Ministry of Culture-Performance Venues & Architectural Heritage

Did You Know That … ?

• A-Sun Wu (吳炫三), whose paintings and sculptures are notable for their raw and abstract style, has held solo exhibitions in Belgium France, Italy, Spain, China, Japan, and the U.S.

• The artist is an avid traveler, having previously backpacked across Central and South America, Africa, and the South Pacific. Now in his 70s, he still plans to uphold his vow of spending one-third of each passing year in travel.

• Born and raised in Luodong, a small coastal town in the northeastern county of Yilan, Wu has taken to creating giant installations with driftwood in recent years. He is credited with helping to establish several international driftwood sculpture festivals on Taiwan.

Read more about the artist here or scroll down for pictures.

The worldly artist names the civilizations and cultural traditions of the Amazon Basin and the Pacific Islands among the sources of his inspiration.

The worldly artist names the civilizations and cultural traditions of the Amazon Basin and the Pacific Islands among the sources of his inspiration.

His use of natural and unprocessed materials, such as wood, bark, and dirt, is to celebrate the organic fabric of nature.

He has even made art using driftwood from the devastating Morakot typhoon in 2009 to commemorate those lost in the deadliest typhoon to ever impact Taiwan.

Wu is also the designer of the medal and plaque of the National Heritage Preservation Awards.

His own paintings are usually identified as Expressionism, recalling primitive joy and emotions in life.

Among his collections, the "Metropolitan Jungle" series was included as part of the cultural legacy of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

On the other hand, his ceramics present zoomorphic and anthropomorphic characteristics unfettered by contemporary restraints.

Wu keeps a travel journal, so he can record new sensations and review his thoughts before embarking on a new creation.

As part of his reverence for nature, Wu signs his artworks with a sun since 1995.