2023.10.07 － 2023.12.14
無華之境：楊忠銘個展
Flora of Formosa: Yang Chung-Ming Solo Exhibition
不知從何時開始，我耽美於破碎、脆弱的白霧之境。
那彷彿，帶有仙氣一般的灰燼，在虛無中升起萬象。
令我心醉，卻也心碎。
一步之遙，成就台灣 版創藝術 的全新樣貌。
2015年，飛越三百年的時空，回望明清古籍，做出了當代的回應。
2019年，一探時間背面的死生之別，循著鐘錶師傅手裡技藝，看見了永恆迴音。
2023年，研究室裡冰冷的時光遺物，藝術家的眼尋著了美，編織出耀眼的無華之境。
楊忠銘的創作，總是以令人甚至忍不住惋惜的速度向前奔馳，每一次創作發表，都是顛覆。
當人們還沈醉在「時光文件」展覽中美柔汀作品那優雅寧靜的黑色調子，版創藝術的邊界卻已悄然被他擴張到另一個我們無從想像亦無法辨識的宇宙。
當你只為一張「白紙」的美而心動。
版創藝術在20世紀因著媒材的多樣化與傑出藝術家的加入創作而出現許多經典作品。尤其在「版」上大膽嘗試各項實驗，以完成令人讚嘆的畫面成果，如米羅的金剛砂技法、趙無極的飛塵法。
在這個歷史基礎上，楊忠銘更進一步思索「媒材」與「載體」的可能性，他曾經嘗試將刻印過程中使用的原版（Matrix）成為作品主體，此展則是更進一步，將「紙張」自服務於油墨的古老功用中釋放出來。
從「手工紙抄造術」的技術出發，以「版創原理」結合林業試驗所（Taiwan Forestry Research Institute）的「纖維研究學」，在實驗室裡經過無數次失敗，在藝術家與科學家們數年的堅持之下，終於將日治時期所遺留下來的空間、物件、植物標本，以最美的姿態再現，彷彿自遙遠的時光中還魂而至。
無華之境 ，呈現在觀者眼前的是一張張沒有承載任何一滴油墨的紙張，脆弱的令人心碎。
藉著或明或暗的光線，一頁頁真實卻虛幻的美麗，令人心醉。楊忠銘的版創作品，直面對決藝術的開創性，也以詠物之美，直指人們心中最深處的感動。
In realms of mist, both fragile and shattered,
A mystic ash, in ethereal glow, scattered.
Amidst the void, a myriad of scenes unfurled,
My heart enchanted, yet in pieces it swirled.
A mere step away, forging a fresh visage for Taiwan’s Fine Art Prints
In 2015, Yang Chung-Ming transcended three centuries, gazing back at the antique literatures of the Ming and Qing dynasties, crafting a contemporary response “A Dream of Wandering in a Garden.”
In 2019, delving into the narrative of the flip side of time, exploring the contrast between death and life, following the artistry of master horologists, discovering the “Eternal Echoes.”
In 2023, the time-worn artifacts within the laboratory, discovered as beauty in the eyes of the artist, gave birth to the resplendent “Flora of Formosa.”
Yang Chung-Ming’s artworks always race forward at a pace that leaves us almost breathless, each artistic unveiling is a subversion. While people were still entranced by the elegant and tranquil mezzotint prints of his “Timeless” exhibition, the boundaries of Fine Art Prints have quietly expanded into a universe we could never have imagined or identified.
When you are moved solely by the beauty of a “Blank Paper”
In the 20th century, Fine Art Prints bore witness to the emergence of numerous iconic works due to the diversification of mediums and the contributions of outstanding artists. Particularly in the realm of “board/plate,” audacious experiments unfolded, resulting in magnificent visual achievements, such as Joan Miró’s carborundum technique and Zao Wou-Ki’s dust etching method.
Building upon this historical foundation, Yang Chung-Ming ventured even further, pondering the possibilities of “medium” and “substrate.” He once attempted to make the “matrix” used in the printmaking process the main focus of his creations, and this exhibition takes it a step further by liberating “Paper” from its age-old role as a mere carrier for ink.
Starting with the scientific perspective of “Handmade paper,” Yang Chung-Ming combined the principles of creative printmaking with expertise in fiber research from the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute. In the laboratory, encountered countless challenges, but through years of dedication from both the artist and scientists, spaces, objects, and botanical specimens left behind from the Japanese colonial era have been resurrected in their most exquisite form, as if returning from a distant time.
In the ‘Flora of Formosa’ exhibition, what unfolds before the viewer’s eyes are sheets of paper untouched by a single drop of ink, delicate and heart-rending. Bathed in either subtle or intense illumination, each page presents a beauty that is both real and surreal, simultaneously captivating the soul. As Yang Chung-Ming’s fine art prints stand at the forefront of printmaking art, his artworks evoke the profound beauty of objects, directing with clarity toward the deepest emotions residing within people’s hearts.
English