A Wanderer between Heaven and Earth: Yu Peng and His Life Work
Yu Peng was born in 1955 and passed away in 2014. In his 60 years of life, such short span of time, he left a legacy of an astounding number of art pieces. Yu Peng led an extraordinary life. Before martial law in Taiwan was lifted in the 1980s, he traveled around China under the radar of the authorities, and what he experienced left a huge impact on him in terms of both his artistic creations and personal sense of cultural identity. On a usual day, one would find Yu Peng dressed in a cotton shirt and a pair of sandals, living the life of a literatus in his old mansion situated within the city. However, his early sense of identification with traditional Chinese culture and values were repeatedly assaulted by the harsh reality of life, and Yu Peng’s existence became one of contradiction and conflict. This sense of discordance and longing for traditions manifested in Yu Peng’s paintings, infusing them with a dual sense of modernity and heritage. Besides showcasing the maturation of Yu Peng's ink paintings, which are his most iconic works, the exhibition also includes a variety of selected works by the artist, including sketches, watercolor paintings, oil paintings, prints, calligraphy works, and ceramics. The diverse collection of Yu Peng's works created at various points of his life is a recreation of his artistic journey and life.