Portfolio for International Studio & Curatorial Program

Cheng-hsiang

Table of Contents

Bio & Residency Plan p.5

Artworks p.15

Curations p.45 Publications p.57 Links p.67

Liu Cheng-Hsiang Artist Bio

Liu Cheng-Hsiang was born in Taichung, Taiwan in 1986. He graduated from the Bartlett School of Architecture UCL in Lon don. His works continuously reflect and dialect the essence of life and the relationship between artificial being and nature over the past ten years. His photography work “Build / a world in the eye” has won awards and been published in many countries around the world. The generative artwork “Cosmos of thoughts” echoes the characteristics of Taiwan’s science and technology, and has been selected for the Kaohsiung Award (2018, 2020), the Tainan New Art Award (2019), and the MIT New Artist Recommendation of the Ministry of Culture (2019). In 2021, he was recommended as the representative visiting artist to France from Taiwan by Taipei International Art Village.

Liu is the founder of Shawn Liu Studio and has been its director since 2016. The studio is a visual and auditory consulting firm, which is deeply involved in the field of visual creation and exhibition design. The studio is mainly responsible for the creation of large-scale public constructions and cultural-related images in Taiwan, including museums, transportation, industry, campus and art, as well as their related short film production and exhibition. Liu also served as a visual art and design lecturer at universities in such as National Cheng Kung University and National Yangming Jiaotong University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and IEA Nantes.

Liu Cheng-Hsiang’s digital art has been exhibited extensively with acclaimed Taiwan art institutions and organizations including National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art and Kaohsiung Fine Art Museum. He currently lives and works in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. In September 2021, Liu has been selected as the resident artist of Young-Artist-in-Residence@V54 scheme organ ized by Hong Kong Po Leung Kuk, which not only houses his first Hong Kong art presentation, but also offers the artist a rare opportunity of local community exchange. In 2022, Liu participated the International Artist Exchange Programs of le lieu unique in Nantes, France and published a representative solo exhibition “Build in Eyes, Form in Mind” in Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Art.

in eyes, form in mind》, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 2022

Preface｜The Connection of Creation

Modern technology is changing the appearance of human life, and the symbiosis of culture and technology is becoming more important. The ongoing technological innovation makes me ponder over the ways of maintaining the richness of people’s hearts and spirits. This is a challenge the whole world is facing, especially for the USA and Taiwan, which are renowned for their technological advance.

My creation begins with “connection”. Each established relationship is like a small and thin line. Through the accumulation and crossing of lines, the appearance of my work emerges. The concept also reflects my life journey- when people and things are the scattered points in the journey of life. Through my creation, they are connected into lines, and then gradually formed into ‘planes’, a portrayal of my work and life.

I use contemporary digital visual media combined with classical art knowledge, a hybrid method of human and machine, in my art creation.

Creation and New York｜Creating in the residency

The possibility and inclusiveness of New York drove me to explore this vibrant city. I have been invited to the “Biofibricate” seminar in 2015, where I saw many innovations from different professions. During this trip, I created a series of photography works called “The Rhythm of Manhattan”, which brought me a time-travel connection with New York.

I would like to create a series of visual works with the characters along the Harrison River. For a long time, the cities I have lived in have rivers traversing them. For example, in Kaohsiung where I currently live, in London where I studied, Nantes and Hong Kong where I have resided as an artist. River basins reflect my core concept of “Connection”. Just like the veins of a leaf, water basins connect different life styles, which I will use my eyes to re-understand, re-explore.

My experience of art creation, curation, and leading a team to serve the cultural field influencing society coincides with the expectations of ISCP. This makes me a promising candidate for the International Studio & Curatorial Program. I look forward to exchanging and stimulat ing new possibilities in New York.

During my residency in New York, I would to continue and extend a series of works called “Pixel Mirage”, which is a combination of my two works- “Cosmos of thoughts” and “Build a world in the eye”. It establishes a dialogue between generative art and photography. I started making Pixel Mirage during my residency at the “le lieu unique” National Art Center in Nantes, France.

From this series of works, I found a new observation method to “see” the digital image. By bringing the digital images back to their essence - a data flow, I could use it to cooperate with my code to unfold the hidden universe in the data - A universe of pixels in chromaticity and lightness. On the other hand, the universe is considered the aggregation of nature. Learning the principles of nature could change the reproduction character of photography, and it becomes the starting point for the generation of new perceptions.

This creative concept continues the core concepts of discovery, exploration, and immigration in the Harrison River School. Compared with the paintings of the 19th century that interpret the pastoral landscape, I tried to use a new way to present the appearance of civilization in the 21st century. Therefore, my works not only reflect the history of the river but also project the impact of the virtual world on the real world.

