author/Pan An-Yi, Director of Graduate studies, The department of the History of Art & Visual Studies, Cornell University
 Being one of the most celebrated mid-career artists in Taiwan, Lo Chan Peng’s artistic talents have received international recognition. He was the only artist from Asia to have been invited to participate in Experience 03: Truth in El Segundo Museum of Art which is known for its experimental art. From German artist Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), German Expressionist Max Pechstein (1881-1955) to household name Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) from Spain and American photorealist Philip Pearlstein (1924-). The fact that Lo Chan Peng was able to exhibit alongside these great maters indicates his status in the international art world. “Through extreme photorealism, he captures the conflicting society of Taiwan that struggles under the influence of sub-culture and the powerful as well as the true emotions of the young generation that live with enormous pressure and helplessness.” As reported on Lo’s Strawberry Generation and Ashen Face series. Some dramatic changes took place in Lo Chan Peng’s life since the exhibition of 2013, in which he realised that he could not be satisfied with the confinement within the concept of “Taiwan”. He writes in 2018 when he unveiled his first painting from the Lumière series: “Lumière is the third series I would like to focus on after oil and ink paintings, and I consider the only series without figures as laboratories. The series was inspired by a wall in my studio in Sanzhi. I had fallen into a difficult circumstance in life and for a period of three months I could not bring myself to do anything apart from reading in front of this wall, which was the view I saw every time I lifted my gaze from my book. The daily routine had become almost sacred, as if it could be anyone’s salvation. There was a boundless love between me and the wall. At such a moment, life and death, chaos and order, faith and blasphemy; the undeniable rift between here and the other shore disperses into thin air. My art drifts in between the shores on either side, for it is a mysterious game one plays before reaching the other shore. May we all find the glistering light in our hearts.” What kind of art does one call a painting by a renowned hyperrealist portrait artist that lacks human figures? What are Lo Chan Peng’s so-called “alterations” are in life? What powers do those “alterations” possess that he moved away from his attention to the young generation as seen in his Strawberry Generation and Ashen Face to a newly developed curiosity towards “holiness”. The conflicting concepts and phenomenon of chaos and order, religious and blasphemy, liberation and captivity, here and the other shore; seem to have lost all logic? Lo’s conclusion of “May we all find the glistering light in our hearts” reveals the process of his art, or one could say, that he has suggested the metaphoric and religious concepts in the phrases he has used – “salvation”, “love” and “from here to the other shore”. Why cannot help but ask “Why?”, “How?”, “When?” about an artist’s dramatic changes. Why this happened, how the process went, and when did a series of events take place. Most importantly, how do we understand and interpret the new symbols created by Lo Chan Peng from his artistic and personal experiences. Background and Experiences Born in 1983, the generation of young people known as the “Strawberry Generation” who are so spoiled by their parents that they cannot withstand any challenges. However, it is fitting to describe Lo’s childhood as a neglected and tormented “strawberry”. Coming from a modestly prosperous family, Lo’s grandfather founded three department stores in Chiayi, which were then passed on to the hands of his three sons. As the economic environment changed, with convenience stores opening their doors in small cities and towns which forced the Lo family to retreat from the competitive market. Lo Chan Peng unwillingly grew up in a difficult situation due to the economic pressure and the separation of his parents. He had not seen his mother since the age of two, and he had no memories of his mother for most of his childhood, until “one day during my third grade, the teacher walked into the classroom and said “your mother is here for you” that I saw her for the “first time”.” Despite their on and off connection, Lo’s mother saw his artistic talents and moved to northern Taiwan with him to pursue his dream of becoming a painter when Lo was in the final year of junior high school. “The relationship between my mother and I was at its worst, but it was her who opened the door to the artistic world for me.” Should he had stayed in Chiayi, the only career Lo Chan Peng may have had was working for his father as a labourer, yet the challenge of having to adjust to a new life with his stepfather and half-siblings made his future seem unpredictable. However, he was grateful for his grandfather’s support of his move to Taoyuan, with the encouragements from his mother and grandfather, Lo begun to devote himself into art. Like many artists, Lo sees his passion for art as a sacred mission, for he started doodling at a very young age and would often loose himself in drawing and become oblivious to everything else around him. He begun to hind in the world of art whenever he felt pain or wanted to escape from the challenging new environment. “I didn’t care about anything else besides this painting in front of me.” And this was how he spent his high school years. Lo recalls that “I hardly had a normal day in my life, and I could not have continued with my art had I not met those who supported me. The teacher in the art studio refused taking tuition fees from me, whilst a mathematics teacher allowed me to stay in his house for six months during the time I retook the university entry exams.” With the help of these kind people, Lo Chan Peng was finally accepted in the fine art department in Chinese Culture University. Lo Chan Peng continued with a life with limited budget during university years. Living in a small workers’ dormitory, he motorbiked to Yonghe after lectures to teach art before returning to the studio on campus to practice his sketching during the week and worked as street portrait artist in Yingge at the weekends. These experiences laid a solid foundation for his artistic career. Despite his fascination on hyperrealism, Lo did not restrict himself creatively. He founded The Circus Art Group (2004) and participated in Hwa Kang Experimental Art Space (2005) to promote and explore experimental art. Upon his graduation from Chinese Culture University, he was immediately enrolled to Master of Fine Art degree course in National Taiwan Normal University. In order to establish his name in the field of art and pursuing a better life, Lo devoted himself to various competitions. His winning piece to Guan Hua Lions Club sketching competition of 2003 was acquired by the club, and from there he continued winning major art competitions and eventually led to the winning of Youth Diary of the Strawberry Cell Division 3 in the National Taiwan Museum, Taichung, as well as the top prize of the Kaohsiung Awards in 2008. At the age of 25, he was already a star. Wanting to see the world and extend his knowledge in the art world, he made a critical decision of travelling around the world to see what is out there. As soon as he received the prize money for Union Culture & Art foundation, he booked himself a ticket to Paris, for he knew the essence of European classical paintings is in the Louvre collection, which he must see with his own eyes. The trend for contemporary art in Taiwan during Lo’s studies was largely focused on installation and video art. With the contemporary museums and galleries favouring these categories of art, very few upcoming young artists were willing to work on their realist brushworks and for them, the Louvre was merely a tourist attraction instead of an essential visit to advance one’s artistic virtues. Lo Chan Peng not only studied the old masters in Musée du Louvre, but also observed how contemporary art students copied and learnt from them. “I don’t think those students follow any particular “formula” when it comes to painting, they simply paint with careful observation and detailed understanding. They start with a hand