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I've always wanted to take it easy. But sometimes the subject matter you want to paint is just more serious and involves other aspects. It may be more complicated for creation, many things to consider and keep in mind. It becomes more than just painting. -- SU Wong-shen
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From Tamsui in New Taipei to Zuoying in Kaohsiung, the world of images of Taiwanese artist SU Wong-shen (b. 1956) is essentially centered on his home. Beyond the trends of shock-value aesthetics and grand narratives, SU’s works illustrate that an understated humorous tone and quirky artistic expression evolved from regularity is a desirable approach for stirring local identity and establishing a set of local aesthetics.
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As his studio moved from Tamsui, to Zuoying, then to Anping, the sceneries in his paintings also changed.
In 2017, SU Wong-shen moved from Mingde New Village, a naval dependent’s housing area in Zuoying, Kaohsiung where he lived for nearly 20 years, to Anping, Tainan. His once accustomed village-scape was replaced by the ocean skyline and the coastal fish farms and salt fields.
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I used to live near the waters, so hearing ship horns was pretty common. The thing is, I've always wanted to live in the mountains.--SU Wong-shen
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Now SU resides in a place looking out to Anping Harbor. The fenced off world of the village is substituted by the open ocean skyline. The two Harborside paintings are snippets of life captured by him overlooking the boats and his surroundings.
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蘇旺伸SU Wong-shen
漫遊之濱 Wandering Land, 2017(Tap the image for more details)
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Wandering Land is inspired by Yuguang Island where SU takes his walks and bikes along the sea dike. Wetland No More and Water Village are depictions of the sceneries along the coast of Jiayi and Tainan. For instance, the bamboo poles, erected in the fish farms and wetlands that often have water birds perched on them, are turned into symbols in the paintings.
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蘇旺伸SU Wong-shen
濕地 溼地 失地 Wetland No More, 2020(Tap the image for more details)
NT$ 1,580,000 -
蘇旺伸SU Wong-shen
水鄉 Water Country, 2017-2018(Tap the image for more details)
NT$ 3,800,000 -
Visiting SU Wong-shen’s studio. (Tainan, 2021). For subtitle please tap "CC" icon at the bottom right of the video player.
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The sceneries in my paintings kind of reflect my surroundings, while the content is associated with current events or people's experiences... -- SU Wong-shen
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Seeing the COVID pandemic ravaging the world and impacting everyone since 2020, SU, always concerned about social and environmental issues, has incorporated the world under COVID into his paintings, using “animals” to reenact this collective memory.
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蘇旺伸SU Wong-shen
今年記事 Dear Diary, 2021Dear Diary sees him painting the acrylic partitions like revolving doors, while the big glowing screen hints at the life of people staring at the computer for work and for school during the pandemic, and the balloons emerging from the sluice gate suggest the helplessness faced by farmlands in southern Taiwan during the water shortage.
(Tap the image for more details)
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蘇旺伸SU Wong-shen
間隔 Bubble Life, 2020Animals are social distancing or kept in bubbles for safety reasons. “In the last couple of years, everyone’s life has been tense. The weather is a mess, the pandemic is a mess, people are a mess. I just want everyone to relax a little bit,” said SU in his usual sense of humor.
(Tap the image for more details)
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In the last couple of years, everyone’s life has been tense. The weather is a mess, the pandemic is a mess, people are a mess. I just want everyone to relax a little bit. -- SU Wong-shen
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蘇旺伸SU Wong-shen
距離 Distancing, 2020(Tap the image for more details)
NT$ 2,650,000 -
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Art is closely tied to everyday life. I receive a lot of information and feelings in my life, and it takes time to extract and digest them before they can be turned into artworks. -- SU Wong-shen
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蘇旺伸SU Wong-shen
江畔 Riverside, 2018(Tap the image for more details)
NT$ 2,460,000 -
蘇旺伸SU Wong-shen
轉圈 Round and Round, 2020-2021(Tap the image for more details)
NT$ 1,250,000 -
His distinct bird’s-eye view technique gives an extraordinary visual imagery to his panoramic scenes or narratives. The settings of his work creates a trans-conceptual space, where the various visual variations experienced in flying or soaring impart movement within stillness, and where the center is in all places at all times and any single subject can be the subject of interest.
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SU makes frequent use of iconographic symbols, such as animals and trees, while the center of his interest has always been playing with textures. These elements form a habitable and playable perceptual space balanced by a rational allegory and calm tones. Via the actions and composition of the animals, the artist brings the relationship between human beings and their environment to a metaphoric and poetic level.
His artistic accomplishments are ultimately not manifested in the application of trendy concepts or strategic manipulations, but are determined by the employment of alternative thinking and distinctly independent artistic language.
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SU Wong-shen
- 1956 Born in Puzi, Chiayi County, Taiwan
- 1979 BFA., Fine Arts Department, Chinese Cultural University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Currently lives and works in Tainan, Taiwan
Tap here to know more about the artist.
