文/賴永興Lai Yun-Hsin 國立台灣藝術大學雕塑學系系主任

小型雕塑在人類的視野中，很容易看清全貌並吸引觀賞者進一步靠近觀察細部，當觀賞者靠近作品時作品充滿眼界，周遭景物很容易被忽略，觀賞者可以與作品進行較深度的交流，這種觀賞經驗可以輕易的將觀者帶入作品的內在世界，此時雕塑家灌注其中的創作理念，就會透過作品的造形材質及表現手法釋放出來，感動觀者並引起共鳴。

賈克梅蒂(Alberto Giacometti，1901~1966)在觀察物體時，經常連周遭的環境也一併納入，致使作品尺寸逐漸縮小，在第二次世界大戰期間他熱衷於製作小至3~5公分的迷你作品，這是大師對空間與作品大小的尺寸探索，讓觀者在觀賞他的小作品時，能感受到巨大的能量。
本展精選第十屆臺藝大袖珍雕塑展中，來自雕塑系的專兼任老師及校友、日本和中國大陸姐妹校的教師作品，來自學院體系有扎實的作品表現之外，亦可明顯觀察到台、日、中三地雕塑家的特質；此外，加入畫廊合作的法國及旅法藝術家等共同參展。展出計80餘件作品，不僅創作材質種類繁多，表現手法更是各具特色。

極小同大，小能容大；極大同小，大中現小。一件優秀的袖珍雕塑在實際量體上雖然不大，但是在內涵尺度上卻可以是無限巨大的。

Little Big Things – International Shoebox Sculpture Exhibition
Article/ Lai Yun-Hsin, Director of the Department of Sculpture, National Taiwan University of Arts

For human eyes, it is easy to gain a full picture of a small sculpture, which entices viewers to take a closer look at the details. When viewed at a closer distance, it fills their vision to the brim, with the surroundings fading into oblivion. By allowing a more intimate interaction with the work, this viewing experience enables the viewers to probe its inner world. The sculptor’s creative philosophy lying beneath will come to the surface through the formal materials and expression methods, pulling on the heart strings and resonating with the viewers.

Alberto Giacometti (1901~1966), who often observed objects based on their relationship to the surroundings, gradually scaled down the size of his works. During WWII, he devoted himself to making shoebox art pieces as small as three to five centimeters in diameter, which bears witness to the master’s exploration of the space and size of artistic works. The viewers can feel the energy in full force when appreciating his small works.

This exhibition boasts a collection of remarkable artworks from the 10th International Shoebox Sculpture Exhibition held by National Taiwan University of Arts. They are contributed by the full-time and part-time faculty and alumni of the Department of Sculpture, as well as teachers from the sister schools in Japan and mainland China. All with a professional training background, they showcase virtuosic craftsmanship in the masterpieces. As sculptors from Taiwan, Japan and mainland China, they also manifest characteristics uniquely of their own. The exhibition also involves, for instance, French and French-based artists who have been working with Red Gold Fine Art[JS1] . With more than eighty exhibits, it is a feast for the eyes with a miscellany of creative materials, and richly diverse methods of expression.

Extreme smallness equals largeness, and small things can contain large ones. As extreme largeness is akin to smallness, from large things emerge the small ones. Despite its relative smallness in actual size, a remarkable shoebox sculpture can reach an infinite magnitude in its innermost being.