or a head instead of drafting a complete composition and work in sections. It made me wonder if my paintings have been restricted within an invisible fence.” Foundation The fine art department in Chinese Culture University Lo Chan Peng attended played a significant role in the history of modern Taiwanese art history. During the 1990s when democracy was being vigorously fought for, the fight for democracy was vigorously happening fellow alumni Yang Mao-lin, Wu Tien-chang, Kuo Wei-Kuo, Lu Hsien-Ming and John Lu founded the Taipei Art Group, whilst Mei Dean-E travelled to New York for further studies before returning to Taiwan to establish himself as one of the most influential artists of the period. The group’s art was largely influenced by the current affairs, social changes and local history. Launching his career in the early millennium, Lo Chan Peng’s topics focused on the Taiwanese society and certain groups within, which then led to the invitation to take part in the Truth exhibition. His approaches to the social issues are different from the older generation of artists who bear the heavy historical burdens originated from post-colonialism. Lo had intended to position the complex Taiwanese identity since his Strawberry Generation series, for the intricate historical background and geographical factors that are unique to Taiwan actually make it difficult to define the island’s cultures. “Since we can’t even describe what the young people should look and act, then I’ll paint exactly the way I am right now.” The pictures hint on young people’s fear for the political tensions between two sides of the Taiwan Strait. With the Ashen Face canvases, Lo Chan Peng goes beyond the surface to look deep into the inner self of the sitters and the emotions he himself has always been looking for: “What I look for in Ashen Face is something far more complex than the identity issues of Strawberry Generation, and of course, the paintings might also indicate the hidden accusation towards some kind of anger.” Through a social crisis one sees through the emotions within one, including various kinds of anxiety and paranoia. Later, Lo realised the emotions he was experiencing was somehow “twisted”. “I could see through the twisted nature and realise my own distortion, for I had seen love. Just like Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, I had to see love before realising it was missing in my life.” Let’s use the “Black Hole Theory” as a metaphor: we cannot see the black hole, but as the whirlpool sucks in every matter (love) nearby, its existence is then proven. The kind of “love” mentioned here is not the “love” referred to the attractions between two people, but the kind of “love” that surpasses all emotions and is sacred, holy, pure and merciful compassionate in the religious manner. Lo Chan Peng compares his works to the act of breathing; each moment aims to recover one’s true self without disguise. So, what exactly happened to him that caused such impact hence triggered his interests in the exploration of the spiritual sublime? The artist’s statement on Lumière as quoted earlier in the article explains where the inspiration for the series originated. Now we know where the “love” and “salvation” are coming from, and how the All Mighty had been nourishing Lo Chan Peng’s art in recent years. The perverseness of life and artistic changes “My late wife died not loge after we got married.” Lo Chan Peng did not believe in god util he was shown various forms of wickedness through various religions ceremonies in the short months he spent in the hospital. Yet, the fact that a psychic friend’s predictions were realised forced Lo to admit defeat to fate. According to karma, “Life is a script and we are all actors who are forbidden to read it cannot read the script.” Lo had once turned to chanting Buddhist sutras following someone’s advice, he found peace through the process and the state of “trance” proved to be inspirational for the man: “It was a magical moment, as if time was descending like dust and my heart and body felt completely calm and content. It took every concentration to maintain this status, for one split second of distraction would allow all the pain and anxiety to occupy my mind. One could completely forget about time when suspended in the state of trance, and there is no difference between an hour and a second.” It was then Lo realised that “In the script written by fate, art has lost all its meanings.” He was unable to pick up the paint brush for a period as long as six months, when he would stare at the wall from dawn to dusk, sensing the change from day to night. The religious publications such the Buddhist sutra, the Bible and Daoist books scatter on the staircase by the French window, but all failed to answer Lo’s questions which he desperately sought. It was in fact the nuance of sun light reflected on the wall that soothed and inspired Lo Chan Peng him; like he said, he had felt the “sacredness” in this ordinary scene from daily life, “as if it could be anyone’s salvation. There was a boundless love between me and the wall.” This sacred light eventually became the motivation for Lo Chan Peng to pick up the brush again with a brand-new perspective on life, the world and religion. According to Lo’s written statement, he had been advised to practice various religious acts such as copying the Buddhist sutra and had experienced the state of “trance”, yet with the quotation of the “holly spirit” and “salvation” it is clear that he would eventually turn to the embrace of a western religion. Such a choice is not surprising at all considering he has always been familiar with Christianity for his mother is a devoted Christian and he had been going to the church since he moved to Taoyuan with his mother before he was eventually baptised. The educational system in Taiwan emphasis “sense” and “atheism”, hence for Lo Chan Peng “the world has always been a sensible, logical, cascading and Darwinian, where everything has been fully explored and will descend to nothingness after death.” Such a belief fits the world-renowned physicist Steven Hawking’s dying words. It was not until his torturous encounters that he begun to contemplate on these experiences. He sighs for the “script” and the “foreshadows” fate has laid out for one’s life and the mysterious way the universe works. for fate has laid out for one’s life and applauds its mystique. With His experiences with multiple religions during the time spent in the hospital, he led him to ultimately choosing to follow his mother’s footsteps into Christianity. The western religion believes in god and the believers trust their lives to the All Mighty, whilst those non-believers may suffer from it. There are differences between heaven and hell in Buddhist studies of “provisional teaching”, yet the “One Buddha Vehicle” believes in the “Mind-only” world where the road to enlightenment can be cleared with “faith, understanding, practice and realisation”. Whilst one only needs to “practice” and focus on the chanting of sutras to reach the “Holy land” in Buddhism. Lumière The series Lumière is the turning point for Lo Chan Peng’s life and career. During the difficult period he often sat on the stairs where “it received the brightest sunlight in the house”. He would sit there staring at the shadows on the wall and felt “a strange sensation that as if I had been forgiven, I was showered in love. Despite the fact that I was in a miserable situation, I could still see the hidden holiness.” The turning point also indicate the transformation from humanity to godliness and material to spiritual. Lumière is a representation of a private space, and one could share the glory of god and his selfless love. This holy and spiritual display shown in the Lumière paintings offers a comforting and healing power, it is also the medium between the artist, the material and the spiritual worlds; the indication of the sublime life and humanity. It is between the light and shadows that Lo’s Lumière (oil on canvas, 122x130 cm, 2018) became a series that inspires one’s inner faith. The second canvas from the same series Lumière (oil on canvas, 163x113 cm, 2020) borrows the tall stained-glass windows as seen in Gothic cathedrals. The light falls on the crucifix through the windows, creating a sacred scene for the believers. The images of the Madonna and the Child