Edited Text: Chen Yihua Origins During his residency in Berlin in 2009, Lo Chan Peng fused the subject matter of ink and wash with Western art to create a new form of art. Inspired by the art of graffiti, he combined the acrylic paint used for graffiti with the ink of Eastern culture. The ink became thicker due to the acrylic paint, allowing his graffiti to be shaped, and at the same time, create the effect of flying white of ink. For Lo Chan Peng, the exhibition is a return to his inner world, compared to his works in Berlin and Los Angeles. "The title of the exhibition refers to the fog in the mountains, which echoes the spirit of ink painting. Lo not only uses the portraits he used to specialize in but also adds the artist's imagination. But what is even more special is that "Ink and Lan" is the crystallization of Lo's process of understanding and pursuing his faith. In the process of pursuing his faith, he has come into contact with different religions, such as the New Age Movement. For example, the "Reality of Consciousness" series on the second floor is inspired by the New Age Movement. "In the 'Realities of Consciousness' series, I combine the imaginary world with the models, each of which is a projection or representation of a natural object, such as a dead branch or a woodchuck. After nearly six months to a year of faith-seeking, Lo finally turned to Christianity. "The miraculous experience of religion inspired me to return to the Christian faith. I was originally a humanistic thinker and always thought that if I worked hard enough, I could overcome my destiny, but it turned out to be something else. God knew me before I even knew Him, and He helped me when I was at the end of my rope. I don't deny this experience. In the first floor of the exhibition, works related to the Bible are presented. Using the biblical texts of Ecclesiastes and Romans as texts, Lo Chan Peng created a series of works, such as "The Way, the Truth, the Life", which depicts the crucifixion of Jesus, and "In the Beginning was the Way", which depicts the chaos before the creation of heaven and earth by Jehovah God. The invisible power given by tangible materials Tsui Yuen-ching, who has long been interested in Lo Chan Peng's works, has written an article about his "Strawberry Family" series in the past. Tsui Yuen-ching jokingly said that she had a feeling of being hit when Lo Chan Peng published his "Strawberry Clan" series. "It is undeniable that we are easily attracted by Chan Peng's excellent skills. Frankly speaking, there are many people who paint 'photo-realism,' and there are many who paint like it, but there are few who can express the contemporary feeling of his generation. When I look closely, what attracts me is the invisible thing behind the work. What I want to emphasize is the invisible thing. When I look at the work, I can feel the feeling of gazing at each other with the characters in the painting. When I look at the works, I can fully feel the gathering and dispersion of the works. The exhibition is called 'Ink and Light,' which represents the water in the mountains, which will gather together because of the climate and temperature, but then disperse due to certain conditions. That is the result of the real and the virtual. It is a result that is conveyed after the real and the virtual. The force dissipates only after a period of coalescence, and the artist completes the work with a single effort during this period. This is what I mean by invisible power. Secondly, regarding the discussion of media, Hsu Wan-ching said that many artists were already thinking about it during the abstract painting movement in Taiwan in the 1960s, and they spent a lot of effort on experimenting with media in order to integrate the East and the West. For example, one of Liu Guosong's works is a fusion of Western techniques and Eastern themes in the interpretation of "Early Spring", and this kind of cross-media or cross-East-West thinking started in the 1960s and continues to this day. To her, it does not matter if the viewer does not know how the artist mixes ink and acrylic, or how to use the ink splash technique to create a sense of ink and wash, because she believes that what she wants to convey in her works is the most important thing. "Although Lo Chan Peng's works are painted with Western faces, it is undeniable that we can feel the characteristics of the East, and this is the key; that is, for the artist, how to use tangible materials (materials) to give it intangible life is the most valuable thing. Is "Mo Lan" ink and wash? Contemporary ink and wash? In addition, Wu Yu-zhan, who is of the same generation as Lo Chan Peng and a traditional ink and wash artist himself, also shared his views on the new works of "Mo Lan" solo exhibition and discussed the aesthetic differences between "traditional ink and wash" and "contemporary ink and wash", leading the audience to appreciate Lo Chan Peng's new works. He found that the works presented in Lo Chan Peng's 'Ink and Light' solo exhibition are less flashy, and the works have settled down and go deeper than the past works, digging deeper into the heart. How to define "ink" as a work that appears to be a western technique but contains eastern characteristics? Wu Yu-zhan, a traditional professional ink and wash artist, analyzes that if one were to look at Lo's works from a purely professional ink and wash training, one might not think of them as ink and wash paintings at first glance, because from the main part of the