壓縮(Compressions)—Takming Chuang個展

壓縮(Compressions)—Takming Chuang拓印與雕塑創作個展

水墨拓印是一種淵遠流長的東亞藝術形式，用於複製、研究和保存珍貴的物品。舉例來說，拓片的歷史中包括玉製印章上的裝飾雕刻和石碑上的紀念銘文。以潮濕的薄紙呈現出物體表面的圖樣，接著用絲綢墊子輕輕的塗抹墨水，直到細節在高對比下顯現，將物品的質感忠實且獨特的記錄。拓印雖做為早期的印刷方法，但保留了製作者的解釋性手法。

Takming Chuang將這種傳統技術運用到他個人的照片檔案中，這些照片是藝術家在90年代至00年代初期身為青少年/成年人時所拍攝的，他通過在相紙表面刻畫輪廓和文字來跟踪或模糊其照片的主題。每一張拓片都是Takming Chuang對自己過去在家裡、學校、工作和旅行中的當代詮釋。

在談到攝影媒介時，他表示「我需要通過4 x 6英寸的照片這一個已建立的格式來看待我與人和地點的關聯，作為我發展的證據。20多年後，這些圖像證明了內外的重大變化。」

除了裝裱作品外，Takming Chuang的雕塑還包括他的原始照片和水墨拓印，結合親手彎曲的金屬骨架、包覆塑膠的黏土和塑膠軟質內頁，以喚起物質和實質性記憶。作品中充滿了對保存的堅決執著，以及對於無常的悲觀領悟。

Takming Chuang出生於美國紐約市（1978年），目前居住在舊金山，工作在奧克蘭。他的工作室旨在實踐接受和拒絕變化之間產生的各種情感的影響。他自己的身體和情緒狀態的變化引導他在雕塑、版畫、攝影和裝置藝術等領域的實驗性進程，他的作品中常常出現保存和顛覆的主題。

Takming Chuang曾在紐約的雕塑博物館(Sculpture Center)、巴德學院(Bard College)的赫塞爾藝術博物館(Hessel Museum of Art)、倫敦的卡姆登藝術中心(Camden Art Centre)和伯克利藝術博物館(Berkeley Art Museum)等機構展出。他獲得了加州大學柏克萊分校的藝術實踐碩士學位，偶爾在那裡講課，以及紐約州立大學賓漢頓分校的經濟學學士學位。 Takming Chuang 的作品也受柏克萊藝術博物館(Berkeley Art Museum)收藏。

Compressions, a solo exhibition of ink rubbings and sculptures by Takming Chuang.

Ink rubbing is a long-established, east Asian art form for the replication, study, and preservation of treasured objects. Historical examples of rubbings include ornamental carvings on jade seals and commemorative Chinese inscriptions on stone tablets. A thin sheet of damp paper forms a surface impression. Afterwards, delicate layers of ink are applied with a silk tamp until fine details emerge in high contrast. The result is a faithful and unique record of an artifact’s texture.

As an early printing method, rubbings retain the interpretive hand of the maker. Chuang adapts this tradition to investigate his personal archive of vernacular photographs, taken by the artist in the 90s – early 00’s as an adolescent/young adult. He traces or obscures the subjects of his pictures by incising outlines and inscriptions onto their surfaces. Each rubbing is a contemporary interpretation of Chuang’s past at home, at school, at work, and during travels.

When asked about the photographic medium, “I needed to see my association to people and places through the established format of a 4 x 6 inch picture as evidence of my development.

Over 20 years later, these images evidence substantial exterior and interior change. ”In addition to framed work, Chuang’s sculptures incorporate his original photographs and ink
rubbings with hand-bent wire armatures, plastic wrapped clay, and page protectors to evoke material and corporeal memory. A defiant sense of preservation is at play as well as a
melancholic acknowledgement of impermanence.

Born in New York City (1978), Takming Chuang currently lives in San Francisco and works in Oakland. Chuang’s studio practice is informed by the range of emotions that arise between accepting and rejecting change. Shifts in his own physical and emotional body guide experimental processes in sculpture, printmaking, photography, and installation. The subject of conservation is often highlighted and simultaneously subverted in his work.

Chuang has exhibited at SculptureCenter NY, the Hessel Museum at Bard College NY, Camden Arts Centre London, and the Berkeley Art Museum among other institutions. He received an MFA in Art Practice from the University of California, Berkeley where he occasionally lectures, and a BA in Economics from the State University of New York, Binghamton. Chuang’s work is in the collection of the Berkeley Art Museum.