on either side of the arch on top of the painting make an additional sense of holiness of the light. Lumière can also be seen as the portal to the other side of the shore, as Lo Chan Peng states: “The daily routine had become almost sacred, as if it could be anyone’s salvation. There was a boundless love between me and the wall. At such a moment, life and death, chaos and order, faith and blasphemy; the undeniable rift between here and the other shore disperses into thin air. My art drifts in between the shores on either side, for it is a mysterious game one plays before reaching the other shore.” This series of paintings are not only the personal salvation for Lo Chan Peng, but also represent his desire to “pass on the salvation to as many people as possible, for this is the true purpose of my picking up of the brush again.” Being the only series without any human figures, Lumière goes beyond the surface for the artist knows is known for his hyperrealistic portraits. Breaking the impression of Lo’s reputation as a fine painter, he had in fact participated in experimental art groups, for he had acted as directors of the Circus Art Group and the Hwa Kang Experimental Art Space in 2004 and 2005. The word “experimental” doesn’t mean the works they created were merely testers pieces but works that break away from the norm and traditional forms. Lo Chan Peng breaks away from the perspective of two-dimensional paintings and extended the composition from the surface to three-dimensional sculptures. Pulling away from the likeness of people, the artist is free to explore the meaning of “natural objects” and “abstract aspects” in a spiritual manner. Lo explains that “light contains multiple meanings, and I like to believe that it’s the door, the path to the other shore. Especially in Christianity, Jesus saith unto him “I am the way, and the truth, the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me.” To extend from this concept, everything I do is the medium, for my behaviour and my works would completely lose their meanings should they not lead men to the gospel, reveal the truth and steer to enlightenment. I believe these are what I paint for.” Lo Chan Peng reevaluates the meaning of his life and existence through challenging events, and these experiences have led him to fully enjoy life and not confine himself in a single area, painting the same subjects. With his travels and life experiences, the change of time and space have provided deeper understanding of the world for the artist. From A Brief History of Time to the layering of spirits Being a mixed media work that consists both painting and sculpture, and sometimes video and sound, the creative process of A Brief History of Time is very similar to Lumière in terms of its artistic form. Lo Chan Peng layers the order of time and the reiteration of space from a macroscopic angle, hence one could see A Brief History of Time as Lo’s attempt to open up international possibilities from a “Taiwanese point of view.” He has learnt from his extensive travels and has reached the peak of his career, physically and mentally, that “Taiwan is a place which easily limits one’s perspective. The narrow-mindedness is reflected on many aspects, geographically, historically, politically and especially on the press and our physiology.” He realises that many concepts he has learnt in educational systems are fictional and restrictive. For example, the so-called nation is a fictional existence without physical borders. The reality as we know it is the product of political figures who try to manipulate the world. He explains that “The borders between many African countries are composed of straight lines or right angles which have nothing to do with natural geology…the borders are drawn by colonialist Europeans who had no understanding of African history, culture or race for their own greed.” The visible and invisible borders defined by men have restricted communication and one’s aspects. Looking back on the history of Taiwanese art, Lo Chan Peng recognised the community had always been “conscious of other people’s opinions that we are terrified of not being able to keep up with “the world”. This world refers to “the others as we see it”, hence we cut off all connections and reshuffle every ten years according to the latest trends and powers. As a result, no one could come up with a viable solution as the days and years go by in vain.” One travels the world to observe and accept different values in order to reinspect one’s own understanding and prejudices of others. Only then can one extend one’s aspects on the world. Lo Chan Peng cares for current affairs, and as a citizen of the world, his art needs to reflect on humanity as a whole. “Holography” is a technology that faithfully reproduces an object in its three-dimension form that contains all the accurate information. For Lo, he wishes to record the details of “time” and “space” of the human history. As if they have been unearthed from the soil, the two slabs of A Brief History of Time depict various objects from different time frames, from left to right, they “progress” to the modern world. The sculptures portray classical western buildings, Buddhas and sumo wrestlers from the east, modern skyscrapers and ferries wheels. The visible splatters and smears on the plates mimic the “water stains on the wall” technique in classical calligraphy. Geologically speaking, the history of the earth had been carved into layers of stones and soil long before the existence of men. The deeper one explores into the earth, the more the traces of history materialises. The multiple layers of soil and rocks tell the story of the entire planet, including every culture and every species. Lo Chan Peng’s line of thinking is reflected on the medium he works with and the environment he works in: “The ancient oil painting technique “painting in layers” was established and popularized by Jan van Eyck in the first half of the fifteenth century. The word “layers” does not indicate the nuance of colours, but the physical layering of the paint. The unique nature of the oil medium enables dozens of layering, whilst each layer is interlocked with the transparency and opaqueness, creating optical glazes and material reflections. I have always pondered over the significance of the layering in relation to time, for the multi-layered rocks are the accumulation of thousands of years’ worth of time, presenting itself to the audience in the present. A thousand years of time had passed in a split of a second, just like what I have always been pursuing in my art.” At the same time, as each painting takes a long period of time to complete, the change of the artist’s experiences in life, his emotions, thoughts and ideas on art are “sealed” into the canvases in “layers” of material paint and spiritual thoughts. These feelings and concepts layer up an image that form the facial expressions, gestures, colours and brushworks of in Lo Chan Peng’s paintings. “This is way beyond what I can describe in words. I think, the general visual ability allows me to achieve the most “spiritual” I could ever be, for what He says is so rare yet so rich.” He is particularly sensitive to the passing of time, for he often fully focuses on a single painting, and during that period, his feelings and experiences remain still whilst the time outside of his studio passes in the speed of light. He claims that he lives “with a very eccentric sense of time”. Apart from the Lumière paintings and A Brief History of Time, this exhibition also includes works from the Children of Syria, Historic Figures and Portraiture series. “Doubt” and “Art” Before we continue with the new works by Lo Chan Peng, we must go back and reinspect how he merges religion and with art. In the statement for Lumière he describes a world of indifferences, for the boundaries and gaps between “life” and “death”, “chaos” and “order”, “pious” and “blasphemy”, “liberation” and “imprisonment”, “here” and “the other shore” would no longer exist. This surpasses the “eternal truth” and “the reality” known in Buddhism, but in Christianity, the faith practiced by Lo Chan Peng, the difference between “heaven” and “hell” and “god” and “men” are not to be mistaken. Hence Lo still holds doubts regarding religion, for his idea of “faith” requires complete devotion, yet he has too many doubts about this unknown