CHENG Nung-Hsuan·Messenger

The depicted characters and scenes give the impression of a storyline, yet these visuals do not explicitly narrate an event. They are merely assembled and shaped. I intend to communicate the texture and colors from one painting to the next. As information traverses between these canvases, it undergoes multiple transformations, seamlessly embedding individuals, events, and objects within the myriad shapes and brushwork. They resemble unadulterated expressions of rhythm and tone in between canvases, akin to delving into the core elements of painting. The message I wish to impart is even purer.

Some areas may appear somewhat flat or possess pronounced edges, reminiscent of props or backdrops in a stage production, lending them an air of unreality or surrealistic touch.

I was once accustomed to portraying realistic subjects, essentially observing familiar visuals and replicating or emulating them, like something I can fall back on. After years of painting and amassing experience, there comes a desire to move away from tangible subjects and instead immerse in the very act of painting, simply exploring the pigments and colors, without the need to pursue definite visible forms.

Right from the start, I aimed to evoke a sense of continuous narrative, ensuring consistency in color tones and dimensions throughout. I drew inspiration from certain "history paintings," like church murals illustrating religious tales. Noticing their dominant khaki hue, I adopted this color as the central tone to provide a cohesive and consistent visual experience for the exhibition. 

The numerical sequence of these pieces doesn't necessarily adhere to a linear narrative order. After two or three paintings, there might seem to be a shift to a different visual. I seek to create a sense of spontaneous jumps and transitions across the paintings.

CHENG Nung-Hsuan's studio

At first, my renderings of these objects were driven by spontaneous emotions. Over time, I'd emphasize them with shadows or define their contours, as if crystallizing the emotion into a tangible form and then "pasting" it onto the canvas. This embodies the transformative journey of painting for me.