王尋雕塑展：導演型雕塑家，動態間的捕捉手: Xun Wang Sculpture Exhibition: A Director-like Sculptor, A Dynamic Moments Capturer

Xun Wang, a Taiwanese American artist, was born in 1962, coinciding with the advent of Taiwan’s television era. His upbringing was deeply influenced by both the traditional craftsmanship and the visual language of animation. After graduating from the Department of Sculpture at the National Taiwan University of Arts, he pursued advanced studies in New York, attending the School of Visual Arts and later obtaining a master’s degree in Computer Animation from the New York Institute of Technology. In 1996, he joined the renowned Hollywood visual effects studio, Rhythm and Hues, contributing to cinematic classics like “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” “Garfield,” and “The Chronicles of Narnia.” Upon returning to Taiwan in 2007, he integrated Hollywood’s digital creative techniques into his sculptural practice, expanding the narrative logic and possibilities of sculpture in contemporary art.

As a witness to his era, Wang’s creations are deeply rooted in personal life experiences while capturing the rise of Taiwan’s television era to the pinnacle of digital age, elevating the art of sculpture to an entirely new dimension. Self-described as a “A Director-like Sculptor,” he views himself as an orchestrator of space and time, where the birth of each artwork resembles a meticulously crafted film. From the entrance to the second floor, the carefully arranged exhibition space and progressively illuminating lighting interweave to create an atmosphere that guides viewers into the narrative, much like leading an audience into a performance. Another feature, “A Dynamic Moments Capturer,” is embodied in each sculpture’s delicate construction of “evolution” within the flow of time, challenging viewers’ traditional perceptions of static sculpture. As viewing perspectives shift, the emotional expressions conveyed by the sculptures continually deepen, as if being reborn with every moment.

This exhibition not only showcases Xun Wang’s remarkable sculptural works from his creative series, including “Space in Time Sculpture,” “Parallax Sculpture,” and “Life Series Sculpture,” but also provides a retrospective of his animation production journey in Hollywood prior to returning to Taiwan. From the documentary in the atrium’s “pre-screening waiting area” to a curated selection of his contributions to dozens of renowned films, the exhibition progresses through exquisite manuscript works depicting various perspective angles, and includes early collections from the National Museum of Fine Arts and the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. Viewers will not only witness how Xun Wang has sustained the nourishment from his cross-cultural journey but also experience his profound exploration of breaking traditional sculptural forms and media in his cross-generational artistic practice.

This interdisciplinary fusion ensures his works transcend static sculpture, imbuing them with the vitality and emotional depth akin to animation. One of the exhibition’s highlights is the “Interactive Archive Cabinet” at the conclusion of the display. Through drawers presenting different eras, viewers can gain a clearer understanding of Xun Wang’s creative context while engaging with significant historical events and even intriguing anecdotes. This feature invites contemporary young viewers to naturally partake in the narrative, enriching Xun Wang’s artistic story with additional dimensions and vitality.

RIVER ART GALLERY hopes that this exhibition, whether reflecting on the evolution from traditional to digital eras or envisioning the future, serves not merely as a retrospective of Xun Wang’s artistic journey but also as a profound exploration of the boundless possibilities within sculptural art. We sincerely invite our audience to join us in person as vital witnesses to this cross-temporal artistic journey, sharing memories imbued with historical significance and humanistic emotion.