world, and such unknown often contradicts contradict with his paintings, meaning the existence of “unfaithfulness” “irreligiousness” or even “blasphemy” within “piousness”, and “cruelty” within “compassion”. Lo does not intend to create paintings that “eulogise” religion, for “men could easily reach the divine or be doomed.” The world should be more complicated, and the complexity can be represented by objects and forms which contradict each other to bring everything closer to the reality. The artist wishes the audience would be able to sense the complexity within his paintings and be inspired by them. Men learn through these differences and complicated issues for a better understanding of the hidden truth under the surface. As previously mentioned, the main components of religions are “faith, understanding and practice”, and in the case of Buddhism, “realisation” is also included. No religion could reach the so-called “the other shore” without passing the challenge of “faith”, for it is purely a written interpretation of the word. Even though Lo Chan Peng had once experienced such an enlightenment, it has not been proven to him, hence his doubts towards toward religions remain when he returns to the two-dimensional world. However, the doubts continue to inspire him toe to explore the mysterious world and he persists with the search to the other shore and his works from this stage of his life are “a mysterious game before one reaches the other shore”. Based on such a foundation, Lo believes art is a container for the consciousness of the creators. “From the spiritual perspective we may break the boundaries and find resonance with art, however, for artists, art can also be seen as a tool for resonance, just like the golden candle sticks on a alter or the temple block used by a monk.” This is how art has become a medium for message deliveries that “it is my destiny to search for eternity before I reach the other shore. I want to become an artist who could not only afford to eat and buy properties, but also being able to see the view from a higher ground. I want to set a challenge to keep on excelling myself.” Children of Syria As Lo Chan Peng was trying to accept the cruel challenges set in front of him by fate, the increasingly difficult situation for Syrian refugees are happening on the other side of the world. The instability begun with the turn of the millennium, with the devastating shipwreck in 2011 in the southern Italian coast where 48 out of over 200 passengers survived, most European countries had settled with their Sectionalism policies and refused to take in any migrants, which then forced the survivors to temporary settle in camps outside of the European Union. News headlines were occupied with reports on migrants flooding into the area via land or sea, which became a major issue for the EU. The shocking image of the corpse of three-year-old Syrian boy Alan Kurdi on the Mediterranean beach within the Turkish border circulated the news on 2nd September 2015. The disturbing image of the dead boy in red caused an international stir and put a temporary stop on the western world’s ignorance on the humanitarian disaster. The Kurdi family were hoping to transfer to Canada in search for a new life, and the migrant crisis became one of the major issues in the general election in Canada of the same year. Lo remembers that “the idea for Children of Syria was born from a photo of corpses of underage victims of the war, the pungent smell of death lingers in my head. I could see death and endless sorrows in the photo, yet it’s also full of life at the same time.” He immediately wrote to the local Syrian NGO to request for a clearer copy of the photograph, explaining that he’d “like to pray for the sufferers through my art”. They responded with a high-quality image promptly, and he thanked them by writing “May God bless you”. Their surprising reply of “May our God bless you” deeply moved him. As a society with a liberal view on religion, religious differences rarely develop into serious disputes in Taiwan. Whilst the Mediterranean region had long suffered from religious conflicts which continue to disturb the order in the area. European countries’ reluctance to permit the migrants’ entry is largely based on the prevention of Muslim immigrants in case their religious and cultural differences may trigger undesired confrontations between the migrants and the locals. The recent incident in Nice where a French citizen was decapitated proves that potential terrorist attacks based on religious grounds may happen anywhere in Europe. The Syrian NGO’s reply emphasis their religious differences, and the reply consists of layers of meanings, which are “not only based on time, but also religion, culture, nationality, race and gender. The way we are built cannot be transformed into language or texts.” The children living under layers of lies such as religion, culture, nationality, race and gender are whom Lo Chan Peng care the most, for “I know they are me and you.” Lo attempts to break away from all the differences and boarders in the Children of Syria series, to show his concern for those suffering on the other side of the planet. The Children of Syria canvases were mostly created from 2018 to today. Lo had painted six works in the past two years, all in oil with one exception of Syrian Boy A in ink. The artist takes the children away from the scenes they belong, with the background cleared one could fully focus on the sitter. The sitter is then relocated in a reconstructed composition where “imperfect” and “blemished” brushstrokes are applied onto the hyperrealistic surface. The first work from the series, Red Boy from Syria (oil on canvas, 91x72.5 cm, 2018), the sitter’s face and the wall behind him are smeared with blood, and the top he wears is almost like the colour of blood too. The sense if incomplete is the artist’s method of telling a story without an ending with “complete description”. The artist deliberately leaves traces of “imperfection” as he explores this new subject matter, whilst each child stares into the spectators’ eyes and souls to question one’s morality. Pulling away from the restrictions of Taiwan, Lo sees the world from a worldly and humane perspective. The new canvas Syrian Boy B is a completely different work based on the same photograph. The only traces of red can be seen around the boy’s eyes and lips on this almost monochrome pallet. The paintings appears appear to be more “complete” in comparison to the previous work, yet the hint of imperfection remain – the accumulated paint under the child’s left eye, the blemishes on his left cheek and the traces of hair. The artist aims to inspire the audience to look beyond the surface through the contrasting and conflicting depictions. He said, it has been finished (oil on canvas, 162x130 cm, 2018) depicts a girl with a vein extending from her face to her temple and the edge of the canvas. She stares into the spectators’ eyes, as if staring into one’s every move and thoughts. thought. She hides her left hand behind her, creating a tension between two sides of the canvas, for more physiological communication is required between the sitter and the audience. Two figures carrying a cross and a machine gun respectively can be seen in the background. Under the “command” of Jesus or one’s own god, the people living around the Mediterranean have been trapped in wars for thousands of years. Without a way out, the migrants and children of Syria are the victims of historical conflicts. Moreover, the head of a pale boy with lifeless eyes is supported by a pair of adult hands, as if forcing his gaze towards the spectators. The vision of the boy is deliberately scraped away by the artist, the blood-stained eyes and lips hinting that it is a corpse of a boy who was once full of life. The smear of blood by the corner of his lips and face is the accusation towards the cruelty of fate. All the Syrian children portrayed in Lo’s paintings return the gaze of the spectators with direct eye contact, that is when the disagreements between cultures, nationalities, races and languages vanish, leaving only the contemplation of humanity when one is forced to reflect on one’s prejudices and discriminations. When Alan Kurdi’s lifeless body was washed ashore, men were imposed to temporarily abandon their biases to face the tragedy of human beings. Lo