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E-Published specially for the exhibition 漁樵問答 The Fisherman and the Woodcutter | A Solo Exhibition by Tay Bak Chiang organised by iPRECIATION
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Wo r k s
76/
B i o g ra p hy
履历
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Supported by: Front Cover Images: Tay Bak Chiang - Lightness of Being / Lingguan Style, 2018, 140 x 140 cm, Acrylic and Pigment on Canvas
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Fo r e w o r d
Ar tis t
Tay
Helina Chan
Bak
Ch i a n g
has
alw ays b e e n int r i g u e d b y t h e 古琴,
I n s p i re d
by
m e lody
guqin
古琴令藝術家鄭木彰感到好
水裡的對話。對話是關於兩
“ Conv e r sa t ion
奇，木彰對這擁有3000多
位在大自然中過著無名無利
年東方歷史的樂器有著一份
的簡單生活。木彰說當他第
不明的喜愛。作為
“琴棋書
一次聽到這曲子時只覺得旋
文房四藝之首的古琴，
律動聽，後來便不知不覺的
造型高貴典雅，琴聲清淡和
不斷重聽。在曲子中，他找
低沉卻神秘又迷人。自2015
到了在自己生活中所嚮往的
年開始，《古琴系列》已成
幸福，就如這首琴曲的高雅 與脫俗。
B e t we e n a Fishe r ma n a nd a
i n st r u m e n t .
Wo o d c ut t e r ” w hic h se re na de s
Th e s eve n - s tr ing e d z i t h e r h a s
a c a re f re e life a midst na t ure ,
b e e n on e of th e f o u r t r a d i t i o n a l
Ta y
ar t s from im p e r i a l Ch i n a
su b t l e
old e s t
one
s t r in ge d
of
to
se e ks a nd
c omfor t t r a nquil
in
t he
me lodic
畫”
f re q u e n t l y
t o n e s. I t e c hoe s a nd se r v e s
re fe r re d to a s t h e p re f e r re d
a s a m et a phor t ha t Ta y y e a r ns
in s t r u m e n t of t h e s a g e s a n d
f o r a s t he w a y of life . He w a s
lite r at i. V iew e d a s a s y mb o l
a t t r a c t e d t o it s t une a t a n
為木彰繪畫創作題材之一。
of C h in e s e s cho l a st i c c u l t u re ,
i n st a n t , a nd la t e r t o it s e le ga nt
the gu q in is n obl e a n d e l e g a n t ,
a n d re f i ne d me lodic qua lit y.
他以古琴作為創作至今，更
n ow
and
was
p os s e s s in g c h a r mi n g me l o d i c
越畫越投入。木彰表示如想
在創作中木彰選擇以當代的
要真正了解古琴並不容易，
手法和媒體去全新詮釋中國
the
Ta y c h o ose s a ne w a pproa c h
h e a r t an d e le v a t e s t h e h u ma n
a n d m edium in his c re a t ions
因為它內涵博大而深遠。因
傳統繪畫常採用的主題 - 古
sp ir it.
此他常常通過文學，現代武
琴。他認為他的創作應能反
俠小說和聽樂曲等方法試圖
映當代精神與情境，因此以
去了解古琴。
自己獨特的藝術語言表達他
to n es
4
陳薈妃
c la ssic
t he
Ch i n a ’s
gu q in
序言
w h ic h
enriches
u se
t o re i n t e r pre t t he guqin — a
the gu q in a s a n e x p l o r a t o r y
f a m i l i a r t he me in t r a dit iona l
su b ject in h is pa i n t i n g s s i n c e
Ch i n e s e pa int ing. He be lie v e s
2015. To h im , i t i s n o t e a s y
t h a t h i s w or k should re fle c t
to u n d e r s ta n d t h e p ro f o u n d
t h e sp i rit of our t ime . He nc e
in s t r u m e n t h enc e h e t r i e s t o
he
c hoose s
d o s o t h rou gh l i t e r a t u re a n d
the
i n t e r pre t a t iv e
m u s ic a p p recia t i o n a s we l l a s
d i s c o v er s
re a d in g m od er n m a r t i a l a r t s
ma t t e r of guqin t hrough his
n ov e ls .
