After the success at Art Basel Hong Kong and TAIPEI DANGDAI, Liang Gallery continues to present various artists’ works in different art spaces, while here in Crossing the Seas of Ink it invites viewers, art enthusiasts and collectors in Tainan to the journey of ink and brush with a free and unrestrained spirit. The exhibition also includes the artist’s live performance of calligraphic writing, where Hsu will transform the viewers’ life stories or inner secrets into poems with his ink and brush as an interactive artistic practice.

The curator of the exhibition, PAI Shi-Ｍing (Director of the Department of Fine Arts at National Taiwan Normal University), describes Hsu’s work: “In Hsu’s calligraphic writing, every stroke embodies the Buddhist concern for the Universe and humanity. It shimmers like starlight in the dark night, leading the passengers to find their ways right. His brushwork is not to brandish one’s literary talent or calligraphic skill, but an artistic expression which has been polished and matured since long time ago throughout the fifty years of tears in laughter and laugher in more tears. As the suffering of the body transcends the heart beyond the mundane world, his calligraphy is no longer an act of writing but of unparalleled value in philanthropy and mind-life ecology which reaches from the self to all human beings.”

With the curatorial theme “Crossing the Seas of Ink,” Pai refers to how an artist imagines and plans a journey as well as the landscape and experiences throughout the sailing trip. The ink becomes the vessel which takes viewers to the uninhabited land, just like how Hsu mentions in his artist statement that “the Buddhist wisdom and beauty guide me throughout my journey. Crossing the seas of ink, I hope I have a heart as immense as the Seas.” The inclusive exhibition embodying the artist’s career also encourages him to carry on the exploration. Therefore, we are looking forward to your visit, where you may discover a different aspect of the versatile artist.