Dream Journey in boundless, liminal space is a creative journey centered on walking, gazing, and perception.

Using nihonga (mineral pigment painting) as his primary medium, Chu-ying Lai portrays the multiple states of life as they unfold through the flow of time and space—morning glories blooming at dawn, plants gathering strength deep beneath the soil, fireworks that vanish in an instant, and soft-bodied creatures drifting in the sea.

Though these beings may appear unfamiliar to us, each reveals a distinct resilience and spirit along its own journey. The artist seeks to gather those moments of pausing—of stopping, breathing, and gazing—into the act of long, continuous movement, inviting viewers to find their own rhythms within the interplay of light and shadow.

As one of the most noteworthy emerging artists working in nihonga, Chu-ying Lai moves beyond the medium’s conventional emphasis on material beauty and decorative qualities through diverse techniques and multiple perspectives.

His practice engages deeply with the relationship between humans and nature, with particular focus on the transformation and reconstruction of light. In his paintings, light is no longer a mere naturalistic representation; through the artist’s deliberate modulation and selection, it becomes a symbolic language of emotion and inner experience. Under veils of luminous glow, forms shift from the tangible toward the illusory, where reality and imagination intertwine, revealing a vital atmosphere that is warm and hazy, lucid yet quietly enigmatic.

The works presented in this exhibition trace Chu-ying Lai’s years of exploration in the field of nihonga, while also reflecting the ongoing vitality of Taiwanese mineral pigment painting within a contemporary context. More than a visual feast of light and shadow, this exhibition unfolds as a long, dreamlike journey—one that meditates on life, time, and perception.