Chan Peng states that “I know they are us, and they are you.” It is not simply a mirroring of his unhappy childhood, but a reflection of his Christian beliefs in “love” and the “spirits” that stimulate people’s sympathy and empathy. Wounded Syrian Boy (oil on canvas, Diameter 68 cm, 2019) is covered in scars which indicate his traumatic experiences. The bandages cover most of his forehead whilst his left eye blurred by the deliberately applied thick paint, leaving him with one eye to glance at the viewers. Lo Chan Peng puts a footnote on this particular work: “Silence is language of God, All else is poor translation.” Evidently, a powerful image outweighs any written narrative. Lo feels that these children could be us who are raised in Taiwan: “Even though we did not suffer from wars, yet we lived under the shadow of wars for six or seven decades which was also a struggle. We are the products of fate, and I paint the likeness of the time to express the glory of humanity.” If the Children of Syria are the records of those who were manipulated by history and sacrificed their lives for history, evidence of their existence would only be records in nameless figures. On the contrary, every sitter from the Historic Figures have been significant history changers. Historic Figures Breaking away from the limitations of Taiwan, so far, the sitters in Lo Chan Peng’s Historic Figures are significant figures in western history, including politicians, religious leaders, philosophers, revolutionaries and scientists. The subject matter clearly indicates Lo’s thread of thought similar to the order shown in A Brief History of Time. From the age of Gods (The Pope, oil on canvas, 27x35 cm, 2019) to Darwin’s Evolution (Charles Robert Darwin, oil on canvas, 27x35cm, 2019), the survival of the fittest, the natural selection and the law of the jungle have always been the norm of the world. With better understanding of the species, the anthropocentricism driven capitalists worsened wealth inequality whilst the world suffered from imperialism and colonialism, which then led to the damages in natural environment and the climate to an extent that is almost uncontrollable. The contrasting publication being Karl Marx’s Capital (Das Kapital) (Karl Marx, oil on canvas, 41x31.5cm, 2019), the criticism on capitalism inspired global left wing revolution, including the July Days of Russia, the communism of China, Cuba in Central America and the left wing revolutionary Che Guevara (Che Guevara, oil on canvas, 27x35cm, 2019). Politian Winston Churchill (Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, oil on canvas, 47x47cm, 2020), former Prime Minister of the UK represents the counterattack against Hitler and the Nazi. Churchill once said: “At Certain Moments, we are no longer ourselves, but the sum of minds.” Indicating the United Kingdom’s determination to “defend our Island, whatever the cost may be” and “we shall never surrender”, “Until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.” The mention of god originates from the western background in Christianity, whilst he and his fellow leaders were facing an unprecedented catastrophe – the fight against Nazismus. A burden at such a scale exceeded what men could bear, hence they had to reach out to god for moral support. The portrait of Churchill shows his determination for justice and fairness, in contrast to the potential restoration of the evil and darkness. Being the leading figure that represents liberty and freedom, President Lincoln (Skull Study of Mr Lincoln, oil on canvas, 98x78cm, 2020) played a key role in the abolishing of slavery in the US and contributed to the multi-cultural society that we know today. On the contrary, the outrageously arrogant Donald Trump compares himself to Abraham Lincoln and claims he is the most productive American president since the man. Yet he is an expert in promoting Populism, provoking crimes based on racial differences, and has also refused any criticism on white supremacy. Having recently been defeated in the latest presidential election, the man completely ignores the Covid-19 pandemic, leaving the citizens to suffer from lack of medical and social care, whilst congratulating himself on his so-called achievements. The number of the Neo-Nazi supporters in Europe and the extreme right-wing advocates in the US have been on the rise, threatening the social order and religion in value established after the Second World War. Whether history is to repeat itself depends on if mankind has the determination and will to battle the restoration of the evil. The Historic Figures are individual paintings which are connected by the artist’s aspects and expectations for the history of men. The first group of sitters represent the vertical history, from godliness to evolution, the anthropocentricism driven by European countries and which led to imperialism and colonialism, before the establishment of capitalism and socialism. This weighty history is told via merely a few paintings. The second group of the sitters such as Churchill and Lincoln symbolise the strong contrast between the brightness and the goodness against the dark and evil side of humanity. The extreme contrast between the portrayed and the ignored (not portrayed) is a warning sign to the protentional reiteration of history. A non-political scientist like Einstein (Albert Einstein, oil on canvas, 27x35cm, 2019) signifies a transition in men’s understanding for the universe. Since the discovery of Newton’s law of gravitation, scientific progress had not been put on a pause. The theory of relativity developed in the twentieth century states that everything is relevant to each other and anything occurs due to the influence of another being or multiple phenomenon, for there must be a cause to every incident. A Buddhist saying could be related to this theory: “dependent origination and the emptiness of nature”, for all the materials and phenomenon are realised due to a certain cause. Changes as nuanced as a nanometre can cause a completely different result that everything is constantly changing, and nothing remains the same forever. Even though “material” objects are the main subject to “the theory of relatively”, it can almost be applied to philosophical or even religious circumstances. As the knowledge regarding Higgs boson develops, connections with Buddhist studies on emptiness have been made. The circular collider was built in Switzerland in search of the so-called “God Particle”. The historical figures made an impact on history for they had once possessed of the charms to lead men toward a respectable direction. Lo’s choices display his concerns for globalisation, capitalism, wealth inequality and extremism which may rock the world. “One could no longer face the core of the problems sensibly should mankind fall into the trap of extremism. Under such circumstances hatred would simply take over and terminate all possible communications.” Those politicians Lo does not care to paint can only be reflected on contrasting examples, in the manner that he states contemporary art is “a mystique game that one plays before reading the other shore.” The brightness of the future is highlighted to indicate and warn the spectators of the potential fall of astonishing darkness. Those portrayed by Lo Chan Peng have been the pioneers in history, leading mankind towards the future. He writes: “They existed like light houses by the sea, yet they are now dying campfires on the wild plains whilst we wander in the wilderness like beasts. We may see the fires from afar, yet when we look closely, the fires are dying, and we have lost all sense of direction without the leaders.” The pioneers are like dying campfires, so are Lo Chan Peng’s paintings. Taking historic figures as subjects of his paintings, he avoids the dangerous act of hero worshipping, and at the same time, alerting the unfortunate outcomes of enforcing a restriction on free thinking, let it be Marx’s Capital or the Surveillance Capitalism we see today. “As an artist, what I can do is to keep my distance.” As a matter of fact, Lo has also been studying the “invisible net” and how it is related to historical events. The meaning of a historical event is often given a new meaning when it is transferred into a different space of time according to political demands, which refers to “the death of the author” of