Oil on board

116.5×80 cm.×2 45 7/8×31 1/2 in.×2

Signed in English and Chinese and dated on the reverse of each piece

LITERATURE
2024, CANS Contemporary Art News April Issue, CANS publishing House, Taipei
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Asia

Note: This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Lotus Art Gallery, Kaohsiung and signed by the artist

Painting Life's Depths
The Living Theater of Tsai Yu-Chen

"I create spaces intertwined with brushstrokes and emotions, refining more interpretations and imaginations of painting."
—Tsai Yu-Chen

Born in the millennium, Taiwanese artist Tsai Yu-Chen, though young, already has a wealth of exhibition experience. Currently pursuing a master's degree in Fine Arts at National Kaohsiung Normal University, she began exhibiting in cities like Kaohsiung, Taipei, and Hangzhou at just 22, earning admiration from young collectors. This year, she won the Tainan "New Art Award" with her 2023 work, 1F and 2F. This diptych offers a poetic glimpse into the life within a home.

Moments in Motion

Tsai's work focuses on the depiction of living spaces. Uniquely, she flattens the vertical space of a home's interior, presenting it horizontally across two panels, narrating with a cinematic montage-like perspective. The right panel depicts the first floor, where wooden floors, a blue carpet, and a coffee-coloured sofa create a cosy atmosphere. The flowing lines of the staircase and chandelier, inspired by Art Nouveau, captivate with their elegant curves. A young woman in a blue dress stands with her back to the viewer, seemingly about to ascend the stairs, capturing a moment of everyday beauty.

Design's Delight

On the second floor, the young woman has yet to appear. Instead, a lush green plant takes centre stage, showcasing vitality. The chairs, table, and lamp create a harmonious scene, with an orchid adding a touch of softness. While the two panels each form their scene, they also mirror each other—the arch in the left panel echoes the curves of the spiral staircase on the right. The green palm tree from the first floor shifts to a golden autumn hue upstairs, hinting at the passage of time. Unlike the first floor's ornate chandelier, the second floor is illuminated by soft, warm light from a traditional paper lantern designed by Isamu Noguchi, fostering a more intimate, tranquil ambience.

As CANS Art News editor Cheng Nai-Ming remarked, "Tsai Yu-Chen's brushstrokes exude a rich depth of life, not merely as a display of technique, but as an embodiment of the essence and purity she bestows upon the observed." Tsai carefully preserves the beauty of everyday life, releasing it through her paintings, narrating the subtle flavours of life with each stroke.

Price estimate:
HKD 30,000 – 50,000
USD 3,800 – 6,400

Auction Result:
HKD: 69,600