Wan-Ting Chiu, Chengde Hall, Golden Car Literary Center, March 2021
materials: wool and glue
An artist's work comes into your life, out of the blue, and it feels like kismet - right in the gut. Immediately, you love the art. Period. It just sends shockwaves of delight and desire right through your body. No mediating and no hesitating. You want to become a fan, a follower. You want to know more.
Thanks to my email correspondence with the tarot specialist Ronan Farrell of Traditional Tarot fame, who shares an interest in André Salmon's foray into the tarot readings as a journalist, I discovered Wan-Ting Chiu and her beautiful art, recently exhibited in Taiwan, where Ronan studies Buddhism. One day he sent me an email about a wonderful exhibition that he visited in Taipei City. I asked to see photographs, and thankfully, Ronan facilitated meeting the artist through emails.
Wan-Ting Chiu (in English style order: first name and last name) graciously sent me images and gave me permission to post her work and Artist's Statement (translated into English) on my New York Arts Exchange blog. Thank you so much, Wan-Ting, for the honor of introducing your work to American audiences.
Wan-ting Chiu's work strikes me as a magical experience: something ethereal and hopeful in the midst of our collective pandemic trauma. I had no inkling her work comes from anxiety.
Wan-ting Chiu, He Guan, 2017, diameter: 150 cm, wool, acrylic paint, iron wire
The artist explains:
"Drawing on prior experience, suppression has become my preferred method of coping with life’s variables. This could either be a product of my upbringing or simply part of my original disposition. Nonetheless, it has resulted in the accumulation of anxiety.
As I transition from fashion design to mixed media art, I have finally begun tracing my personal relationship with fiber as a material. What was once external image-making through the way I dress has developed into an internalized practice that speaks to the way I camouflage myself within an inherent and pre-existing anxiety. Consequentially, my artworks frequently exhibit a dense yet fluidic state. Often times they are bright and colorful; other times they appear dull and pallid. An anxious state of mind has many faces, be it hostile or fearful, yet it may also manifest as something conformal or compliant. With that said, my current art practice not only allows me to achieve mental equilibrium, but also acts as a consoler of emotions.
Perhaps, to some extent, my artworks are an exploration or innervation of my own sentiment. However, anxiety is a shared human nature, which can lead to a sense of exclusion as I objectively and habitually suppress my emotions. As I turn my attention to art, which may include still life objects, films, music or other medium, I wonder If could somehow become empathetic, and be relieved from anxiety. As human nature seems to be the one factor influencing many things, I hope my artworks can help the viewers establish an inner-dialogue with themselves, which in turn helps them to experience their lived-experiences and other multi-dimensional occurrences."
I am heartened by Ms. Chiu's quest for an empathic expression through art. I certainly responded to her work, albeit in a virtual state as digital slides. Hopefully, her artwork will come to New York and the pleasure of viewing her soft textures on rigid shapes in person will yield an even greater appreciation for her artwork and skill.
Wan-Ting Chiu graduated with a Bachelors degree from the Department of Fashion Design of Management of Tainen University of Technology in 2013 and received her Masters degree from the Fine Arts of Tainan University of Technology in 2015. In 2018, she received the NANYING AWARDS of the Judges' List Award. She has exhibited numerous times. This latest exhibition at Chengde Hall took place earlier this year.
To view more of her work, please visit her website, Instagram and her Facebook page. Links provided below
The Land of Situation
Chiu Wan Ting Solo Exhibition: In Situ / Anxiety
Exhibition Dates: March 2021
Venue: Chengde Hall, Golden Car Literary Center
Address: Taipei City, Datong District, Taipei City
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, Closed Monday
Organizers: Golden Car Culture Foundation / Golden Car Literature Center
Best wishes for the week,
Beth
Beth S. Gersh-Nesic, Ph.D.
Director and owner
New York Arts Exchange
