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The world of contemporary art has totally released me. There is no limitation, including gravity.
One can express one's ideas in any possible ways, with any kind of medium, and in numerous topics. I didn't
touch this field before. My knowledge about art history stopped at Vincent van Gogh and was almost a blank
after him. I studied as much as possible about everything related to modern and contemporary art with great
bliss. In addition, I knew my best friend, Jiunmien Goh, in the class. We had the same purposes – to study
aboard, and the same interests – art. Because she connected with contemporary art much earlier and knew
about it much more than I did, she really helped me a lot in exploring this world. We visited the exhibitions
together, studied in the Taipei Fine Art Museum together, audited the classes in the Taipei National
University of the Arts together, discussed art together, and shared our dreams together. I also had two great
early teachers at the museum and university, Cheng-Tsai Chen and Jun-Jieh Wang. The former taught me
what is art and why it’s important to distinguish between good and bad art. The latter educated me in the
artistic ways of thinking and how to appreciate a contemporary artwork. What I learned from them became
the foundation to further explore art on my own. During this period, I reviewed many artists from different
fields and their works produced by different materials or media. Among them, video art and Bill Viola were
the most impressive medium and artist to me. One year later, the former became my favorite creating style
and the latter became the beacon in my career life.
Another valuable experience for me at that time was being a volunteer in the Taipei Artist Village for
a year. TAV is an organization belongs to Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taipei and it launches the international
artist - residency programs. Working as a volunteer there provided me a lot of chances to get in touch with
artists from all over the world and all kinds of people working in the art-related area. They shared their
experiences, opinions, and courage with me. I even participated in some of their art projects and played
some roles in their performances. During this period, I made a lot of new friends all over the world. This
small building was like a temporary habitat of migratory birds. Artists and volunteers came and left batch
by batch every season. However, what they had left, a work or even a word, all deeply influenced those
who still stayed on in this village and those who will visit it in the future. I benefited very much from this
communion and felt grateful. Then, I was prepared to fly to ----
New York! It is really a huge and colorful metropolis. Most important of all, here is the biggest
contemporary art treasury in the world. It was very exciting for me to see the original artworks which only
could be viewed in the books. I visited those international famous art museums and numerous galleries
every weekend. Furthermore, finally I had the chance to stand on the stage of the world. It would all depend
on how hard I work for the following two years. Whether I had the gift and ability to be an artist or not, it
would be tested and proved indubitably. I wouldn’t have a second opportunity if I failed. Just go all out, with
the greatest courage, without any ambivalence!
Besides, it was the first time I left home far away and lived on my own. This whole new venture has
given me an excellent opportunity to learn and experience one thing – to get along well with myself. It was
really difficult at the beginning. I struggled with loneliness. Gradually, I learned how to deal with the
depressions and to examine myself carefully. Finally I found that the more I look inside and know myself,
the more stable I stand on my spirit. The clearer I recognize my standpoint, the clearer I understand what I
do want and how I should respond to the world and others. There is an adage in Buddhism “Other people
are our mirror, and I’m the person reflected on that mirror.” It's vice versa. The process of becoming more
and more mature in personality also forms and fulfills my art content.
Why did I choose the media of time-based art? Actually, painting has interested me since childhood.
However, it is an art genre which has a long cultural context and requires some skills and knowledge to
get into. It must take time to practice again and again to train the ability to express and form a style. As far
as the costs were concerned, I didn’t have the time and couldn’t afford to attend an undergraduate program
again. As to computer art, it is a new media with only a short history so it’s more flexible and variable.
Most important of all, it is easier than painting for one to get a start without the necessity to have any
related background. Therefore, without think too much, I made up my mind. Even an artist should know
when and how to make a compromise because to act willfully usually traps a person in the dead end.
Last summer, my sister and I spent three months in Europe. It’s the second time I had been there. We
didn't plan much for this journey but had an explicit goal – to visit art as much as possible. In the end,
we went to more than twenty art museums and exhibitions, including the Documenta 12 and the Venice
Biennale 52. After this trip, I had a simple conclusion: a few artists dominate the art world and this world
is still western-centered. Furthermore, New York is still undoubtedly the center and the main birthplace of
contemporary art nowadays. Half of the tickets we paid were for the works and the exhibitions created and
organized by American artists and curators.
I take this state of play in the art world as my challenge and chance. As far as I know, although
eastern artworks have been introduced to the world for a long time, people usually treat them more as a
kind of foreign experience than as a different viewpoint of thoughts and concepts. For me, I would like
to create something beyond the cultural boundaries and ideologies. Therefore, all the common experiences
shared by human beings will be the content for my artwork to explore and represent. This is one of the
reasons I respect Viola very much because his works successfully create the identification and echo
among the people with different backgrounds.
Besides, after traveling and visiting so many places and museums, I reached another simple conclusion:
Nature is the best teacher for creators and the largest (and free!) art museum in the world. It’s the most
abundant resource of ideas and the most precious consolation of minds. No matter how small it is, even a
grain of sand on the beach, or how large it is, such as the unlimited universe, we can be greatly benefited if
able to grasp some stories, truths, and metaphors hidden behind all the tangible and intangible sentient and
non-sentient beings. We are actually part of it.
