chia-wen's portfolio

HSIEH, CHIA - WEN Education National Taipei University of Education - Bachelor of Arts Major in Art Education & Minor in Cultural and Creative Industries Management

Exhibition experience 2014 See you – The last issue in Tamsui Arts & Cultural Park Shell Warehouse 2013 Four artists’ creative joint exhibition Comprehensive.

Memories. in Exhibition Hall 201, National Taipei University of Education

Since childhood, I have always been in the art-specialized class, which has been an environment full of paintings. However, I chose to major in art education during college. During the university, I have turned my interest into the discussion of the essence of art and art education.

Because of depression which I started to suffer after graduation, I eventually picked up my brushes and was gradually healed with my creations. From this point on, my creative themes have always put emphasis on human emotions, and I have been trying to present the various emotions in the form of art, hoping that the viewers can feel them through the images.

This work collection contains all the creative themes independently executed between 2015 and 2017 and is classified according to different emotions as chapters. In addition, I have tried various medium due to my experience as a graphic designer and an art teacher for children. Thus, in the last chapter, I included a series of works of my trials with the various medium.

Anxiety

Cheating 24 X 30 cm Acrylic painting

I am afraid of being cheated but more afraid of being cheated by myself.

The noises in the brain 24 X 32 cm Mixed media

This series of works attempts to combine the objective description and subjective feelings described in psychology.

By using concretization with visual metaphors, the unique disturbing atmosphere is being presented so that the viewers can feel the same via the visual experience with the work.

All paintings are all human-themed, having the body movements of the characters within the painting as a metaphor for the inner state. For instance, in Cheating, most of the viewers can notice that the direction of the needle is not the conventional one: the needle is inside out rather than outside in.

Me and another me

Me and another me

(creative process)

(draft)

Waiting 24 X 30 cm

Holding Watercolour

24 X 30 cm

Watercolour

Fatigue

People on the Last Train Ink painting, font design, and computer typographic design

In the weekly train ride, I got the chance to sketch the people and objects that I see with an ink pen. Afterward, I categorized the sketches, added some words or stories in each of them, and published them in my fanpage.

During this period, the issue of overwork fatigue has been discussed in the Taiwanese society. In this work, I tried to use image coverage to show the phenomenon of “overwork fatigue� in Taiwan.

In terms of style, I was inspired by the early cartoonist Feng Zikai’s works. The form of a single graphic comic as the ones published in the newspapers at the early ages in Taiwan was adopted, and by taking the traditional stationery design format as a reference, I tried to make this series a graphic a week form and talked with the readers via a letter-like dialogue.

Train Conductor

Vagrant

The passengers of the last train get off.

Loud noises of "knock�, "knock" sound

Thus, they chose to live in the street.

They are going back to their home and

came along the underpass that goes to

Some of them were quite the lobbyists of

wash away the fatigue of the trip.

the station.

ancient romance.

Now, they may be preparing for the train

It was the vagrants, who gathered at the

As I saw them having fun every night

that departs early in the morning of the

underpass to play Chinese chess. The

with their friends in this chess-time, I

next day.

grids of the chess were already blurred,

thought about me and my friends, who

but they were enjoying their chess time.

had merely no chance to see each other.

I've seen a documentary interviewing the

Is it because I want too much so that I

vagrants. Many of them were just

cannot see what I really need?

homeless, and others had no permanent residence. Among them, there were

Goodnight! Tonight, the world was their

several people who were highly educat-

home.

ed. However, they were ashamed to go back to their hometown due to a defeat or they just didn’t want to become the insignificant screws within the capitalist society.

We will be old, poor and lonely.

Mysterious Train

They who wear the smiles

Recently in Japan, a new term appeared –

I don’t know if you have heard of the

As it gets later, more women with masks

“Downstream elders”.

