A World Made Light – Reporting from the “Site of Weaving Light” — A Curatorial Account of Hsu Yong Hsu’s Solo Exhibition “A World Made Light”
Acquaintance
The acquaintance between Hsu Yong Hsu and I started with an email to our Singapore office in an afternoon of 2012. The email came from Hu’s Art in Taipei attached with the images of a new piece of work by Hsu, asking whether it would match well with the style of the recently completed JUT-Yi Apartments, a project designed by our firm, if the artwork was hung on the wall of the entrance lobby as part of its collection.
The ceramic artwork featured several ripple-like wavy lines, with add-ons in the same material but resembling oyster shells or egg shells, sporadically spread over the surface. These shells or eggs seemed to be jumping up and down, adding a sense of vertical fluctuation or flowing dynamics to the horizontal composition of the work. (Fig 1-2)
The JUT-Yi Apartments is a residential project located in between Songshan Station and Wufenpu in Taipei. Its design was inspired by the narrow lanes and alleys zigzagging across the neighbourhood. In our design, we interpreted the lanes and alleys into several “urban ribbons” highlighted as thick white bands constructed in crystal glass, forming a layer over the darker coloured façade of the architecture.
Looking at these images handed over to me by my colleague, I thought to myself, isn’t it amazingly coincidental, something unexpected from an artist whom I had never met would fit so well with the design language of the architecture without any prior discussion.
There was another anecdote to this piece of artwork now hung in the lobby of JUT-Yi Apartments: In order to accentuate the off-white ivory colour of the work, it would be ideal to use high-temperature ceramic plates of a darker colour along with striated textures to serve as a backdrop. However, the plates would have to be much larger than standard ceramic tiles in order to strike a proportional balance with the horizontal composition of the artwork.
When I shared my idea with Hsu, he immediately replied that he could customise the plates I suggested. A few weeks later, I received a courier package of ceramic plate samples from Taiwan. The colour of the plates was exactly the deep brown I wanted and there were several options of textural patterns to choose from.
Over recent years, the partnership and friendship between Hsu and I were built on back and forth interactions like that. We are both slightly workaholic and prefer not to spend our leisure time socialising with our professional peers. Hsu loves to have marathon trainings by running around in his neighbourhood while I love to swim slowly. These two sports are both somehow lonesome but help to clear one’s mind after a long day work.
When Hsu readily accepted the commission to create the ceramic façade for the Select Group headquarters building in 2014, my heart was filled with hidden joy but I was not surprised by his decision—Hsu once again took the challenge and ran forward without any hesitation. It was then that I started to appreciate how much he could take on a challenge with his astonishing stamina and perseverance.
For this commission, Hsu created near 2,500 arched terracotta-brown ceramic pieces of three sizes: small, medium and large. Noticeable traces of fingers running through their surfaces intentionally left by the artist, the arched pieces were used to cover the four sides of five-stories of the building, making these architectural features look like gigantic bamboo steamer baskets for dim sum. With the ceramic pieces, the building itself is an eye-opening modern installation, reminding one of The London Mastaba created by Christo using stacks of oil barrels on the Serpentine in Hyde Park, London, although the on-site art installation by Christo in 2017 was created well after the Select Group headquarters building was completed.
(Fig 3-4)
Connections between Ceramics and Force
Ceramic tiles often have a close association with architecture and come in various forms. Traditionally, they are used to cover the roofs and protect the buildings from direct exposure to sunlight or rain. However, dry hanging such a large quantity of high-temperature ceramic pieces of such unusually large sizes onto the external walls of a building at the Select Group headquarters project was undoubtedly something neither Hsu nor I had tried before. Even though the ceramic pieces were mainly intended to cover the vents behind them and buffer the ventilation coming in and out of the central kitchen, they also served as a kind of interface where art and architecture cross over and merge with each other.
In his artistic creations, Hsu seems to be fond of turning his clay into something as large and as thin as possible through repetitive kneading before sending it into the kiln. This is quite similar in nature to the use of bricks or stones to build towering archways or massive domes in cathedrals back in ancient Rome or Medieval period albeit in different materials.
