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A rebel who succeeds in promoting traditional art

Some Random Journeys, ink on paper, by Chu Ko. PHOTO COURTESY OF ARTIST

The Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall's typically staid Chungshan National Gallery is currently hosting an exhibition of works by one of Taiwan's most celebrated contemporary artists whose reputation was originally that of a rebel and Bohemian.

As a child growing up in Hunan, Chu Ko (楚戈) was schooled in the tradition of the Chinese literati, memorizing the classical Chinese texts and learning calligraphy. But as a young soldier, newly arrived in Taiwan with the retreating Nationalist army, he fell into an anti-establishment crowd that inspired a turn toward writing modern poetry instead of emulating Tang classics and this eventually emboldened him to take up contemporary art of the kind that deeply offended the sensibilities of those who would call themselves the defenders of Chinese cultural orthodoxy in the 1960s and 1970s.

The current exhibition, titled Sauntering through the Human World, contains 83 works, mostly completed within the past year, that contain the youthful and insouciant spirit that upset stodgier classicists a few decades ago.

Chu Ko's ink paintings are remarkably simple and contain light-hearted prose in highly unusual Chinese calligraphic script. PHOTO: MAX WOODWORTH, TAIPEI TIMES

Chu says he never renounced or felt conflict because of his background in the classical Chinese arts, he simply executed his work based on his own modern experience, which is why he is often described now as one of the leaders of Taiwan's avant-garde.

This exhibition was titled after a series of ink paintings Chu made after walks close to his home near the National Palace Museum. The landscapes are completed with only one or two brush strokes while the accompanying characters are vernacular prose reflections on his short promenades. It's in the calligraphy that Chu's rebellious side shines through, as he writes humorously about yuppie joggers, the annoyance of the SARS outbreak and overfed goldfish -- ?all topics that don't come up in the classical Chinese canon. Even his unconventional chicken scratch characters and the use of Roman alphabet characters in his calligraphy hint at Chu's thumbing his nose at tradition.

His other works on display are similarly irreverent and playful, mixing uncommon themes and materials with traditional Chinese painting technique. One series of conceptual works on display explores the notion of time, which Chu's deteriorating health has made him acutely aware of. These paintings employ bright contrasting color fields in circular patterns, alluding to the concept of infinity which is a frequent subject of Zen art. On display as well are Chu's three-dimensional calligraphic sculptures made with thick rope coated in super glue.

Sauntering through the Human World will be on display until Sept. 21. The Chungshan National Gallery is located on the second floor of the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall at 505 Renai Rd, Sec 4, Taipei (台北市仁愛路4段505號). The gallery is open from 9am to 5pm daily.
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