Chih-Hung Kuo: The Book of Stone
"Time would pause at certain moments, and lasting emotions would rise. You will become a climber of the Mountain of Time, and when you close the pages of the book, you will return with a deeper soul."
The mountain is a gigantic 鈥渂ook of stone鈥�, the origin and the end of all natural scenery. It serves as a field where humanity can browse the archives of the Earth: between pages, time, personal memories, planetary history, and even human history are inscribed. It has become a memorial book that is both private and public. This exhibition centers on the works of artist Chih-Hung KUO, combining his new interpretations of his long-standing theme of "mountains," exploring time, memory, and natural changes. It is not just a depiction of landscapes but also a concrete expression of the intangible force of "time."
The title is inspired by Mountains of the Mind (Robert Macfarlane, 2003). In the second chapter of the book, it mentions that before Burnet, views on Earth lacked the fourth dimension: time. People once believed that mountainous landscapes were constant and unshakable sacred creations, profoundly shaped by Christianity. Only after Burnet鈥檚 groundbreaking theory was published did people gradually accept that landscapes can change with time.
Gazing at the mountains is a study of landscape. We perceive the same mountain at different times in different ways. Within such macroscopic perspective, dripping water can carve stone, and earthquakes and storms can drastically alter the landscape. Time runs through everything鈥攊t is immaterial, abstract, yet leaves traces on all things. This resonates with KUO鈥檚 creation employing books as a medium: the mineral-based oil paints he uses, much like geological events, shaping landscapes, spiritual vistas, and even time on the surface of paper. Between the sheets are the peaks and valleys of space-time, symbolizing tectonic plate convergence. A montage of the present, past, and future, embodies the seemingly untraceable time and incredible powers battling over centuries, leaving behind ridgelines and ravines.
Our various reactions to landscapes are primarily cultural achievements. "The Book of Stone" is a book about stones, but more importantly, it is a visual poem carried by stones. The physical form of mountains or stones, the structure and format of the book, lie between the abstract and the concrete, allowing the viewer to sense the flow of time at different levels. It breaks linear thinking and cultural boundaries, deconstructing and reconstructing time, landscape changes, and the transformation of human perspectives. This book has nothing to do with names, places, or dates; it is a book of pages interwoven with hope and fear, guiding the viewer to traveling through the mountains to the past and to look forward to the peaks as they imagine the future.
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"Time would pause at certain moments, and lasting emotions would rise. You will become a climber of the Mountain of Time, and when you close the pages of the book, you will return with a deeper soul."
The mountain is a gigantic 鈥渂ook of stone鈥�, the origin and the end of all natural scenery. It serves as a field where humanity can browse the archives of the Earth: between pages, time, personal memories, planetary history, and even human history are inscribed. It has become a memorial book that is both private and public. This exhibition centers on the works of artist Chih-Hung KUO, combining his new interpretations of his long-standing theme of "mountains," exploring time, memory, and natural changes. It is not just a depiction of landscapes but also a concrete expression of the intangible force of "time."
The title is inspired by Mountains of the Mind (Robert Macfarlane, 2003). In the second chapter of the book, it mentions that before Burnet, views on Earth lacked the fourth dimension: time. People once believed that mountainous landscapes were constant and unshakable sacred creations, profoundly shaped by Christianity. Only after Burnet鈥檚 groundbreaking theory was published did people gradually accept that landscapes can change with time.
Gazing at the mountains is a study of landscape. We perceive the same mountain at different times in different ways. Within such macroscopic perspective, dripping water can carve stone, and earthquakes and storms can drastically alter the landscape. Time runs through everything鈥攊t is immaterial, abstract, yet leaves traces on all things. This resonates with KUO鈥檚 creation employing books as a medium: the mineral-based oil paints he uses, much like geological events, shaping landscapes, spiritual vistas, and even time on the surface of paper. Between the sheets are the peaks and valleys of space-time, symbolizing tectonic plate convergence. A montage of the present, past, and future, embodies the seemingly untraceable time and incredible powers battling over centuries, leaving behind ridgelines and ravines.
Our various reactions to landscapes are primarily cultural achievements. "The Book of Stone" is a book about stones, but more importantly, it is a visual poem carried by stones. The physical form of mountains or stones, the structure and format of the book, lie between the abstract and the concrete, allowing the viewer to sense the flow of time at different levels. It breaks linear thinking and cultural boundaries, deconstructing and reconstructing time, landscape changes, and the transformation of human perspectives. This book has nothing to do with names, places, or dates; it is a book of pages interwoven with hope and fear, guiding the viewer to traveling through the mountains to the past and to look forward to the peaks as they imagine the future.
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