Enriching Steles: Ink Artist Lee Chun-yi’s First Solo Exhibition

Description

Enriching Steles is Alishan Fine Arts’ first solo exhibition for international ink artist Lee Chun-yi, which focuses on the classical elements of Lee’s practice, including ink rubbing, calligraphy, carving and printing.

Born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 1965, Lee Chun-yi moved to Hong Kong when he was five and studied painting under acclaimed ink master Liu Kuo-sung, a founder of the Fifth Moon Group and continuing leader in the Chinese contemporary ink movement. Lee later completed a master’s degree in art at Donghai, University, Taiwan, before pursuing doctoral studies in Chinese Art History at Arizona State University and eventually returning to Taiwan to develop his artistic practice.

Having had a lifelong interest in stone steles carved during the Early Han period (AD 25-220), Lee focused his art on a self-made stamp-based method of applying calligraphy through the use of Chinese seals and ink rubbings. Lee carves Chinese characters into pieces of cork and softwood to form chops, and then stamps them repetitively on the paper to form a semi-photographic image along systematic lines.

Literally building up a visual composition through words, his ink paintings function as symbolic poems, with the strength of the stamp indicating his intended tone of expression.

Artist talk: November 18, Monday, 6-7pm
Private reception: November 19, Tuesday, 6-8pm
Art Gallery Night: November 21, Thursday, 6-8pm