In the 14th century, the Pope and his architects in Florence, Italy, wanted to build an unprecedentedly large covered space at the centre of their Latin-cross-plan cathedral. With the intention of awing worshipers congregating inside the cathedral with the architectural magnificence and inspiring them to marvel at the wonders made by the Creator. However, due to the large spans between the stone columns, all their attempts failed and the dome was left uncompleted for many years.
That was back in 1315. It was not until over a century later in 1418 that Filippo Brunelleschi, an engineer in his early forties, solved the engineering problem with dual layers of honeycomb-like membrane walls, finally completing the dome of Florence Cathedral.
Standing in the lobby of KMFA, the work 2019-1 is the first work that viewers will see in this solo exhibition of Hsu Yong Hsu. It sets the tone of the exhibition by awing viewers the moment they lay eyes on it and admire Hsu’s recent breakthrough in the limits of ceramic art. I cannot help but associate Hsu’s ceramic art with the dome of Florence Cathedral made possible thanks to the boldness and attentiveness of Filippo Brunelleschi—both are achievements that seem so effortless but are in fact extremely difficult to realise.
The Exhibition at KMFA
The site specific set-up of Hsu’s exhibition, A World Made Light, at KMFA was decided after several rounds of discussion between the artist, KMFA, and our firm. Started with sketching, computer modelling, virtual simulations of the exhibition venue and final placement of the works, the entire process was communicated back and forth with Hsu as if we were in an enjoyable tennis match. Through this journey, I also came to the sudden realisation that all my past experiences of working with Hsu were meant for this exhibition, laying a solid foundation for it.
There are differences as well as similarities between the texture of Hsu’s ceramic works and that of wood sculptures hacked with a strong knife or broad axe, both done with a determined hand. They are common in relying on light that falls onto them, resulting in shadows that express the physical details of the works. In the light and shadow, we can witness a close connection between Hsu the artist and clay, his sole material, in his meticulous acts of touching, pressing, kneading, handling, and placing of the material for hundreds, if not thousands of times. Out of his hands, the clay would become countless round-shaped flowers in full bloom growing on thick, sprawling vines or clusters of empty cocoons left behind by new-born butterflies on tree branches. Each flower or cocoon is a record of the artist’s time, a metaphor of life. Hsu’s works make the real world with all its hustle and bustle stand still, all quietened down in an instant and bringing viewers to a point where all lives begin. Intentionally or unintentionally, Hsu often left behind his fingerprints on his works, which add a personal touch, lending them a kind of subtle power of sensibility that communicates directly with viewers.
After their recent renovation, Gallery 104 and Gallery 105 of KMFA now looks more modern and clean-cut. From the very beginning of the curation, it was decided that there should be some resonance between the exhibition and the two gallery rooms. It was also decided that one of the gallery rooms would be brightly lit and the other dimly illuminated in order to give a wide variety of experiences to the viewers. During the preparation for the exhibition, we called ourselves “men in black”, trying our best to hide the architectural aspects by embedding into the walls every detail designed to hang or support Hsu’s works, regardless of their scale or size.
Standing or hanging at the exhibition venue, the works display a diverse range of expressions simply with the light falling on them. Additional backgrounds or props will only cause unnecessary interferences. The works are like actors in a Noh performance—the images of them with each raise of their hands and each movement of their feet are permanently imprinted into the audience’s minds. In this exhibition, each walk, pause, and turn of the actors, i.e. the works, are experienced by viewers through their interactions with the works. There is a sense of intimacy transmitted from the works to viewers in this process.
Entrance—Gallery I
At the centre of Gallery 104 (designated as Gallery I for the exhibition), eight pieces of artwork arranged in the form of two pairs of double-sided screens, catches the eyes of those who enter the gallery, to have the urge to get closer to the works. The eight pieces of works are supported by four long-legged steel frames. The front and back of each frame are used to display a 3 to 3.5 meter high white ceramic work, 2018-32. Through the gaps between each frame, viewers can see 2018-15, a major piece hung on the wall across the room, or 2018-11, a minor piece of high-temperature ceramic in a darker colour. The two pairs of double-sided screens form an intangible piazza in the centre of the room, where viewers are encouraged to walk around, enjoy diverse experiences of viewing the works at close, mid and far ranges, whilst artworks in a distance are seen through other pieces in front of them.
