Chen Ching-Hsiu "Earth's Elegance" Solo Exhibition

Chen Ching-Hsiu's "Earth's Elegance" solo exhibition was held from October 16th to October 30th at the Experimental Gallery, Chiayi Branch of Chang Gung Institute of Technology. Chen Ching-Hsiu's artistic creation is unique, consistently revolving around the construction of a feminine sensibility—acute, delicate, poetic, and physically intuitive. Whether in conceptual approach or choice of materials, it is always so distinctive, from her early installations using cotton thread and white flour in environmental spaces to the more recent eye-stinging, bright red chili powder, and this "Earth's Elegance" installation solo exhibition, which unusually incorporates curry powder, soybean powder, green tea powder, and tea seed powder. Is Ching-Hsiu a master chef, concocting some kind of feast for the eyes, or is she refining some elixir of life? Of course not; she ingeniously transforms these visual substances of color, scent, and flavor to construct her perceptual world (the vertical works of the spatial installation and the planar paintings). She uniquely creates a resonance of the overall senses—visual, tactile, and olfactory.

Especially that intensely pungent red chili powder or the exotic curry powder awakens the audience's sensitive taste and smell, evoking a surge of sensory emotion within the body, triggering a series of sneezes right up to watery eyes (so touching!). This visually delectable plastic art, existing between vision and smell, texture and energy, nature and culture, material and spirit, directly challenges people's sensory bodies.

The exhibition's creative concept is described as follows: "In this technological society and era of image explosion, people have become accustomed to a virtual, illusory world, instead neglecting or forgetting the substantial existence and beauty of the surrounding environment. Upholding a feminine acute perception and bodily intuition, Chen Ching-Hsiu uses primarily ground chili powder and curry powder spices, as well as soil collected from different places in Taiwan, attempting to create a perceptual world resonating with vision, touch, and smell. This is done to explore the beautiful world where nature and culture blend; here, viewers will experience the bountiful colorful robe and energy of Mother Earth, as well as the artistic taste and texture sculpted by women in human dietary culture."