Homage to the Masters: Mind Set Art Center

Written by Mind Set Art Center

Homage to the Masters is a special project of Shi Jin-Hua for Mind Set Art Center’s 10th anniversary, a ground where the artist utilizes to pay homage to historical figures in arts and cultures. He has researched the artists who deeply inspire or influence him and also the classic artworks. With pencil, oil painting, image, and dimensional medium in diversity, he creates conversations and develops new artworks of greater creativity. The saluted subjects not only limited to visual arts but also fields of music and literature, including the artist Paul Cézanne, Marcel Duchamp, Alberto Giacometti, Hans Holbein, Yayoi Kusama, Edward Manet, Muqi, Rembrandt, Chaim Soutine, and also the contemporary photographer Man Ray, the musician Beethoven, the philosopher Confucius, the writer Albert Camus and Su Shi, etc. Some homage being paid by switching the cut-in angles or adjusting direction; in terms of forms, some renew the meaning by traveling time to dialogue with traditional manners. Tremendous appearance of “flesh”, “dead body”, and “body shell” in the works tempts to associate with the followings aspects: nowadays people have kept constantly on the run because constrained to the economics and society, incapable of resistance, absence of soul, and a life without a destination. Overworking or suppressed emotions and desires have become the common experience of every human being. However, we eternally pushing the boundary and questioning our existence could be impermanence of life and meaning of existence. Pain, death and nihility are by our side and merely exceptional to anyone. Either concept, performance, painting or sculpture, any form Shi Jin-Hua has chosen in art, always circles back to face and focus on the artist personal care and expression of life lessons - unavoidable death, impermanence, pain, loneliness, futile effort, grief, absurdity, nihility, and meaninglessness... Moreover, art sustains as a kind of language, which owns historywise awareness and urges for continuing progress.

Even though this exhibition continues strong religious implications and exploration of life in “Lines – Shi Jin-Hua’s Religious Art ” in 2017, the artist seems to intentionally obscure the difference between the East and West and return to the fundamental scenario of a live of being. A step further, he quests the universal issues brought by the existence of life in a cross-cultural entity.