About So-lan
Chiu So-lan is a devoted ceramic artist who grew up in a family of artists. Her creations has become more and more versatile in recent years, her works range from functional wares, ceramic sculptures, mixed-media works to installations. This constant artistic evolution, apart from being So-lan’s creative journey, is also a means to explore our society, the concept of self and the core of life. This exhibition features the recent works of the artist, works that reflect a new stage of style-and-concept transcendence, and the converging journeys of art and life.
Five years ago, an overwhelming turning point in So-lan’s life lead her to an in-depth reflection on the connection of self and creation. Similar to interpersonal bonding, the relation between artists and their creations changes with time, inevitably, where predictions are not possible. So-lan loves to read and be inspired by the works of Kafka, his writings recall many real life absurdities. The “Kafka Series” ＜卡夫卡系列＞ is a tribute to, and also a visual projection of her imagination through Kafka’s writing.
So-lan’s father is a painter, therefore she had the chance of experimenting with different artistic techniques and developing a love of books and art since young. ‘Bing Ju Xing’ ＜兵車行＞ and ‘Ta Sha Xing’ ＜踏莎行＞ are two installation works created with Chinese seal cutting technique. The two classic Chinese poems are carved in traditional seal scripts (Jin Wen 金文 ) onto clay seals. Each seal carries one word from the poem, and each seal has a unique form. So-lan infuses life, memories and reading journey in her works, and after all these years of ceramic creation, to simply conclude, life is art.
People, happenings and surroundings interact on an unknown trajectory, even the ever-mutable clay could once become solid and stable. So-lan’s first ceramic creations have taught her about getting in touch with the flowing nature of life, and in time, the silent mutability of clay reveals to her an elated stillness amid a journey without depiction.
Poon Ting Yi