【Encounters Across Time and Space】

Hsi Chi WU & Wen Jui TSAO Two solo exhibitions

Encounters Across Time and Space • Rediscovering the Original Heart

 

Painting unlocks the treasure chest of childhood memories, awakening the purest and most touching voice within. Through the imaginative power of artistic creation, the artists weave together the courage of their first dreams and reclaim the emotional strength that once moved them.

 

Hsi Chi WU, who has always been drawn to nature in his art, grew up in Jinguashi, Ruifang. After years of working in the corporate world, he resigned from his full-time career as a designer at the age of 33 to fully dedicate himself to painting. At 35, he moved to Puli, where he pursued his artistic dreams for over a decade. While sharing painting techniques in a tribal workshop, he unexpectedly reconnected with oil pastels—a medium that transported him back to the pure and instinctive joy of childhood painting. By intuitively layering and blending pigments on paper, he infused his works with the emotional traces of his artistic journey. This creative process, much like a spiritual practice, resonated deeply with his inner quest. Through series such as 「Silent Hills & Valleys」 and 「Human Cage」, he expanded his artistic perspective, exploring themes of human existence and environmental constraints.

Hsi Chi WU finds inspiration in observing his surroundings and experiencing life. Last year, during his residency along the Yilan coast, he began documenting the radiant landscapes of Taiwan’s East Coast, capturing scenes filled with pure joy. This led to the continuation of his 「Human Hills & Valleys」 and 「Silent Hills & Valleys series」, where he employed vivid, high-saturation fluorescent colors to evoke the dazzling sunlight, the caress of ocean breezes, the grandeur of mountains, and the depth of river valleys. Through the interplay of lines and color fields, he deconstructs natural landscapes, reflecting on how humanity, despite being surrounded by breathtaking scenery, is increasingly confined by external technological signals. His compositions provoke thought and metaphorically invite viewers to reflect on the delicate relationship between humans and their environment, as well as the search for a spiritual dialogue with nature.

 

Wen Jui TSAO, a lifelong fan of animation, was born in Taipei and graduated from the National Academy of Arts (now Taipei National University of the Arts). He later pursued a Master of Fine Arts degree in the United States and returned to Taiwan to work in arts administration for many years. At the age of 45, he returned to painting full-time, embracing his passion for artistic creation. Drawing from childhood and adolescent memories, TSAO constructs surreal narratives with boundless imagination. Utilizing the refined techniques of classical realism in oil painting, he meticulously crafts dreamlike, staged compositions—fictional yet seemingly “real” theatrical scenes—where he fulfills his inner longing for a whimsical, cartoon-infused fantasy world.

 

「Window to The Mind」 series, TSAO places well-known cartoon characters near different viewing windows, as if inviting them into an extraordinary journey through time and space. 「The Virtual Reality」 series depicts toy figurines that have stepped out of their display cases into a world of freedom, where they curiously question the transformations of reality, symbolizing the artist’s reflections on the changing world. Meanwhile, 「The Museum Project」 series, TSAO playfully collages and recontextualizes classical artworks, replacing their original subjects with pop culture figures and displaying them as museum exhibits—offering a humorous and contemporary reinterpretation of traditional masterpieces. In these works, the artist assumes the role of a stage director, orchestrating characters and constructing imaginative worlds that invite viewers to resonate with his narratives.

 

Through life experiences, these two artists have gained profound realizations, reconnecting with their original creative intentions and embarking on a journey to explore the landscapes of existence. By stepping away from the pixelated screens of the digital world and focusing on the real beauty of nature, they remind us that there is a breathtaking world waiting to be seen—if only we take the time to truly observe it.

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