Build a world in the eyes series @ Build in eyes, form in mind, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Art, Kaohsiung Taiwan 2022

Feedback from Residency | Sharing and Activities

“Hacker thinking” is the core of my art creations.

Re-questioning the system of the world and the essence of art restores my art creation to the purest state as well as finding the possibility within. I look forward to acquiring new experiences in New York, which can be infused into my future works. Dialogue is also crucial in my creative thinking. During my residency, I hope to build new relationships and links through exhibitions, talks, and workshops.

Through my talk “Hacker Thinking and My Creations”, I will share what I have seen and heard in the process of creation and entrepreneur ship. This talk includes the following: the journey from self-exploration to the adventure of discovering the world as an artist; from a creator to a curator. the establishment of “Shawn Liu Studio”- my visual and auditory consulting firm. operation and activities of “Shawn Liu Studio”, i.e., preserving images and sounds in the cultural field of Taiwan. our responsibility for society- having seminars regularly in various colleges.

The workshop “Bottom-up” is derived from the core concept of my “Cosmos of thoughts”. It is a combination of ‘upgrowth logic’ and the im agination of participants. The participant will choose a fundamental element like a dot, a line, etc., and use black pens with three different kinds of thicknesses to generate the computer arithmetic-like works in an hour. This workshop transcends the barriers of culture, race and age. in line with the spirit of ISCP - public participation and openness. The “Bottom-up” series is a way of connecting more with art and peo ple, and the feedback obtained is then irrigated into my “Cosmos of thoughts” artworks, which are presented in my residency exhibition.

For the residency exhibition, I will integrate “Pixel Mirage”, the photographic work “Build / a world in the eye” and the “Cosmos of thoughts”. The exhibition will use visual work to discover the essence of multicultural New York. It will use drawings, photography, and video to reveal an objective perspective in the exhibition. These works will be collected and compiled into a booklet and will be shared with more people in the future.

Bottom-up workshop @ le lieu unique, Nantes, France

the journey from self-exploration to the adventure of discovering the world as an artist; from a creator to a curator. the establishment of BShawn Liu Studio”- my visual and auditory consulting firm. - operation and activities of BShawn Liu Studio”, i.e., preserving images and sounds in the cultural field of Taiwan. our responsibility for society- having seminars regularly in various colleges.

Vision | Future expectations

The workshop BBottom-up" is derived from the core concept of my "Cosmos of thoughts”. It is a combination of ‘upgrowth logic’ and the imagination of participants. The participant will choose a fundamental element like a dot, a line, etc., and use black pens with three different kinds of thicknesses to generate the computer arithmetic-like works in an hour. This workshop transcends the barriers of culture, race and age. *,"5*,'"0*)1 the spirit of ISCP - public participation and openness. The "Bottom-up" series is a way of connecting more with art and people, and the feedback obtained is then irrigated into my “Cosmos of thoughts" artworks, which are presented in my residency exhibition.

For the residency exhibition, I will integrate "Pixel Mirage”, the photographic work "Build / a world in the eye” and the "Cosmos of thoughts”. The exhibition will use visual work to discover the essence of multicultural New York. It will use drawings, photography, and video to reveal an objective perspective in the exhibition. These works will be collected and compiled into a booklet and will be shared with more people in the future.

Vision | Future expectations

Taiwan is located at the crossroads of Asia. The turbulent past has shaped Taiwanese resilience and tolerance for the world. The pandemic has shattered the world, and war has brought ruthlessness. At this time, meeting and getting along with someone we love have become extravagant. I think in this era, the artist should play the role of a connector, reconnecting and stitching the world together. This is nothing more than a difficult and important task. Through connection, we can resolve barriers and understand each other to create a harmonious world in the future.

Taiwan is located at the crossroads of Asia. The turbulent past has shaped Taiwanese resilience and tolerance for the world. The pandemic has shattered the world, and war has brought ruthlessness. At this time, meeting and getting along with someone we love have become extravagant. I think in this era, the artist should play the role of a connector, reconnecting and stitching the world together. This is nothing more than a difficult and important task. Through connection, we can resolve barriers and understand each other to create a harmonious world in the future.

Modern technology makes it easier to communicate with each other, but it also makes each other feel more alienated. I hope that through my residency, there will be one more connection between Taiwan and France, and I also look forward to the future enriching the dialogue between Taiwan and France to have a deeper understanding.

Modern technology makes it easier to communicate with each other, but it also makes each other feel more alienated. I hope that through my residency, there will be one more connection between Taiwan and the United States, and I also look forward to the future enriching the dialogue between Taiwan and the United States to have a deeper understanding.

