Chen Boquan and Zhou Zhiyi Joint Exhibition
2024.10.04 - 2024.10.23

MAISON ACME
No. 181-1, Sec. 3, Zhongshan N. Rd., Zhongshan Dist., Taipei City 104, Taiwan

Tue. - Sun. 11:00 - 17:00 Monday Off

Free Entry

The exhibition "Ut pictura poesis" will lead the audience into a poetic space that merges abstract painting and photography, showcasing the works of two contemporary artists with distinctive styles—Chih-Yi Chou and Po-Chuan Chen.

Chih-Yi Chou uses color as her language to create vibrant, abstract paintings. Her canvases resemble wordless poems, where colors and shapes move freely, igniting the viewer's imagination and emotional resonance. Her work is dreamlike, with each brushstroke akin to the rhyme of a poem, weaving a visual melody.

Po-Chuan Chen, on the other hand, seeks a balance and fusion between photography and painting. His works are rooted in photography, capturing blurred moments of reality, and then enhanced with delicate, hand-painted strokes to add poetic imagination, breaking the boundaries between photography and painting. His images feel like a poem of light and shadow, guiding the audience into a world that hovers between reality and illusion through subtle strokes and colors.

This exhibition is not only a showcase of visual art but also a poetic dialogue. Chih-Yi Chou's abstract paintings and Po-Chuan Chen's photographic works converge here, creating a space rich in poetry and imagination, inviting viewers to discover their own poetic moments within the colors, shapes, and light.

Chen Boquan -

I have long focused on coastal-themed photography, and through this, I’ve come to realize that the memory of the coast is no longer confined to clear light, shadows, and clouds. Instead, it has transformed into poetic fragments that flow between blurriness and traces, filled with memories. I see the camera as a unique painting tool, using the lens to capture light and develop it on the sensor. My hand and the shutter become the brush, gradually shaping textured image works.

However, over time, the mere experience of viewing photographic works no longer satisfied my inner needs; it even led to a sense of fatigue. The flatness brought by the output and framing of photography works, to some extent, constrained my creations. This led me to turn my attention to painting, particularly its intense sense of presence. I began adding many brushstrokes to the canvas, enhancing the painterly quality of the originally flat images. I also sought out old frames from the 19th and 20th centuries, using the accumulation of historical traces and poetic expression to present the seascapes as I envisioned them.

Zhou Zhiyi -

The "Terrace Series" of 2023 originated from my former terrace studio, where lush greenery and occasional flowers symbolize friendship and fleeting beauty. Though the flowers withered quickly, their memories and dried forms evoked reflections on eternity. Some works are studies of nature, while others use abstract expressions of memory, exploring life's fragility and resilience.

With the move, my studio transitioned indoors, shielded from the weather. This shift brought the busyness of work and the challenge of adjusting to new surroundings, gradually replacing my sense of romance. However, while arranging dried flowers in my new home, I reconnected with the original intent behind my art, reigniting my search for the healing power of creation.

The "Regeneration Series," completed between May and August 2024, deeply embodies this transformation. It is divided into three phases: Sketch, Rebuild and Renew, and Chase it. These works symbolize personal reconstruction and inner exploration, reflecting the shift from past to present. I hope viewers will feel life's resilience and discover infinite possibilities between every end and new beginning. This is a rediscovery of self and the world, reminding us to cherish the present and find new meaning and strength within it.