When Light Meets Darkness

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When Light Meets Darkness

2021.12.11 - 2022.12.11 KCMA Gallery 202

For Parents and Teachers

Once upon a time, all the universe was dark. Except for being dark, it was still dark. Then, there was a great explosion, light appeared, and things became visible!

Light lights up the world, carries hope, and brings life. Without light to provide energy, different species on the earth may have to re-evolve! Plants lean toward the light and thrive; humans start a new day in the morning light. Light affects and dominates our life. Light is a spiritual symbol. Belief in solar deities, such as god of the sun and god of light, is common for indigenous people. For example, in the myth of the Paiwan tribe, their ancestors came from “the eggs laid by the sun,” and therefore there is the so-called “son of the sun.” In the myth of ancient Persia, Mazda is the god of wisdom and the venerable god of light. For Incas who worshipped the god of the sun, they called themselves “the descendants of the sun.”

Apart from natural light, humans produce artificial light. In the long history, an oil lamp, or a candle, has once been a precious resource no matter how faint the light is. Tens of thousands of years ago, humans in the Paleolithic age, possibly because of religious customs, carried torches and stone lamps to draw animal images in dark, narrow, damp and cold caves, bringing the beginning of art. Nowadays, from starry sky to street lights, the evolution of light has changed human life and defined modern cities. We have long forgotten that, in the history of lighting, light has been scarce and expensive.

Light is both scientific and artistic. Rational scientists explain what light is, why the sky is blue, and what a rainbow is. Emotional artists treat natural and artificial light in their works to create mysterious metaphors, use colors to depict changeable light and shadow, and explore various phenomena in unusual ways to shape the light which is hard to capture. Science and art intertwine together, opening the potential consciousness of senses.

This exhibition explores the mystery of light from asking questions, extends the feelings and imagination about light with the artists’ works, and provides opportunities to experience the charm of light and colors through interactive practices. While presenting the profundity and brightness of light, this exhibition leads viewers to gaze at the omnipresence of light.

Supported by Ministry of Culture; Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Kaohsiung City Government
Organized by Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts
Appointed Deformaldehyde Coating Sponsor by HOPAX

Participating Artists
Cheng-Liang Li ˙ Chih-Wei Chuang˙ Yi-Ting Tsai˙Chi-Hsien Tai˙Chun-Chieh Huang, Liang-Yin Lin + FSDC, USC
Participating Illustrators
Chiaos˙ Sin-Fan Lin˙Croter Hung˙ MALIS˙Hung-Yu Chen˙Hsiao-Chi Chang
Poet
Shih-jen Lin