Ta y
s ta r t e d
to
to
c ompose
喜歡的主題和所嚮往的心 平時沒耐心聽完平淡古琴曲
境。在他的畫作裡，古琴帶
的他，在聽了《漁樵問答》
了一些“極簡”的味道。就
這首樂曲後找到了少有的共
如2015年的《古琴系列》以
o wn u nique v isua l la ngua ge .
鳴於熟悉感。琴曲敘述著一
及2018年的《九霄環佩／
This
位漁夫和一位樵夫在青山綠
伏羲式》、《清微淡遠問琴
can
in
be
la y e r s
t he
se e n
he
subje c t
in
his
5
Se r ies
G u q in He ave n St yle
J ad e ( 2018) ,
(2 0 1 5 ),
Ni n t h
Or n a m e n t /F u x i Lightness
of
t he
心／伶官式》、《漁樵問
平衡才是真實。而在2018年
n a t u r a l c ondit ions of re a lit y.
答／神農式》等作品，畫面
的創作《流水》、《瀟湘水
中的古琴被平面化和抽象
雲》和《絕塵俗格鬼神》是
化，只剩琴體的勾線。此
木彰結合古琴與自然的新嘗
a re l a t est a t t e mpt s by Ta y t o
外，《大聖遺音 ／ 靈機式》
試。他不但使用漸層顏色的
c o mb i n e
（2018）和《奔雷／仲尼
手法來表達水滴等自然景象
式》（2018）里折疊的家
的感覺，也借用石頭來表達
俱和古琴，特別是《伯牙絕
古琴與自然所能創造的不同 層面。
h i m,
i mba la nc e
re fle c t s
F l o wi n g Wa t e r ( 2018) , Clouds
Be in g/ L in ggu a n S t y l e (2 0 1 8 ),
Ov e r
t he
Xia ox ia ng
( 2018)
Th e
and
Tra nsc e nde nc e
( 2018)
C on ve r s a t i o n
B e t we e n
F is h er m an an d a Wo o d c u t t e r / She n n on g
Sty l e
(2 0 1 8 )
and
guqin
a nd
na t ure .
oth e r w or k s w he re t h e g u q i n
No t o n l y doe s he use c olour
is ab s tr act e d a n d p o r t r a y e d
a n d t o ne s t o a c hie v e subt le
as e le ga n t, m ini m a l i st st ro k e s.
g r a d a t i o ns
I n a d d ition , w o r k s s u c h a s
t r a n s l u c e nc y t o e xpre ss t he
弦》（2018）里斷弦紛飛的
Mu s ic L eft b y t h e S a i n t /L i n g j i
s c e n e s of na t ure on c a nv a s, he
St yle ( 2018) a n d T h u n d e ro u s /
a l so u s e s st one s a s a dy na mic
畫面也顯現出木彰對於“平
Z h on gn i Sty le (2 0 1 8 ) wh e re
f o r m t o pre se nt ne w la y e r s of
p ie c e s of fu r n i t u re s a n d t h e
m e a n i n g s t ha t na t ure a nd t he
gu q in
a re
s ta c k e d ,
as
we l l
a nd
ink- like
g u q i n i s a ble t o c ompose .
as t h e b rok en st r i n g s i n B o
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Ya B re a k s H is S t r i n g s (2 0 1 8 )
I a m g l ad t o w it ne ss a nd sha re
sh ow s
the
wi t h y ou Ta y ’s de v e lopme nt s
con c e p t of imb a l a n c e . S u c h
i n t h e se re c e nt y e a r s. I hope
vi s u al
t h a t y o u w ill like Ta y ’s G uqin
Ta y
po r t r a y i n g
s en s ib il i t y
builds
a
p ow er fu l
tension
wi t h i n
his
p a in tin g
c omp o si t i o n s .
