Chien-Chang Cheng 2024 Solo Exhibition

Cheng Chien-Chang depicts elements such as human figures, land, and mountains from a personal, eye-level perspective. His works feature clear, symbolic human silhouettes, where large areas of color shape the figures. Using soft contrasts and a flattened, two-to-three-tone palette, he eliminates three-dimensionality, instead constructing psychological depth through diffused color fields. Through this approach, he interprets Taiwanese cultural expressionand profound reflections on life, projecting a sense of spiritual openness and self-awareness.

Born in 1956 in Chiayi, Cheng Chien-Chang graduated from the Fine Arts Department of Chinese Culture University. As a Christian, his artistic journey was shaped by the rise of Taiwanese identity consciousness during his youth. He began by reflecting on urban civilization, while also expanding his spiritual and mental exploration through religion. His works integrate the primal essence of human existence—the origin of life and the fundamental spirit—blending it with psychological theories of the subconscious, consciousness, and superconsciousness. This results in a threefold transformation, merging religion, psychology, and human nature into a unified artistic expression.

For this exhibition, Cheng employs monumental human figures that exceed conventional proportions, delivering an overwhelming visual impact that commands reverence. These figures represent Taiwan’s early settlers, embodying a fusion of land, heaven, earth, and spirit. A closer look reveals their humble yet elongated, line-filled features, with gentle expressions, long brows, and downcast eyes. At times, their gaze exudes compassion, while at others, they appear resolutely fixed on the future. The straight nose, almond-shaped eyes, and symmetrical eyelids, along with facial musculature resembling rolling hills, manifest an unspoken unity with nature, humanity, and the divine.

Throughout the years, Cheng has continuously looked inward into the layers of life, outward at the world, and backward at the progression of modern civilization. In the face of social transformation and turmoil, he expresses his reflections in a quiet yet profound manner: