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Juror's Statement, Sc ul p ture Category Hsieh, Tong-Liang

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This is the 18 year for the Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition of Taichung City, which has become an international competition and exhibition.
The number of overseas submissions has once again grown this year, further proof that this event is now on its way to matching the original vision
of its curator.

We received a total of 79 submissions for the sculpture category, of which 18 were from overseas. There were three works from India, two each from
Poland, Malaysia and China, one each from Montenegro, the Republic of Bulgaria and Israel, and five from Macau. Eleven submitted works including
two international pieces from Malaysia and Bulgaria were selected for the final review following a preliminary review on May 19.

During the final review, 10 pieces received awards, including first, second and third prizes, two awards of merit, and five short-listed works.
For example, Malaysian artist Yeong, Wai-Beng received the Third Prize. Overall, about one-eighth of all participants received awards, including
several local Taiwanese artists.

The First Prize winner, The Result of the Environment No.1 by Lin Kuo-Wei, represents the conflict between human civilization and nature.

This piece makes skillful use of composition and materials, particularly wood, to fittingly portray ideas and provoke thought about the balance in a
co-existence between humans and nature. The subject appears to hold something dirty in their right hand, making us wonder whether the water is
clean enough for swimming or not. This work truly triggers reflection on concerns about the environment.

Second Prize was awarded to Kuo Po-Yu s Stretch , which is not a large-sized piece but very interesting because of its application of
materials. The artist molded a hard material steel with unique skills to soften it like a ceramic. Techniques like welding have been employed
to present contrasting textures that are rigid and flexible, loose and tight, glossy and matte. The textures are in conflict, yet reconciled, to work
together. This truly presents a tai chi like spirit.

The Third Prize artwork, BI-018 by Yeong Wai-Beng, is a ceramic piece. Such works, usually entered into the ceramics category, are not
often seen in the sculpture category. In fact, I believe there is no limitation on what defines the materials for sculptural art. As long as artworks
are presented in a three-dimensional format and provide a tactile element, I believe they can be defined as sculptural art. By contrast, ceramic art
pieces can be recognized as a kind of sculpture if they eliminate certain practical functions. The artist presents this sculpture with elements such
as deities, humans and animals. I see a wide variety of possibilities for interpreting this work. The combination of man and beast shows the link
between humans, nature and divinity. The piece not only displays original ideas and portrays the fantasy of transformation, but also expresses the
artist s underlying perspectives about life and the universe.

The two submissions that received an Award of Merit are excellent. However, the piece Lost-5 (Huang Ming-Chung) has similarities to
previously-submitted works, so it would have been better if the artist s creation could have been more unique in execution. I do believe this artist

has the potential to earn even higher awards in the future. Lu Jia-Wen s piece Motion combines technique and story very well, presenting the
relationship between the cortex and skeleton (body) in motion.

Submitted works have demonstrated development in the use of materials and techniques and participating artists are more international. For
artists hoping to place higher in future competitions, I would advise applying more unique materials and forms to their works.

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