我居住在可能裡 劉文瑄 | I Dwell in Possibility Mia Liu

我居住在可能裡 | 劉文瑄 I Dwell in Possibility | Mia Liu 4

是誰畏懼稻田？抑或劉文瑄在異國 | 何偉明 Who’s Afraid of Dao Tian?, or Mia Liu in a Foreign Country | Louis Ho 23

圖版 Plates 36

關於可能性的詩意－劉文瑄的心之寓居處 | 沈伯丞 Poetic Possibility – Where Mia Liu’s Heart Is | Bo-Chen Sheng 67

藝術家簡歷 Artist Biography 76

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我居住在可能裡 劉文瑄

在生活中，往往看到一張老畫、一叢雜草或一片景色時，總在剎那間，身體裡 某一塊我不曾意識的區域被直直地撞擊開來，這股衝擊的力量驅動著我去擾動 眼前的當下，向那片無法測量的現實靠近，以自身的意識與力量去回應、去探 索、去尋問那個可能的世界。 這次個展展出的三個系列作品便是透過不同的旅途過程中所接觸的事物與各式 各樣的內在之間遊蕩撞擊後，再引發一連串尋索「可能」的動作下組構而成。 展覽中的水墨對畫系列展出了多件我於首爾 OCI 美術館駐村期間的創作。在首 爾的舊貨市場，與一整疊無名作者的水墨習作中偶遇，我動心了。我便跨越時 間的浮橋開啟一種重疊的時空關係，以我自身建立的符號去連結、去表現、去 完成。它們是我心中編造的對象，是有別於真實存在的對象的疊加想像，也像 是在對象中追尋另一個不存在的我。 其中大型裝置《對畫首爾：四君子》藉由「台北文化財保存研究所」的協助， 我把署名「稻田」的陌生作者原本四幅分開裝裱的梅、蘭、竹、菊的水墨作品，

重新組合在一件九米長的捲軸上，裝裱時並刻意打破捲軸閱讀的時間軸，再藉 由鉛筆的塗畫層疊與原作墨色深淺濃淡的相互搭配，以及東大門的時裝布料作 為裝裱素材，組成一幅既傳統與現代，跨越時空的對畫作品。這件作品最終並 以空間懸吊的方式呈現，忠實呈現塗畫裝置 (Drawing Installation) 的空間想像。 這次展出的另一系列地景塗畫 (Drawing Landscape) 《之間．鳳林》系列攝影， 也反映著我對於「可能」的體悟。工作時的身體雖在自然之中，但卻設法使自 己的意識置身於自然之外，試著超越既有的時間流去描摹心中的寧靜及雜訊， 攝影中的留白便悠悠蕩蕩地成為自然裡的空與無。它們不是存在在過去或未來， 也不是在當下；像是冥想時念頭與念頭之間的空，它是孤立的可能，不屬於任 何人，最後只能留下一種靜止的感覺。 這系列作品是我受邀至池上駐村期間，前往鳳林造訪友人時，在縱谷的大片天 地間偶然開啟了關於土地、自然與內在的對話，透過現地製作的地景塗畫裝置 將心像具現，最終藉由攝影轉譯成影像，從消坡塊群到路邊不起眼的芒草皆對 畫成景。 展出的第三個系列則是近年來標誌性的紙張雕塑 (Drawing Sculpture)「捲捲」 系列的新作，此次作品的紋樣疊合了水墨色蘊與植物意象，也呼應著本次展覽 另兩個系列水墨對畫與地景塗畫的題材關係，作品在簡約中呈顯出二維與三維 之間，饒富多重視覺性的閱讀興味。 前述的三個系列在展場空間中不斷的穿插展呈，使整體展覽形成了作品與作品 之間另一層次的共謀與對話。與作品同步展出的紀錄片，則進一步揭露了創作 過程中如何在現實的可視中看見不可視的各種「可能」。我認為世界是由各種 可能的事物組合而成的，但事實上，所有的可能是看不到的，而所謂的「看到」， 即是意識與自然之間交互運動後的產生之物。 我則永遠的居住在可能裡。

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I Dwell in Possibility Mia Liu

In daily life, a randomly appearing old painting, a tuft of grass or a scenery often instantly creates impact on some part of my body where far beyond the consciousness can reach.

It drives me to stir the current moment, to get closer to the unmeasurable reality and to react upon, to explore, to question the world of possibility with my own consciousness and power.

I create by getting to know various things during different journeys and recklessly wandering within my multiple states of mind. Those trigger a series of actions of searching possibilities and further construct this exhibition.

The exhibition includes several pieces I made during my residency at OCI museum in Seoul. The encounter with a stack of anonym exercises of ink painting at a flea market there convinced me. For that reason, I’ve crossed the bridge of time to unfold an overlapping relationship between space and time. I connect, express, and accomplish with the symbols I’ve created. They are subjects I fabricated, piling-up imaginations against the reality, also as if a probe among these subjects for a non-existent me. Perhaps I have been portraying only “myself” all along; therefore, the works can be expressed and developed in a new form when I truly comprehend this kind of real foundation of creating. By means of opening a visual entry, I am able to locate the world that allows my mind to connect with.

The large-scale installation Dialogue Drawing Dialogue in Seoul: Four Gentlemen in collaboration with the Taipei Conservation Centre was a rearrangement of the paintings of the respective themes of Plum Blossom, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum by

the unfamiliar painter “Dao Tian”. She deploys the four which supposed to be mounted separately but onto a 940-cm-long scroll, that the discursively hanging display breaks through the timeline of stroll reading. With the varying shades of pencil that echo the gradated hues of ink and wash, and couture fabrics from Dongdaemun, Liu composed a work in combination of tradition and modernity, dialogue of transcending time and space.

Eventually the work hanged from the ceiling as the sculpted space reflects pertinently the concept of “Drawing Installation”.

The other series on view is Drawing Landscape, entitled In Between · Fenglin, mirroring my comprehension towards “possibility”. My physical state was in the nature while working but I’ve tried to separate my consciousness out of it. I attempt to transcend the current passage of time so to delineate the inner peace as well as noise. The geometric empty space in the photos as a result becomes nihility in nature. They don’t’ either exist in the past or the future, neither the presence; they seem to be the emptiness in between thoughts during meditation and the possibility of isolation, which does not belong to any individual. Only the feeling of silence is left at the end.

When I was invited for a residency in Chishang, I visited a friend and embarked a conversation in regard to land, nature and inner self by chance in the rift-valley. Through imprinting the on-site drawing to the physical landscape, I finally translate the mindscape to images by means of photography, rendering images from armor blocks to slivergrass into prints.

The third series brought along at the exhibit is the latest works from the signature Drawing Sculpture series in my recent practice. The patterns blended in ink color and plant imagery echo the thematic correlation between series of Dialogue and Drawing Landscape. The works in concise forms present the reading playfulness abundant in multiple visuality between two- and three-dimensionality.

Above series of works interwoven in the venue shape another level of co-planning and dialogue in between. The documentary further reveals how the I see the invisible variety of possibilities in the visible reality. Like my conclusion in the statement: “The world is made up of all kinds of possibilities. Nevertheless, it is unlikely to see all kinds of possibilities. What “seeing” is actually the product generated by the interaction between consciousness and nature. I, on that account, constantly dwell in possibility”.

