07.25 - 08.23
GOD With GOD
CHEN Yi-Lang
Solo Exhibition
Mizuiro Workshop is delighted to present CHEN Yi-Lang’s latest solo exhibition “God with God” of new works by artist CHEN Yi-Lang inspired by the ancient myth “The Dragon Has Nine Sons.” Once applied as iconic religious decoration, CHEN reinterprets the story and characters with his own settings to provide the viewers with different perspectives.
CHEN Yi-Lang (b. 1968, TW) was born in Chiayi. He holds a diploma in mechanics from Sieh Chih Vocational School. CHEN Later received training in wood sculpture from Mr. YEH Huan-Mu in Sanyi, Miaoli until he formed his own studio in 1991. Characters in Taiwanese religious stories such as the dragon, phoenix, birds, and flowers have been the major theme in his woodcraft creation.
When it comes to wood sculpture, we are immediately accustomed to those religious statues carved out of bony roots and swelling burls, which make us marvel at not only the sculptors’ craftsmanship but also their imagination, both well-realized in their works.
If we put the debate of “what art is” aside for a moment and simply focus on the wood itself, we still can find it resonated with our life experiences and memories with its smell, texture, etc… in the notion of materiality, imprinting our body with our 5 senses. So the question I want to bring up here is what are we saying when we are discussing wood sculpture?
With the progression of the times, our society and industrial structure have also gone through a lot of changes; once regarded as craftsmen, wood sculptors now have been challenged to “advance with the times to be adapted to a new lifestyle.” And while such binary opposition no longer fits the current social values, how should we even begin a discussion on those WIP (works in progress)?
It is our hope that CHEN Yi-Lang’s work will provide a new reference to discussing both practical and aesthetical aspects of wood sculpturing in the contemporary context.
(Cited from Myth, Desire and Hope in CHEN Yi-Lang’s Observation of Relics by LIU Shin-Yu)
