Exhibition Period｜2023/12/06～12/18

In December 2023, the Arts and Culture Center at National Taipei University of Technology presented a solo exhibition by Miyuki Ishigaki, entitled Echoes of the Unseen, Taiwan. In her work, the artist projects herself onto the chestnut tiger butterfly, a metaphor that carries her innermost reflections on leaving her homeland of Japan to spend the greater part of her life in Taiwan. Interwoven textures appear consistently throughout her canvases, pulling from the imagery of warm, cozy knitwear from her hometown—a profound visual metaphor linking back to her own life journey. The two characters of the exhibition title, Yōu Tīng (幽聽 / Echoes of the Unseen), capture her life philosophy: to listen quietly and rationally to the myriad things of the world, translating that deep resonance into art. In her signature piece, Echoes of the Unseen, Taiwan, a vibrant palette and rich array of design elements mask a long, slow-burning depth of meaning. A bird standing proud symbolizes Ishigaki's unyielding perseverance as she constantly strives through life. A sequence of interlocking gears running from the top right to the bottom left illustrates her journey crossing the ocean from Japan, showing how the major and minor milestones of her life are intricately connected. The parantica butterflies resting on the gears alongside a native banana tree vividly ground the piece in her lived experience of making Taiwan her home. In The Wanderer in a Foreign Land, the artwork unfolds like a traditional handscroll, silently cataloging the observations, feelings, and personal narratives she amassed after moving to Taiwan. Her meticulous use of gold leaf, silver leaf, and custom pigments ground from fine mineral powders highlights her deep research into and masterful care for her materials. For Echoes of the Unseen, Xiaoxiang and Echoes of the Unseen, Japan, the artist deliberately treats the white gallery wall behind the canvases as an extension of the artwork itself. By hanging multiple paintings in a staggered, high-low arrangement, she gives the audience a much broader space for imagination, making the entire installation incredibly captivating and thought-provoking. Furthermore, her immersion into Taiwan’s indigenous communities inspired the piece Night Whispers of Rukai II. Here, fluttering parantica butterflies dance alongside traditional Rukai totems and wild boar tusks, recounting a deep, historical encounter between the artist and Taiwan’s first peoples. In Weaving the Homeland — Early Spring, Ishigaki utilizes knitwear patterns to sculpt the mountain landscapes of her birth. The snow-capped peaks at daybreak and the earth still dusted with a gentle flurry of fine snow create a scene that is exquisitely beautiful, silent, yet tinged with a melancholy shade of blue—carrying a wave of homesickness that is deeply moving. Moving effortlessly from quiet contemplation to the complex psyche of a wanderer in a foreign land, Echoes of the Unseen, Taiwan sees Miyuki Ishigaki using a collection of spectacular paintings to narrate the fragments of her life. As she maps the sights and deep-listening frequencies of Taiwan onto her canvases, the profound affection poured into every stroke transforms into an unforgettable experience for all who stand before her work.

Performance Highlights