To
的那份理念。在這些畫
我很高興能見證也與你分享
面裡都會保留殘缺部分，因
木彰這幾年的發展，希望你
為他認為這樣才能隱含畫的
也會和我一樣喜歡木彰《古
張力。就如人生，他覺得不
琴系列》的創作。
衡”
s e r i e s a s muc h a s I do.
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古 琴 系 列 之 綠 綺
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Guqin Series: Green Silk 2015 140 x 160 cm Pigments and Acrylic on Canvas
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古 琴 系 列 之 焦 尾
Guqin Series: Burnt Tail 2015 140 x 140 cm Pigments and Acrylic on Canvas Private collection
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古 琴 系 列 之 繞 樑
Guqin Series: Lingering 2015 140 x 140 cm Pigments and Acrylic on Canvas Private collection
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古 琴 系 列 之 號 鍾
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Guqin Series: Sonorous 2015 140 x 140 cm Pigments and Acrylic on Canvas
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本 来 无 一 物 ， 何 处 惹 埃
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Originally There Was Nothing; Where Can the Dust Settle 2015 100x100cm Pigments and Acrylic on Canvas
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無 絃 琴 Stringless Qin 2015 140x140cm Pigments and Acrylic on Canvas
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盛 宴 過 後
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After the Feast 2015 140x140cm Pigments and Acrylic on Canvas
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笑 傲 江 湖 Laughing, Wandering, Swordsman 2015 50x160cm Pigments and Acrylic on Canvas
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絃 外 之 音
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Overtones 2016 100x100cm Pigments and Acrylic on Canvas
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封 塵 Enduring 2016 70x70cm Pigments and Acrylic on Canvas
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雲 煙 Misty 2016 70x70cm Pigments and Acrylic on Canvas Private Collection
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碎 片 Shards 2016 70x70cm Pigments and Acrylic on Canvas
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三 絃 Three Strings 2016 70x70cm Pigments and Acrylic on Canvas
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心 絃 Heartstrings 2016 90x90cm Pigments and Acrylic on Canvas
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漁 樵 問 答 ／ 神 農 式
Conversation Between a Fisherman and a Woodcutter / Shennong Style 2018 140 x 140 cm Acrylic and Pigment on Canvas
The conversation between the fisherman and the woodcutter in the streaming woods reflects a carefree life which serves as an inspiration to others about the true meaning of life.
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檐 下 雨 意 ／ 蕉 葉 式
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Rain Under the Eaves / Jiaoye Style 2018 140 x 140 cm Acrylic and Pigment on Canvas
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流 水 Flowing Water 2018 140 x 140 cm Acrylic and Pigment on Canvas
On 20 August 1977, Mr Guan Ping Hu played the entire run of Flowing Water lasting 7 minutes and 37 seconds long. On the recommendation of Zhou Wenzhong, it was engraved on a gold-plated bronze record disc and launched into space by the US “Traveler” spacecraft. Through time and space, it is said that this is a tribute to the beings of wisdom that may live in the universe.
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瀟 湘 水 雲
Clouds Over the Xiaoxiang 2018 140 x 140 cm Acrylic and Pigment on Canvas
This song is the masterpiece of Guo Chuwang, founder of Song Dynasty’s Zhe school of qin players. At that time, Yuan soldiers had invaded Zhejiang, and Guo Chuwang moved to Hengshan, Hunan Province, where he often sailed along the Xiao and Xiang rivers. Whenever he looked towards Jiuyi Mountain, it was always covered by clouds and mist, arousing his feelings about the incompleteness of the mountains and rivers and the fleetingness of time. This conveyed a sense of melancholy and sentimentality for him.
