Study for Plants IV

作品賞析

Artist Chang San-Hsueh has planted hundreds of ferns that he has collected on the balcony of his apartment. Since 2022, Chang has begun to put his beloved ferns on canvas and make them the subject of his oil paintings. Study for Plants IV uses the Microsorum punctatum ‘serratum’ as its subject and aims to capture its vitality with oil paint. Ferns are ancient plants that have been around since before the time of the dinosaurs. Taiwan, which straddles the Tropic of Cancer, was just on the boundary for the survival of plants and animals during the Ice Age. When the Ice Age ended, Taiwan became home for a diversity of plants and animals from tropical to cold alpine zones. Chang San-Hsueh feels that his balcony is like a refuge, and that no matter where the ferns have come from, their survival on his balcony is a kind of lucky chance for them. Just as Taiwan’s special geography and environment gave rise to different cultures and histories, their integration is also closely related to the island context.