Chuang Lien-Tung’s artistic practice has long revolved around the themes of “nature” and “life”. Beginning with Chinese ink painting, he established a rigorous foundation in traditional landscape and gongbi (meticulous) brushwork. Over time, Chuang expanded his vision to encompass the essence of life forms and the intricate tensions between human civilization and the natural world. His experimental interplay of media, imagery, and conceptual framework transcends beyond aesthetic inquiry, grounding it in a profound ethical and philosophical dialectic that redefines the visual syntax of contemporary Taiwanese ink art. This exhibition features over twenty works spanning the artist's long-term creative evolution, illustrating how he navigates within the states of in-betweenness to cultivate a distinctive visual language and intellectual depth.

The exhibition takes the Chinese character “界” (Boundary) as its conceptual anchor. Its pictographic structure is composed of three elements: "田" (Field), "人" (Person), and "八" (Eight/Divide), weaving together a primordial image. "田" signifies nature, ecology, and an unmediated state of existence; "人" points to the artist’s subjective experience as well as broader forms of life; and "八" denotes both a demarcation and a latent passage—it articulates a relational state in which different forms of life, environments, and systems coexist while continually reshaping one another. This dialectic of "boundaries and connection" offers a vital framework through which Chuang’s practice may be understood.

In Chuang’s works, he places animals and insects within man-made or natural landscapes, where mountains and rivers are reshaped by architectural civilization. Life and nature permeate one another across these interfaces, redefining each other's forms and energies. In this visual relationship of shared and contested space, the "boundary" is no longer a binary line of separation, but rather a "Third Space" (Liminal Space)—a place that does not fully belong to any single side. This space originates from difference, yet unfolds within it. Like fertile soil within unstable gaps and tensions, it cultivates a continuous process of growth, mutation, and transformation.

From a methodological perspective, the quality of “boundary” indicates the dual potential of fusion and severance. These forces are not merely abstract propositions but are concretely embedded within Chuang’s creative grammar. Diachronically, he traverses the historical context and technical heritage of ink painting, redeploying them within contemporary contexts. Synchronically, diverse cultural references and heterogeneous materials converge on the pictorial surface, colliding to generate new modes of expression. Through this strategy, Chuang’s work expands its reach into broader socio-cultural dialogues while simultaneously deepening an internal reflection on the medium and form, carving out new possibilities within the boundaries.

Ultimately, Chuang Lien-Tung’s work transcends visual representation, utilizing "boundary" as a mirror for a reconstruction of relational ethics: From the fragile interdependence between humanity and the natural world, to the shifting negotiations between cultural systems, and further to the formation of relationships between individuals. This exhibition proposes in-betweenness as a space of responsibility and possibility. In a contemporary moment marked by ecological crisis, cultural displacement, and intensified global interconnection, we return to the fundamental question: How might the boundary—long a site of exclusion—become the very threshold of our shared existence?

Ju Ming once said, “Keep [sculpture’s] original state; it is no good if it is deteriorating.”  Such a statement justifies the essence of the conservation of the fine arts.  The exhibition, Conservation for Wooden Sculpture 101, leads the audience to understand the profession of conservation, a profession that combines fine arts and science, from the perspective of a novice.

The notion of naming “101” is borrowing from the American university’s curriculums. It indicates the fundamental and key elements of learning and knowledge.  This exhibition is briefly divided into three sections: an introduction for conservational tools and wooden samples of various diseases, a display area for selected Ju Ming’s wood sculptures that have been conserved, and finally a try-on interactive table where the audiences are encouraged to wear a conservator’s uniform and to touch the lab’s items.  From diagnosing specimens, cleaning, to the color restoration of objects, it reveals tenderness and prudence to the treated work, and stresses a “non-invasive” approach to restore artwork and its age. It is our hope that the audience will gain information and further respect artworks by imitating a professional conservator in his/her work routine. 

Juming Museum has been investing in conservation and its study for a long time. There were 159 conservation projects completed in 2024 that certified the credibility and professionalism of Juming Museum.  In the same year, the Conservation Department at Juming Museum also took on the internal emergent tasks which rescued 139 pieces of artworks affected by Typhoon Krathon. Such a devotional effort not only reinforces the importance of conserving artworks, but also signifies that conservation is counterbalanced against nature and time.

Conservation for Wooden Sculpture 101 is not merely an exhibition for informing a technique, but rather a collective action to honor artworks and resist time-effects. It unveils the tasks conducted by the professionals behind the museum’s operation; and it also delivers an important message that art is not only about creation, but also about protection and care.  Let us together enter the conservation’s domain, and learn about the crucial project where the lifespan of arts is sustained and continued.

Oil painting can be traced back to Europe prior to the 13th century, with Jan Van Eyck (1390-1441) of the Northern Renaissance often credited as a key figure in its development. Since then, oil paint has become a vital medium for Western painters. Yet, due to the difficulty of mastering its technique and its high cost, acrylic paint gradually emerged in the 20th century as a more accessible alternative.

Today, the traditional painting technique, regardless of the media, oil, acrylic, watercolor, etc., is challenged by photography and mixed media, and, more recently, manipulation of computer design programs and AI (Artificial Intelligence).  Can photography surpass the realistic depiction of objects? Can AI fully replace painting techniques or human creativity? This exhibition does not intend to provide the answer, but rather to initiate a dialogue.  A dialogue that hopes to lead the audience to pause and to gaze at the contents and techniques of the paintings.

This exhibition, collaborated with Asia Art Center, showcases sixteen painters from the USA, UK, Israel, China, HK, and Taiwan. Some used oil paints, some are acrylic or mixed media, but their goals unanimously achieve the painterly presentation of tangible things, objects, and intangible attachments. The exhibition is divided into four themes: Sensibility, Culture/ Social Commentary, Memory, and Fantasy. Some artists’ works are loaded with multi-layers implications, so the category is simply to assist the viewers to engage with artworks and artist’s concepts, not to limit the spectrum of artistic expressions. 

Beyond culture, race, gender, and age, the exhibition stresses the universality of human emotions. Through the diverse perspectives of these artists, Inner and Outer Worlds seeks to affirm this shared humanity and to inspire new reflections on art and life.