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絕 塵 俗 、 格 鬼 神
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Transcendence 2018 140 x 140 cm Acrylic and Pigment on Canvas
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獨 幽 ／ 靈 機 式
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Solitude / Lingji Style 2018 140 x 140 cm Acrylic and Pigment on Canvas
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九 霄 環 佩 ／ 伏 羲 式
Ninth Heaven Jade Ornament / Fuxi Style 2018 140 x 140 cm Acrylic and Pigment on Canvas
There are less than twenty Tang Dynasty guqins in the world that have been inherited through the generations. Among them, there are four of the qin named “Ninth Heaven Jade Ornament” and the one belonging to the collection of Beijing’s Palace Museum is the most famous. The “Ninth Heaven Jade Ornament” qin was made by Lei Wei, who was of the first generation of the prominent Lei family known for making qins in Sichuan. The sound of the qin was gentle yet strong, relaxed yet rounded, and it was known as a “great Tang artefact” and an “exquisite object”.
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奔 雷 ／ 仲 尼 式
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Thunderous / Zhongni Style 2018 140 x 140 cm Acrylic and Pigment on Canvas
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清 微 淡 遠 問 琴 心 ／ 伶 官 式
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Lightness of Being / Lingguan Style 2018 140 x 140 cm Acrylic and Pigment on Canvas
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落 霞 ／ 落 霞 式
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Sunset / Luoxia Style 2018 140 x 140 cm Acrylic and Pigment on Canvas
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Guqin player Pei Tiexia had a rich collection of guqin, especially his precious large and small sized Leiqin from the Tang Dynasty known as the Twin Lei (Shuang Lei). After the Revolution in 1950, the family declined due to persecution by the authorities. When the qin came under threat, he responded with great emotion, telling his wife Zhen Mengying, “Both you and me hold the twin Lei’s as our own lives. If it comes down to this, for what have we left to live for!” He and his wife took the two qins, smashed them to pieces and burned them, and took their own lives by overdosing on soporific drugs. Pei Tiexia left his last note pressed by an inkstone: It is originally empty, from where is there object. Doing away with object and following the heart, and instantly one becomes the Buddha (enlightened one).
It Is Originally Empty; Where Is the Object From? / Zhongni Style, Fengshi Style 2018 140 x 160 cm Acrylic and Pigment on Canvas 56
仲 尼 式 、 鳳 勢 式
本 來 空 寂 ， 何 有 於 物 ／ 57
知 音 幾 人 ／ 師 曠 式
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Soul Mates / Shikuang Style 2018 140 x 140 cm Acrylic and Pigment on Canvas
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大 聖 遺 音 ／ 靈 機 式
Music Left by the Saint / Lingji Style 2018 180 x 140 cm Acrylic and Pigment on Canvas
After the last emperor Puyi’s expulsion from the palace, the aftercare committee conducted an inventory of the objects contained within the cultural relic repository. This qin which had lost its original lustre was designated the “Derelict Qin”, and no one took any interest in it for the next twenty years. In 1947, Wang Shixiang, who was in charge of the Palace Museum, discovered that it was exactly the same qin as the “Great Holy Sound” from Xi Baochen’s old collection, a treasure of the Tang Dynasty. He immediately moved it to the treasured cultural relic repository and requested guqin player Guan Pinghu to repair it and restore it to its former glory. To date, it is preserved as the most flawless and elegant Tang qin. 60
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There are four famous qins in Guangdong, which were rarely displayed to the public, and even less so shown together at the same time. In 1940, many of Guangdong’s cultural elite moved to Hong Kong to escape the invasion of the Imperial Japanese
Army.
They
held
the
“Guangdong
Cultural Relics Exhibition” at the Fung Ping Shan Library of the University of Hong Kong with the Guangdong cultural relics they carried, except for Zhang Daqian’s “Spring Thunder” qin (Fengshi style), “Green Terrace” (Zhongni style), “Scorpio” (Xiangquan style) and “Qiubo” (Jiaoye style). The grand display of the qin collection was a significant moment in time.
