Yilan stages international printmaking exhibition

2015/09/10

An international printmaking exhibition is underway at Yilan City-based Museum of Art, spotlighting the vibrancy of the art form and its future development trends.

Organized by Yilan County Government’s Cultural Affairs Bureau, the event features 74 pieces by talents from Taiwan, Australia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Korea and mainland China.

Bureau Director Susan Lin, who doubles as curator of the museum, said Sept. 6 that the exhibition is certain to add luster to printmaking and boost its appeal in Yilan. “It will also help introduce regional cultural assets to a larger audience at home and abroad.

“The county’s cultural richness has nurtured well-known artists like Yang Yu-yu and Pan Chin-jui, as well as lured printmaking maestro Ho Hwa-jen away from his Taipei City base to resettle in Yilan.”

Artists featured at the event include National Cultural Award winner Liao Shiou-ping of Taiwan, Alice Prize recipient Alison Alder from Australia, Japan Artists Association member Harumi Sonoyama, Sungshin Women’s University academic Kim Yong-sik of South Korea and Fan Min, vice dean at Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts in mainland China.

One of the exhibition highlights is “Gate of Wealth I” by Liao. The piece features rich imagery representing everyday objects like combs and scissors for the deceased to use in the afterlife.

Described as the father of printmaking in Taiwan, Liao is famed for his works frequently featuring traditional pictures found on ghost money─sheets of paper burned as offerings to the dead─to express condolences and pay respects.

Equally impressive is the lithography “Signe-M” by Sonoyama, regarded as a driving force behind the school of photorealism in Taiwan printmaking. The lifelike piece incorporates the folds and textures of cloth, as well as subtle gradations of light and shading.

In addition, a series of workshops on intaglio, lithography, relief and serigraphy is being staged by local artists for showgoers. The exhibition wraps up Dec. 13 in northeastern Taiwan.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=234757&ctNode=2194&mp=9)