Chen Chi-Hsiang - Seeking "My" Sky in the "Mirror" Solo Exhibition

True reality has no form. Original appearance does not resemble phenomena. Phenomena resemble the original state. True emptiness resembles strange forms.

Text / Chen Chi-Hsiang Exhibition Venue: Tainan East Gate Gallery Exhibition Period: January 15 to February 1

Preface: I like traveling on clouds, seeking "my" sky in the "mirror," peering into my realm of appearances. Light and shadow display conditions; left-right symmetry (or dialogue) reveals the whole. I capture consciousness of existence among everyday objects and plants, leaving blank space for spatiality. The physical is the body; the metaphysical is the soul. "Realm" is the field; "appearance" is the situation. In my sky, I release infinite imagination, praising life through "appearances," revealing truth, and discovering the magic of existence where encounters are serendipitous. Circumstances transform into artistic conception. Through canvas spirits, I explore the unknown depths, touching cosmic mysteries. Thus, life is open and creative. Under all mirrored possibilities of existence, I discover that the sky is actually within the mirror.

The core of "Realm" and "Appearance" artistic creation: For over ten years, riding clouds, I have sought a piece of sky for myself in the mirror, probing the depths of existence. From the initial "Observing the Mind, Surveying the Realm" series to the current "Strange Appearance – Formless" series, as Jung said: "Humans possess a desire to return from 'material expression' to the inner complete 'true essence.' Thus, life is about finding the truth of existence." The core of creation always revolves around the mirage effect of "realm" and "appearance." Indeed, true reality has no form, yet it encompasses all forms. Illusion and emptiness are the truths of existence. "All appearances are illusory. If one sees that appearances are not appearances, then one sees the Tathagata." All appearances are empty in their essence; they lack inherent nature. Without inherent nature, appearance is non-appearance (Note 1). Under awareness, truth cannot hide, and beauty will be everywhere.

"Realm" is "mirror"; "mirror" resembles "realm." The mind's mirror is the mind's condition. "Realm" is a garden for internal and external self-dialogue. "Realm": circumstances, situations, domains, artistic conceptions. Any circumstance in life is not accidental or random; circumstances influence human destiny and shape consciousness. Life experiences itself within circumstances; the mind flows with situations. Everything is created by the mind; circumstances are no exception. Every moment is a reflection of the heart, revealing realms of illusion and reality. All artistic creation is a type of circumstance, situation, or domain, shaping a personal sky. "Appearance": image (form). The universe displays myriad phenomena; illusion and reality encompass all. Thus, in the new "Strange Appearance – Formless" series, the artist playfully writes: "Strange appearance is not appearance, strange appearance is formless, strange appearance is illusory, strange appearance is true reality, strange appearance encompasses all; true reality, illusory appearance, non-appearance, or formlessness are all called strange appearance."

Painting – The Alchemy of Existence: Creation is an occurrence, starting with the fermentation of internal feelings. Consciousness flow in creation stems from personal internal needs and present awareness. Philosopher Nietzsche said: "Artistic creation is to prevent 'truth' from dying prematurely." One must manifest current emotions and viewpoints through action. Transforming awareness into images and text is essential; otherwise, artists find it difficult to concretely share personal experiences and insights with others. Creation becomes an outlet for life energy; for me, creation is the alchemy of existence.

Change Becomes the Truth of Life: In this era of drastic and rapid change, with the continuous expansion of the Internet impacting people's horizons, digitalization pursues speed and constant updates, altering people's perceptions and living situations. Consciousness flows, stimulating people's imagination. Life's impermanence, "change," has become a fact of existence. In this digital revolution era, the angle from which we view things determines our understanding of them. Vast amounts of information and images have made me relearn how to observe the conditions of existence. All deep internal consciousness comes from phenomena. Starting last year, there have been new developments in my creation. The transformation is merely formal; the essence remains unchanged and cannot change. Change aims to get closer to truth and align more closely with current consciousness, with no other intent. Current reality is more fascinating than value or price. Continuing to expand mirror-consciousness, clearing the clouds to see the sun, I seek a piece of sky belonging to me. I continue to delve into the aesthetic exploration of my unique analog twin-mirror diptych works.

