Artist
Chien Wei Bali, a Puyuma artist, his muse is the happy childhood memories. Aspired by “peace and love”, he works with mixed media on different art forms, including setting installation, coloring beddings, fashion design, ink wash, performance, and driftwood arts. As an artist, he doesn’t “create arts alone in his world”; instead, he thinks that “creativity is a flow of love, and the involvement of society is the optimal fuel; because it will spark the creator’s passion and inspiration.” Over the years, he has insisted to “create arts that are intimate to the land” as he believes that “an artist must be connected to the locale.”
He draws the nutrients from the earth for his creativity, upholding the concept that human is a part of all things in nature. He views every flower, every blade of grass, a tree, or even rock are his companions and friends. They are all embodied by a spiritual regularity within the cosmic nature. This worldview can be perceived in all of his works. In terms of form, he presents and applies natural materials directly, emphasizing a naturally rhythmic linear and uncomplicated color scheme. As for the theme, it is a reflection on the change of the environment. As an artist living in the natural environment, he is not concerned with presenting artistic propositions through his works but rather with the destruction or disturbance of the environment that worries him most. Therefore, on the one hand, his works celebrate nature in reverence, and on the other hand, as elegies for the destruction of the environment caused by human civilization.
Artwork
Title: To Chill Land
Artist: Chien Wei Bali
Materials: Metal, Recycle Ocean Waste, Plants
Dimensions: Three sets of 300 CM Human FIgures
Location: Chenggong Seaside Park, Lawn at the Northern End
We have been living in myths and legends, as we all are the protagonists in the stories. Each story teaches us, again and again, the importance of learning from nature. Otherwise, the catastrophic flood is not only an ancient myth but is imminent before our eyes. In the 21st century, the refugees of climate disasters become crowded as various resources on earth got depleted and ecologically imbalanced, causing all sorts of diseases that exhausted the human civilization both physically and mentally. All of them are messages for us to reflect on the return to nature and the balance of material and spiritual life.
Taiwan, the mother island of the Austronesian cultures, is located on the Eurasian and Philippine plates and is quite important for its geographical location. The island is rich in ethnic diversity and has many ancient myths and legends, a colonial background over many generations, and an intertwining blend of groups and cultures. In the precious island where ancient civilization and modern technology are merged for a better coexistence, there is more need for a meditative space between the water and sky on the East Coast, allowing us to contemplate in silence, gain insight, and connect with our inner self. It is sincerely hoped that the awakening of consciousness will bring forth the union of arts and spirituality.
I also intended to connect more people on this land through my work. I have been accompanied children with developmental delays to create arts through playing games. This time, I plan to collect junks and rocks by the sea in Chenggong with those kids and their families to create a space for meditation, praying, and dialogues between man and nature. I hope those who come here can have a space to meditate in front of the infinite sea. I wish that all things and beings alive ceaselessly, with auspicious and well-wishing vibes, powered up with the cosmic energy of truth, goodness, and beauty from the universe. Love never ceases.