Postmodernism, emphasising the privileges and rights of the author. The stature of Historic Figures would continue to be altered and redefined in the changing current of history, that even the same figure is seen and judged differently in different regions within the same time frame. The most controversial among Lo’s Historic Figures being Argentinian left-wing revolutionary Che Guevara (1928-1967). Even though he was eventually executed for his act, he was seen as an idol who fought capitalism and wealth inequality by the participants of the Paris protests in May 1968. The left-wing student protesters not only worshipped Che Guevara, they were also keen readers of Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung. Lo Chan Peng received a few messages from young people across the world, criticising his portrayal of a man who they consider as a mass murderer. It is then he realised that capitalists have replaced revolutionary figures as the heroes for young people, especially those who work in the technology industry. With “Dependent Origination and the Emptiness of Nature” being the true nature of history, the instability of the human nature also proves “the whirling life and floating souls” that alter history. The hovering lines and particles reflect the never-ending changes in the world, where people gather and separate, life and die, success and fail; these matters are complicated with their multiple meanings which cannot be described by language. Children of Syria portray those anonymous victims of history, whilst Historic Figures record the lighthouse figures who were pioneers in their time. The two series of paintings are the results of Lo’s breaking away from the restrictions of Taiwan and his announcement of his mercies and care for the world from a global angle. Portraiture If one could say that the Children of Syria and Historic Figures developed from the concept of A Brief History of Time are accusations of the world out there, then the Portraiture series is an observation of the human weakness from a religious point of view. The series consists of several portraits of female sitter, but in fact they are represented by a single woman and one girl who are frequently placed with plants which conceal clever hints from the artist. The first group of “them” suffer from physical pains originated from their failure to comply with the pronouncements of religion, it is also an indication of the superiority of godliness from a human perspective. The paintings can be arranged in the following order to narrate the meaning and story behind them: Saint in the Shadow (oil on canvas, Diameter 130cm, 2020), Eve’s Garden (oil on allinpanel and canvas, Diameter 60cm, 2019), Prophetess Under the Shades (oil on canvas, 197x150cm, 2018), The Silent Observer (oil on canvas, 162x97cm, 2018), Verdant Life (oil on canvas, 162x112cm, 2018), Modlitwa Dziewicy (Polish) – The Maiden’s Prayer (oil on canvas, 116.5x91cm, 2019), Breeze from the other Shore (oil on canvas, 91x116cm, 2019). All these figures are the representations of Eve, indicating the original sin and the “imperfection” men are born with. The story starts with the Bible. According to the Bible humans only exist because Adam and Eve had taken the forbidden fruit. First of all, Adam was the first man ever lived whom God had created from his own image; he then used one of his ribs to create Eve. Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden and were warned by the God that they were free to taste all the fruits in the garden except for the ones from the Tree of Knowledge, otherwise they would face death on the day they put the fruits against their lips. The artful snake tempted them to take the fruits by persuading them the fruits would brighten their eyes and help them define the evil and the good. Eve took a bite of a fruit before passing it to Adam. They were then exiled from the Garden of Eden and start a life of “earthly” sufferings for they had fallen from heaven to the moral world (earth). Due to the religious oriented history of the European states, it is a subject frequently depicted in churches. The earliest surviving example is the altarpiece in Saint Bavo Cathedral in Ghent, Belgium. Adam and Eve are positioned on either side of the altarpiece and are the only ones in the nude to highlight their shame and humiliation. Masaccio’s fresco The Expulsion from Paradise in Florence, Michelangelo’s The Fall and The Expulsion from Paradise in the Sistine Chapel, it was one of the favourite subjects of Renaissance masters, Raphael, Dürer and Titian had all been inspired by the narrative. The story is recorded by artist throughout history to remind men the importance of the power of god and our original sin. The narrative contains multiple morals – God reminding us that men were created by asexual reproduction through the hands of God. The beautiful and paradise like Garden of Eden is the home to countless animal species and plants, and the only condition the then innocent and carefree Adam and Eve had to comply with was not to take the fruits from the Tree of Knowledge. Western paintings often portray the couple in their most shameful moment when they were expelled from the Garden of Eden. Since Adam and Eve were the products of “asexual reproduction”, “humans” did not need “sex” and were carefree of death. Yet Adam and Eve had chosen to become the slaves of lust, hence all the humans carry the same original sin and spend their lives trying to be rid of it by following the strict religious orders to show their piety and hoping to be admitted into paradise one day. Catholicism and Christianity treated the tale of Adam and Eve as an inverse action to admonish believers to obey the orders. Scientists such as Copernicus and Galileo who doubted the religions orders in favour of their scientific discoveries were condemned by the Church. The conflict between knowledge and the power of god was so great that God warned men not to eat the fruits of knowledge. According to the Bible, those who had tasted the forbidden fruits had the ability to define the good and the bad, hence “men” became conscious of independent judgements and were able to gain and produce knowledge. Speaking from a different perspective, the only difference between “divinity” and “humanity” is the ability to gain, produce and define “knowledge”, is “knowledge” good or bad? Perhaps a different explanation may be given should we apply a Buddhist theory. “Self-awareness” has never been discouraged in Buddhism, for from the concept of “heart”, everything is the product of “self-awareness” and Buddhist studies had explained the origin of consciousness and how one is tempted by “misconceptions” and “desire” hence cannot escape from the pains of reincarnation. In Buddhism, the concept of the universe is purely based on one’s “heart”, for one’s “world” in composed by the “six roots” (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind) which one experiences the “six senses” (sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste and mind) with hence realises the “six consciousness” (eye, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind). These senses are known as the “eighteen elements”. The six consciousness are considered as the beginning of the learning process according to “citta-matra”, whilst men’s ability to judge is hidden within the seventh consciousness (the “subjective self” which one gains from past experiences and social norms). That is to say, the consciousness raised when one comes in contact with the outside world, or when one reflects on oneself. The seventh consciousness “recognition” is the survival instincts for humanity. For example, one could tell from experience that tigers may attack, hence one panics and tries to escape when encounters the animal. Yet, such distraction also means that the self-centred men ruthlessly hurt others to fulfill one’s desires. This creates differences between worlds of “self and other” and “subject and object”, which are the origins of our sufferings. Should we see the moral behind Adam, Eve and the Forbidden Fruit with this concept, the relationship between “the forbidden fruit” and “differences” as raised by western religions reveals the origin of “greed, anger and foolishness” discussed in Buddhism, and refers to the “original sin” in Catholicism and Christianity. The differences between the western