I believe that through the exchange of culture and art, I can develop more diversity in my future works, and create more possibilities through artistic practice. As an artist, the mission is not only the pursuit of artistic accomplishments but also a bridge beyond language. Taiwan focuses on advanced modern technology, and France focuses on humanities and life. Both are looking forward to opening up new possibilities for human future living and a richer mind. Taiwan and France have a lot of resonance in the cultivation of technology and culture. I look forward to contributing to bridging Taiwan and France in the future.

I believe that through the exchange of culture and art, I can develop more diversity in my future works, and create more possibilities through artistic practice. As an artist, the mission is not only the pursuit of artistic accomplishments but also a bridge beyond language. Taiwan focuses on advanced modern technology, and the United States focuses on creativity and new ideas. Both are looking forward to opening up new possibilities for human future living and a richer mind. Taiwan and the United States have a lot of resonance in the cultivation and hard work attitudes of technology and culture. I’m Looking forward to contributing to bridging Taiwan and the United States in the future.

Residency timetable

Residency timetable

1st month 2nd and 3rd month 4th and 5th month After returning to Taiwan

1. Get to know the International Studio & Curatorial Program

2. Adapt to the environment

3. Explore New York

Draft of works

Communicate with resident experts during the same period

1. Cosmos of thoughts Research

2. Build a world in the eye deepening

hacker thinking and my creations talk

4. Bottom-up workshop

Evaluate residency exhibition and preparing

1. Pixel Mirage Research

Video works production

Still Work production and display preparation

Deepen exchanges with New York art professionals

Residency Exhibition

1. Portfolio production

Maintain communication with ISCP

Looking for future exhibition opportunities in the United States

Complete the sharing of resident experience with the Ministry of Culture ROC

Integrate American Bottom-up works into my future exhibitions

Reference link

Liu Cheng-hsiang Website: www.liuchenghsiang.com

Shawn Liu Studio Website: www.shawnliustudio.com

Opening of Build in eyes, form in mind, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Art, Kaohsiung Taiwan 2022

of thoughts

a world in the eye

symbiosis》, Mizuiro Workshop, Tainan, Taiwan,

《Cosmos of thoughts

There used to be scientists who wanted to know how long the coastline of the United Kingdom was in a whimsical way. If there is always a basis for complex patterns, it is the basic thinking of fractal theory. Three pens and two papers are the starting point for our change.

Albert Camus:

Book,

Hidden

away from

Hidden

Rooftop, the Baseball, the slide

Wei Chen Photography Exhibition, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan

《2018 Kaohsiung Awards》

《2020 Kaohsiung Awards》 Kaohsiung Fine Art Museum Kaohsiung, Taiwan

《2019 Art Taipei》

Ministry of Culture, MIT New Artist Recommendation, Art Taipei 2019, Taipei, Taiwan

《March Architectural Design 2014-2015》

Bartlett Prospective

The Bartlett School of Architecture UCL

《Filatres》

Master degree project

Current project art book

Cosmos of thoughts 2019

https://issuu.com/shawnliustudio/docs/20200207_cosmos_of_thoughts_a3_128p_print

Build a world in the eye 2019

https://issuu.com/home/published/20200504_build_a_world_in_the_eye

Previous project art book

Perspective of architect 2016

https://issuu.com/shawnliustudio/docs/photography_portfolio_2015_issuu

Worksample 2015

https://issuu.com/shawnliustudio/docs/worksample_fl4_issuu

The Verge 2014

https://issuu.com/shawnliustudio/docs/2014_portfolio_of_photograph_v2

Concento 2013

https://issuu.com/shawnliustudio/docs/concento

Overture 2011

https://issuu.com/shawnliustudio/docs/overture

Curation book

Solidified Eternity

https://issuu.com/shawnliustudio/docs/_____v4

Vedio

Artwork

Gravitational singularity at Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts 2020

https://youtu.be/3eeHyBtgVx4

Intro

Fractal symbiosis｜intro of Cosmos of thoughts with ENG sub

https://youtu.be/IUREJ-68iX0

Build a world in the eye

https://youtu.be/ly16-R5QEd4

Project Digital Soft Cement with MCUT workshop exhibition

https://youtu.be/ZqYpOs_Eveg

Introduction of Perspective and Ocean

https://youtu.be/GAwFnHvc9Eg

NEXT ART TAINAN intro of Liu Cheng-hsiang

https://youtu.be/Y_aKhPUHr6U

Website

Liu Cheng-hsiang artist website

https://www.liuchenghsiang.com

Shawn Liu Studio

https://www.shawnliustudio.com

Youtube of Shawn Liu Studio

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZzKvE0xKdQJRkxSkHBeZcA/videos?view_as=subscriber