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《紀錄片：我居住在可能裡》 Documentary : I Dwell in Possibility 2019 紀錄片導演：廖憶玲、朱柏穎 Director : Maggie Liao and Po-Ying Chu 23 mins / Color

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是誰畏懼稻田？抑或劉文瑄在異國

何偉明

「過去猶如異國；在那裡人們行事迥異。」 ― L.P.哈特利：《送信人》 過去充斥在劉文瑄的作品中，似乎在那裡事物都運行地相當不同。 她的作品《對畫首爾：四君子》是繪畫、素描，輔加現成物、挪用、介入、集 合，是的，還有對話，全部在一起。它採取不尋常懸掛的形式，在將近十米長 的捲軸上由天花板以捲動弧線垂墜向下，水平褶皺起伏如山峰與谿壑，連綿不 絕將空間雕塑為如同鋸齒狀的生命曲線。捲軸中心，又稱畫心，是多層次、線 條與肌理構成的書卷：由其他作者所繪製、代表中華視覺文化中花卉四君子的 現成水墨作品－梅、蘭、竹、菊－被劉文瑄創造的抽象符號覆蓋。素描在圖與 落款的空白間 、在盛開菊花與多節粗枝上孕育的梅花中、在小竹叢的細枝與蘭 花葉的柔波裡，有含括角度的線條、圓弧的圖樣、難以解讀的塗鴉所組成的巴 洛克羅網，刻畫於千變萬化的鉛筆筆觸中，呼應水墨裡那漸層的色調。裁切過 的黑色尼龍網眼構成萬花筒之中的圖騰，有著鐵絲網柵欄到蜂巢結構的設計， 如同現成的抽象符號般再次全員部署，使現成物得以在二維與三維間盤旋擺盪。 不斷地擴充，最後，裱褙捲軸的布料便是一座幾何薈萃，那是展示著黑白相間 阿拉伯織紋的人造織品，接近歐普藝術的視覺震盪，生成一片整合構成的載體， 在框內展延那世界中心思想的生命。 在《對畫首爾：四君子》中對其他創作者的挪用，展現劉文瑄近年來創作特點 上觀念與美學的精妙運用。這樣的轉折始於《話竹：與劉梁玲芳對畫》系列， 在此她使用現今成為她特徵的抽象手法介入已故祖母的墨竹作品 1。根據藝術家 所述，這些動作不是為了反傳統或故意破壞藝術，而是作為一種標記，她說， 一種藝術相似性與傳承的印記：「雖然不間斷地處理單張墨竹作品的過程與快 速隨機的素描大相徑庭，但兩者間有相似的精神。而這個過程也激發我開啟與

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祖母的畫對話。」2018 年劉文瑄開始於韓國首爾的駐村，她在當地的舊貨市場， 為她長期研究傳統東亞視覺與物質文化的關係尋訪時，偶然發現了一位署名為 「稻田」的陌生作者之創作。其中的四組聯畫後來發展成 《對畫首爾》，原畫 作者資訊幾乎佚失：無真實姓名 2、性別、出身（可能是韓國、中國或是其他種 族或國籍）、藝術訓練背景，也不知道何時與何處創作完成。劉文瑄以她獨特 的感性回應稻田的繪畫： ……這些鉛筆的塗畫層層疊疊，巧妙地與既有的墨色深淺濃淡相互搭配，幾何的 鉛筆線條律動與水墨的高低錯落組成一幅既抽象又具象、寫意也寫實的趣味景緻， 各自存在的東西兩種畫法及不同媒材，看似無關聯卻又相當自然地結合 3。

如一開始《話竹》系列背後的觀念驅動，關於此處作品推論的框架是以辯證與 並置為前提，二元對立間的平衡－「抽象與具象」、「寫意與寫實」、「東方 與西方」－全部總合在藝術家打造的姿態裡產生張力。儘管具有相似的比較， 劉文瑄的介入所表現的不是美學上的對等，或同中存異，而是更基本的超脫， 脫離中國水墨畫首重的寫意主流，與其表彰內在本質的論述與實作相對而立。 這些被冠予徒手風格的「速寫意念」，寫意的字面直譯，投中國學院畫家的菁 英階級所好，是著重心靈與筆墨詮釋的面向，而不是追求擬真，或是模仿現實 以及其外在的成像；如是作法意求刻畫主題的精煉精神或是繪畫者的心情與個 性。如 Fritz van Briessen 評論中所稱的「揮灑自如」風格：「非臨摹自然；它 簡化、抽象化與收斂集中。藉由暗示與省略運作…… 它致力捕捉禪僧同自然與 靈妙溝通時心境的揭示。」4 毋庸置疑稻田是一名偏好寫意的畫家。比如，他 5 的梅花，顯示他熟練墨梅或相 應之類型。單枝伸入畫中空間，像春天溫暖的氣息帶來花朵的綻放，它們清澄、 姿態優雅的造型在飽受氣候侵蝕與厚重地衣裹覆的樹皮外殼中意外顯目。盛開 的梅花於筆下彎垂成 S 型的曲線，立即使人想起傳統常見的構圖，經常在元朝 詩人兼畫家王冕的作品中出現。王冕是「在傳統宋朝到現代水墨梅花主題發展 中，是至關重要的承先啟後人物。6」稻田的演繹尤其深植在古梅的次分類中：

扭曲、憔悴的古梅樹圖樣上，斷裂的大枝、醜陋的根莖、多鱗的枝幹，在蒙古 元朝時代進入中土，與隱遁文人墨客、不認同外族統治以及自我放逐的移民產 生意象連結。那年邁、毀容的樹雖型體枯萎，但依然堅挺並綻放花朵，故成為 遺世獨立與餘下倖存者之詩意象徵 7。14 世紀的藝術鑑賞家湯垕也許為墨梅的觀 念性格作了最佳描述： 畫梅俗稱「寫梅」……為什麼呢？因為表達這些花的純粹，人需要思而後畫 ( 思 寫之 )，非拘泥形態的相似（形似。陳與義的詩說：「意足不求顏色似……」）8

在梅花盛開主題的傳統，稻田也在他的畫上加了題詞。詞是這樣寫道：「晴窗 寫出橫斜影 , 絕勝前邨夜雪時」9，這是宋朝詩人兼學者陳與義的詩中前兩句， 全詩四句旨在讚美另外一位詩人林逋的「山園小梅」，也許這最有趣的不是特 定韻文的意涵－他們誇大現今視為刻板的梅花美學吸引力 – 但事實上這題詞是 引用的再引用，稻田引用了陳與義論及林逋的詩，作品裡文字魅影是基於原書 寫（林逋）的退位，並且隨著每一後續引用或指涉而更加遠離，這種推遲直接 性的事實，造成了所謂實體幽靈性的形式。這種幽靈性，或說當下的缺席是精 準的，因為吻合劉文瑄創造圖像系統時刻意的不確定性，稻田的版權使用語義 模稜良可，不斷指涉在過去文類歷史中某時刻的鏈接，鏡射出素描、圖樣、造 型的網絡，劉文瑄將這座網絡介入原畫構成，以及在主題上將首位引用者與第 二位的介入行為接合成對的複雜組合。 明顯地《對畫首爾：四君子》中的挪用有兩種形式－不僅僅在墨梅部分，同樣 顯著的是其精神層面的分歧程度，不亞於意涵層面的挪用程度。稻田一開始的 引用基於文字與圖像傳統的互文，是學者論述的範疇，但劉文瑄的介入避開了 象徵形式以及寫意繪畫的推導脈絡，反開啟一種外來的視覺語言，奠基於西方 幾何抽象中的連續性與模組化導向。在寫意傳統中往畫面上增添筆觸的行為幾 近神秘主義，對此 D. T. Suzuki 觀察寫道：「在結構、內容、執行、創作素材上 是粗糙的，但我們……感到特定精神流竄，盤旋於多樣線、點以及陰影的構成； 鮮活的氣韻於中震動起伏」10。但這種行為在此像減輕負重般被刻意放棄了……

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是為了什麼？到底劉文瑄在其他藝術家作品上描繪低限抽象、現成圖像和物件 的預示是什麼？她抵觸稻田繪畫的抒情配置－蛇狀彎曲大樹枝的墨調與簡化運 筆單圈表現花瓣的技法，即圈瓣法－而是鮮明地描畫抽象的輪廓、線性彎曲的 結構、漸層的圓圈與黑色尼龍的拼布，與其說視覺動態感，不如說使人想起畢 卡索的拼貼、俄國構成主義或特別是，世紀中期的低限主義。後者著重粗邊與 幾何抽象，透過素描工具，像是尺規與模板的協助完成，劉文瑄的介入近乎直 接令人聯想於此；從中國繪畫的簽名落款與詩意的情緒表達層次而言，這是很 難想像的。眾所周知，非凡的低限主義大師唐納德．賈德 (Donald Judd) 這樣評 論自己作品：「它們通常是挑釁的。11」正是這種力量與挑釁的展示，讓一位藝 術史研究者感到不安，她將低限主義藝術歸類為「冷漠的空白……它們僵硬或 整潔表面與平凡的素材。」12 安娜．薛芙 (Anna Chave) 哀嘆著賈德物件中所銘 刻的冷漠主體表徵，它們是綜合工業材質與幾何、單元模組後，形成的缺乏表 現性、「空白」結構。她同時指出：「低限主義藝術最干擾觀眾的可能就是他 們對自我生活與時間的不安，因為外在投射出的是社會的空白、冷酷的面孔， 由科技、工業與商業導致的冷漠。」13 這裡，事實上，也許是劉文瑄與稻田建立對話的關鍵。從她自己的論述來看， 並非是兩個不同藝術感受的自然組合，而更傾向於在一對明顯分歧的談話與視 覺複合物間，相異又相抗衡的邂逅－可以說是從這件作品主要意涵引導出來的 相遇。薛芙所指當代生活中「鋼硬的面孔」藉由低限主義者的形式展現，呼應 藝術家彼得．哈萊 (Peter Halley) 對 20 世紀抽象藝術的觀察： 戰後抽象藝術被一項針對文化的壓倒性回應所主宰：由於風向引導，異化取代精 神性與現象學……那是社會關係如科技般受到解放後的抽象世界，充斥情感空白、 空虛及麻木。14

