Chiou Jong Jiun

2003

Well

POST WINGS

The woodblock print artist Chiu Chung-chun starts from the Hakka language of life passed down from his mother. These words are devoid of ornate rhetoric; instead, they emerge from the wisdom of land, labor, food, and daily experiences. Bamboo shoots, betel nuts, melons, and plants, in the words of the elders, are not merely ordinary objects but also become vessels for humor, metaphor, and life philosophy.

The artist transforms these memories into a rough and direct language of printmaking, preserving the knife marks, tactile sense, and the candor of folk writing—without intentional embellishment and without pursuing a refined sense of civilization. The works carry a particular "earthiness" belonging to the Taiwanese people—it's not vulgar, but rather a texture of life that is very close to the land.

It is a resilience that understands how to digest life with a joke, even in the face of hardship; a survival and adaptability within limited resources that allows for continued growth.

The land may be hard, but life is lived interestingly. This simplicity, humor, and tenacity is the most authentic spirit of island life.

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