《島嶼．文明 - 2020莊連東創作展》
The Islands and Civilization：
Chuang Lain Dung Solo Exhibition, 2020
展覽日期：2020/11/10~2020/12/30
開幕茶會：2020/11/14 pm14:30

佇立的島嶼，動人的姿彩，是曾經多少文明風華的積澱。審視每一座島嶼的樣貌，總是盈滿著無比豐富的想像，那是歷經歲月與風霜的淬鍊，也是乘載歷史與文化的匯聚。島嶼上面的景觀，藝術家眼中經過仔細觀察，可以具體描繪出山石林木，而沉在水下的場域，卻能任由藝術家思維無盡的馳騁。兩個世界的共構，譜出現實與幻境的並置、疊合與相融，營造島嶼強大生命力的厚度與深度。

於是，畫島嶼的現在、過去與未來；畫島嶼的真實、虛幻與可能，成為生長在島嶼文化圈的台灣當代水墨畫家莊連東近期鍾情表達的創作主題，從迴視自我生命依存環境，到深究屬於台灣這座島嶼的歷史脈絡；從遊歷世界各地的島嶼形貌，到理解人類文明進化的軌跡；從尋找差異到歸結共相，從外在追求到內心表述，島嶼的虛實意象給予莊連東寬廣的創作自主空間與情感宣洩管道。而透過島嶼形塑的山光水影意象，疊合人文演繹進程的生命影像，似乎傳遞著土地、生命與歷史緊密連結的依存關係。

莊連東的創作面向，分別呈現：一、島嶼與建築的對應關係。此系列作品的思考是不同建築風貌所代表的時代差異問題，從傳統中國庭園宮殿、宗教寺院、民間居所到現代都會大樓，從具體完整刻畫外在建築結構形貌到抽離建築物元素後再重組意象，建築成為文明轉折重要的符碼。二、島嶼與原始記號的並置關係。本系列以遠古圖像符號所表徵的史跡意義作為島嶼生成初始的源流探索，以整體人類進化的價值進行創作觀點的介入，所以不分東方或西方的圖騰，共同成為繪畫語言訴說的代碼。三、島嶼與動物的象徵關係。運用潛伏的動物形貌與山石幻化結合，將動物的兇猛、堅韌與動力作為島嶼生生不息的寓意。四、島嶼與島嶼自身的依存關係。主要從島嶼不同視角觀看形成的空間異相作為省察的根源，探討時空與差異對島嶼文明形塑的反思。四個面向各以不同的美感分為彰顯島嶼的多樣而迷離的風采。

2020年莊連東新作的發表將余秋末微涼的季節在臺南「ART102藝術空間」舉行，敬邀藝術愛好的朋友蒞臨參觀指教。

Islands and their stunning charm have been nurseries to countless civilizations and their majesty. Nurtured by age and history, every island is filled with incomparably abundant imaginations, being a medium that delivers histories and cultures. Through this artist’s deliberate observations and perspective, the mountains, rocks, forests and trees are faithfully painted, representing the scenery on islands; meanwhile the underwater realm provides the artist a place for wild, limitless fantasies. The conjunction of the two worlds creates the parallel between, the overlap and the unison of reality and fantasy, and thus brings forth the tenacious vitality of the island in depth and weight.

Hence—as a Taiwanese, contemporary ink painting artist who was brought up in the culture of an island—the present, the past, the future, the reality, the fantasy and the possibilities of islands have become Chuang Lain Dung’s latest creative themes. Through them he reflects on his own living environment, as well as tracing the historical context of Taiwan, the island country. By traveling to islands of diverse images around the world, he has comprehended the trails of progression to human civilization. He began this journey looking for distinctions, yet found a reoccurring truth; an outer pursuit has eventually lead to a personal, inner narrative. The realistic and the abstract images of island have provided Chuang a broad, independent space for creation and an outlet for emotional catharsis. Via shaping imagery of mountains and waters from the islands, which is interwoven with an image of human history’s progress, Chuang seems to be communicating the inseparable interdependent relation between life, the earth and history.

Chuang’s art is divided into several series. The first is about the correlations between an island and its architecture. This series considers the issue of age difference, which is presented by a variety of architecture styles. Be it a traditional Chinese palace with courtyard, religious temples, people's housing, or modern, urban skyscrapers—Chuang first faithfully captures the exterior appearance of its structure, then he removes the element of architecture and rearranges the picture into a new image. Hence architecture becomes a significant symbol to the transition in civilization in this series. The parallel connection between island and primitive signs is the second series, in which Chuang searches the symbolic, historical meanings of ancient symbols as the primal sources of island’s origin. He interposed his artistic perspectives into the entire value of human evolution, and thus all these symbols, without the distinction of being eastern or western, have collectively become a series of code narrated by the language of painting. The third series is about the symbolic relation between island and animals. By the fantastical fusion of crouching animals and the rocks of mountains, the fierceness, the tenacity, and the force of animals are together represented as an analogy to the liveliness of island. The fourth series is the interdependent relation between the distinct islands, which, mainly deal with his contemplation about the shaping of island by time, space and distinction. And the basis of this series of contemplations is the different look of the same place, formed by the different perspectives of looking at the islands. Thus these four series demonstrate the diverse, ineffable charm of island with a variety of distinct aesthetics.

During this refreshing, late autumn day, Chuang Lain Dung’s latest works in 2020 will debut at 102Art Gallery, Tainan. We sincerely invite everyone who is an art enthusiast to participate in this event.