在劉文瑄挪用稻田作品實現的並置中，後者所體現的寫意傳統中落款的「精神 性」，恰如其分地置放在劉文瑄召喚抽象術語所形成的「情感空白」中。她的 幾何符號容易使人聯想當代都市生活，表現先進資本主義壓縮的結構，直接卻

又隱晦地暗示政治社會的權力模式，接渠由現代工業專家統治組成的現實。她 視覺語言在模塊與標準化的處理下，勾出生活的同質與抽象性，在我們多數人 日常的每一天出現。劉文瑄的素描看來匿名，只能從很細微處劃分圖版與肌理 偶發的細節，其模稜兩可令人聯想起組裝線式的美感，高級藝術挪用著大量生 產無名難以歸類的物件，像是絲網的織品，被揉併入創作，幾乎是杜象格言的 延伸：所有藝術只要使用他人製作之材料，終究已是現成物。15 作為心靈之回應， 劉文瑄作品中的相近質地、絕對的空白與數學般的常規，都暗示存在的靜態模 式，以及都市生活運作核心指導下，被排定的整齊與劃一。 於此，然後，是一個異國。

1. Qtd. in Louis Ho, “Illegibility: the Making of” in Tropical Cyclone (Taipei: Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, 2018), pp. 24–31.

See p. 28.

2. “Dao Tian” is likely to be the artist’s pen name, hao 號, or style name, zi 字, rather than his/her birth name.

3. In a message from the artist to the author, dated May 25, 2019

4. Fritz Van Briessen, The Way of the Brush: Painting Techniques of China and Japan (Tokyo, Vermont & Singapore: Tuttle Publishing, 1999), p. 181.

5. In the absence of any knowledge of Dao Tian beyond his pseudonym, this essay makes a number of assumptions for ease of reference. To differentiate Liu and Dao in terms of gender pronouns, the latter is referred to as “he” and “him” throughout, and in the past tense.

6. Maggie Bickford, Ink Plum: The Making of a Chinese Scholar-Painting Genre (Cambridge & New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996), p. 203.

7. See Bickford, pp. 60 – 2, for a description of the gumei tradition.

8. Qtd. in Bickford, p. 180.

9. The author acknowledges Mia Liu’s help in deciphering the inscription and textual references.

10. Suzuki was speaking of the Japanese equivalent of Chinese ink painting: sumi-e 墨絵. Quoted in Bert Winther-Tamaki, “The Asian Dimensions of Postwar Abstract Art: Calligraphy and Metaphysics” in Alexandra Munroe, ed., The Third Mind: American Artists Contemplate Asia, 1860-1989 (New York: Guggenheim Museum, 2009), pp.145-157.

11. Donald Judd, “Specific Objects” in Complete Writings 1959 – 1975 (Halifax, Nova Scotia and New York: Press of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and New York University Press, 2005), pp. 181–189. See p. 187.

12. Anna Chave, “Minimalism and the Rhetoric of Power” in Arts Magazine, vol. 64, no. 1 (Jan, 1990), pp. 44 – 63. See p. 54.

13. Chave, p. 55.

14. Peter Halley, “Abstraction and Culture” in Maria Lind, ed., Abstraction (Whitechapel: Documents of Contemporary Art) (London and Cambridge, MA: Whitechapel Gallery and MIT Press, 2013), pp. 137-42.

15. Duchamp writes: “Since the tubes of paint used by the artist are manufactured and readymade products we must conclude that all the paintings in the world are “readymades aided” and also works of assemblage.” See Marcel Duchamp, “Apropos of "Readymades"” in The Writings Of Marcel Duchamp (Da Capo Paperback) (Oxford University Press, 1973; Da Capo Press reprint), pp. 141-2. See p. 142.

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Who’s Afraid of Dao Tian?, or Mia Liu in a Foreign Country Louis Ho

“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” L.P. Hartley, The Go-Between

The past is everywhere in Mia Liu’s work, and it seems as if things are very different there indeed.

Her Dialogue among the Four Gentlemen: Drawing with Dao Tian is painting, drawing, aided readymade, appropriation, intervention, assemblage and, yes, dialogue, all at once. It assumes the form of a prodigious hanging scroll banner, almost ten metres long, draped from the ceiling in cascading curls and curves, folding and falling horizontally in hills and hollows, vertices and valleys, like a sinuous rendition of the serrated signals of a vital signs reading sculpted in space. The painted heart of the scroll, the huaxin, is a palimpsest of layers, lines, texture: found ink paintings, by another artist, of the four floral gentlemen of Chinese visual culture – the chrysanthemum, bamboo, plum and orchid – have been overlaid with abstract patterns of Liu’s own devising. In the blank stretches between image and inscription, between the profuse efflorescences of chrysanthemum and the gnarled bough bearing sprays of plum blossom, between the slender stems of a small bamboo grove and the willowy waves of orchid leaves, is a baroque web of angled lines, spherical shapes, indecipherable scribbles, limned in varying shades of pencil that echo the gradated hues of ink and wash. Interposed amidst the kaleidoscope, also, are patterns formed by cut outs of black nylon mesh, boasting designs ranging from those that recall chain-link fencing to the honeycombed hives of bees, redeployed here as readymade abstractions, found objects hovering between two- and three-dimensionality.

Amplifying, finally, the geometric constellation is the mounting fabric of the scroll, a synthetic textile sporting a black-and-white arabesque that approximates the visual vibrato

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of Op Art, providing a meta-compositional device that extends the motific life of the world within the frame.

The appropriation of another artist’s work in Dialogue among the Four Gentlemen represents a conceptual and aesthetic manoeuvre that has typified Liu’s practice in recent years. It marks a turn that began with the Dialogue among Bamboos – Drawing with Liu Liang LingFang series, where she intervened in the ink bamboo paintings of her late grandmother with her now trademark abstractions. According to her, she performs these gestures not as acts of iconoclasm nor vandalism, but as marks, according to her, of artistic affinity and continuity: “Although the non-stop process of one single bamboo ink painting is different from quick and random sketches, both share a similar spirit. And this process triggered the idea to establish a dialogue with my grandmother’s paintings.”1 In 2018, Liu embarked on a residency program in Seoul, South Korea, and, scouring local flea markets there as part of her continuing research into traditional visual and material cultures of East Asia, she stumbled onto works by an otherwise anonymous figure named Dao Tian, or, literally, Rice Field; her finds included the quartet of paintings later utilized in Dialogue. Almost nothing is known of this artist: not his/her real name,2 gender, origins (whether of Korean, Chinese or other ethnicity or nationality), artistic training, nor when or where the works were produced. Liu responded to Dao’s paintings with her characteristic sensibility: … the rhythm of geometric lines added in pencil and the choppy flow of black ink scattered up and down could create an interesting landscape, both abstract and figurative, freehand and realistic. The Eastern and Western techniques and the different materials existing individually are seemingly not related to each other but quite naturally combined together.3 Not unlike the conceptual impetus behind the original Dialogue among Bamboos series, the discursive framing of the work here is premised on dialectic and juxtaposition, an equilibrium between binary poles – “abstract and figurative”, “freehand and realistic”, “Eastern and Western” – held together in productive tension in the gestures of the authorial hand. Despite the claims of similitude and comparability, however, what Liu’s interventions represent are not aesthetic equivalence, a likeness in unlikeness, but, more fundamentally, a departure from the dominant xieyi school of Chinese ink painting, a reversal of its discourse and practice that are premised on notions of expressing inner essence. The so-dubbed freehand style of “sketching ideas”, as the term literally translates to, was favoured by

