Taiwanese artist Leigh Wen’s (鄭麗雲) solo exhibition titled “The Four Elements of Leigh Li-Yun Wen (鄭麗雲的四大元素)” opens in the Fremin Gallery in New York. Besides showcasing her signature themes of earth, air, water, and fire, it also features her newly created works inspired by mountains and flowers in Taiwan. This exhibition runs from Nov. 16 to Dec. 31.
Growing up in Taiwan, Leigh Wen went to the U.S. to study in 1983. In the 1990s, she emerged as an artist in Chelsea, Manhattan. She then worked with the U.S. federal government and served as the State Department’s Ambassador for the Arts. She returned to Taiwan and opened a studio in the 2010s.
Leigh Wen said that when she started her art career in Chelsea, her paintings were focused on the elements of water, fire, and air. Due to the pandemic, she explained, her stay in Taiwan became longer, which allowed her to create new paintings focused on the earth element.
She added that the warmth of the people in Taiwan inspired her to paint with a broader horizon and more depth. Taking the mountains as an example, the snowy landscapes in the U.S. made her think that she was stuck in a rut, but the green mountains in Taiwan helped her create the Earth series, she said.
Leigh Wen's unique style of painting is inseparable from her background that fuses the East and the West. She was born into a family with a background in pottery art, then she studied Chinese ink wash painting and subsequently learned oil painting, sculpture, and printmaking in the U.S.
A number of Leigh Wen’s works have been acquired by the U.S. government and are displayed at the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and other diplomatic offices. Director Sandra Oudkirk of AIT even visited her solo exhibition “Flow of Life (心・流)” in Taichung in March.
For more information, please visit Fremin Gallery’s website at https://reurl.cc/DoQbad.