“I have been thinking about whether there was only body language between people before writing was invented.What is the consensus among people?”Chu, Fang Yi has a strong interest in images.He often studies oracle bone inscriptions, totems, symbols. because he thinks these are all kinds of information transmission. Because he thinks that these are a way of conveying information.
Chu Fang-Yi started to be exposed to pottery when he was in college. Once he had a serious accident in the process of creation, his body was burned by fire and he was taken to the hospital for emergency treatment. After the accident, he has often been guarded against and introspection. When Chu stayed in the studio all summer vacation, this time also made him gradually love ceramics, so he began to devote himself to ceramic creation. After studying for a master's degree, he was even more sure that the future development is ceramics.To Chu, pottery is a material with many possibilities.The pottery making process seems simple, but there are many changes, and at the same time, it pays attention to physical operability. Through the process of making pottery, he can feel the feedback that pottery brings to the body. The pottery is very soft and plastic before firing, and there are some unexpected surprises after firing.
In ancient times, words were not invented. Humans would depict objects as images, which are similar to cave paintings.Artists often think about some questions, he said “Don’t human beings have a trace of the original perception of the image in the body? Is the image only the transmission of consciousness or knowledge? ”The artist has created a new image to read.He doesn’t want us to read only the knowledge or meaning of the environment, society or life experience from the works. He hopes that these images can bring a physical feeling, or an inner feeling that cannot be described in words.When creating reading images, he explored human body garments and instinctive reading ability, trying to awaken human body memory.
Chu tries to deconstruct his work into a textual root of the picture. There will be a textual structure in the form, but the source comes from the combination of images.The image reorganization in the creation can be divided into two parts: one is to deconstruct, deform, and ambiguously recombine images of Found objects through human consciousness to form new images; the other is to randomly arrange unfamiliar images and make them into new elements from an abstract perspective.The image of the original object is similar, fuzzy, or even unrecognizable. After the object is re-created as a three-dimensional, it will make people rethink the relationship between the body and oneself, through the deep perception of the human body's mental image, and have the opportunity to re-identify, and will further explore the essential source of the object.
The artist discovered that many ancient images and totems came from the walls. These images may be derived from human instincts. When they want to record things, they just scratch on the walls or ground. Most of what we see is on the wall, because the ground is not well preserved.He believes that it is a relatively late time for humans to record things on the plane. Therefore, the works combine body feeling and vision, and most of the works are presented on the wall.
In the process of creation of works, the artist deconstructs text and images, sometimes to the most basic unit, which reminds him of the technique of ink and wash, paying attention to the stacking of brushwork, ink technique, and vertical strokes, and the pinch of ceramics. Gestures such as, pressing, squeezing, rubbing, kneading... are very similar, so he combined the two to create, deconstructing the image of the object into a character code, combining the spatial image of ink and ink, and the brushstroke technique into unit graphic symbols. The concept of form is used to express the readability of text and images.
The creative transformation of ceramics around the world is actually quite diverse and rapid. In ceramic biennales around the world, the ceramic art creation discussed by various countries in addition to material experimentation, technique display, and form manipulation, they also combine the sense of ritual of the body, the use of technology, space and installation, and performance art with ceramics. Compared with the international development of contemporary ceramic art, there is still much room for improvement in Taiwan's ceramic art creation. However, he encourages young creators to have the opportunity to work in villages abroad. International exchanges are very important for creators. This is a process of cultural retrospection and in-depth self-exploration.
Chu, Fang Yi was born in Taipei. He is now a professional contemporary artist, a member of the UNESCO-International Academy of Ceramics (IAC), and also a full-time instructor in the Department of Material Arts and Design, TNNUA.
In 2008, Chu won the first prize of the Taiwan Ceramic Biennale, one of the world's four major ceramic biennales. In the same year, he was also selected as the International Ceramics Triennial Mino, Japan Executive Committee. 2011, Chu won the special award of the World Ceramics Biennale in Korea. In 2019, Chu received a higher honor-shortlisted of the final on-site selection for the Korea World Ceramics Biennale. Chu also exhibited in the public and private art museums at home and abroad, and won numerous awards and countless collections.Â
In creation, he focuses on the object memory and image of human beings in the form of stereoscopic device of object sculpture through the observation of his own life, historical background and the cultural cognition. And also the image difference between the real object and imitated object, and the human body instinct to read the images... and other related topics.
More art works: http://www.yicollecta.com/en/collections/53
Photos ©️ Chu, Fang Yi ＆ YIART
