Exhibition Period｜2023/04/12～04/23

In mid-April, the Arts and Culture Center at National Taipei University of Technology (Taipei Tech) hosted "Obsession with Ink and Color," an exhibition featuring artists Liu Nong-ping and Chiang Lien-ni. Liu Nong-ping has loved calligraphy since childhood. His background as a former architect infuses his calligraphic works with a fresh, singular perspective. Chiang Lien-ni, a graduate of Chinese Culture University's Department of Fine Arts, did not immediately pursue a career in art upon graduation; instead, she found her passion for figurative body painting after retiring. In this exhibition, their works complement each other flawlessly—balancing strength and softness with exceptional synergy. Their collaboration represents an innovative synthesis of figurative painting and traditional calligraphy, sparking a vibrant dialogue of lines. Within Liu Nong-ping’s calligraphy, one can always feel a powerful, penetrating brushwork. Through masterful brush control, he layers seemingly simple black ink to create unexpected depth and three-dimensionality. Across different scripts, his characters possess both structural bone and fleshy fullness; even with a slanted brush tip or a single, simple character, he delivers the perfect balance of strength and grace. His subject matter spans ancient Eastern and Western poetry to contemporary songs. Influenced by his architectural background, his compositions feature unique spatial characteristics. For instance, the layout of the characters in The Peach Blossom Fan by Kong Shangren mirrors the skyline profile of city roofs when viewed from the street. In Tagore’s Verses, which depicts the shadow of trees at dusk and the depths of admiration, the calligraphic arrangement resembles falling rays of twilight—extended, yet profoundly resonant and vigorous. Contemporary lyrics also serve as his muse; utilizing lyricist Vincent Fang's words in Red Dust Inn Lyrics allows his art to connect intimately with modern audiences. Meanwhile, Chiang Lien-ni’s body paintings beautifully capture the singular elegance and contours of the female form. In her acrylic works, a rich color palette adds vivid intensity to the canvases, where layered pigments and transparency forcefully project the grace of female postures. Her mixed-media pieces present a monumental quality reminiscent of Michelangelo’s figures, yet retain the soft, flowing lines characteristic of Da Vinci. Her watercolors evoke a sense of luminous clarity; the seamless blending and fluid motion of water and pigment echo the water-like, gentle texture of female skin. In her conté crayon sketches, free-flowing yet dynamic lines masterfully capture the kinetic beauty and silhouettes of the female physique. Furthermore, many of her paintings directly correspond to Liu’s calligraphy by employing ink brushes to layer lines, offering an incredibly inventive presentation of female beauty.

Performance Highlights