Taiwan Today

Tainan’s daily scenes and physical textures inspire artists Chen Cheng-hsiung and Tseng Ying-tung.

Even at the age of 83, woodcarver Chen Cheng-hsiung (陳正雄) is committed to working at his studio every morning and afternoon. “The creative process brings me happiness and fulfillment,” he said. “I never get tired of it or run out of ideas for my art; in fact, I feel like there’s never enough time.” The texture and fragrance of wood make it a pleasant medium to work in, he added.

Born to a fisherman father in coastal Anping District in the southern city of Tainan, Chen started a three-year apprenticeship in traditional religious carving at the age of 14 in a shop selling Buddhist wares. He then traveled with a master carver, working in temple decoration across the country and honing his skills until he gradually gained an independent reputation.
 

Chen earned a good income, as many homes and small businesses set up altars with at least one statue of a deity. “I carved traditional images for a living, but deep within I wanted to carve anything I liked.” One day, a magazine picture of a handsome Westerner caught his attention and inspired him to use a piece of scrap wood to create a bust. It was not until some time later that he came to know that the photo was of famous French actor Alain Delon.

The bust won the mayor’s award at the Tainan Fine Arts Exhibition, reinforcing Chen’s belief in his work. Chen later started his own business and spent his days carving traditional god ­statues, while in the evenings he worked on original pieces. One of the features of his style is to leave toolmarks in the wood so the force and carving technique are still ­visible, in contrast to the smooth, ­perfect finish found in traditional religious statues. The late Hsu Wen-long (許文龍), founder of Tainan-based CHIMEI Corporation, noticed Chen’s work and was so impressed that he began collecting Chen’s pieces, thus supporting the artist’s creative journey.

Local Figures
Chen sees art as a potent form of communication to express emotions, thoughts and experiences. “I use art to share what I’ve seen and heard, particularly what I experienced growing up in a fishing village in Tainan,” he said. “It’s crucial for an artist to draw from personal experience and observations as this establishes a unique identity and resonates with viewers on a profound level.”

  Chen’s art is firmly rooted in the 400-year-old city, home to more temples than any other in Taiwan. Serving as more than places of worship, shrines are focal points for recreation and social gatherings. Chen drew on childhood memories­ and daily scenes around the city as inspiration for his work, creating a series of sculptures on family, fishers, people around the temples, musicians and workers returning home. 

When he was young, Chen saw his father and other men toiling in boats to haul in nets. The hardships they endured as well as the happiness they felt when pulling in bountiful catches left a deep impression on him. He shaped pieces that vividly depicted the strength of the mens’ faces and postures, evoking empathy for their hard lives. Chen’s father died of illness in his 60s, and afterward­ his mother often sat motionless and desolate, prompting Chen to create­, as a form of solace, a piece depicting a loving elderly couple leaning on each other. 

For over six decades, Chen has ­continued to carve wooden statues. As his fame grew and several collectors showed interest in the same piece, he started to cast some of his work in bronze. Religious statues made by the carver are present in many temples, while his wood and bronze sculptures are displayed in public spaces around Tainan. His work is held in ­public and private collections, including at the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts (KMFA) in southern Taiwan, National Museum of History in Taipei City, Sanyi Wood Sculpture Museum in the northern­ Miaoli County, Tainan Art Museum (TAM) and Taipei Fine Arts Museum, and has been part of many exhibitions.
    Environmental Texture
Although born in the same city as Chen with just over a decade between them, Tseng Ying-tung­ (曾英棟) has been inspired by his ­location in very different ways. Known for heavily textured mixed-media ­paintings, Tseng was born in 1953 in Tainan’s West Central District, which is renowned for its many historic buildings. According to Tseng, the area where he grew up has had a significant influence on his art. “When I was a child, I often played in the small alleys and traced my fingers along stone walls because their rough texture and weathered surfaces intrigued me.”
  Tseng completed a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in fine arts at Taipei-based National Taiwan Normal University and New York University in 1977 and 1993, respectively, and has worked on mixed-media art projects ever since. Tseng uses a mixture of paper pulp and sand with glue as a primer to roughen the surface of the canvas before building up thick layers of paint to create an appearance resembling a sculptural relief. He often highlights focal points in his paintings with gold leaf and metal, with a background of thick impasto brushstrokes creating visual intensity and a sense of depth. 

  Tseng said that using mixed media in artwork allows for creative freedom and experimentation with unlimited materials and techniques to develop a unique style. His work engages viewers on multiple sensory levels and morphs 2D ­perspectives into stereoscopic displays akin to installation art. The painter enjoys ­creating series on themes including the sun, oceans, tropical islands and wetlands. “I want to turn my feelings and thoughts into art, so I produce pieces reflective of my ­story and based on the distinctive character of the local climate, flora and fauna, ­history, and landscapes,” he explained.
    Growing Reach
In recent years, Tseng has achieved commercial success with an increasing number­ of commissions and a significant patron. Art collector and businessman Wang Ching-hsiang (王慶祥) asked Tseng to produce a large painting in 2015, so he rented a space to work on it. On seeing the three-story building, Wang proposed that the artist turn it into an art museum, prompting Tseng to renovate it into what is today the Asir Art Museum. Asir was the first of 15 private art museums sponsored by Wang under his Art Forest project, which aims to turn Tainan into a contemporary art hub. The facility is now a platform for international exchange, with a permanent exhibition space for Tseng, as well as rooms for exhibiting the work of artists from home and abroad. 

The recipient of many public art contracts, Tseng has also had work in exhibitions in Australia, Germany, Japan and the U.S., as well as in collections at Art Bank in the central city of Taichung, KMFA and TAM. Last year he was invited by the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Holy See to hold the solo exhibition “Five Loaves and Two Fish” in Vatican City to mark the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis. 

  In celebration of Tainan’s 400th ­anniversary, the local government’s Cultural Affairs Bureau has organized a variety of events to showcase the city’s arts and cultural diversity. Among these was the “Tainan 400 - Taiwan and Australia Art Exchange Exhibition” held in the historic Wu Family Garden in May, in which Tseng’s “Wetland Series” was a major highlight. “While ­passion fuels my imagination and spurs my ­creative process, my home city is my muse,” Tseng said. “Tainan has provided a treasure trove of inspiration throughout my artistic journey.”

Write to Kelly Her at kher@mofa.gov.tw