the literati class of Chinese scholar-painters, and was aimed not at mimesis, the aping of reality and its physical appearance, but rather stressed the mental and interpretive aspect of the brush; its deployment was intended to capture the distilled spirit of the subject, or the mood and character of the painter. As Fritz van Briessen remarks of what he dubs the “spontaneous” style: “[It] does not imitate nature; it simplifies, abstracts, and concentrates. It works by suggestions and omission … It aims to catch the mood of revelation of the scholar of Ch’an monk in communion with Nature and the Ineffable.”4 That Dao Tian was a painter of xieyi predilections is clear enough. His5 painting of the plum blossom, for instance, evinces his familiarity with the momei, or ink plum, genre. A single bough rises into the space of the painting, like the warm breath of spring that its flowers herald, their pellucid, stylized elegance of form only serving to bring into sharp relief the weather-beaten and lichen-encrusted texture of the bark. The flowering plum is depicted in a draping S-shaped curve, recalling immediately one of the most common compositions in the tradition, frequently encountered in the work of the Yuan dynasty painter and poet Wang Mian, for instance, who is regarded as “the pivotal figure in the development of the ink-plum genre from classical Song practice to the modern tradition that continues unbroken.”6 Dao’s rendition is, in particular, embedded in the sub-genre of the gumei, the old plum: images of twisted, battered old plum trees, with broken boughs, misshapen roots and rough, scaly trunks, which came into its own during the Mongol Yuan era, when it became associated with the figure of the scholar-recluse, the yimin alienated from foreign rule and reduced to voluntary exile. The old, deformed tree, blasted by the elements yet tenaciously enduring and flowering, becomes a poetic emblem of the isolation and survival of these leftover subjects.7 The fourteenth-century connoisseur Tang Hou, perhaps, best described the ideational character of the ink plum: Painting plum (hua mei) is called “sketching plum” (lit. “writing plum”, xie mei) … Why? Because of the utter purity of [these] flowers, the one who paints [them] ought to employ ideas to sketch them (yi xie zhi), not dwell on formal likeness (xingsi). Chen Qufei’s (Yuyi) poem says, “If the idea is adequate, don’t pursue color and likeness …”8 In the tradition of the flowering plum genre, Dao also appended an inscription to his painting. It reads: “Qing chuang xie chu heng xie jing, jue sheng qian chun ye xue shi.”9 Penned by the Song dynasty poet and scholar, the afore-quoted Chen Qufei, or Chen Yuyi, it is comprised of the last two lines of a poem written in praise of another poem, Lin Bu’s “How

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Plum Flowers Embarrass a Garden”, or “Shan Yuan Xiao Mei ”. What is of interest here, perhaps, is not so much the content of these specific verses – they boast what are now fairly formulaic sentiments about the aesthetic appeal of plum blossoms – but the fact that the inscription is a citation of a citation, Dao quoting Chen Yuyi referencing Lin Bu. The textual ghostliness at work here is premised on the retreat of the originary writing (Lin’s), which withdraws ever further with each successive citation or reference, the fact of deferred immediacy contributing to a form of ontological spectrality. This spectrality, or an absence in presence, is relevant precisely because it dovetails with the deliberate indeterminacy of the pictorial realm created here by Liu, the semantic equivocation of Dao’s colophon, its chain of referentiality constantly gesturing to earlier moments in the history of the literati genre, mirrored in the web of drawings, patterns and shapes that Liu has interposed in the original composition, the citational complex of the first thematically twinned with the interventionist gestures of the second.

That there are two forms of appropriation happening in Dialogue among the Four Gentlemen is clear enough – and not just in the section of the ink plums – but equally salient is the fact that they are as dissimilar in spirit as they are appropriationist in intent.

Dao’s literary recitation is but a textual correlate of his adherence to pictorial tradition, both operating within the parameters of literati discourse, but Liu’s interventions, in their eschewal of the symbolic forms and discursive context of xieyi painting, introduces instead an alien visual language premised on the seriality and modularity of Western geometric abstraction. The near mystical act of applying brush to surface in the xieyi tradition, of which D. T. Suzuki observed was “poor in form, poor in contents, poor in execution, poor in material, yet we … feel the presence in it of a certain moving spirit that mysteriously hovers around the lines, dots, and shades of various formations; the rhythm of its living breath vibrates in them”10, seems to have been purposively jettisoned for …… what?

What does Liu’s act of rendering minimalist abstractions and readymade patterns and objects over the work of another artist portend? Against the lyrical configurations of Dao’s painting – the serpentine arc of modulated ink tones of the bough and the abbreviated circular sweep limning each individual petal, or quanban fa, the circled-petal method – her sharply delineated abstractions, the linear zig-zagging forms, shaded circular shapes and patches of black nylon mesh fabric, recall instead the visual dynamics of, say, Picasso’s collages, Russian Constructivism, or, especially, mid-century Minimalism. It is the latter’s focus on hard edges and geometric abstraction, achieved with the aid of drawing tools such as rulers and stencils, that Liu’s interventions evoke almost immediately; it is hard

to imagine anything further from the autographic brushwork and poetic sentiments of Chinese ink painting. That Minimalist extraordinaire, Donald Judd, was known to have commented of his works: “they are usually aggressive.”11 It was precisely this display of power and aggression that disturbed one art historian, which she characterized as Minimalist art’s “obdurate blankness … its harsh or antiseptic surfaces and quotidian materials.” 12 Anna Chave bemoaned the look of impassive authority inscribed into Judd’s objects, their synthesis of industrial materials and geometric, modular units into expressionless, “blank” configurations. She also pointedly observed that “what disturbs viewers most about Minimalist art may be what disturbs them most about their own lives and times, as the face it projects is society’s blankest, steeliest face, the impersonal face of technology, industry, and commerce.”13 Here, indeed, is perhaps the crux of the dialogue that Liu stages with Dao. It is less of a natural combination, in her own words, between two different artistic sensibilities, but more of a discordant, confrontational encounter between a pair of starkly divergent discourses and visual complexes – an encounter from which the chief significance of the work may be said to derive. What Chave identified as the “steeliest face” of contemporary life that is reflected in the forms of Minimalism is echoed by the painter Peter Halley, who observed of abstract art in the twentieth century: Post-war abstraction was to be dominated by one overriding response to culture: spirituality and phenomenology supplanted by alienation as the guiding impetus … it is the emotional blankness, emptiness and numbness of an abstract world where social relations have become as untethered as technology has.14 In the juxtaposition that is effected by Liu’s appropriation of Dao’s work, the autographic “spirituality” of the xieyi tradition that the latter embodies is put in perspective by the former’s evocation of the “emotional blankness” of the abstract idiom. Liu’s geometric symbols readily conjure a sense of contemporary urban life as it is lived out within the all-encompassing structures of advanced capitalism, seeming to allude, in immediate yet oblique ways, to modes of socio-political power, channelling the realities of a modern, industrial technocracy. The modularity and standardization that characterizes her visual language recalls the homogeneity and abstraction of life as most of us live it today. Her drawings are visually anonymous, differentiated only in the tiniest, incidental details of pattern and texture; their indistinguishability evokes the aesthetics of the factory line, objects of high art appropriating the nondescript faceless of mass-manufactured products,

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which, in the form of the mesh fabric, are incorporated into the composition itself, almost as if an extension of Duchamp’s dictum that all art, insofar as they are produced from materials made by others, are always already readymades.15 The qualities of similitude, the determined blankness and mathematical regularity of Liu’s composition, also suggests static modes of existence, an ordered uniformity to the tenor of urban modes of life, of alienation as a response to the spirit.

Here, then, is a foreign country.

1. Qtd. in Louis Ho, “Illegibility: the Making of” in Tropical Cyclone (Taipei: Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, 2018), pp. 24–31.

See p. 28.

2. “Dao Tian” is likely to be the artist’s pen name, hao 號, or style name, zi 字, rather than his/her birth name.

3. In a message from the artist to the author, dated May 25, 2019

4. Fritz Van Briessen, The Way of the Brush: Painting Techniques of China and Japan (Tokyo, Vermont & Singapore: Tuttle Publishing, 1999), p. 181.

5. In the absence of any knowledge of Dao Tian beyond his pseudonym, this essay makes a number of assumptions for ease of reference. To differentiate Liu and Dao in terms of gender pronouns, the latter is referred to as “he” and “him” throughout, and in the past tense.

6. Maggie Bickford, Ink Plum: The Making of a Chinese Scholar-Painting Genre (Cambridge & New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996), p. 203.

7. See Bickford, pp. 60 – 2, for a description of the gumei tradition.

8. Qtd. in Bickford, p. 180.

9. The author acknowledges Mia Liu’s help in deciphering the inscription and textual references.

10. Suzuki was speaking of the Japanese equivalent of Chinese ink painting: sumi-e 墨絵. Quoted in Bert Winther-Tamaki,

“The Asian Dimensions of Postwar Abstract Art: Calligraphy and Metaphysics” in Alexandra Munroe, ed., The Third Mind: American Artists Contemplate Asia, 1860-1989 (New York: Guggenheim Museum, 2009), pp.145-157.

