Related Artworks
After the death of the Taiwanese-born, British-residing artist Jo Hsieh, her family set up the Jo Hsieh Arts Foundation to preserve and advocate for her art and literary works. The foundation’s first exhibition will be held at the Tainan Art Museum this year (2023) — and this will also be the first time her works are exhibited at an art museum.
The exhibition features two of Hsieh’s art series: the Blue Powder Pigment Painting series she is known for, and the lesser-known and under-studied Self-Portrait series.
Hsieh also referred to blue as the color of philosophy and even considered blue as the fundamental color in her thought process. Such an understanding of and preference for blue is what compelled her to create monochrome blue paintings after she settled in the UK, and this is the Powder Pigment series of her None-Space collection.
Additionally, the exhibition features Jo Hsieh's lesser-known "Self-Portraits." According to her family, the earliest self-portrait was created in 1992. From September 15, 1993, to July 19, 1999, she drew a self-portrait daily on A4 paper (30.4cm x 22.8cm), though there were some gaps. Her family has counted a total of 1,619 existing works.
The most striking piece in Hsieh’s collection is Self-Portrait 0012, which features a skull on the back that symbolizes death. The self-enquiry into one’s own existence and essence of life prompted her to paint herself on a daily basis. Although she stopped producing these self-portraits in 1999, she still strive to produce a gigantic piece work called Life.
▐ Guiding Units: Tainan City Government Cultural Affairs Bureau, Education Bureau
▐ Organizer: Jo Hsieh Arts Foundation
▐ Co-Organizers: Cheng Shiu University Cultural Heritage Conservation Center, Yung Fei-Fan Art Museum
▐ Sponsor: Kaohsiung City Sanfa Education Foundation
▐ Exhibition Period: October 14, 2023 - November 13, 2023
▐ Location: Tainan Art Museum Building 1 (No. 37, Nanmen Road, West Central District, Tainan City)
