"There seems to be two worlds in this world. One is bright and stable, an orderly and tidy world with adults in charge. The other is a world of getting lost, extending from the boundaries of the bright road into the grass. The farther away from the road, the more endless the grassland becomes. Apart from the path pressed down by one's own feet, the only option is to squint and try to see what lies in the distance. Fortunately, these two worlds seem to be able to go back and forth." - Yuan Hsin-Yuan
Yuan Hsin-Yuan, who graduated from graduate school this year, often derives inspiration for her creations from sketches in her notebook. She records the actions of people around her or captures noteworthy images in her notebook, and then extracts sculpting inspiration from these images. She transforms two-dimensional images into standing figures, people gazing into the distance, people on small boats, people raising their hands, and people sitting or lying down. She removes the exaggerated emotions and excessive embellishments of clothing and accessories. The wooden figures she creates are expressionless, wearing simple plain-colored clothes. Using materials such as camphor wood and birch wood for carving, the warm wood color and faint fragrance exude a simple and down-to-earth temperament. The expressionless faces carry deeper layers of genuine human emotions, while the plain clothing represents the purest aspect of humanity. The artworks present an elegant atmosphere, reminiscent of the fresh and unworldly sensibility radiated by the artist herself.
Entering the next stage of life after graduation, Yuan Hsin-Yuan faces the life choices that many artistic creators encounter. She starts to explore jobs that are considered "normal" in society, in addition to her creative pursuits. She has volunteered as a caregiver, worked as a temporary mural painter, and taken on graphic design projects. Within the external environment, she strives to find a place that belongs to her beyond her artistic creations. For the artist, these attempts are like stepping into a bright and orderly world. However, despite the seemingly stable and bright path under her feet, her inner soul often reminds her that the true place of tranquility is still the world of overgrown grass that diverges from the bright road. In these two worlds that can be traversed back and forth, Yuan Hsin-Yuan freely navigates through her creations. Whenever she finishes her work on the conventional path, she returns to the world that needs her exploration. Sitting in front of her artwork, holding a brush and a carving knife, she rediscovers her existence and meaning, transcending the role of a mere small screw that supports the functioning of the bright world.
Facing the anxieties and uncertainties that come with leaving campus life, the artist frames her own silhouette through creation. She hides herself within her artworks, expressing the elusive feelings and unpredictable future through the carved portraits she creates. With one hand holding a brush to record fleeting moments in life and the other hand holding a carving knife to sculpt these impressions, she carefully observes each standing or sitting wooden figure. She attempts to glimpse our original core souls through the eyes of these figures. In the two worlds that can be traveled back and forth, she follows the delicate emotions concealed within her works, hoping to find a place of tranquility that is uniquely hers.
