Artwork Appreciation
LIN Cheng’s Je ne sais pas encore – Je suis à Paris ink painting integrated the artist’s cultural reflection upon national ties and emotions during her years studying abroad. The artist employed Eastern symbols, transforming his self-image into a serpent ascending towards the skies from the island of Taiwan while looking down at the geography of the occidental world. This work is an extension of the manga-themed work of Dragon Ball from the Holiukan series. The curved horizon symbolizes the gathering of the dragon balls, the emergence of the divine serpent, and the moment where people’s dreams may come true. Panel arrangements from the shape of the Christian cross reflect the concept of Original Sin espoused by Christianity. The cross, however, is slightly off towards the left to accentuate the dynamism of the Dragon and its moving tail. The work also reflects upon the different representations of dragons in Eastern and Western worlds. LIN Cheng made use of ink landscape paintings to focus the viewer’s gaze and create an atmosphere best described by the Zen saying of The Dragon you see is not the Dragon you seek.