11. Donald Judd, “Specific Objects” in Complete Writings 1959 – 1975 (Halifax, Nova Scotia and New York: Press of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and New York University Press, 2005), pp. 181–189. See p. 187.

12. Anna Chave, “Minimalism and the Rhetoric of Power” in Arts Magazine, vol. 64, no. 1 (Jan, 1990), pp. 44 – 63. See p. 54.

13. Chave, p. 55.

14. Peter Halley, “Abstraction and Culture” in Maria Lind, ed., Abstraction (Whitechapel: Documents of Contemporary Art) (London and Cambridge, MA: Whitechapel Gallery and MIT Press, 2013), pp. 137-42.

15. Duchamp writes: “Since the tubes of paint used by the artist are manufactured and readymade products we must conclude that all the paintings in the world are “readymades aided” and also works of assemblage.” See Marcel Duchamp, “Apropos of "Readymades"” in The Writings Of Marcel Duchamp (Da Capo Paperback) (Oxford University Press, 1973; Da Capo Press reprint), pp. 141-2. See p. 142.

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對畫首爾：四君子 Drawing Dialogue in Seoul : Four Gentlemen 2019 鉛筆畫、首爾跳蚤市場的水墨畫、楮皮紙、布料、紫檀木、絲綁帶 Pencil on the ink and wash painting found in the Kyoto Flea Market, Traditional mulberry paper, Fabric, Rosewood and Silk ribbon Installation : Dimensions Variable Scroll Painting : 55×900 cm

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對畫京都：幽谷佳人 Drawing Dialogue in Kyoto : The Mountain of Stars 2019 鉛筆畫、京都跳蚤市場的水墨畫、楮皮紙、布料、車繡 Pencil on the ink and wash painting found in the Kyoto Flea Market, Traditional mulberry paper, Fabric and Manual embroidery 51×37 cm

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對畫京都：山寺清供 Drawing Dialogue in Kyoto : Mountain Temple in Qing Gong Painting 2019 鉛筆畫、京都跳蚤市場的水墨畫、楮皮紙 Pencil on the ink and wash painting found in the Kyoto Flea Market,Traditional and mulberry paper 110×40 cm

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對畫首爾：四山水 Drawing Dialogue in Seoul : Four Landscapes 2019 鉛筆畫、首爾跳蚤市場的水墨畫、楮皮紙、 布料、鏡面不鏽鋼、 織帶 Pencil on the ink and wash painting found in the Seoul Flea Market, Traditional mulberry paper, Fabric, Mirror stainless steel and Ribbon 150×33 cm (each)

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山水 Rocks 2019 水墨、紙 Ink on paper 145×186×15 cm

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之間：大石頭 · 鳳林 In Between : Big Stone · Fenglin 2019 彩色攝影、鋁板裝裱 Colour photograph on dibond 148×186.5 cm

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之間：消波塊 · 鳳林 In Between : Dolosse · Fenglin 2019 彩色攝影、鋁板裝裱 Colour photograph on dibond 148×186.5 cm

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之間：芒草叢 · 鳳林 In Between : Silvergrass · Fenglin 2019 彩色攝影、鋁板裝裱 Colour photograph on dibond 148×186.5 cm

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之間：姑婆芋 · 鳳林 In Between : Giant Elephant’s Ear · Fenglin 2019 彩色攝影、鋁板裝裱 Colour photograph on dibond 120×151.2 cm

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之間：雜草 · 鳳林 In Between : Grass · Fenglin 2019 彩色攝影、鋁板裝裱 Colour photograph on dibond 86.4×109 cm

之間：鐵樹 · 鳳林 In Between : Sago Palm · Fenglin 2019 彩色攝影、鋁板裝裱 Colour photograph on dibond 86.4×109 cm

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對畫京都：美不勝收 Drawing Dialogue in Kyoto : Crab 2019 鉛筆畫、京都跳蚤市場的水墨畫、楮皮紙、布料、壓克力透明實心棒、織帶 Pencil on the ink and wash painting found in the Kyoto Flea Market, Traditional mulberry paper, Fabric, Acrylic stick and Ribbon 130×33 cm

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對畫京都：茄子 Drawing Dialogue in Kyoto : Eggplant 2019 鉛筆畫、京都跳蚤市場的水墨畫、楮皮紙、布料、車繡、人造象牙、絲綁帶 Pencil on the ink and wash painting found in the Kyoto Flea Market, Traditional mulberry paper, Fabric, Manual embroidery, Artificial Ivory and Silk ribbon 160×57.5 cm

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對畫京都：萬古流芳 Drawing Dialogue in Kyoto : Remember Forever 2019 鉛筆畫、京都跳蚤市場的水墨畫、楮皮紙、車繡、布料 Pencil on the ink and wash painting found in the Kyoto Flea Market, Traditional mulberry paper, Manual embroidery, and Fabric 水墨作品尺寸 Ink size：64×70 cm 布料尺寸 Fabric size：50×48 cm

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黑噪音 Black Noise 2018 水墨、紙 Ink on paper 120×120×17 cm

白噪音 White Noise 2018 水墨、紙 Ink on paper 120×120×17 cm

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我放棄了我的精神我的靈魂麻木 I’ve Dropped My Brain, My Soul is Numb 2017 鉛筆、水墨、紙、球體壓克力 Ink and pencil on paper and Spherical acrylic 30×30×30 cm

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關於可能性的詩意 - 劉文瑄的心之寓居處 沈伯丞

前言 「我居住在可能裏，一座比散文優美的屋宇…目光無法看透…是以天空為瓦。 就是這個，張開我小小的雙手，採集天國樂土。」艾蜜莉．狄金生（Emily Dickinson, 1830-1886） 許是巧合，抑或有心。劉文瑄的展覽《我居住在可能裡》其整體所呈現出的氣質， 和艾蜜莉．狄金生的詩句，存在著身體感性的相連。詩人說她以雙手採集天國 樂土，而藝術家則以雙手勾勒出每一間充滿詩意的作品，並細細雕琢作品精微 的官能感知，那是創作者以身體感受性與實踐去嘗試採集那屬於天國的美好。 《我居住在可能裡》（I Dwell in Possibility）不僅是劉文瑄選擇的展覽名稱外， 同時也是美國重要女詩人艾蜜莉．狄金生（Emily Dickinson）的詩集命名。而 以「可能性」作為描述個人創作的主題時，同時也彰顯了這樣的創作存在著理 解上的「不確定」、「歧異性」乃至於「失語」的性質。有趣的是，恰是因為 「可能性」的模糊，創造出的知識和理性理解上的間隙，讓「審美」與「詩意」

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成為了可能，以及卡爾維諾所說的感性認知上的準度（Exactitude）。「可能性」 同時也削剪了不必要的繁瑣枝節，掙脫出理性的邏輯鏈鎖結構，讓感官認知得 以輕盈想像。在多樣性的創作內容中，劉文瑄顯影了一個感性的詩意境界，如 何在不同的空間維度中，展現其優雅而細膩的美感。

一、在二元的張力間 紀錄片中，劉文瑄曲起一隻腳在工作桌前呢喃自語著，那對話般的自言自語， 一邊提問、一邊反駁，甚至帶著幾分爭執的負氣和耍賴…忽然間，藝術家在對 話的對立的僵局中，看見了解答於是，劉文瑄繼續她的創作。那二元性的對立 與折衝，似乎與生俱來地存在於創作者的內在，而這對立與折衝間的張力，支 撐起了藝術家作品微妙的張力。宛若陰陽二元的進退與平衡般，劉文瑄與生俱 來的衝突與折衝性格，讓每一件作品在細節中、結構裡，持續地保持著精微的 感覺平衡。從某方面說，「可能性」的「詩意」恰是存在於每件作品那衝突與 調和的張力間。 藝術家那二元衝突與調和的張力，可以從作品裡的不同面向看見，諸如紙質與 布料之間、曲線與直線之間；平面與立體之間，色彩的正面與背面之間，這些 二元的衝突和調和，來來回回地交織出每一件作品的生命力和某種靜謐中的動 態感。作品那二元性格的狀態構成，形塑了觀看時那難以言喻的認知經驗。「曖 昧」、「朦朧」、「幽微」等等難以捕捉的心思和情緒，化做了以「詩意」兩 字來形容。那是一如「深深，深幾許」抑或是「錯、錯、錯；莫、莫、莫」的 精微描繪，卻又難以準確捕捉的氛圍或語意。「言不盡意便是詩」，恰是那始 終處在二元對立間的本性，構成了藝術家作品詩意的骨架和結構。

