2016 With Form, With No Form

Taipei Huashan 1914 Exhibition

Text by Yun-Fan Lin

All forms of life prosper and the water is clear. It is as if the world were of all forms and at the same time formless. -Pure Land Sutras-

“All forms of life” are what humans see, create, present, and change, while the concept of “formless” is the ability to create, present, and change. Stephen Peng and Wei-Cheng Tsai, the two artists that are respectively in their 60s and 40s, were in different temporal and spatial dimensions before they first met. Their styles, however, share the same unrestrictive and unorthodox attributes.

Peng’s first solo exhibition in 1969 was his first step into the art world. The long-established family tradition and his father’s guidance had allowed him to make art with sincerity and passion. With this zeal for life, he chose to spend the prime time of his life focusing on design. His myriad shoe and bag designs on fashion magazines were testaments to his wild ideas that set the trends in the fashion scene. His past design career meant that he could expand his horizons by traveling around the world. Consequently, he has developed an open mindset and is able to pay attention to whatever he encounters in his life journey. This attentiveness stems from his passion for life and things instead of his extensive traveling. Finally, after forty years of work, there came a decisive moment when he was compelled to return to the path as a painter. When he picked up his brush again, his uncontained and unswerving motivation pushed him to break the mold. He has since been urged to give up the rational pursuit of art and career in his earlier days and incorporate more philosophical views about the world in his paintings. Concrete artworks can no longer satisfy his desire for beauty. On the other hand, abstract art and its unrestricted expression of emotions allow him to manifest his passion for life. Peng’s works fully demonstrate an artist’ sensitivity to the universe and life. The colors he uses are bold and the way he paints is unconstrained. His self-taught painting style is not confined by any established technique. In his eyes, everything he sees can be used as a medium in his art. From a leaf, a worn-out brush, to a mason’s trowel, Peng creates intriguing art with creativity and highly proficient skills. His proactivity and passion for life and art are evident in the various colors and abstract composition in his works, which also reveal his limitless and impressive focus on life’s details. The bright red, splendid yellow, deep blue, and timeless purple, and even the difficult gold and silver, become elegant through his art. The many little wonderful and touching moments in life are transformed into remarkable paintings through his gaze and internalization. 

The calm attribute of stainless steel resembles Wei-Cheng Tsai’s determined and reserved personal traits at first sight. Instead of coming from an art school, Tsai learned independently and worked as apprentice at a sculptor’s workshop to chase after his aspired road to create art. Everything surrounding him can spark his inspiration. Without any training of traditional sculpting techniques and inordinate theoretic and aesthetic restrictions, Tsai never constrains himself in his works; instead, he is brave enough to discover himself from different angles and increase the depth of his works. The art series of “72 changes” demonstrates rough, wild, and primitive characters whose domineering and confident features are extremely eye-catching, which were widely present in his earlier works. As he grew older and accumulated more life experience, he developed into a calmer and simpler person, showing his maturity that has dealt with the highs and lows of life. Tsai’s works convey strong daily-life qualities and a sense of open-mindedness that has little obsession with life. This is the philosophy of life he tries to convey. The characters in his works have gradually become softer and calmer, along with several unique elements such as Wuzhishan, Somersault Cloud, headband, and ring scars, which represent the necessary elements in life according to him: foundation, dream, persistence, and self-discipline. Through simple lines, colors, and self-coined body language, the roughness of steel and the condensation of bronze are transformed into seemingly lightweight yet solid and firm lines with mottled colors like ink wash, presenting a transcendent attitude toward life. The blend of art and Eastern cultures humorously and cleverly shows the pure happiness of “inactions” in Zen. “Change” being “no change” is his own realization in his life journey, as well as an ideal of maximizing life. He feels the universe with his heart and creates art that shows his care and love for life with his hands. 

The interpretation of “form” derives from Zen Buddhism’s definition of all living things. A “form” has no predetermined features and thus it has no predetermined representation or definition. “Forms” are the embodiment and implementation of the universe by all living things. This comes from the idea: “perceive as you see, believe not what you perceive, then accept what you see as they are.” All forms of the universe start from being formless and end up being formless, which is the state of accepting what things are as they are. Open-hearted and unrestrained versus reserved and composed, these are two artists with extremely different personalities. Yet, they both have rich life experiences, are free from the shackles of formal training, and constantly challenge themselves in terms of artistic style. These similarities enable them to see art with a liberal attitude, positivity, and warmth that is people-oriented. They show their acceptance of openness filled with Zen. Peng’s works consist of rich layers of bright and changeable colors and unique composition, whereas Tsai’s works are imbued with delicate and elegant colors, soft shapes, and spiritual and timeless qualities. They both make art through their eyes, heart, and hands, and project their views on life, the world, and the universe by resonating with their graphic and three-dimensional art pieces. Interpreting their works based on the idea of transitioning from “form” to “formless” and from “existence” to “transcendence,” the viewer can experience life by understanding their art journey. The close connection between art and life enriches our hearts. In this erratic world, we will eventually return to transcending serenity. The viewer is invited to experience the ultimate truth of the universe: all forms are fundamentally formless, through their unrestrained works and thoughts that travel far.