CHENG, CHIEN-CHANG（1956- ）
1979 Chinese Culture University of Fine Arts (BA)
2005 National Chia-Yi University of Visual Arts (MA)
Experience
Born at Chia-Yi in 1956 and has been engaging in Artistic Creation until now.
1984-1990 Shei Chih Vocational High School, Chia-Yi County
1990-2007 Bei Shieng Junior High School, Chia-Yi
2007-2011 Teacher, Department of Aesthetics and Visual Arts, Nanhua University
2012 Teacher, Department of Creative Design, Asian University
2005-2015 Teacher, Fine Arts Department, Evergreen University
Books of Collected Works
1994 The Works of Cheng Chien-Chang: Chanter of Epics
1995 Hometown of Life
1998 Island Impressions
1999 Taiwan’s Testament of Mountain and Sea
2004 Taiwanese Mayfly
2005 Taiwan Shan Hai Jing: The Land, Ocean and Introspection of Mind
2010 The Land is Speaking
2015 Mountain, Ocean and Dai Wuan
Creative Idea
Cheng, Chien-Chang focuses his creative thinking to reverently portray the land, the people and everything. He has always been concerned with the relationship between people and society; the relationship between people and the land; and the spirit of people and nature. He examines those relationships that echo the ancients’ exploration of the value and significance of life itself and how these contemporary relationships point to the future.
When he is creating, Cheng considers the links between history and present-day life through his attention to the Taiwanese character and interpreting “the inner workings of power” in the universe. He is committed to construct, at the same time, an image of the modern Taiwanese and a Taiwanese artistic viewpoint. This new vision interprets the meaning of the modern spirit and pursues the inside of the mind at ease.
Formally, he takes the elements of tangible people, mountains, islands, land, rivers, trees and clouds to express the invisible and the infinite spiritual body through deformation and metaphor. By using replacement techniques of identity symbols, he lets go of existential dialogue and shows the pursuit of spiritual freedom beyond physical bondage. He usually shows austere strength through pure color with generous shadowing applied to emphasize density, dimension and shape. Furthermore, size is often contrasted in characters. The small characters represent humans reverent in their insignificance to the great characters that throb with unlimited power.
Furthermore, the use of size contrasts the dichotomy of man’s condition concerning spiritual freedom. When this contrast is present, the small characters are the human, insignificant in their physical state. However, the large characters represent the unlimited power of the universe that throbs in all people who respect and revere their connection the spirit of nature.
Furthermore, in his paintings, the huge ideas (in great character) contrast to the small characters, represent that the limited human race throb and reverent in the great unlimited power.
Museums with Works in Their Permanent Collections
His works are Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts,
Art Bank Taiwan of the Ministry of Culture, Chiayi Art Museum, and collectors.
Solo Exhibitions
| 1994 | “The Workers of Cheng Chien-Chang: Chanter of Epics”, Exhibition Tour: Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung, Dimensions Art Center | |
| 1996 | “Hometown of Life”, Exhibition Tour: Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung ,Dimensions Art Center | |
| 1998 | “Cheng Chien-Chang Sole Exhibition”, Espace, ICARE, Paris, France | |
| 1998 | “Island Impressions”, Exhibition Tour : Taipei, Taichung, Dimensions Art Center | |
| 1999 | “Taiwan’s Testament of Mountain and Sea”, Taipei Fine Arts Museum | |
| 2004 | “Taiwanese Mayfly”, Art Site of Chia-Yi Railway Warehouse | |
| 2005 | “Taiwan’s Testament of Mountain and Sea：The Land, Ocean and Introspection of Mind”, National Chia-Yi University | |
| 2007 | “A Journey of Taiwan’s Testament of Mountain and Sea”, Art Space of Bei Shing Junion High School | |
| 2007 | “Cheng Chien-Chang Solo Exhibition”, the Southern District of IRS, Chia-Yi Branch | |
| 2009 | “Free Flowing”, KYU Art Center, Kaohsiung | |
| 2010 | “The Land is Speaking”, Li Gallery, Taipei | |
| 2011 | “The Universe‧God”, 102 Contemporary Art Gallery | |
| 2013 | “Dialogues with the Universe”, Chia-Yi District Prosecutors Office | |
| 2015 | “The Universe‧God part 2”, 102 Contemporary Art Gallery | |
| 2016 | “The Dreamland of the Spirit”,Art Gallery, Kaohsiung International Airport | |
| 2017 | Farewell. The Sacred Trees: Cheng Chien-chang Art Exhibition, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan. | |
| 2017 | The Dreamland of the Spirit: Exhibition of Cheng Chien-Chang, Cornerstone Gallery, Taichung, Taiwan. | |
| 2017 | Sons of the Good Earth: Cheng Chien-chang Solo Exhibition, Haohaus, Chiayi, Taiwan | |
| 2017 | The Eternal Cycles of Life: Cheng Chien-chang Solo Exhibition, Lee Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan. | |
| 2019 | Pillars the Heavens and the Earth: Cheng Chien-chang Art Exhibition, 102Art Gallery, Tainan, Taiwan. | |
Joint Exhibition
| 1982 | “Taipei New Art Union First Exhibition”, Taipei American Cultural Center | |
| 1984 | Contemporary Trends in Chinese Art, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan. | |