二、維度的扭轉與連續間 「言不盡處是詩意」，從高度理性分析的角度上看「詩意」的可能，則或許可

以說「詩意」的構成，在於明晰邏輯的斷裂處，亦即當清晰的邏輯連續性被打 斷時，「想像力」與「感覺性」的自行填補讓模糊、曖昧所創造出的認知距離， 形成了所謂「霧中花」的 「朦朧」美感。也因此，善用並精微的以感性去雕琢 處在此與彼之間的模糊、曖昧，變成了「詩意」與審美「境界」的重要功夫。 以卡爾維諾的說法便是「輕」與「快」。 細細品味與凝思劉文瑄的作品，可以發現其作品中的「維度」，始終處在游移 的狀態中，無論是紙雕的作品中，那一縷一縷的曲翹的線條讓平面成為了在立 體空間中的線條，亦或者是攝影作品中那些線條、圓點如何在鏡頭前消減了光 學空間的立體透視感，乃至於水墨繪畫上那些交錯縱橫的水平、垂直墨線，如 何地改變了畫面上的空間運動… 等等，這維度之間的游移以「光」為筆以「形」 作字，在回文般的曲翹、斷語停頓般的截斷中，構成了觀看上的差異性，恰是 這個新鮮、不同於以往的認知方式去看待「維度」與「光影」、「色彩」，構 成了藝術家作品中的「輕盈」與優雅，有轉換了觀者的觀看視點。如果說「維度」 的游移創造了新的認知可能性，那麼「隱藏」或許是便是 Mia 其作品的「快」 或者「斷裂」，通過「隱藏」藝術家為觀者開啟了「想像」。從其作品中可以發現， 「隱藏」意味著某種刻意的「遮蔽」，諸如其紙雕系列作品，正反兩面的顏色 實際存在著高度差異，然則在藝術家其特意的曲翹中，色彩的差異性被隱藏在 維度與向量的轉換間，從而構成了某種幽微的色彩變化。同樣地「隱藏」或者 「遮蔽」讓攝影作品中的「三維空間」被降解，而同樣地墨線的縱橫「遮蔽」， 構成了繪畫空間的想像性重組與再認知。 恰是在維度的雕琢上，讓藝術家的作品具有了優雅型態之外，那既「輕」且「快」 並難以言喻的詩意美感。

三、歷史與當下的交錯中 「在生活中，往往看到一張老畫、一叢雜草或一片景色時，總在剎那間，身體

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裡某一塊我不曾意識的區域被直直地撞擊開來，這股衝擊的力量驅動著我去擾 動眼前的當下，向那片無法測量的現實靠近，以自身的意識與力量去回應、去 探索、去尋問那個可能的世界。」- 劉文瑄 如果說，性格的衝突拉扯間的微妙平衡構成了作品那充滿張力的形態，「維度」 的雕琢構成了其詩意的「輕」與「快」，那麼還必須說身體的感官認識與生活 的訊息感知，構成了創作者那明晰的作品表現與多樣性的探索及嘗試。而這樣 的身體感知與生命認識，讓劉文瑄的「之間」從材料性的衝突與平衡到空間性 的轉換與雕琢，昇華至時間與記憶的抒情與轉化。 或許，劉文瑄的水墨作品恰是「時間性」創作的最佳例證。作品中交雜著對祖 母過往舞筆弄墨的記憶及對於老畫那時間淬煉出的感性，以及創作者面對作品 時的每一個當下。在此，三個截然不同的時空現象，在作品中以感性的方式堆 疊了起來。正是那交雜著回憶與想像性的時間歷程，讓藝術家在通過改筆、改 裝裱等等的過程中，一方面和某個素未謀面的往昔畫家有了對話的可能性，與 此同時似乎祖母的筆墨也同時回應了創作者。藝術家描述其攝影作品時亦提及： 「…試著超越既有的時間流去描摹心中的寧靜及雜訊，攝影中的留白便悠悠蕩 蕩地成為自然裡的空與無。它們不是存在在過去或未來，也不是在當下…最後 只能留下一種靜止的感覺。」。 正是這種身體的時間感，讓藝術家得以去構作「時間」與「時間」的想像與生 命關係，由此藝術家作品中的 「詩」乃是由身體感所構成，而其可視性映射出 作品的形體（顯（Visibility））；同時也構成了創作類型上的多樣性（繁（Multiplicity））。而看似高度差異與不同的作品類型與形體，實則存在著不變的「一 致性（consistency）」，那充滿著藝術家身體感知與性格衝突的精細雕琢。

Poetic Possibility – Where Mia Liu’s Heart Is Bo-Chen Sheng

Foreword “I dwell in Possibility— A fairer House than Prose.. Impregnable of eye— And for an everlasting Roof— The Gambrels of the Sky. This— The spreading wide my narrow Hands, To gather Paradise.” Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) A coincidence? Or a nod of tribute? Mia Liu’s solo exhibition I Dwell in Possibility exudes the same vibe as Emily Dickinson’s poetic verse, as if there’s a sensual personal connection. The poet says that she is gathering paradise with her hands; meanwhile, the artist is using her hands to produce poetic works of art, meticulously sculpting what gives the intricate pieces their subtle sensations. It’s how the creator is attempting to gather the beauty of paradise with her bodily sensibility and practice.

I Dwell in Possibility is not just the name of the exhibition chosen by Liu, but also the name of a poem penned by the celebrated American poet Emily Dickinson. When “possibility” is used as a theme to describe a personal creation, it suggests a hint of “uncertainty”, “difference” or even “aphasia” in the understanding. Interestingly, it’s precisely the ambiguity of “possibility” that creates the gap between knowledge and rational understanding, making “aesthetic” and “poetic” possible. This echoes with Calvino’s take on perceptual-cognitive exactitude. “Possibility” also shakes loose unnecessary cumbersome knots and breaks away from the chained structure of rational logic to allow sensory cognition to be re-imagined. In her multifarious creative universe, Liu highlights a sensuous poetic realm, expressing elegant and delicate beauty in different spatial dimensions.

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1.Between the dynamic binary In her documentary film, Liu is bending a knee and muttering in front of her work table.

The dialogue is like talking to herself, asking questions, refuting, sometimes with a bit of spite and shamelessness. Suddenly, the artist sees an answer in the conversational impasse. So, she continues with her creation. The opposition and ambiguity of the binary duality seem to exist intrinsically in the creator. The dynamic between the confrontation and deflection supports the delicate tension of the artist’s works. Much like a balanced advance and retreat, the yin and yang binary, Liu’s inherent confrontational and antagonistic dynamic enters into the details and structures of each piece of work to maintain an intricate balance of feeling. In a certain way, the “poetry” of “possibility” exists between the tensions of conflict and reconciliation in each piece of work.

The dynamic tension between the artist’s binary conflict and harmony can be seen from different faces of her works: between paper and cloth, between curves and lines, between two-dimensional and three-dimensional, between the front and back of colors. These binary conflicts and reconciliations give rise to the vitality of each work and some sort of rhythmic sensation in all the tranquility. The state of the dualistic character constitutes the indescribable cognitive experience in viewing her works. Words like “ambiguity”, “hazy” or “nuance”, moods or emotions that are difficult to capture, are transformed into what can only be described as “poetic”. Subtle descriptions in poetic verses like “Shen, Shen, Shen(How very deep is the deep, deep courtyard)” or “Cuo, Cuo, Cuo(Wrong, wrong, wrong)...Mo, Mo, Mo(No, No, No)” fail to accurately capture the essence or semantics.

“Meaning beyond words is what makes poetry”—this is precisely the state of the binary opposition which constitutes the skeleton and structure of the poetic aesthetic of the artist’s works.

2.Dimensional twist and continuity From a highly rational perspective, the possibility of poetry in “meaning beyond words is what makes poetry” may be said to be the constitution of “poetry”. At the clear break of logic, that is, when clear logical continuity is interrupted, “imagination” and “feeling” automatically fill in the cognitive void created by the ambiguity and fuzziness, spawning the so-called hazy beauty, not unlike looking at flowers in a mist. And so, the use of

subtle sensibility to sculpt the ambiguity and haziness between here and there becomes an important honed skill of “poetry” and aesthetic “realm”. It’s what Calvino called lightness and quickness.

