Artwork Appreciation
HOU Chun-Ming’s A Drop of Water in Need, Shall Be Returned with a Spring in Deed. (literally: Receive a drop and return a well) takes apart the Chinese characters and re-assembles various elements into a single, novel pictographic work. This eight Chinese characters are disassembled into independent components and strokes that are then re-arranged, like shredded information put back together against a white background. The shapes and aesthetics of characters are expressed by the artist through the combination of characters and paintings. Words have always played an important role in HOU Chun-Ming’s works and the artist believes that runes are simply untamed characters, while characters are simply runes deprived of its magic. The artwork re-visualizes the text and conveys the expansive forces and energies of Chinese characters.