| 1993 | Oriental Humanistic Paintings Under the Integration of Chinese and Western Paintings, Dimension Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan. | |
| 1996 | TAIPEI BIENNIAL: THE QUEST FOR IDENTITY, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan. | |
| 1999 | “The Land of the Mind”, National Arts Club, New York City, USA | |
| 1999 | “The Contemporary Art of Taiwan”, Capitol Gallery, Oklahoma City, USA ; Nuorui Ke Art Center, City University, USA | |
| 2000 | Spin City 2000—Alternative Space On Line, Chiayi Zone, Hua-shan Art District, Taipei, Taiwan. | |
| 2001 | Chiayi Area: Fine Art Group Show, Tianren Art Gallery, Guangdong, China. | |
| 2002 | Fix Eyes on Taiwan: To Activate the February 28th Elements in Taiwanese Art, Presidential Office Gallery, Chiayi 228 Memorial Museum, Kaohsiung Museum of History & the Pier-2 Art Center, Taipei/ Chiayi/ Kaohsiung, Taiwan. | |
| 2003 | Keeping Track—Art Flaneur Project, Kaohsiung International Containers Arts Festival, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. | |
| 2004 | The Spirit of Tirosen—A Site of Graphic Art, Chiayi Municipal Museum & Chiayi Railway Warehouse, Chiayi, Taiwan. | |
| 2006 | E-Art—Digital Art in Chiayi: Lee Bo-Nan, Jheng Bao-Zong, Chien Jiu-Jung and Cheng Chien-Chang Group Exhibition, No. 5, Chiayi Railway Warehouse, Chiayi, Taiwan. | |
| 2009 | “Alishan Four Masters Art Exhibition”, Liu Hai Su Art Museum, Zhuhai Gu Yuan Art Museum, Shanghai | |
| 2010 | ART TAIPEI, Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall 1, Taipei, Taiwan. | |
| 2011 | “Empty and White”, Mazatlan Art Museum, Mexico | |
| 2011 | Back in Those Days: Alumni of CCU Fine Art Department Group Exhibition, CCU Image and Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan. | |
| 2014 | “Aggregation–Chulo School”, Opening Exhibition, Preparatory Office, Chia-Yi City Art Museum | |
| 2014 | The Chen Cheng-po Artistry Cultural Festival: Middle Generation Group Exhibition, Chiayi 228 Memorial Museum, Chiayi, Taiwan. | |
| 2015 | “Art Visions part2”, New Aesthetic Space, Visionary Art Gallery,Taipei. | |
| 2015 | “Creation on Christian Faith”, Donhai University. | |
| 2015 | Moving, Expanding: New Feeler Art Group Exhibition, Chiayi Municipal Museum & Taichung City Seaport Art Center, Chiayi/ Taichung, Taiwan. | |
| 2016 | ART’s EQUATION of Chiayi Railway Warehouse: The First Stop, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Taipei, Taiwan. | |
| 2016 | The Possible Future of Human—Evolving Our World: New Being Art 15D Group Exhibition, Kaohsiung Cultural Center, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. | |
| 2017 | The Possible Future of Human—Evolving Our World: New Being Art 15D Group Exhibition, Art Center of Kao Yuan University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. | |
| 2017 | Aggregation & Blooming: Artists Groups and the Development of Fine Arts in Taiwan, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, Taiwan. | |
| 2018 | Daiyuan-Formosa Arts and Culture Exchange Exhibition, Galería Weber-Lutgen, Sevilla, Spain. | |
| 2018 | PLAS Seoul: Contemporary Art Show, COEX D Hall, Seoul, Korea | |
| 2018 | Art Santa Fe, California, US | |
| 2018 | ART’s EQUATION of Chiayi Railway Warehouse: The Fourth Stop, Pingtung Art Museum, Pingtung, Taiwan. | |
| 2018 | The Land, The Environment and the Diversities: New Being Are 15D Group Exhibition, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Yunlin, Taiwan. | |
| 2019 | ART’s EQUATION of Chiayi Railway Warehouse: The Fifth Stop, Cultural Affairs Bureau of Hsinchu County Government, Hsinchu, Taiwan. | |
| 2019 | Contemporary Art Track Group Exhibition, Xinying Cultural Center, Tainan, Taiwan. | |
| 2019 | For the Time Being Group Exhibition, Cultural Affairs Bureau, Chiayi City, Chiayi, Taiwan. | |
* Only some exhibition information
2009
260X194cm (200F)
Arise—The Oppressed Giant
The Giant Shape arises from the pressured area and is about to stand straight,
Symbolizing the irresistible power of nature.
Taiwan is also like an oppressed giant,
Attaining oppression to an extreme,
Eventually will arise.
Pointing the Direction
The Life, the Truth and the Way.
The search begins from observing the breaths of stomata on the end of a leaf.
2014
130x194cm (120F)
2015
162x130cm (100F)
Sit and Dismiss.
Sit with Memories.
The eyes sustain concentration on the nose,
The nose sustains concentration on the mind
—The reason behind the lesson is
To forget completely?
Or
To remember, sanely?
Rising, Scarlet Sun
Rising, scarlet sun
Evoked a meek, kind heart.
The verdant mountaintops,
Bring forth a force, positive and further up.
And the humble, little one,
Standing on top of the world,
“With a humble heart I read you with the most sincere eyes”.
The bright sun rises in the east, wake the earth.
The verdant mountains breathes life.
“Regeneration”
This, is my homeland, the home that I belong.
2015
262x582cm (200Fx3)
2016
227x546cm (150Fx3)
The Way
The intelligible way.
Is not the sensible way.
The Way lies within the universe.
The Way lies within one’s life.
And guides one forward.
Communication
2017
162x130cm (100F)
Guidance
2017
194x130cm (120F)
One Key
2018
194x130cm (120F)
Indomitable Spirit
2019
194x130cm (120F)
The Giant Shape Exhales
2019
130x194cm (120F)
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