and eastern religions are that Christian beliefs cannot get away from “dualism” for the God is worshipped from afar; whilst Buddhism believes that “humanity” and “godliness” are two sides of a coin, hence one is encouraged to achieve enlightenment by studying and meditating. The three paintings included in this series depict “Eve” under the “shades” – Saint in the Shadow (oil on canvas, diameter 130 cm, 2020), Eve’s Garden (oil on allinpanel and canvas, diameter 60 cm, 2019), Prophetess Under the Shades (oil on canvas, 197x150 cm, 2018) and The Silent Observer, oil on canvas, 162x97 cm, 2018). The Tree of Knowledge is seen as the symbol of “temptation” in the west, it is the key element that turns the “divine” into “humanity”. All Saint in the Shadow, Prophetess Under the Shades, The Silent Observer present the conflict between temptation and resistance. The struggle within their physical existence, clothed or in nude, are shown through Lo Chan Peng’s delicate brush works. The mysterious flowers growing out of the skull of an animal held by a young woman in Verdant Life indicates the cycle of life and death. The “Tree of Knowledge” above the girl’s head and the vines wrapped around her shoulder all represent the toxic desires that extend their roots into our consciousness and eventually take over our entire beings. There is no life and death in the Garden of Eden in the Bible, and the only way to maintain that is not eating the forbidden fruit and unable to define rights from wrongs nor being capable of “conceptualisation”. The encounter and struggle between “humanity” and “godliness” take place in the young woman’s head, for she’s preoccupied with desire and trapped in the dilemma between immortality and mortality. The title Modlitwa Dziewicy is taken from Polish composer Tekla Bądarzewska-Baranowska’s (1834-1861) celebrated piano piece. The original title can also be translated into “the maiden’s prayer”, which indicates the temptation of lust or a warning from the Buddhist explicates, or, Eve’s struggle and hesitation before taking a bite of the forbidden fruit. The Breeze from the Other Shore indicates the calling from the “other shore”. As Lo Chan Peng hints in his Lumière paintings, he wishes to seek for answers in religions as well as in his devoted Christianity. The “other shore” mentioned here in fact fits the Buddhist description of “The Simile of the Raft” in the Diamond Sutra. Lo has also revealed that his art is a “mysterious game” played before one reach “the other shore”. He also emphasises that life and death, chaos and order, piety and blasphemy, liberation and imprisonment had created a “enormous gulf in between” “indifference” and “two-dimensionality”. These portraits are immersed in such ideology which leads them into the mysterious game of “godliness”. The female sitters may spiritually aspire to holiness, for they represent them, who are also the representation of all of us. This is a picture of perfection for Lo Chan Peng and his idea of the world. However, the co-existence of hope and holiness in contrast to blasphemy and liberation is the struggle for all humanity. The artist applied the painting in layers technique on the sacred females’ skin to underline the toil – “adding find threads of vein, over emphasising the eyelids or applying unreasonable layers of paint on the skin which is meant to be smooth and perfect.” Lo explains: “I often wonder, we could be sacred for a second or ten minutes, but the human nature cannot retain such sacredness for an hour, a month or a year, for we live among unavoidable darkness. Under such circumstances I would like to attach some contrasting elements, for I want to highlight the wickedness in disguise under the holiness.” Another sub-theme within the Portraiture series take little girls as the subject matter, including An Angel Taking Flight from Armageddon (oil on canvas, 107x170 cm, 2020) and Skrik (oil on canvas, 60 cm diameter, 2019). Lo intends to take the viewers back to the natural forests or wild plains, and what could this mean? He intends to take the spectators back to where we started to refer to the struggles in each of the “portrait”. Lo sees the origin of all “struggles” as one’s “consciousness”, for he regards it as a state one feels while tipsy from alcohol. However, the Buddhist philosophy of “citta-matra” is replied upon for explanations. It was mentioned that one feels the world (six senses) through sensual organs (six roots). The first to the sixth senses are what is required to learn about the world, whilst the intervention of the seventh sense is the beginning of “definition”, in other words, judging from past experiences, starting from the “sacred” to the “mortal”. With the acquisition of “consciousness”, men also gained the ability to define mortal matters as well as inventing languages for better understanding of the world. Each object is placed in suitable positions since they have been given names. Yet the concept of “solidity” and “borders” are established at the same time. It can also be interpreted as “collective consciousness” or “collective karma” which then leads to the conflicts between men due to racial or other differences. The evolution of human history is based on conflicts like these. From nineteenth to twentieth century, we saw the rise of Imperialism, Capitalism, Nazism and Japanese Imperialism, which brought out the darkest side of men. Lo Chan Peng understands that “consciousness” derives from desire; hence one needs to trace back to the origin of “consciousness” which is then represented by the forests depicted in Lo’s paintings. He agrees with the Buddhist theory that the human “consciousness” can be separated from one and survive independently in the outer world. This also makes it an untainted land where on one would be able to “occupy”. It is a pure, extensive, clear, superior and out of the world place that cannot be described in any language or materialized, and it exists above any structure based on language or text. In Lo’s words: “consciousness is like a clear-headed person who observes the floating, crisscrossing, merging and extending condition.” In the world of consciousness, the concept of anything is undetermined, speculative and variable according to karma. Lo Chan Peng deliberately places the innocent looking girl among the Amazon-like primitive forest. It indicates the sprouting of the consciousness in an unclear and chaotic condition, and on the other hand, the slightly vicious look in the girl’s eyes remind the inner struggles in every man. Lo explains: “I have taken the name of Baudelaire’s volume of poetry, Les fleurs du mal, as the title of this painting. I have reflected myself on this child, despite being a middle-aged man, I see myself in her. Looking back at my childhood, I often feel that mine and the common desire in men is like a living plant. It roots itself in one’s mind in silence and continue to thrive, extend and grow verdant branches. This work is my take on desire.” Skrik depicts a screaming girl on a circular canvas. It is a conversation between Lo Chan Peng and Norwegian artist Edvard Munch as well as a reflection of his opinions on our time. Munch saw the rise of the Industrial Revolution and Capitalism during his time, when the value of the working class was defined by their restless mechanical and repetitive work in factories established in the new society. The philosophical theory of “Existentialism” claims that the reason to the existence of men cannot be answered by rational thinking, and it also encourages independence and subjectivity. The contrast between reality and philosophical thinking can be seen as the footnote Munch has written for his classic work Skrik. Lo Chan Peng has also observed that the working class today still live as small cogs in a giant machine known as the world, hence the society has not changed with the passing of time. Factories that produce iPhones and cars still treat the workers as machines: “I can see an endless line of iPhone shells; I place a mainboard in a shell as it reaches me on a conveyor belt and repeat endlessly for days and years. When a man is trapped in the same condition for ten years, one could not help but self-doubt – is making an iPhone the purpose of my entire existence? When such doubt occurs, we also wonder if independent thinking and consciousness are also required.” Finally, Lo