Savoring and dwelling on Liu’s works, you can find that the “dimensions” are always in a state of shifting. In her works of paper sculptures, the sinuous lines of the curves turn the planar dimension into a three-dimensional space. Or the lines and dots in her photographic works shy away from the stereoscopic perspective of the optical space in front of the lens. Even the interlacing horizontal and vertical ink lines on her ink wash paintings transform the spatial movement on the scene. The shifting movement between dimensions exploits “light” as the brush and “shape” as the text. In the palindrome-like warpage or the sudden pause of truncated words, it produces a sense of difference for the viewers. It is this fresh, unprecedented cognitive approach in looking at “dimensions”, “light” and “color” which signifies the “lightness” and elegance in the artist’s works that change the viewer’s point of view. If the shifts in “dimensions” create new cognitive possibilities, then “hidden” may be the “quickness” or “break” in Liu’s works, where the “imagination” is opened for the viewers by “hiding” the artist. From her works, “hidden” suggests some form of deliberate “masking”. For instance, in her paper sculptures, the colors on the front and the back are largely different, but the artist’s unique curvilinear presentation hides the color differences in the transformation of dimensions and vectors, thus forming a hint of subtle color change. Similarly, “hiding” or “masking” leads to the decomposition of the “three-dimensional space” in her photographic works. Along the same vein, the vertical and horizontal “masking” of the ink lines constitutes the imaginative reorganization and re-cognition of the painting space.

It is precisely the carving of the dimensions that infuses the artist’s work with an elegant style, which embodies both “lightness” and “quickness” and radiates inexplicable poetic beauty.

3.Interwoven past and present “In daily life, a randomly appearing old painting, a tuft of grass or a scenery often instantly creates impact on some part of my body where far beyond the consciousness can reach. It drives me to stir the current moment, to get closer to the immeasurable

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reality and to react upon, to explore, to question the world of possibility with my own consciousness and power.” Mia Liu If we say that the delicate balance between the conflicting back-and-forth of the character constitutes the tension-filled state of the work, and the sculpting of “dimension” constitutes the poetic “lightness” and “quickness”, then the body’s sensory understanding and perception of the messages in life constitute the creator’s clear exploration and attempt in the presentation and diversity of her works. This bodily perception and life understanding take Liu’s “in-between” from material conflict and balance to the spatial change and sculpting, rising above to become the expression and transformation of time and memory.

Perhaps Liu’s ink works are the best example of “temporal” creation. Mixed with memories of her grandmother’s artful play with ink and brush, coupled with the sensibility forged by time spent with old paintings, every piece of work reflects the creator’s relationship with the work at that particular moment. Three distinct time-space phenomena are sensually layered upon one another. It represents a history of memories and imagination that allows the artist to gain the possibility of conversing with a painter in the past, who she has never met before, through changing the brushes and framing. At the same time, it seems that her grandmother’s brush and ink are also responding to her. The artist describes her photographs: “...I try to transcend the existing flow of time to trace the peace and noise of the mind, and the white space in the photograph organically becomes emptiness and nothingness. They are not in the past or in the future, nor in the present... in the end, they only leave a feeling of stillness.”

It is this bodily sense of time that allows the artist to construct the relationship between the imagination “time” and “time” of life. The “poetry” in the artist’s work is composed of body sensations, and its visualization maps out the visibility and also constitutes the multiplicity of creation. In fact, there is a constant consistency in the seemingly differing variations in the types and forms of her works—a consistency that is teeming with the sophisticated sculpting of the artist’s body perception and character conflict.

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劉文瑄

學歷

「出門在外的播放清單」，VT Artsalon 非常廟 藝文空間，台北，台灣

2007-08 美國紐約市立大學杭特學院藝術研究所

2015

「Paradi$e Bitch」，白兔美術館，雪梨，澳洲

2007

「隱匿傾斜 - 徐永旭劉文瑄聯展」，真善美

「安卓藝術 - 五周年特展II」，安卓藝術，台北，

「異境：跨越世代與地域的女性藝術對話」，

「我的隱藏版─自畫像」，國立台灣美術館，

「我們一起打造了一座 < 被藝術擁抱的 > 工廠

2014

「身體．敘事」，Silverlens Gallery，馬尼拉，

2013

「用我的＜＞交換你的＜＞」，台北國際藝

「CODA Paper Art 2013」，CODA 美術館，

「心裡畫」，將捷心裡画接待會館，台北，

「凝視自由：台灣當代藝術」，佛伊弗迪納

「交互視象：海峽兩岸當代藝術展」，中國

「交互視象：海峽兩岸當代藝術展」，國立

「這裡 Here!」，福利社 FreeS Art Space，

「標新．立意－館藏青年藝術家作品展」，

2012

「粉樂町 2012」，富邦藝術基金會，台北，

「內．裡」，濱海藝術中心，新加坡

美國舊金山藝術學院繪畫藝術學士

畫廊，台北，台灣

個展

台灣 2019

「我居住在可能裡」，安卓藝術，台北，台灣

2016

「像一隻也許的手」，伊通公園，台北，台灣

2014

「話竹：與劉梁玲芳對話」，絕對空間，台南，

2013

「黑色書房」，誠品 Art Studio，台北，台灣

2012

「看不見的光」，智邦藝術空間，新竹，台灣

2011

「我無法告訴你」，伊通公園，台北，台灣

2009

「紙的第三面」，樹火紀念紙博物館，台北，

大象藝術空間，台中，台灣

台灣

台灣 2006

台中，台灣 Part II」，雍和藝術教育基金會，台北，台灣 菲律賓

「我們不可回收」，狄亞哥里維拉藝廊，舊金山， 美國

術村，台北，台灣 阿培爾頓，荷蘭

聯展

台灣 2019

「Hot Blood」，白兔美術館，雪梨，澳洲

2018

「Creative 8」，OCI 美術館，首爾，韓國

2017

「雕塑雙年展」，駁二藝術特區，高雄，台灣

「熱帶氣旋」，關渡美術館，台北，台灣

「CODA Paper Art 2017」，CODA 美術館，

2016

「療癒之泉—格蘭菲迪台灣藝術家駐村計畫

「時代的位移：高雄獎 20 年」，高雄市立

「傑出亞洲藝術獎決選展覽」，香港，中國

「林中路當代藝術展．上篇」，安卓藝術，台北，

當代美術館，塞爾維亞共和國 美術館，北京，中國

阿培爾頓，荷蘭

台灣美術館，台中，台灣

12 週年」，關渡美術館，台北，台灣

台北，台灣

美術館，高雄，台灣

台灣

國立台灣美術館，台中，台灣 台灣

「複音．節拍」，真善美畫廊，台北，台灣

2011

「格蘭菲迪藝術家」，格蘭菲迪釀酒廠畫廊， 道芙鎮，蘇格蘭

2010

「Art Osaka 2011」，Hotel Granvia Osaka，

「Young Art Taipei 2011」，王朝大飯店，

「東京前線：當代藝術博覽會」，3331 Arts

2010

「Young Art Taipei 2010」，王朝大飯店，

2009

「台北國際藝術博覽會」，世界貿易展覽中心，

2006

「Art (212) 當代藝術博覽會」，紐約，美國

BEXCO 釜山展覽會展中心，釜山，韓國 大阪，日本 台北，台灣

「台灣當代幾何抽象藝術的變奏」，誠品畫廊， 台北，台灣

2011

「台灣響起：無上之域」，德維格當代美術 博物館路，布達佩斯路，匈牙利

「Artshow Busan 釜山藝術博覽會」，

「台灣響起：超響自由」，Mucsarnok藝術館， 布達佩斯路，匈牙利

Chiyoda，東京，日本

「2010 關鍵字展：潛雕塑 ‧ 租借 ‧ 劇本」， 朱銘美術館，台北，台灣

台北，台灣

「對畫．台北」，南海藝廊，台北，台灣

「手感的妙 Part.2」，就在藝術空間，台北，

台北，台灣

2009

「觀點與＂觀＂點－2009亞洲藝術雙年展」，

「喜劇 KdMoFA 年度大展」，關渡美術館，

2016

傑出亞洲藝術獎決選，香港，中國

台北，台灣

2009

高雄獎首獎，高雄美術館，高雄，台灣

「粉樂町 2009」，富邦藝術基金會，台北，

「高雄獎」，高雄市立美術館，高雄，台灣

2007

「自我與彼此」，狄亞哥里維拉藝廊，舊金山，

2018

OCI 美術館，首爾，韓國

美國

2013

西帖國際藝術村，巴黎，法國

「繪畫宰制的世界」，Ego Park藝廊，奧克蘭，

2011

格蘭菲迪威士忌釀酒廠，道芙鎮，英國

台灣

獲獎與提名

國立台灣美術館，台中，台灣

台灣

2006

駐村

美國

「紙兔系列移轉地景」，Aftermodern 當代

收藏

藝廊，舊金山，美國 希克藏品

博覽會

藝術銀行，台中，台灣 凱賓斯基酒店，杭州，中國

2019

「Artissima 2019」，安卓藝術展位，杜林，

白兔美術館，雪梨，澳洲

義大利

富邦金融集團，台北，台灣

「藝術未來」，台北，台灣

璞永建設，台北，台灣

2017

「Art Central」，Central Harbourfont，香港，

雍和建設，台北，台灣

中國

將捷集團，台北，台灣

「藝術登陸新加坡博覽會」，濱海灣金沙會展

格蘭父子酒業集團，蘇格蘭

中心，新加坡

智邦藝術基金會，新竹，台灣

「台北國際藝術博覽會」，世界貿易展覽中心，

國立台灣美術館，台中，台灣

台北，台灣

九昱建設，台北，台灣

2014 2013

77

Mia Liu

Education

2007-08 Hunter College of The City University of New York, M.F.A Program 2007 San Francisco Art Institute, B.F.A