“mysterious train”?

show up. They are mostly: clinic nurses, mall salesgirls, retail shop clerks, assis-

It refers to those who cannot have a

It departs from Taitung, passes by Taipei,

tants of skill classes or cram schools,

minimum quality of life with their

and travels 3/4 of the island of Taiwan. It

catering waiters, and waitresses, night

pension at the old age. An illness, an

is said that many Taitung citizens would

shift duty officers...

accident, a divorce, or dementia might

take this train at midnight so they can

put them in the downstream class.

enjoy one carriage each and sleep to

Taiwan's night is even busier than it is

Taipei. They get off in the morning, just

during the day. In fact, you wear a mask

In Taiwan, there are also some elderly

the right moment to have their breakfast

so that you don’t need to wear the smile

people who are still busy working during

and go to their works and meetings. In

to deal with the customers.

nighttime.

this way, they save the money on accommodation!

Isn’t it fun?

Today in Taitung, tomorrow morning in Taipei.

Scooter Custodian Manager

Lost and Found

Our Space

Nowadays, it is the era of digitalization

What people left in the platforms, in the

A couple is sharing music on the bench,

for many of the parking garages, but

cars, other people would quietly pick

and late at night, only a handful of

labor management is still used in most of

them up. Some of the objects are too

people is in the station. Only at this time,

the scooter custody depot. They are

small on the last train, so they are

we can so sit on the waiting bench,

mostly 24/7, without air conditioning, so

cleaned as a litter. But sometimes, it is a

cross-legged, relaxed.

I wonder, except for sending and picking

suitcase what they lost, so it is taken to

up the scooters, what are these custodi-

lost and found.

ans doing at other times?

A woman came desperately to ask for After all, they cannot leave the depot for

lost and found; she recovered her bunch

too long, so they are solely waiting and

of keys.

waiting for most of the time, waiting for the owner to come back, to pick their

At the lost and found auction, the

vehicles. In the light of this, the lights in

highest bid was the large luggage.

the depot seem to be the light that is turned on just to wait for them to come

It is really interesting to see the standard

back home.

of which people lost things!

Melancholy

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The Dancer in Your Heart Series work 24 x 30 cm Crayon Are you here between heaven and earth?

Let’s dance for this crazy world!

This series of works intend to show the ups and downs of different emotions with the dancers' dancing postures.

Melancholic Portrait Series work 24 x 30 cm, Crayon and writing The inspiration of this project: If you don't pay a careful attention, it is not easy for you to spot people in depression. It is hoped that by collecting sad stories and painting portraits, viewers can notice the emotional state of the surrounding people after seeing and reading this work. It might open chances for reunionss to talk about their personal emotions.

At the beginning, I called for participants in my fanpage. Via one-to-one interviews, the volunteers gave me “sad” stories. After the end of the session, I would paint a portrait of the volunteer based on the image in my memory. None of the characters in the portraits have obvious expressions and the reflective light was not given in the eyes as this make the portrait spirit-less. Also, the overall color style is the continuation of The Dancer in Your Heart with more cold colors.

3 “I think he is recently very cold and distant, but I do not want to lose this friend ... " As I listen, this sad story unconsciously reminds me of a Facebook function – the one that allows you to review the previous news feed or events, to see the posts which remind you “that was my buddy…”, to relive your childhood… After graduation, some people would not attend the class reunion because if you gather together soon after the graduation, you cannot feel the sense of “separation”!

It was not until college that you acknowledge these friends of the university would be the last group of people whom you can talk with about everything! Especially after graduation, you started learning how to keep in touch with your friends and to remind yourself to pay attention on your friends’ latest status.

Recently, I was thinking: People would become more distant because of career or place of residence. Your friends might change because of the change of place or field; you may probably and carelessly lose contact with your old friends, like with your childhood friends. How would you position your current friends now?

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"The ruins now popular in contemporary art are not

In a noisy hot pot store, she said: "I know you are

ruins at all. The ruins are full of corrupt taste !"

planning a sad face project and I happen to have one!"

