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Crafts

Juror's Statement

WEI Yan-Shun

The Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition is one of Taiwan’s most prestigious international art competitions, bringing together outstanding craftworks from
both domestic and global artists. Each piece reflects the creator’s dedication, skill, and ingenuity, offering refreshing originality in material application,
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technical innovation, and conceptual expression. For the 30 Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition, the Craft Category received a total of 131 entries, including 2
from overseas. The judging was conducted by five jurors through a rigorous process of professional preliminary review and comprehensive re-evaluation.
Every effort was made to ensure fairness and objectivity: meticulous scrutiny, multiple rounds of voting, and careful reconsideration of works with tied
scores to avoid any regrettable omissions. While the diversity of materials, spatial forms, and artistic styles often defies direct comparison, this in no way
diminishes the creative value of each piece. Drawing on the jurors’ expertise across various craft disciplines, and despite the challenge of selecting from
among many exceptional works, the final awards included First, Second, and Third Prizes, three Awards of Merit, and nine Shortlisted Works. In reaching
these decisions, the jury sought a balance among material expression, creative vision, and style, with the aim of selecting works that represent the highest
standards of contemporary craft.
First Prize-winning “Golden Harvest & Hamster Trails” employs bamboo carving techniques with the theme of wheat and field mice to portray the
harmonious coexistence and poetic beauty of agricultural ecology. Crafted from the rhizome of moso bamboo with the stem intact, it makes use of
bamboo’s toughness and fine texture to achieve an elegant layering. The overlapping wheat ears are rendered with exquisite detail, the curved leaves
flow gracefully, and the mice, sculpted in the round, are lively and spirited. The piece reflects the beauty of Eastern craftsmanship in bamboo carving while
conveying a meditation on nature’s symbiosis: the mouse symbolizes agility and vitality, the wheat represents abundance and hope, together evoking the
image of wind sweeping through a wheat field as shadows of mice emerge — an allegory of ecological harmony.
Second Prize-winning “Bee-Seeking” is a ceramic work reflecting on social issues. It addresses the alarming decline in bee populations in recent years,
linked to human activity, pesticide use, and poor nutrition. The flowers are partially composed of bees’ wings, expressing the inseparable relationship
between bees and plant ecology, and conveying a deep concern for environmental protection and ecological balance. Third Prize-winning “A Thousand
Eyes Observing the Heart” was fired in a wood kiln without glaze. This work uses different clay bodies to depict a thousand eyes. From different angles,
the world appears differently. The “thousand eyes” symbolize boundless wisdom, observing the world with freedom and clarity, resonating with the artist’s
ongoing inner dialogue on the creative journey. It suggests that enlightenment is not a tangible object but wisdom attained by cutting off worldly afflictions.
A shift in perspective can itself be a form of wisdom, and the piece presents the act of observing one’s own mind.
Award of Merit-winning “Freeflow Beyond Boarders” is inspired by the imagery of a treasure chest, depicting goldfish swimming gracefully and leisurely
in water. In traditional culture, “carp leaping over the dragon gate” and “watching fish” are auspicious symbols of joy and refinement. Carved with varied
forms of fish, the box reveals new scenes as it is turned, adding layers of delight. The intricate kinma carving and layered lacquer with silver flecks evoke
glimmering bubbles and the gentle flutter of fins, showcasing ingenious craftsmanship that captivates the viewer. “Blossom in Splashing” is shaped on
the wheel from No. 31 porcelain clay, then further modeled and carved. The piece depicts flower buds and splashing water outlines. Layered celadon and
platinum glazes embellish the form, with the teapot lid inlaid with a metal pistil, merging ceramics with other materials in delicate harmony. Inspired by
the moment a bud first opens, nourished by water, the design treats water as the soul and the bud as form: the pot base and cup saucers transform into
splashes that echo the flower-bud body of the teapot and cups, creating a poetic interplay of motion and stillness. “Wait to See Rising Clouds” is a set of
lacquer ware composed of wood, lacquer, eggshell, mother-of-pearl inlay, pearlescent powders, and gold leaf. It captures the moving scenery encountered
while climbing mountains. Whether pausing mid-ascent or reaching the summit, raising one’s eyes to see clouds rising slowly from the valleys and drifting
with the wind toward distant peaks brings a sense of exhilaration. Abalone shell inlay is used to depict overlapping mountain ranges, while eggshell and
mother-of-pearl of various hues portray clouds ascending in sunlight, preserving the beauty of the moment and the artist’s state of mind.
Craft creation is the pursuit of an ideal through the interplay of materials, technique, and individual creativity, culminating in works of precision and
beauty. It is our hope that more artisans from diverse fields will participate in the future, using the Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition as a platform for exchange
and collaboration between Taiwanese and international craftspeople, jointly advancing the innovation and development of the craft arts.