盛 – 许芝绮个展

「经纬外的光照---是阳光灿烂日子裡的静谧对白；是深邃幽暗圈谷里的白濛微光。」 — 许芝绮

2019年入选世界四大陶艺竞赛展之一《韩国京畿世界陶艺双年展》的艺术家许芝绮，睽违三年再次于索卡艺术推出2020年个展《盛》。此展名的由来非常有意思，许芝绮特别采用中国古代金文的「盛」字，与自身的创作连结。金文是铸刻于青铜器上的文字，而金文的「盛」字，上半部「成」的笔划是理性的直线，下半部「皿」则是感性的曲线，如柔软的手承接的状态，也正呼应她作品中光洒落的直线与弧型线条。理性直线与感性曲线也形成一种对比，有如其作品所讨论的光与影、轻与重。

盛也有两种读音：「cheng」与「sheng」。第一种读音作为动词，有容纳、以器皿盛装的涵意。因陶瓷本身最早即是用来作为容器，因此许芝绮借用这个概念来表达其作品是一种可以承接、翻转、容纳生命重量的一种载体。第二种读音作为形容词与名词，有饱满、丰富之意。在她作品蜷曲的白色空间中，保有多方翻转倒置的可能，随着环境、位置、高度、光线、视角的不同而呈现不同的姿态。她期望观者能跳脱单向的眼界、松脱既定的标签，试图重新定义我们所看到的事物，有时相异的解读能产生不同的关系和张力，带出不同的格局与思路，丰富事件和生命的厚度。

我们期待与您一起在曲线中看见承接锋利的温柔，在材质里理解生命坚毅与脆弱的矛盾，在空间中感受艺术家寄托的生命重量。

“Light above those Intertwined Lines----

Are serene dialogues in sunny days, or misty light floating in dark valley.” – Hsu Chihchi 

In 2019, Hsu Chihchi was one of the featured artists at the Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale in South Korea, which is considered one of the four major ceramic competitive exhibitions around the globe. In 2020, she launched her solo exhibition “盛 (Light above those Intertwined Lines)” at Soka Art after a three year hiatus. The exhibition title “盛” is a character that comes from the Bronze Script in ancient China. Hsu chose the character with the interesting origin to establish a connection with her own creative works. The Bronze Script was text inscribed on bronzeware. In the Bronze Script, the top half of the “盛” character (成) contained straight line strokes of rationality. Meanwhile, the lower half of the “盛” character (皿), meaning dish, presented sensual curves akin to the shape of soft hands in a position ready to receive. The combination also corresponds to her works of light ray radiating in straight lines and curved lines. The rational straight lines and sensual curvaceous lines also form a type of contrast, echoing the discussion of light vs. shadow and lightness vs. heaviness within the artist’s works. 

The title character actually has two pronunciations, Shèng or Chéng. When pronounced as Chéng, it is a verb meaning to contain or to hold something using a container, such as a bowl or a plate. Since the first ceramic wares were used as containers, Hsu is borrowing the concept to indicate that her artworks are also a type of vessel, capable of holding, transforming, and accepting the weightiness of life. When pronounced as Shèng, it is a noun or an adjective meaning abundance or bountiful. 

Curled within the white space of her works are possibilities to flip around in multiple directions, to present a different posture depending on the environment, positioning, height, lighting, and perspective.  The artist hopes the viewer may escape from a singular vision, to break free from existing labels and attempt to redefine what we see. Sometimes, diverse interpretations produce varying relationships and tensions, allowing the emergence of distinct mindset and thought processes, enriching the course of events and depths in life. 

Soka Art cordially invites you to attend the opening reception of Light above those Intertwined Lines - Hsu Chihchi Solo Exhibition. Let’s  see the gentleness which receives the sharpness of reality in the curve, understand contradictions between strengths and fragility of life through the selection of medium, and feel the weight of life entrusted by the artist in the space!

许芝绮

1982 出生高雄

2008 毕业于国立台南艺术大学应用艺术研究所 陶瓷组

现工作与生活于高雄

展出经历丰富，曾获邀至世界各地的艺术机构参展，如意大利法恩札国际陶瓷博物馆、澳洲黄金海岸艺术中心、日本金泽21世纪美术馆、韩国世界陶瓷博物馆、国立台湾美术馆。

也曾入选韩国京畿世界陶艺双年展、第57届意大利法恩札国际陶瓷艺术竞赛、第三届西班牙Marratxi国际陶艺双年展，荣获台湾国际陶艺双年展银奖、第7届台北陶艺奖创作类首奖；并且参与西班牙陶艺双年展、美国陶瓷年会NCECA联展、台北艺术博览会、艺术深圳等多项国内外艺术盛会。

目前作品典藏机构包含德国Glucksburg城堡博物馆、美国巴尔的摩陶瓷艺术中心、澳洲白兔美术馆、芬兰极地陶瓷艺术中心、国立台湾美术馆、莺歌陶瓷博物馆等。

Hsu Chihchi

1982 Born in Kaohsiung

2008 M.F.A, Tainan National University of the Arts, Tainan

Now Lives and Works in Kaohsiung

She has rich experiences in attending exhibitions and has been invited to numerous art institutes worldwide, such as The International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza, Italy, Gold Coast City Art Gallery in Australia, Kanazawa 21 Seiki Bijutsukan in Japan, Icheon Cerapia in Gyeonggi-do, Korea, and National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. 

Her works were selected by “Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale”, “57th Faenza Prize”, “III International Ceramics Biennale of Marratxi”, and she won the silver prize in “Taiwan Ceramics Biennale” and first prize in “7th Taipei Ceramics Awards”. She also attended “International Ceramics Biennale of Marratxi” in Spain, “National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts” in the U.S., “Art Taipei”, “Art Shenzhen”, and so on.

Moreover, her works were collected by Romhild Schloss Glucksburg in Germany, Baltimore Clayworks in the U.S., White Rabbit Museum in Australia, Arctic Ceramic Center in Finland, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, and Yingge Ceramics Museum, etc.