Solo Exhibitions 2019 2016 2014

2013 2012 2011 2009 2006

I Dwell in Possibility, MSAC, Taipei, Taiwan A Perhaps Hand, IT Park Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan Dialogue among Bamboos - Drawing with Liu, Liang Ling-Fang, Absolute Art Space, Tainan, Taiwan The Black Reading Room, Eslite Art Studio, Taipei, Taiwan Invisible Light, Accton Art Space, Hsinchu, Taiwan I can't tell you, but you feel it, IT Park Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan The Third Side of Paper, SuHo Paper Museum, Taipei, Taiwan We are not recyclable, Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, United States

2015

2014 2013

Group Exhibitions

2019 2018 2017

2016

HOT BLOOD, White Rabbit Gallery, Sydney, Australia Creative 8, OCI Museum, Seoul, Korea M Space Sculpture Biennial, The Pier-2 Art Center, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Tropical Cyclone, Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei, Taiwan CODA Paper Art, CODA Museum, Apeldoorn, Holland Springs Eternal : Glenfiddich Artists in Residence - 12 Years from Taiwan, Kuandu

2012

Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei, Taiwan Transition of Times, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung, Taiwan The Sovereign Asian Art Prize 2016 Finalist Exhibition, Hong Kong, China The Road Not Taken Ch.1, Mind Set Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan Playlist, VT art salon, Taipei, Taiwan Paradi$e Bitch, White Rabbit Gallery, Sydney, Australia Subsurface Inclination: Joint Exhibition by Hsu Yunghsu and Mia Wen-Hsuan Liu, Kalos Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan ReVision: MSAC 5th Anniversary Special Presentation, Mind Set Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan Yi Jing: The art dialogue between different generation and regions, Da Xiang Art Space, Taichung, Taiwan Together We build a factory, Yonghe Arts and Education Foundation, Taipei, Taiwan Body/Narraor, Silverlens Gallery, Manila With my <>, trade your <>, Taipei Artist Village, Taipei, Taiwan Gazing into freedom: Taiwan Contemporary Art Exhibition, Vojvodina Contemporary Art Museum, Republic of Serbia CODA Paper Art, CODA Museum, Apeldoorn, Holland A Contemporary Art Exhibition Across the Strait, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China; National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, Taiwan Here!, FreeS Art Space, Taipei, Taiwan Collection of Taiwanese Emerging Artist, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, Taiwan Very Fun Park, Fubon Art Foundation, Taipei, Taiwan

2011 2010

2009

2007 2006

Inside, Jendela Art Space, Singapore Polyphony Beat, Kalos Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan Artists at Glenfiddich, Glenfiddich Distillery Gallery, Dufftown, UK Taiwan Calling: Phantom of Liberty, Műcsarnok Museum, Budapest, Hungary Taiwan Calling: No Man's Land, Ludwig Museum, Budapest, Hungary Variations of Geometric Abstraction in Taiwan's Contemporary Art, Eslite Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan Key Words 2010, Juming Art Museum, Taipei, Taiwan Drawing Out Conversations: Taipei Setting Up, Nan Hai Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan Contemporary airy craft from Japan and Taiwan Part 2, Project Fulfill Art Space, Taipei, Taiwan Viewpoints and Viewing Points: Asian Art Biennial, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, Taiwan Comedies, Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei, Taiwan Kaohsiung Awards 2009, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Ourselves&Each Other, Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, United States The World Domination of Painting and Drawing, Ego Park Gallery, Oakland, United States Shifting Landscapes: A Topographical Study, Aftermodern Contemporary Fine Art, San Francisco, United States

Art Fair 2019

2017

2014 2013

Artissima 2019, Mind Set Art Center, Torino Italy Art Future, Taipei, Taiwan Art Central 2017, Central Harbourfont, Hong Kong, China Art Stage Singapore 2014, Marina Bay Sands Expo, Singapore Art Taipei, Taipei World Trade Center, Taipei,

2011

2010 2009 2006

Taiwan Artshow Busan, BEXCO, Busan, Korea Art Osaka 2011, Hotel Granvia Osaka, Osaka, Japan Young Art Taipei 2011, Taipei, Taiwan Tokyo Frontline Art Fair, 331 Arts Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan Young Art Taipei 2010, Taipei, Taiwan Art Taipei, Taipei World Trade Center, Taipei, Taiwan ART(212) Contemporary Art Fair, New York, United States

Award & Nomination 2016 2009

Finalist, Sovereign Asian Art Prize, Hong Kong, China First Prize, Kaohsiung Award 2009, Taiwan

Residency 2018 2013 2011

OCI Museum, Seoul, Korea Artist in Residence at Cité Internationale Des Arts, Paris, France Artist in Residence, Glenfiddich Distillery, Dufftown, UK

Collection Sigg Collection Art Bank, Taichung, Taiwan Kempinski Hotels, Hangzhou, China White Rabbit Gallery, Sydney, Australia Fubon Financial Holding Co., Taipei, Taiwan Puyong Archiland, Taipei, Taiwan Yonghe Arts and Education Foundation, Taipei, Taiwan Fabulous Group, Taipei, Taiwan William Grant & Sons, Scotland, UK Accton Art Foundation, Hsinchu, Taiwan National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung,Taiwan Jiu Yu Property Co., Taipei, Taiwan 79

我居住在可能裡 劉文瑄 個展 I Dwell in Possibility | Mia Liu 2019.7.20 - 8.31

作者 劉文瑄 合著者 何偉明、沈伯丞 發行人 李政勇 主編 朱倢瑢 校訂 郭朝淵、郭書瑄 設計 葉彥廷 翻譯 李家璿、黎茂全 攝影 Janghwal Lim、朱祁安、郭慧禪 發行處 安卓藝術股份有限公司

106 台北市大安區和平東路一段180號7樓

tel: +886-2-23656008 fax: +886-2-23656028

www.art-msac.com / info@art-msac.com 印刷 崎威彩藝有限公司 定價 新台幣500元 出版日期 中華民國108年11月 版權所有，未經許可不得刊印或轉載 特別感謝台北文化財保存研究所、美好花生、優秀視覺設計、風景映畫創作社、韓國OCI美術館 本展覽獲國家文化藝術基金會補助，臺北市政府文化局補助

Author Mia Liu Co-Author Louis Ho, Bo-chen Sheng Publisher Andre Lee Mind Set Art Center 7F., No.180, Sec. 1, Heping E. Rd., Da’an Dist., Taipei City 106, Taiwan tel: +886-2-23656008 fax: +886-2-23656028 www.art-msac.com / info@art-msac.com Editor Queena Chu Proofreader Dean Kuo, Jessie Kuo Designer Tony Yeh Translator Jason Lee, Vincent Li Photography Janghwal Lim, Chi-An Chu, Hui-Chan Kuo Printed by Kiwi Printing Co., Ltd. Price NTD 500 Special thanks to Taipei Conservation Centre, Goodeats Co., U-show Design, Life Scenery Film, OCI Museum.

The exhibition is funded by The National Culture And Arts Foundation, Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government.

Copyright © 2019 Mind Set Art Center.

All images © of the artist.

All essays © of the authors.

All rights reserved.

Printed in Taiwan, November, 2019.

ISBN 978-986-94868-9-7

我居住在可能裡 : 劉文瑄個展 / 劉文瑄, 何偉明, 沈伯丞作.

-- 臺北市 : 安卓藝術, 民108.11 80面 ; 22.1×16.8公分 ISBN 978-986-94868-9-7(平裝) 1.視覺藝術 2.現代藝術 3.作品集 960

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