/ In Silence

Lin Hong-Wen is an artist of his time. In focusing on his materials, whether acrylic or steel, he enhances the driving force behind his untimely intuitions, thereby refusing to calculate or subscribe to methods resulting in solely rational conclusions. His approach to art is neither systematic nor predetermined. Rather he is involved in the ongoing discovery of form in which he avoids any common or predictable aspects of entitlement. Consequently, his work remains open and without limitations. His allegiance to form is not formal, at least not in the traditional sense. Hong-wen works outside the realm of the obvious, removed from trends that speculate on a global art market. As a uniquely cultivated artist, he avoids engaging in projects he foresees as problematic or unsuitable for his purposes. His inspiration emanates from a singular point of view. This is what enables him to focus entirely on his work. He is an artist of his own making.

— Robert C. Morgan, American art historian and the co-curator of In Silence

About the exhibition

Text / Yaman Shao, co-curator of In Silence, Director of ALIEN Art

The garden of Lin Hong-Wen is a place of tranquility that is without a center. He talks about trees and also the life and death cycles specific to various species. So much of his studio is occupied by his vast body of work, rendering the space somewhat cluttered. Despite many under-progress pieces taking up much room, it seems like he can still remain creative. Lin’s studio is roofed by iron sheets; through the dormer, light comes in and floods the interior. The sound of raindrops beating against this iron roof encourages inspiration. The spirit of original expression is not constrained by the surrounding environment—that’s true freedom.

With regard to the development of contemporary art, the action of “going back to the basics” means rediscovering the moment when the beginnings of humanity were marked by a spark of creativity. Once we identify this core spirit of life, out of it can spring a constellation of starting points. All these starting points are then enriched through narratives and experiences, and finally channeled into expression. Lin creates full, rich imagery with no hesitation, so instinctively that it’s as if a tidal wave of vitality is driving his consciousness.

The evolution of visual art accompanies a corresponding course of meaning. In this technological era, symbols have become a form of silent communication; symbols have also engendered unprecedented changes in our societies on multiple levels, ultimately obscuring the line that separates physical and virtual realities. Language remains the most common and versatile medium of communication: we face ourselves and concretize our aspirations into actual existence through awareness.

The exhibition In Silence captures the power of art beyond forms by highlighting the fluidity of time. By virtue of the ALIEN Art Centre’s physical orientation, the morning sunlight streams into the space through the South-East direction. The variation of light becomes the expression of time. And as the hours and minutes elapse, leading to the afternoon, another color temperature unfolds behind the Centre. Just like this, Lin’s works form a continuum between the starting and ending points of departure and arrival. The ancient wisdom behind the qifengzhan technique (or the “seal over the perforation” method that originated in the East) is the bringing together of split pages into one whole entity, just as exhilarating reservoirs of creativity lie hidden within a completed work, a notion that can be construed as a brand new interpretation of life.



In Silence

Artist: Hong-Wen Lin
Conceived and presented by Robert C. Morgan and Yaman Shao
Produced by ALIEN Art
Organizer: ALIEN Art Centre
Advisor: Bureau of Cultural Affairs Kaohsiung City Government, Urban Development Bureau Kaohsiung City Government
Collaboration: Silks Club, THE UKAI TAIPEI
Special Thanks to YUIMOM GROUP