Lot 039
2011-25
Hsu Yunghsu (Taiwanese, 1955)
2011
Stoneware; unique piece
155 (L) x 40 (W) x 202 (H) cm
Estimate
TWD 800,000-1,200,000
HKD 195,000-293,000
USD 25,000-37,500
CNY 183,000-274,000
Sold Price
TWD 1,560,000
HKD 387,097
USD 49,571
CNY 354,545
Signature
PROVENANCE
Tina Keng Gallery, Taipei
Acquired from the above by the present owner
EXHIBITED
Becoming, Refrain: Hsu Yunghsu Solo Exhibition, Tina Keng Gallery, Taipei, February 18 - March 18, 2012
ILLUSTRATED
Becoming, Refrain: Hsu Yunghsu, Tina Keng Gallery, Taipei, 2012, color illustrated, pp. 32-33
+ OVERVIEW
In his early days in the United States, Hsu Yunghsu experienced a profound sense of interpersonal detachment while being in a foreign land. The unrelenting loneliness and isolation he felt within couldn't be resolved, which eventually became the starting point for his ceramic art. He began crafting delicate ceramic pieces, leaving his fingerprints on their surfaces. These fingerprints served as connections and contrasts, almost like stubbornly preserving an inner warmth in this cold and unforgiving world.
Hsu Yunghsu’s studio in Tainan houses several of Asia's largest kilns, where he transforms dense clay into towering, thin-layered, high-temperature ceramic artworks measuring several meters in height. He initially described the "extremely large, extremely thin" transformation of clay as a self-imposed challenge, but through his exploration of material thresholds, he found his own artistic boundaries. This process helped alleviate the indescribable frustrations he was experiencing at the time, leading to the development of a unique "Anti-Ceramics" aesthetic. It challenges the limits of ceramic materials and introduces a fresh perspective on contemporary ceramics.
He shapes clay with the whole of his body, maximizing its extensibility. This is a series of silent yet resonant dialogues, a self-meditation that leads into different states of being and realms. His determination is transmitted from his hands to the material, flowing through gentle curves, echoing within delicate cavities, and leaving behind only fingerprints and the textures formed by the pressure of his fingers on the surface of the ceramic works.
The artwork “2011-25”was exhibited at Tina Keng Gallery “Hsu Yung Hsu Solo Exhibition: Becoming‧Refrain”in 2012, featuring 32 new works that showcase the artistic culmination and integration of past six years. Among them are numerous "miniature units" that compose sculptures, resembling clustered corals, gathered petals, or tightly woven honeycombs. These creations form mysterious three-dimensional inner spaces, like self-contained microcosms, brimming with vitality and stored energy that beckon viewers to explore further.
"Transcendence - from life to life, from artistic creation to artistic creation, from artistic creation to life." For Hsu Yunghsu, art is not merely about fleeting inspiration or interpreting beauty. Art is the self, it is life, and it is an inseparable part of life, even transcending life itself.
Select: Modern & Contemporary Art
Ravenel Autumn Auction 2023
Saturday, December 2, 2023, 4:00pm