Artwork Appreciation
Iming Mavaliw is a member of the Puyama people. His artworks are inspired and nourished by nature and many facets of life. Permeating is made of driftwood collected from the coast. The texture of the wood is preserved, but the driftwood boards are penetrated by a piece of steel reinforcement as a metaphor for the Suhua Highway cutting through eastern Taiwan. To Iming, both the geological environment and tribal cultures are being penetrated by external forces, except that one is faster and one slower. Although there are people working hard in conservation, their efforts could hardly catch up to the loss and the penetration of indigenous cultures and humanity. Iming Mavaliw uses naturally-formed driftwood in shapes full of tension and vitality and raises issues commonly faced by indigenous peoples.