Henri Rousseau had stated—if God truly is observing man from the heavens disinterestedly, then man should seek thyself while living in the world of uncertainty, and discover the value and the possibility of their own existence by holding a learning, questioning attitude toward every piece of knowledge about oneself.

The exhibition Mind, Minor Matter is titled according to my personal observation on and perception of the artist’s work throughout many years. The artist presents highly poetic works ever since his History of Plants series and his works strike you as if they are images from negative films. He has been constantly attempting an exceedingly inactive posture through his work, like an unknown, invisible author as his work is done. In the past, to provide perspectives on acknowledgment and seeing, many works referred to being-for-others. While the common technique in art academies of presenting artwork as a trendy, contemporary expression has often neglected the basic materialistic features of the work, in this exhibition, with a still attitude, art materials return as what they are themselves in the artist’s hand. It demonstrates the artist’s profound experience while he was facing his materials and canvas.

From merely natural elements to the existence of art form in canvas—the artist, albeit being an artist with an art school training background, persistently explores the materiality of/in his media during his creative process. While the materiality is transformed into created images—there is a conceptual attachment to the visible realm—this art may be more than a coexistence to its creator’s idea, but also becomes a difference, restored by concept and produced with artistic media via the artist’s concepts. As the artist had said himself, he intended to detach himself from the work. Perhaps for an artist his own work often disguises itself as another extension to his ego. Thus his work is also just a naked, personal expression by an artist, which wanders along the echoes of thoughts via the reproduction and the qualitative change in materialistic terms, and its purpose is to conquer the versatility of material in the name of art. Yet the artist portrays a submissive, humble view of life in the core of his art.

No material matter can be fully detached to human souls, the existential meaning of matter manifests ultimately through man’s soul. I believe it is the same logic—how God exists in every man’s heart and a man without the perception of his heart is merely a representation of the human body. As it is said by the existentialists, to understand oneself one must learn through inner experiences. The expression of artistic ideas ought to be a personal creation; those applied materials are not meant to be detached from the artwork itself, but to express a relationship of dialogue between man and his object via motionless presentation. As the artist himself once said: “My paintings are basically restoring the features of my media(materials) and, instead of using techniques as means to manage my materials, they have the materials as their own characteristics.”