The Art of Generous Sharing – Three Lectures by the Kaohsiung Wu Yuan Book Club

Text and photos by Chen Chi-Hsiang. Every time I return to Taiwan, I am invited to share insights on art at the Kaohsiung Wu Yuan Book Club lectures. Each year, I discuss one topic in contemporary Taiwanese art. In the past, I focused on several representative local artists from Kaohsiung; this year, I analyzed global and local themes through two major exhibitions. I introduced current trends in European French art and three exhibitions, including a unique presentation on nature—mountains, forests, and gardens. I shared these ideas generously with this group of art enthusiasts, deeply grateful for their enthusiastic learning. Such heartfelt sharing is among life’s greatest joys. After the class, we enjoyed a lavish lunch together, savoring the vibrant reality that art is life. With infinite gratitude, I sincerely bless you all.

3/10 From “One Capital, Two Deer, One Bangka” – Discussing Two Thematic Exhibitions: Grounded locally in “Island · Islanders” – The Dagou Fish Assassin Island Series – Tainan Story (exhibited at Tainan Cultural Center in 2015, curated by Chen Yanming). Another exhibition: Mysterious Memory – Exploring “Bangka” through narrative traces (exhibited at Bopiliao, Wanhua in 2016, curated by Wang Junqi).

3/17 Traveling with the Clouds – Paris’s Three Most Representative Contemporary Art Exhibitions of 2016. Maurizio Cattelan’s solo exhibition “Not Afraid of Love” at the Monnaie de Paris; Huang Yong Ping’s special exhibition “Empire” at the Grand Palais; and the most bewitching work by Tino Sehgal at the Palais de Tokyo – “The artwork is there, it is us.” Indeed, where there is no imagination, there seems to be no dreaming. The greater the imagination, the stronger the creativity. Only places that dream have myths and art. Only places that feel wonder possess energy.

3/24 A Lighter and More Poetic Journey into “Mountains and Forests – Gardens.” The world is a garden. Without wild flowers and grasses, there are only cultivated plants. The Earth is humanity’s shared home; the flora and fauna of mountains and forests are Noah’s Ark for humans. Protecting nature is protecting ourselves; without mountains and forests, human existence would be unimaginable. Gardens adapt to local conditions, reflecting various cultural traditions, politics, power dynamics, and humanistic perspectives across time and space, each season offering different aesthetics and sensations, allowing us to experience the beauty of heaven and earth. Eastern gardens, within closed systems, were private spaces of leisure for royalty and nobility—a solitary paradise. Western gardens were more open (for royalty and nobility), providing public recreation, becoming today’s park system—a collective paradise.