questions the reasons for God to have created men, and if God exists at all: “For me, Munch’s work reflects the self-doubt of the people of his time and the doubts and screams toward the existence of God. This year has made an incredible impact on me (including the Covid pandemic), and this is a conservation between myself and Munch, a scream to 2020.” Lo has introduced some technical changes to his canvases. Technically speaking, like other works included in this exhibition, he is not only capable of creating complete and solid compositions but also manages to release the trapped energy as if in an explosion. The flow of the brushstrokes mirrors the power of life and how it bursts when one encounters uncontrollable events. The force that damaged the girl’s eye is just like the conflicting power that has always existed, it covers the eye of an innocent little girl in an explosive way that is shown in the sitter’s scream. Conclusion 2016 was a peculiar and decisive year, for the callous fate had rearranged Lo Chan Peng’s life as a man and an artist. From an artist who cared for “regional” development to one who is particularly attentive to all humanity, his exploration begun with material matters and natural phenomenon and slowly developed into “spiritual” and “intangible” goal of the other shore. He understands the challenges and struggles on a journey from humanity to the “godliness”, he says: “My faith in Christianity has kept my spiritual balance, for I need an individual whom I could offer my gratitude to. As I walk on the road to success, I would still have a figure to remind me the importance of modesty.”  Being the first series of works Lo developed after that period of time, Lumière announces his close connection with religion. These paintings are the only ones that depict no human figures, for they record the intimate conversations between the painter and his faith and how he received “love” and “salvation”. Lo declares that his works are “the mysterious games played before one reaches the other shore”, and the Lumière pictures are the starting point for him to regain confidence after the traumatic experiences, and since then he had a brand-new view and is ready to tell a new narrative. Lo Chan Peng compresses the human history via a crisscrossing of time and space in his double panel A Brief History of Time, and from which he developed two series – Children of Syria and Historic Figures. The two set of works are delicately connected through the topic of fate. The former is dedicated to the victims of history, and the latter depict the leaders that changed history and are often the ones who defined the former’s fate. Through the Children of Syria paintings, Lo tells the story of a war that has not ended in thousands of years, a war over racial and religious differences, a war that has caused the sufferings of the children of Syria. The island of Taiwan had also lived through over five decades of untenability, which we still remember vividly. This also warns us that our existence is connected with others by fate: “I have been exploring my inner-self through my paintings in recent years, then I realised that I had not been painting those around me, for I had actually been painting “myself”; the Syrian children are almost like a part of me, what had happened to them are almost like part of my own experiences. I don’t mean the actual events, but the spiritual connections between us.” Historic Figures provide concrete clarification to A Brief History of Time and showcase the artist’s perspective and philosophical approaches to the history of humanity. The historical personae he has selected narrate the progress from “godliness” to the “Theory of Evolution” followed by “Anthropocentrism” and “Eurocentrism” before the expansion of Imperialism and Capitalism which then led to Colonialism and eventually the rise of “Socialism”. The “Nazism” of World War II in Europe and “Japanese Imperialism” caused the unprecedented disaster. Skrik from the Portraiture collection shows Lo’s concerns over the working class whom reiterated their mindless tasks in order to survive: “I think I now have a better understanding of this world and have realised how helpless I am in this vast universe.”  Lo tactfully chooses to paint former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and American president Abraham Lincoln as a contrast and comparison. Churchill fought against the invasion of Nazism, even though he succeeded with the help of allies, the rise of Neo-Nazism and extreme right-wing supporters in recent years are slowly gaining advocates in Europe. The current president of the United States Donald Trump sees himself as a pioneer like Lincoln, yet his deep-rooted racism has encouraged the believers of extreme right-wing philosophy and white supremacy. Despite his defeat in the recent presidential election, the issues regarding extreme right-wing supporters in Europe and America would remain a challenging one. Both Churchill and Lincoln reflect on the bight and the good of humanity, and they are praised for their reminding us of the dark side of humanity. Through Portraiture, Lo explores the struggles men encounter on their path to the godliness. The female sitter and plants stand for the friction between temptation and the sacred, which then lead to the nuanced relationship between “consciousness” and “the ability to define good and evil”, meaning the connection between the “mortal” and the “saintly”. “Consciousness” is the key to the Portraiture pictures; hence the young girl is set in a primitive forest. As mentioned, “consciousness” is part of men’s survival instinct and the origin of “delusion” which set men in the endless cycle of reincarnation. It is also the main reason for Adam and Eve’s eviction from paradise to the “mortal world” – the consummation of the forbidden fruit. Both the Christian and Buddhist theories and the seventh consciousness are the key to “Transforming Our Consciousnesses into the Four Wisdoms”, and the only condition for Christians to reside in the Garden of Eden. One’s “consciousness” is presented in the form of a misty and untainted Amazon forest, that can also be seen as the demarcation of innocence and blasphemy. The co-existence of naivety and the wickedness in the girl’s facial expression indicate the “sacred” and the “evil” as well as the endeavour to move from “humanity” to “godly”. Lo Chan Peng explains: “You might see some contradictories in my paintings – instead of focusing on my devotion to religion, what I want to do is “explore”, and what is the difference? Piety is undoubtably a concrete fact, yet I still have so many questions and I’m full of curiosity for the unknown world. Hence my works carry some elements which contradict my faith. It is religious, yet not too pious; it is sympathetic yet slightly cruel. I don’t want to limit myself within a single direction for I believe this world is much more complicated, and complication should be shown with contrasts in order to stay true to the reality. Like the lust of a pious nun or the greed of a devoted monk. I want my audience to sense and contemplate on the complication within, all needs to be combined in order to surpass it spiritually. That is why we live and experience the good and evil hidden behind smiling faces and the kindness and coldness of the world formed by history on our journey to either hell or heaven. I believe one needs to feel everything to sense the world fully.” Yes, from the Buddhist aspect of “completion”, this is a world full of mixed feelings and no obstacles, for the true image contains it all. Such truth is not given a name or meaning but is part of “the other shore”, whist Lo Chan Peng is trying to describe “here, this shore”. The differences between “here” and “the other shore” is simply separated by one’s thought. The delicately painted surfaces are perfectly pure faces. In order to present his discoveries in the complicated human nature, Lo layers “imperfections” on the “perfect” surfaces. From the tradition of painting in layers technique to the anxious layering of paint and the flowing “water stains on the wall”, they are the distinctive symbols that mark and record the two-dimensional world before one reach “the other shore”. Lo Chan Peng’s aspects on art, life, religion and philosophy are concluded in his artistic format, content and technique.