The Book of Stone

The visual experiment amidst mountain

Stones and mountains are carriers of the memories straddling over past, present, and future. Breaking away from the linear narrative of time, the exhibition allows viewers to choose their own starting and ending points. Urged by the continuous rumination upon cultural identity, KUO depicts landscape through the exploration of mountains. Unlike traditional on-site sketches attempting to replicate the exact scenery captured by eyes of specific time and space, he commits the magnificence of the mountains, their myriad peaks and ravines, to memory through the interplay of light and shadow. Only then does this memory gradually manifest in his artwork as fragments of fleeting beauty.

Latest oeuvres showcased in this exhibition vary in form, ranging from folding screens, multi-panel books, flat paintings, to long-scrolls. These diverse expressions are dynamic and ever-evolving comparing to traditional landscape painting. KUO reimagines structure and perspective through techniques such as the segmented frames of digital windows, the jumping collages of meme-like imagery, and vertical compositions. The resulting fragmented yet continuous qualities within the images offer viewers a multi-layered spatial experience that shifts as they move through the space.

KUO Chih-Hung’s creations go beyond depicting the shape and features of mountains; they also incorporate the passage of time. Through changes in color and variations in material textures, the works capture the shifting light of day and night and the displacement within space. Moving through time and space amidst the scenery of mountain has become a central element of the exhibition. This concept does not only serve as a physical record but also reflects the marks of time upon objects. The overlapping of paper, the retention of edges, and even the deliberate unevenness in the works highlight the emphasis on dynamics and vitality.