New Series of Sensory Images "Strange Appearance – Formless": The new series "Strange Appearance – Formless" belongs to sensory images. It lacks representational, explanatory, and narrative characteristics but can still touch the viewer's nervous system. The "strange appearance" of this series comes from my name/concept, thus forming appearance through false names. But this appearance is not that appearance. Thus, existence is formless, yet encompasses all forms. Given a name, it acts out its appearance. This series began in 2013, shuttling through mirror-like situations, diving deep into the mirror to explore new virgin lands of creation. Inspired by Anish Kapoor’s crystalline mirror-object sculptures, I attempt to probe the depths of existence through the mirror. Dramatically, through multiple reflections on the mirror surface, I capture the image consciousness of time and space. That same year, I completed two diptychs resembling frosted glass mirror self-portraits. Through multi-faceted regular reflections, multiple fragmented crystals converge to form portraits, combining concrete and imagery. Dreamlike and illusory dramatic scenes, full of visual impact and imaginative space, reflect current transforming situations and existential consciousness. Delicate and complex forms require focused painting, investing much time and spirit. Indeed, time is inevitable; only four paintings were completed in half a year. Studio practice time is open and creative; it leads to timelessness. It requires not just carefulness, focus, and patience, but also single-mindedness. Immersing in time and space, entering a meditative state of creation, time becomes an inevitable element of the alchemy of existence.

Continuing the "Strange Appearance – Formless" series to expand mirror consciousness, diving into the multiple reflections and transformations of light and shadow in the surrounding environment of people, events, and objects. Through octagonal and square crystal-structured mirrors, gradients from large to small create dazzling light and shadow scenery refracting and reflecting in all directions, constructing appearances of truth and illusion, such as in "Strange Appearance – Formless" series 1-2-3-4: between concrete and imagery figures, appearing as a self-circumstance. The naming of the "Strange Appearance – Formless" series comes from this. Series 9-10: endow vitality, displaying figures in action within time and space. Series 5-6-7-8: Diptychs approach abstract states of mind, deconstructing and recombining forms, endowing colors with emotional meaning. Dazzling, dazzling colors become light. Between concrete and abstract, construction and deconstruction, emotion and expression, time and space, poetry and imagination, rhythm and structure, illusion and blank space contrast, simple geometric images repeatedly create a vibrating energy, forming a flying, leaping visual dynamic. Sustaining temporality and extending space, light and shadow conjure realms of appearing and disappearing. "Visible things are actually non-things," images of empty and formless appearances. "All appearances are manifestations of the inner," symbolizing abstract mental imagery at the bottom of human psychology (Note 2).

The new "Strange Appearance – Formless" series is full of vitality. Image is a feeling; color is an argument. Under progressive forms, rhythm, color, and light, it expresses an optimistic feeling, presenting a simultaneous spiritual state and diverse structures of the visible world. It elucidates the impermanence of life and the circumstances of the current crazy, drastic, and rapid changing world. In an era pursuing fashion trends, in a crazy consumer society where values are lost, submerged in materialism, often numb and lost due to alienation, why are we busy? Why do we live? The intention is to seek my own sky in the mirror—the meaning and essence of human existence. Russian artists Ilya and Emilia Kabakov said: "The world changes so rapidly that people forget the feeling of life itself." Or "Great progress, science, and noble visions of humanity lead people to the brink of disaster" (Note 3), embodying current circumstances, touching the nerves of contemporary life, and presenting the birth pangs and shocks of the era reflected in the times.

Exhibition Theme – From Existence As Is, Existence As Such – Pointillism Chen Chi-Hsiang "As Is, As Such" Solo Exhibition Poetry by Li Min-Yong

Note 1: From Master Jing Kong's lectures. Note 2: Semiotic Aesthetics of Chen Chi-Hsiang's Ink Stain Images. Text by Chiang Li-Hua, October 2014. Note 3: Referencing the introduction to Ilya and Emilia Kabakov's "Bizarre Cities 2014 Monumental Exhibition."