14 April – 1 June 2014

The series of works entitled “The Fragment” deconstructs the Chinese calligraphic tradition in order to find the soul and personal expression of the true self. The paintings are presented as a series of fragments that record the journey towards wholeness. The works reference the cultural legacy from Taiwan to New York and London. The manifestation of cultural difference can be seen expressed in the fragments as memoirs of a forgotten past.

I began to deconstruct my own cultural aesthetic. To accomplish this intention, I began to research other art disciplines and began to be influenced by Montage in films in which the director places images together through cut frame, overlay and merging. The imagery together forms and extends the narrative. For example, in Eisenstein’s film entitled Strike the collage technique provides a visual opportunity to explore my journey crossing to and from two cultures – East and West. This style allows for a comparison of visual conflict and contradiction. It has become a primary strategy for forming compositions that explore cultural differences. I present opposing cultural images and visual languages together in one painting. For example, I use an image inspired by the ‘floating mind’ philosophy, such as the goldfish or the landscape, combined with painting techniques taken from Abstract Expressionism. The use of cultural symbols demonstrates my journey, illustrating the dislocated experiences I have encountered. the beauty that treasures the passage of time, and with it the lonely sense of impermanence it evokes. It has also been defined as the natural cycle of birth and death.

———Wu Ri Qin