Guqins Meet In Troubled Times 2018 140 x 200 cm Acrylic and Pigment on Canvas 62
亂 世 琴 會
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伯 牙 絕 弦
Bo Ya Breaks His Strings 2018 140 x 160 cm Acrylic and Pigment on Canvas
During the Spring and Autumn of the Warring States Period, Yu Boya was an outstanding guqin player while his friend Zhong Ziqi enjoyed listening to his guqin music. After Ziqi’s death, Boya felt that there was no other person who could ever understand his qin music as well as Ziqi did, and out of his sadness, Boya split apart his qin, broke the strings, and never played again.
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洗 凡 與 清 絕 Xifan and Qingjue 2018 160x140cm Acrylic and Pigment on Canvas
During the era of the Five Dynasties, Zhongyi, ruler of the Wuyue Kingdom, was fond of playing the guqin. He sent people everywhere to find good material to make a qin. Finally, a temple was discovered next to the waterfall at Tiantai Mountain in Zhejiang province, where its paulownia wood pillars had been struck by the sounds of the waterfall through the ages. The paulownia wood was then used to create the two qins “Xifan” and “Qingjue” that produced excellent sound and was greatly cherished as a valued item.
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破 琴 一 張 / 靈 機 式
The Derelict Qin / Lingji Style 2018 180 x 180 cm Acrylic and Pigment on Canvas
The guqin “Great Holy Sound” is a rare treasure that was originally left in the cultural relic refectory in the Palace. Due to long-term disrepair, coupled with leaking roofs that stained the qin with mud, it was designated the “Derelict Qin”. In 1947, it was discovered by Wang Shixiang, who was in charge of the Palace Museum, and he requested guqin player Guan Pinghu to repair it and restore it to its former glory.
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There is an ancient fable about a bird lover who enjoyed strolling along the beaches. Nearby seagulls would fly down to get close to him. One day, he had the idea to catch the seagulls. The birds saw through his intentions and refused to approach him afterwards. Liu Zhifang was a guqin player of the Zhe school of the Southern Song Dynasty who lived next to the West Lake of Hangzhou. He would often be immersed in the music as he played the qin. The kingfishers outside the window and on the wicker would listen to the melodies in fascination and sometimes chirp in response. It seems to reflect a call and response between humans and birds where all are equal with no ulterior motives. Liu Zhifang remembered this fable and created this melody. Its first title was “Forget your Motive”, which was first seen in “Mysterious Secrets”.
No Ulterior Motive About the Birds / Heming Qiuyue Style 2018 140 x 140 cm Acrylic and Pigment on Canvas 70
鷗 鷺 忘 機 / 鶴 鳴 秋 月 式 71
廣 陵 散 / 列 子 式
Guangling Melody / Liezi Style 2018 140 x 140 cm Acrylic and Pigment on Canvas
The father of the sword-making craftsman Nie Zheng was killed by the King of Han during the Warring States period. In order to avenge his father, he painstakingly learned to play the qin for ten years in the hopes of entering the palace. He was ordered by the King of Han to enter the palace to perform for the King because of his superb skills in playing the qin. As he played, he took out the sword hidden in his qin and killed the King. Nie Zheng died by the sword of the soldiers. According to legend, the sound of the qin reverberated through the palace that night and the song spread throughout Guangling. This gave rise to the song “Guangling Melody”. The song possesses a sense of an indignant and unyielding spirit.
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The seven sages of the bamboo grove refer to the famous hermits of the Wei and Jin Dynasties. They are Ji Kang, Ruan Ji, Shan Tao, Xiang Xiu, Liu Ling, Wang Rong and Ruan Xian. The seven sages each have literary talents, yet distance themselves from worldly concerns. They chose not to be involved in the power struggle of court life, instead focusing on the pursuit of freedom. Amongst them, Ji Kang was famous for his skillful rendition of “Guangling Melody”.
竹 林 七 賢 The Seven Virtuous Men of the Bamboo Grove 2018 50x160cm Acrylic and Pigment on Canvas
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Ta y B a k C h i a n g / 鄭木彰
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