License to Tradition

作品賞析

Artist Hung Hsuan created the work License to Tradition using materials like tiles and mortar. Drawing on her past experience with gouache, ink painting, and calligraphy, she compared the process of blending gouache and copying calligraphy and paintings to the techniques of cement work and bricklaying at construction sites. Hung Hsuan believes that the marks left by applying the glue are like the brushstrokes of ink painting, and the process of laying down the tiles is like the process of writing calligraphy. This work has six components, which are viewed in the order “right to left, top row to bottom row.” As the tiles are gradually laid, they eventually become like a piece of blank calligraphy paper that is specially used for calligraphy competitions. It also reflects the artist’s belief that everything has a method to its making, and as long as this method is followed, it will “qualify.” Hung Hsuan contrasts the tile-laying technique with ink calligraphy, using double entendre to create a work that elicits a smile.