Artwork Appreciation
Artist Chao Nan-Kai’s artworks emphasize the connections among objects and between objects and people. He uses colors, images, and symbols to convey personal experiences, but leaves room open for interpretation, allowing viewers to project their own lives, memories, and feelings into the work. Therefore, everything in his works is created with black, white, and other colors that do not have any predetermined emotional associations. His work In Front of the Open-Cut Tunnel depicts his inner impression of Taiwan’s northeastern corner. The methods of abstract expression used here allows viewers to freely interpret the textures on the work as geological layers, aerial maps, or other things. Chao Nan-Kai has been trying to explore the painterly nature of glass in his creations. He controls the thickness to produce layers of semi-cream white and a condensed-milk white. The contrasting black and whites form intangible “hidden” and “void” spaces.