I started talking with him, about art, about the fall of the classes, to his family, his childhood life, and the

Then, she started telling me the entire story, including

family relationship. He said he wanted to be more

her day-shift work, a PT job at night and weekends.

socialized, to have a better performance in front of

Weekday evening work was effortless, just picking up

the others, but the opposite was usually achieved. In

the children and reading books with them. Some

terms of the issue of “socialization”, he believes he

generous parents would keep her for dinner. But that

is not socialized enough, too frank and straightfor-

day, after the work routine ended, she found several

ward when talking with others, not only in high school

missed calls from home. She had to rush back to see

but also at work.

her pet for the last time, but couldn’t stay for too long because she needed to go back to work in Taipei.

"However, you get a lot of benefits being social", he added. This issue, as all other issues that we talked

“It looks like in the past, sleeping in its favorite scrap

about – classes, plots, family relationship, interper-

of papers…”

sonal relationship, and others – are so entangled and

“I miss it… but I haven’t had a chance to grieve over

difficult to find the answers.

it…”

Perhaps as he said in the end, "I think this is probably

She, who was telling the story in a structured way,

the homework of my life."

broke into tears.

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Comfort

Star. Moonlight night. Sea. 24 X 32 cm Acrylic and watercolor.

Trying to show a relaxed, quiet atmosphere with texture, brushstrokes, and shades.

Rooster wrapped in newspaper 24 X 30 cm Crayon and Watercolour

This picture is one of the illustrations in the series Travel in Malaysia.

This scene was recorded because this rooster was originally very noisy, but he became very quiet after being wrapped in the newspaper. He waited silently to be bought. This picture is a record of a corner in the local market.

Texture experiment High saturated color crayon plus some watercolor was used in this series of the picture to present a variety of high saturation color under the tropical climate. Various effects were developed by combining watercolor with crayon.

The picture on the right is the result of the trial and practice at that time.

Emei Mountain Tour – The Car Passenger on the Back Trip 24 X 30 cm Crayon and ink After reaching the summit, people are all resting and sleeping quietly rather than looking at the surrounding sceneries during their back trip.

Using the crayon’s thick texture with a mixed approach of stacking, wiping, and scratching, a compacted atmosphere of warmness is being presented.

The first and second pictures above are the details of Emei Mountain Tour – The Car Passenger at the Back Trip on the left page. The picture above to the right is the result of trials with various crayons.

Winter dress up

24 X 30cm

Crayon

Texture Experiment

Cocoon 24 X 30 cm Print with watercolor and pen Under the appearance of pretending to look through things, there is an extremely sensitive and fragile heart.

Texture experiment On the basis of teaching the printmaking concept in the children's class, I have developed more texture by myself.

For instance, I turned the original folding into other types of folding or combined the effects of strokes and brushing.

The marks left when you pull up the paper with deliberate improper force also become a unique texture.

Faded Buddha Statue 52.1 X 37.5 cm Crayon, watercolor, and ink

Texture experiment Inspired by the exhibition of Dunhuang Murals, I tried with my own approach to re-present the murals’ buddhas with fading colors due to the oxidation.

Right caption: (Left) Sketches of the characters’ contour and shapes.

(Right) Buddha sketch using gradient method.

Sketch of the Mogao Grottoes

24 X 30cm

Watercolour / Crayon

Texture experiment A texture that I accidentally found when I was teaching about Zhang Daqian's ink splashing method – I made different trials with the original ink splashing paintings, such as adjusting the concentration of color masterbatch or changing the order of the adding of color and ink.

I recorded my different results (pictures on the left) and found a procedure to achieve a marble-like texture (like the picture on the right).

Processing

sketches and step record

The Heart in the Darkness

Twins

24 X 30 cm Watercolour, Ink, Crayon

20 X 20 cm Watercolor, crayon, ink, and paper cut

Tsundere Little Monster 24 X 30 cm Printing with collage

Texture experiment The discarded leftover paper used in the children’s print classes were re-torn or cut and paste, becoming unique college works.

The pictures below and left are attempt to collage with charcoal or simply cut and paste with color and shapes.

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Ple as e f eel f ree to contact me, you can e m a i l to chiasroom @gm ail.com