Today we take you to meet Taiwanese artist Tseng Shang-jie. For years, he has devoted himself to wood carving. He is now showing off his creations in a solo exhibition in Taipei. FTV reporter Stephany Yang spoke to Tseng to learn more about his artistic vision.

The wood has been carved into figurines of people you see in Taiwanese everyday life. Artist Tseng Shang-jie’s sculptures are often inspired by his observations of people on Taiwan’s streets. In his latest exhibition "Wanping,” he was inspired by the greenery at Wanping Park in New Taipei City. He has carefully crafted sculptures of skaters, a baseball player, a graffiti artist, and more.

Tseng Shang-jie
Artist
The difficulty lies in hollowing out the middle of the sculpture, and not carving out too much. When I attempt this, I try to maintain each step of the process. I want to retain the wood’s value, so I try my best not to overdo it. I spend a lot of time deciding whether I will make a cut or not. Therefore, this piece of work was time-consuming. It took about half a year because I couldn’t do it too fast.

Another series on display is “Hunter.” It was inspired by the COVID pandemic and Tseng’s observations of the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Tseng Shang-jie
Artist
I created the “Hunter” series in 2021. I wanted to respond to the pandemic. Everyone was waiting for the lockdown to be lifted and for good news. I think the hunter also plays the same role, waiting for his prey and the perfect time to take action. I was creating this work just before the Russia-Ukraine war started. At that time, I saw news that Russia fired missiles and blew up a Ukrainian TV station. I was very concerned about this.

Tseng graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sculpture from the National Taiwan University of Arts. Tseng has devoted himself to wood carving for many years. Over the past two or three years, he has begun to explore other materials for crafting his works.

Tseng Shang-jie
Artist
I wanted to be more creative about general wood carving. I realized that wood is a fiber material. Since it is a fiber material, many things around me are also fiber, such as paper and rope. I put plaster, soil, things used in construction or architecture, into my works.

Tseng’s solo exhibition will be on display till June 8 at the Dynasty Gallery in Taipei.

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