Artwork Appreciation
HUANG Yen-Ying’s works are often based upon the differences between ancient and modern knowledge systems. These comparisons were then converted into a visual language in order to provide a deep presentation of the artist’s metaphorical reference to Taiwanese history and modern social mindsets. Stop Right beside God is a photograph taken when HUANG Yen-Ying was a resident at an art village in France. The photograph depicts a large river bed with a small group of people gathering at the middle and surrounded on all sides by the natural and monotonous environment. HUANG Yen-Ying took this scenery from an elevated vantage point, observing this crowd from a god-like perspective as though he’s listening to the prayers of people living in misery upon this far-reaching wilderness. By contrasting the vastness of nature and the tiny sizes of the people within, HUANG Yen-Ying contemplates the value of human souls, with the photograph serving as a metaphor for his observations of human history and geography in order to re-imagine the links between individuals and their societies and histories.