睽違5年，中國藝術家陳文驥二度來台舉辦個展，10月16日至11月13日於誠品畫廊推出「陳文驥’21台北展」，這次帶來2014年至今的油畫共17組件，在單純簡潔的幾何表現中，不僅是陳文驥闡釋自我追尋的漫長歷程，也包覆著個人感性成分的流動。

陳文驥說：「表達本不應受某一定式左右，不是服從的過程，是一種理解和感受的過程。」他認為，藝術的功能不僅侷限於對物象的複製和再解釋，他的作品所欲傳達的內容，更多是個人對世界的疑惑，因此，他不希望自己的作品只是知識的轉達，而是予人一種不確定的因素、潛藏一種可能，而那正是思考的來源。

綜觀陳文驥的創作脈絡，是從他個人知識和經驗驅使，以及在視覺形式的思考主導下，提煉出抽象化的表達，就在這一段淨化自我的過程中，產生形象鮮明、樣式獨特的抽象藝術。也正因如此，陳文驥和中國當代藝術的主流趨勢缺乏主動的參與關係，他認為：「藝術在社會範疇裡，始終是邊緣，甚至是灰色的」，他自詡是「灰色藝術家」，「灰色，是細膩、是敏感，是弱點，是一種自然過度的狀態。可以說，灰色更具藝術特性，因為它在社會與人性碰撞之間，開闢了緩衝的領地。」

■展覽：陳文驥’21台北展
■展期：2021年10月16日—11月13日
■地點：誠品畫廊∣台灣110台北市信義區菸廠路88號B1（誠品生活松菸店）
■開放時間：週二～週六11:00-19:00（日、一休館）

After a 5-year hiatus, Chinese artist CHEN Wenji returns for his second solo exhibition in Taiwan. ESLITE GALLERY proudly presents CHEN Wenji - ‘21 Exhibition in Taipei from October 16 to November 13. It features a total of 17 oil paintings from 2014 to the present. In his simple and concise geometric expression, CHEN not only interprets his long journey of self-discovery, but also wraps it under the flow of his personal sensibility.

CHEN explains: “Expression should not be dictated by a particular formula. It is not a process of conformity, but a process of understanding and feeling.” He believes that the function of art is not limited to the reproduction and reinterpretation of objects. What he wants to convey with his works is more about his personal wonderment about the world. As such, he doesn’t want his creations to be a mere relay of knowledge, but to give people an element of uncertainty or a hidden possibility—the source of reflection.

Taking a look at CHEN’s creative overtones, we see the abstract expressions are extracted from his personal knowledge and experience and guided by his thoughts on visual forms. In this process of self-purification, he produces abstract art with his distinctive image and unique style. It is for this reason that CHEN Wenji lacks an active engagement with the mainstream trend of Chinese contemporary art. He thinks that “Art is always marginal, or ‘gray’, in the social sphere”, and he describes himself as a “gray artist”. “Gray is delicate, sensitive and weak. It’s in a state of natural excess. It can be said that gray is more artistic, because it opens up a buffer zone between the clashes of society and human nature.”

■Exhibition: CHEN Wenji - ‘21 Exhibition in Taipei
■Date: 16 October—13 November, 2021
■Address: ESLITE GALLERY∣B1, No. 88, Yanchang Rd., Xinyi Dist., Taipei City 110, Taiwan (eslite spectrum Songyan Store)
■Opening Hours: 11:00-19:00, Tuesday – Saturday (closed on Sunday and Monday)