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One can express one's ideas in any possible ways, with any kind of medium, and in numerous topics. I didn't
touch this field before. My knowledge about art history stopped at Vincent van Gogh and was almost a blank
after him. I studied as much as possible about everything related to modern and contemporary art with great
bliss. In addition, I knew my best friend, Jiunmien Goh, in the class. We had the same purposes – to study
aboard, and the same interests – art. Because she connected with contemporary art much earlier and knew
about it much more than I did, she really helped me a lot in exploring this world. We visited the exhibitions
together, studied in the Taipei Fine Art Museum together, audited the classes in the Taipei National
University of the Arts together, discussed art together, and shared our dreams together. I also had two great
early teachers at the museum and university, Cheng-Tsai Chen and Jun-Jieh Wang. The former taught me
what is art and why it’s important to distinguish between good and bad art. The latter educated me in the
artistic ways of thinking and how to appreciate a contemporary artwork. What I learned from them became
the foundation to further explore art on my own. During this period, I reviewed many artists from different
fields and their works produced by different materials or media. Among them, video art and Bill Viola were
the most impressive medium and artist to me. One year later, the former became my favorite creating style
and the latter became the beacon in my career life.
Another valuable experience for me at that time was being a volunteer in the Taipei Artist Village for
a year. TAV is an organization belongs to Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taipei and it launches the international
artist - residency programs. Working as a volunteer there provided me a lot of chances to get in touch with
artists from all over the world and all kinds of people working in the art-related area. They shared their
experiences, opinions, and courage with me. I even participated in some of their art projects and played
some roles in their performances. During this period, I made a lot of new friends all over the world. This
small building was like a temporary habitat of migratory birds. Artists and volunteers came and left batch
by batch every season. However, what they had left, a work or even a word, all deeply influenced those
who still stayed on in this village and those who will visit it in the future. I benefited very much from this
communion and felt grateful. Then, I was prepared to fly to ----
New York! It is really a huge and colorful metropolis. Most important of all, here is the biggest
contemporary art treasury in the world. It was very exciting for me to see the original artworks which only
could be viewed in the books. I visited those international famous art museums and numerous galleries
every weekend. Furthermore, finally I had the chance to stand on the stage of the world. It would all depend
on how hard I work for the following two years. Whether I had the gift and ability to be an artist or not, it
would be tested and proved indubitably. I wouldn’t have a second opportunity if I failed. Just go all out, with
the greatest courage, without any ambivalence!
Besides, it was the first time I left home far away and lived on my own. This whole new venture has
given me an excellent opportunity to learn and experience one thing – to get along well with myself. It was
really difficult at the beginning. I struggled with loneliness. Gradually, I learned how to deal with the
depressions and to examine myself carefully. Finally I found that the more I look inside and know myself,
the more stable I stand on my spirit. The clearer I recognize my standpoint, the clearer I understand what I
do want and how I should respond to the world and others. There is an adage in Buddhism “Other people
are our mirror, and I’m the person reflected on that mirror.” It's vice versa. The process of becoming more
and more mature in personality also forms and fulfills my art content.
Why did I choose the media of time-based art? Actually, painting has interested me since childhood.
However, it is an art genre which has a long cultural context and requires some skills and knowledge to
get into. It must take time to practice again and again to train the ability to express and form a style. As far
as the costs were concerned, I didn’t have the time and couldn’t afford to attend an undergraduate program
again. As to computer art, it is a new media with only a short history so it’s more flexible and variable.
Most important of all, it is easier than painting for one to get a start without the necessity to have any
related background. Therefore, without think too much, I made up my mind. Even an artist should know
when and how to make a compromise because to act willfully usually traps a person in the dead end.
Last summer, my sister and I spent three months in Europe. It’s the second time I had been there. We
didn't plan much for this journey but had an explicit goal – to visit art as much as possible. In the end,
we went to more than twenty art museums and exhibitions, including the Documenta 12 and the Venice
Biennale 52. After this trip, I had a simple conclusion: a few artists dominate the art world and this world
is still western-centered. Furthermore, New York is still undoubtedly the center and the main birthplace of
contemporary art nowadays. Half of the tickets we paid were for the works and the exhibitions created and
organized by American artists and curators.
I take this state of play in the art world as my challenge and chance. As far as I know, although
eastern artworks have been introduced to the world for a long time, people usually treat them more as a
kind of foreign experience than as a different viewpoint of thoughts and concepts. For me, I would like
to create something beyond the cultural boundaries and ideologies. Therefore, all the common experiences
shared by human beings will be the content for my artwork to explore and represent. This is one of the
reasons I respect Viola very much because his works successfully create the identification and echo
among the people with different backgrounds.
Besides, after traveling and visiting so many places and museums, I reached another simple conclusion:
Nature is the best teacher for creators and the largest (and free!) art museum in the world. It’s the most
abundant resource of ideas and the most precious consolation of minds. No matter how small it is, even a
grain of sand on the beach, or how large it is, such as the unlimited universe, we can be greatly benefited if
able to grasp some stories, truths, and metaphors hidden behind all the tangible and intangible sentient and
non-sentient beings. We are actually part of it.
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