Footsteps of Youth and Grace
——Wistaria’s Private Collection: Cheng Tsai-Tung, Chen Lai-Hsing, Kuo Jvang-Chou
From aspiring artists to recognized figures; from the bitter angst of the 1980’s to the vindication of the twenty-first century.
During that period, the “Orphans of Asia” - Cheng Tsai-Tung, Chen Lai-Hsing, Chu Ya-Tsai, and Kuo Jvang-Chou - developed their own artistic language to explore the meaning of life and existence.
While none of the artists grew up with an artistic background, their creative idiosyncrasies reflect, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the spirit of the times: the frustration of dashed hopes; the consuming emptiness of depression; the reverence of nature; and the escapist imaginings of the spiritual world. Incidentally, all of them had solo exhibitions at Wistaria in their early years, and cultivated life-long friendships with the owner of the tea house. Thanks to the generous support of Jian Yong-sheng, director of the Xiamen Institute of Photography, we can once again relive these intimate moments of intellectual and spiritual rapport.
At the same time, despite their rising value, these oeuvres have remained in the same hands, faithful residents of the space. In truth, they have become intrinsic to the space’s identity, permeating the space with their ethos and pathos.
To gaze upon the intricate relationship of the art, the artist, the art collector, and the art gallery - such wonder, such exhilaration!