visual aspect, this series of works looks more like highlighting, which is very different from the spirit of brush, ink and line that is emphasized in ink painting. It is more like black and white watercolor or oil painting, but supplemented with splash or drip techniques. The main reason for this is that the brush, ink and line are not the main focus of this series of works. However, if we look at this series of paintings from a "contemporary ink and wash" perspective, these problems do not exist. He further explains, "Because Lo Chan Peng's works have a strong oriental style, an oriental flavor, and this is the feeling that 'contemporary ink and wash' is trying to pursue. Why is there such a difference? The main reason is that today's ink and wash education or training is different from that of the past. In the past, the emphasis on "calligraphic lines" was because if a literati could not write well in calligraphy, he would not pass the examination for the talent show, so the standard of "calligraphic aesthetics" was used to judge the quality of ink and wash. For Wu Yu-zhan, contemporary ink and wash" is a type of artwork that belongs to the "ink style" genre. It does not necessarily follow traditional ink painting systems but uses ink techniques, such as black and white effects and flying white brushwork, directly. Lo notes that "ink style" is like a style and not necessarily ink. Lo observes that "contemporary ink and wash" emerged in international auctions since 2013, mainly due to the rise of the Asian economy. In this global context, previously neglected and marginalized Chinese cultural systems, such as ink and wash and calligraphy, started thinking about how to respond to the world, leading to the birth of the concept of "contemporary ink and wash." To appreciate Lo's works, one can focus on the delicate and realistic faces, which exhibit a Western style of light and shadow realism. However, when viewed from an ink and wash perspective, the white space becomes more important, and the real place to paint is in the black areas of outline or blurring. To appreciate the darker parts of the painting, one should focus on the gradation or black areas, such as the splash lines, to feel the message conveyed in the artwork. Lo should use black, similar to the technique of vignetting or clouds, to bring out the image of the figure. Regarding the concept of contemporaneity, Hsu Wan-ching believes that the issue of contemporaneity is not unique to ink and wash. The problem of contemporaneity exists in any material, not just ink, as every artist faces the challenge of expressing contemporary life with sensitivity and honesty. To be contemporary is to create works that reflect the contemporary world. Lo considers himself a creator who reflects his current state of mind, his time, and the contemporary art he sees. His work does not belong to any one category, and he hopes that it does not fall into any specific category. Although he does not consider himself an ink creator, he believes that his work expresses "things invisible to the eye" and "feelings invisible to the eye." His solo exhibition, "Mo Lan," showcases his unique interpretation of contemporary ink painting and marks the beginning of a path of self-discovery and faith. The surging rain cannot quench the passion of the artist's pursuit, just like Lo Chan Peng's pursuit of faith. After three years of absence, the young Taiwanese artist held his solo exhibition "Ink and Light" at Dazhi Da Guan Art Space on June 17 and invited two panelists: Professor Hsu Wan-Chen from the Department of Fine Arts of Tunghai University and Associate Professor Wu Yu-Zhan from the Department of Visual Art and Design of Tainan University (Contemporary Visual Culture Theory), to have a three-way conversation with him. Although it was raining heavily on the opening day, the whole symposium and book-signing session was crowded with people who braved the rain and almost filled the venue, and heavyweights from the art circle also came to the event to support Lo's rebirth. The solo exhibition "Ink and Light" has been in preparation for nearly a year, with a total of 25 pieces on display, fusing ink and acrylic works to present a new realm of contemporary ink. As the artist describes, "My works are a tribute to the unknown and invisible, a submission to the past, present, and future. It is a feeling for the existence of my soul together. It is an expression of love for all the people we meet. It is a tribute to the beauty of all things. For me, it is the moment of my encounter with God. Undoubtedly, this is a dialogue and a path of faith between the artist and God. Unlike his previous style, Lo Chan Peng uses black and white ink and wash style to depict a picture of all living beings. Lo Chan Peng, who is famous for his exquisite "photo-realism," has received attention for his "Strawberry Clan" creation, but this time he can hardly present it in the form of "ink and wash" with a strong oriental flavor. At this time of the rise of contemporary ink and wash, how should we define Lo Chan Peng's unique ink and wash style? At a time when his life has taken a turn for the worse, Lo Chan Peng uses the "Ink and Light" series of works to describe his search for faith and how his encounter with God has helped him to overcome the low points of his life. The "Ink and Light" solo exhibition is an exhibition that touches on life and is worth waiting for. The exhibition is worth watching. Link: https://artouch.com/views/content-921.html