Wrinkled Texture<\/em>\u00a0works.\u00a0<\/p>\nWu Chi-Tsung was initially drawn to the cyanotype \u2013 an early form of photography requiring only basic chemicals and sunlight \u2013 in response to the rise of digital photography. For Chi-Tsung, what digital photography loses, and what his cyanotypes capture, is the medium\u2019s openness to chance and its connection to the material world, qualities that make each cyanotype unique.<\/p>\n
Chi-Tsung\u2019s renowned\u00a0Cyano-Collage<\/em>\u00a0series synthesize his dual interests in Chinese landscape painting and experimental photography. This process begins by washing sheets of Xuan rice paper in photo-sensitive materials, which, when dried, Chi-Tsung creases by hand and exposes to sunlight. The subsequent abstract elements are collaged together on aluminum panels.\u00a0<\/p>\nThe resulting images are open to interpretation perhaps evoking sublime mountainous landscapes or tumultuous seascapes. With their stunning formal cohesion and classical grandeur, the\u00a0Cyano-Collages<\/em>\u00a0belie the inventive process of their creation.\u00a0<\/p>\nWhile Chi-Tsung conjures his panoramas through experimental photography, his use of the cyanotype process retains a connection to both the artist\u2019s hand and the natural world. In this way, Chi-Tsung captures the spiritual depth of Eastern painting traditions dating back over a thousand years, while renewing it with a contemporary aesthetic.<\/p>\n
In the new\u00a0Wrinkled Texture Fading Origin<\/em>\u00a0series the diptych and quadriptych works begin with a single, full sheet of exposed cyanotype paper. This print then becomes the basis for recursive cyanotypes within the same work, with each image becoming the negative for the adjacent sheet. The result is a mesmerizing shift between blue and white tones, where the original image gradually dissipates into a field of color. This process captures the ephemeral and transient qualities of the natural world whilst also emphasizing the slight, irreproducible differences unique to analog processes. By double-exposing the paper and exploring the faded origin of the image, the\u00a0Wrinkled Texture Fading Origin<\/em>\u00a0series reflect Chi-Tsung\u2019s commitment to advancing the medium while preserving the poetic, tactile qualities of analog photography.<\/p>\nWu Chi-Tsung believes his generation is the last to transition from analog to digital photography, a shift that profoundly informs his practice. Unlike digital images, where copies retain perfect fidelity, analog processes embrace subtle variations that reflect their individuality.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In his\u00a0Cyano-Collage<\/em>\u00a0series, breathtaking images emerge from the meticulous accumulation of numerous cyanotype prints, while his\u00a0Wrinkled Texture<\/em>\u00a0works explore cycles of emergence and disappearance through innovative multiple exposures. Together, these works emphasize the conceptual depth, material innovation, and aesthetic sensitivity that define Chi-Tsung\u2019s body of work.<\/p>\nThe exhibition also presents Wu Chi-Tsung\u2019s new mechanical sculpture titled\u00a0Calligraphy Study 00<\/em>3, which features water-writing cloth attached to a motorized unit that is mounted vertically on the wall. Visitors are invited to turn on the machine and use a brush to write on the moving cloth, an interactive element that, for Chi-Tsung, symbolizes the rapid changes in society.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n