Taiwanese and Malaysian printmaking artists have been invited to exhibit their works side by side at the Oriental Art and Cultural Center in Kuala Lumpur from Feb. 23 through March 17 as part of joint efforts to promote and cultivate future art exchanges.
"Dialogue: Taiwan-Malaysia Printmaking Exhibition" will not only feature works by Liao Shiou-ping (廖修平), Taiwan's undisputed "Father of Modern Printmaking," and his thirty-nine disciples, but also showcase the innovation and talent of twenty highly esteemed artists from Malaysia.
The impressive lineup will include Malaysia's Choong Kam Kow (鍾金鈎), who works with silkscreen on canvas, and woodblock printmaking duo Long Thien Shih (龍田詩) and Jerome Manjat (吉龍), as well as award-winning artists Chung You-hui (鐘有輝) and Lin Hsueh-ching (林雪卿) from Taiwan. Chung is also the curator of this exhibition.
"Dialogue" is about the relationship between the artists and the heavens and earth, and their perspective and thoughts on the four seasons of life. Moreover, their individual views and hard-earned truths are freely expressed through the subject matter, presentation, and techniques used in printmaking.
"Dialogue exists not only between the artist and nature," pointed out Anne Hung (洪慧珠), representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia. "It is also a conversation between the Taiwanese and Malaysian artists, as well as their works conversing with the masses."
It is this "soulful intersection" that will pave a bridge for understanding each other's culture and art, she stated, through which exchanges between the two nations will hopefully become closer and more intertwined in the future.
The power of art is its ability to circumvent language and cultural barriers and forge real ties between people and their nations, added Deputy Minister of Culture Hsiao Tsung-huang (蕭宗煌), who will be flying to Kuala Lumpur to attend the exhibition's opening ceremony on Feb. 24.
A three-day workshop for young Malaysian printmakers and art teachers will also take place from Feb. 27 through March 1. The sessions will be headed by exhibition curator Chung, a veteran artist who is best known for his etching and relief techniques, and his wife and fellow printmaker Lin, who works with silkscreen.
"Dialogue: Taiwan-Malaysia Printmaking Exhibition" is made possible with the support of the Paris Foundation of Art, National Taiwan Normal University's International Printmaking Center, Taiwan Society of Printmaking, and Evergreen Graphic Art Association.
‘Dialogue: Taiwan & Malaysia Printmaking Exhibition’