聚光燈下 【一生追逐光—江賢二】
In the Spotlight: Paul Chiang: a lifetime in search of the light
「五十五年下來，我蠻清楚，其實每個系列不一樣，但是光還是我最重要的、最想表達的元素。」
每天清晨四、五點就起床，迫不及待等著天亮開始創作，直到黃昏才走出工作室，坐看海上光線變化、月亮升起。藝術家江賢二創作超過半世紀，堅持自已的道路，不斷追求蛻變，從前半生在紐約、巴黎「封窗作畫」，直至回到台灣，在自己的土地上創作出傲視藝壇的「百年廟」系列、在台東感受燦爛陽光而創作的「比西里岸之夢」系列，江賢二始終走一條孤獨的道路，如同信仰一般，相信藝術可以淨化世界。
江賢二在紐約、巴黎時期的作品，顏色多深黑濃重，具有崇高的內在力量，不斷探求生死與生命奧義。江賢二將畫室窗戶封住，孤獨面對藝術給予的大哉問。《巴黎聖母院》與《遠方之死》，是此時期的代表作。
返台定居台東金樽之後，作品繽紛多彩，「雖然有些人看起來以為是花，但我畫的是台東。」
他最近著手將金樽工作室打造成藝術園區，邀請藝術家來駐村，啟發更多創作的可能性。他謙稱，「這是一個藝術家能對社會做的一點小小貢獻。」
“For the last 55 years, it’s been clear to me that each series is different; however, light remains the most important element that I want to express in my work.”
Every morning he wakes up at 4 or 5 AM excited to begin his latest creation as the sun comes up. He doesn’t leave his workshop until dusk. By night, he watches the light dance on the surface of the ocean while the moon rises.
Artist Paul Chiang has been creating art for more than half a century. He remained committed to forging his own path through continued metamorphosis across the covered window paintings of his younger years in Paris and New York City up until his critically acclaimed “Hundred Year Temple” series and “Pisilian” series, bursting with the explosive sunlight of Taitung, that he created upon returning to his native Taiwan.
Chiang has followed this singular path with an almost religious conviction that art can heal the world.
While in New York and Paris, Chiang’s work was full of deep blacks and rich colors. His paintings were infused with a lofty intrinsic power dedicated to exploring the mysteries of birth, death, and life. He would cover the windows of his studio and individually confront the big questions presented by his art. “The Notre Dame de Paris” and “Death in Distance” are representative pieces from this era.
Upon returning to Taiwan and settling in Jinzun, Taitung, Chiang’s work became much more colorful. “Many people tell me they see flowers, but I painted Taitung.”
Recently, he’s been working to convert his workshop in Jinzun into an artist’s retreat. He hopes to invite artists to participate in an artistic residency that would inspire greater creative possibilities. He modestly offers that, “This is an artist’s humble contribution to society.”
大城小調【張詠捷，以光影守候海島】
Artist and the City : CHANG Yung-Chieh: photographic vigils of an island village
張詠捷說：「假使沒有相機，我可能不知道我要怎麼去理解這個世界」。
1985年少女時期，張詠捷便開始拍攝《海島的呼喚》系列，她特別著迷於人，尤其家鄉老人家、老漁夫身上溫厚善良的氣質，總是深深觸動著她。那時候她的美術老師跟她說：「孩子你們長大以後，離開澎湖就不要再回來，因為這裡是文化沙漠」。離家到台灣本島後，張詠捷長年在部落拍攝泰雅族紋面長老，也為布袋戲藝師李天祿的生活做紀錄。為什麼多年來一直在拍老人？張詠捷在泰雅部落找到了答案，因為他們都是阿公那一代的人，他們身上有一種美。
1996年，張詠捷決定返鄉，可是家鄉起了變化，她才驚覺以前專注拍人，很少關照環境和自然，原來它們也會消失。她為自己整理了一棟古厝，跟地方耆老學習農耕與閩南語的古典語彙，幫阿公做口述歷史。因為十分懷念童年食物的時光，她在各個島嶼尋找家鄉菜的食材與做法，以文字及攝影完成了《食物戀》這本書，希望不要讓澎湖珍貴的食物故事消失。
2017年，張詠捷走上修行之路，海洋、土壤所傳來的大自然生命信息，成為她最想理解的事物。本集《藝術很有事》記錄張詠捷從海島少女到成為修行之人的內在及外觀攝影視界。
“If we didn’t have cameras, then I might not have a way to understand the world.”– CHANG Yung-Chieh
1985: As a young girl CHANG Yung-Chieh started shooting “The Call of the Pescadores” series. People, especially older folks from her hometown, fascinated her. The warm and friendly nature of these old fishermen always touched her heart. Her art teacher told her, “Children, once you’ve all grown up, leave Penghu and never come back because this place is a cultural desert.”
She later moved to Taiwan island and spent many years photographing the tattooed faces of Atayal elders and recording the life of puppeteer LI Tian-lu. Why spend so many years photographing the elderly? CHANG Yun-Chieh found the answer during her time with the Atayal tribe: since they’re part of her grandfather’s generation, they all share a certain beauty.
1996: CHANG Yun-Chieh decides to return home but finds that her hometown has started to change. She’s surprised to find that she was so focused on photographing people that she rarely photographed the environment or nature, which had also started to disappear. She built a traditional home for herself, learned to plant the fields with her elders, and studied the ancient vocabulary of the Min-nan language to help her grandfather record his oral histories.
She started looking for local dishes and cooking techniques across various islands thanks to her nostalgia for the food of her childhood. She later published her photos and captions in “The Love of Food” a book she wrote in hopes that the stories of Penghu’s local delicacies will not disappear.
2017: CHANG Yun-Chieh decides to become a monk. The land and sea transmit messages about the vitality of Mother Nature and have become the objects she desires most to understand. This episode of Inside the Arts follows the intrinsic snapshots and the external photographs of her journey from a young girl on a small island to a devout monk.