Upon entering gallery I, the viewers will first encounter the intricate, spider web-like structure of 2019-9, an on-site creation composed of intertwined carbon fibre and nylon wires with their ends fixed to the ceiling, walls and floor. Compared with the “double-sided screens”, this artwork provides more dimensional depth in their viewing experience; but here viewers are prohibited from getting too close to or touching it. The white ceramic objects attached to the wires seem floating in mid-air, reminiscent of the countless stars at various distances in the sky we gaze at, whilst lying on an open lawn. Looking so far yet so close, the stars seem to explode and scatter to every corner of the sky.
Line of Sight, Line of Axis, and Line of Movement
We were aware from the beginning as to how the works will be placed in the show, not only which angle the viewers would adopt to view at the works, but also how they would move in the exhibition. Prior to that, Hsu’s studio and my office made several simulations and tests to explore the possible allocation of each piece of artwork in the venue, before arriving at a final decision. (Fig 5-7)
This decision making was like a game of Go, each placing of a piece on the board, produces a completely different outcome. In Gallery 104 (Gallery I), the works on display are mainly made of white ceramic, whose colour fits and enhances the bright illumination in the space. In Gallery 105 (Gallery II), the works feature more diverse colours and lustres. Arching over like a rainbow made of gigantic twirling ribbons, the high-temperature ceramic of 2017-28 displays an unusual colour of light yellow in Gallery II. Just like the rest, each piece shown here are created without any “additives”. Work 2019-5, has multi-strata texture both internally and externally, with an appearance of a cluster of nests by ant or hives of bee, in reddish dark brown colour.
The nets or hives of 2019-5 are intentionally placed as a labyrinth with its walls just slightly taller than an average person. Walking along the narrow passages inside the maze, viewers immediately feel confined by the earthen structure and lose their sense of direction. They will have to move slowly and carefully forward, along the bending walls. The feeling of being entrapped both physically and visually will only find temporary relief through the occasional openings on the walls. However, through these openings, there are yet more of the same structure in a condition of blurry light and shadow, the same structure made of the same material kneaded and piled high by the artist.
Entering into or Withdrawing from—Gallery II
The works in Gallery II seem to have been placed quite casually without any attempts in creating parallel or symmetrical compositions. However, there are close interconnections between them that attract viewers to participate in, interact with, enter into or withdraw from the works. Not far away from the labyrinth of 2019-5, is 2015-15, standing alone by the side of the stairs. It looks very similar to the components of the labyrinth in their forms but somewhat aloof from them with its unique white colour against their brown appearance. Between the white object and brown labyrinth, an invisible axis is laid, so as to link viewers from one end to another.
In the same room, viewers will encounter two more pieces of work, 2018-9 and 2018-10, separately at two far corners, sitting and glowing quietly on stainless-steel plates attached to the walls. These two works of miniature size seem to be having a quiet whisper across the room. They form another axis, intersecting with the previous axis of the other works.
The wires suspended in the spider-web of 2019-9 connect all the white ceramic pieces, these two intangible lines of axis instead form powerful magnetic forces, connecting viewers and the exhibits, without them realising it.
Full View, Borrowing from Nature – Gallery III and IV
The lay-out of Gallery 105 allows viewers to walk up the stairs, pass the Light Corridor (Gallery III), and finally reach a long platform (Gallery IV) where they enjoy a panoramic view of the displays in Galleries I and II down below. This spatial layout bears an immediate resemblance to that of a Suzhou garden in which all the pavilions, terraces, and architecture are connected with steps and passages, accessible for visitors to wander in different parts of the garden, and appreciate its beauty from different perspective viewpoints.
After the renovation, the Light Corridor on the mezzanine floor are now added with several vertically cladded columns in front of its windows, visually breaking the horizontality into being more vertically orientated, fenestrations of a proportion similar to the window arrangements on traditional Chinese façades. The view beyond the windows remains unchanged though – the trees, the lawn, sunlight, clouds and rain, are all as before. Arriving at this point, viewers are drawn to the view beyond the windows and pause to take a look… often, coming to a sudden realisation that, Art after all, captures and imitates the beauty of nature. (Fig 8)
The work 2019-7 in front of the windows at the Light Corridor, placed together like five delicate clusters of clear and brittle white corals nascent in the deep sea, serves as a strong statement of just that – a homage to nature, aptly and beautifully. (translated by Scott Hsieh and Han Kiang Siew)