folk belief culture, and employed old objects that were originally regarded as unusable as materials for sculpture creation. Objects are carved gradually, while their functionality are also elevated to another level of beauty. Satoshi Ohno's moon in the virgin forest creates tension between nature and something artificial like the movie "." Otani Workshop's "Owl and Boy" and the Chinese zodiac animal sculptures were installed in the exhibition venue, which offer a compelling connection with the exhibition concept. The vivid colours in Aki Kondo's paintings represent non-realistic flowers, birds and beasts, drawn from lived experience and the brushstrokes from the heart add a refreshing and bright touch. Tatsuo Miyajima's installation uses heavy materials to convey the concept of the unbearable lightness of being which symbolises the time and number of every moment of life.
The love that a child inherited from his mother has now grown into a forest of healing. The gorgeous garden fully consisting of bifurcated paths are waiting for those who are destined to relish this calm.
Special thanks to: BLUM & POE、EACH MODERN、Kaikai Kiki Gallery、TOMIO KOYAMA GALLERY、AKIO NAGASAWA GALLERY、KOTARO NUKAGA、PERROTIN、ShugoArts、THE CLUB、YIRI ARTS
