The Stability Anchor and the New Bridge between the East and the West-
Evaluation of Li-Jen and the Venice Biennale Exhibition | Hai-yun Huang


Venice, a water town, is also known as an art center for hundreds of years in the Europe. It is the birthplace of numerous art masters and treasures. In between summer and spring, the canal and the harbor are shrouded in mist, adding another layer of romantic feeling within this ancient city. In the Giardino Della Marinaressa along the banks of Adriatic, the rising sun dispels some fogs and reveals the scene: a titanium-made horn first appears and then pulls out a giant crystal-like rhino sculpture. It is dazzling and its polygonal geometry makes one wonder whether this huge creature wasn't comes from the outer space. This work is made by Taiwanese artist Li-Jen Shih and it is titled King Kong Rhino. Giardino Della Marinaressa is not only a beautiful park but also one of the most important stages for Venice Biennale. King Kong Rhino, located in this place, is a big surprise and shocking landmark for people coming from all over the world. Looking up, a tremendous sculpture made out of stainless glass is glittering under the bright sunlight. The soaring rhino horn is pointing directly to the sky, showing that the rhino is steadfast and guard the park with absolute loyalty and devotion.


The Conversion of the Rhino's Obstinate Strength


According to ancient records, the rhino horn had once been thought as a flood control artifact; therefore the rhino has been deified as a auspicious creature - living in the sea and arrest the tempest. That King Kong Rhino along the sea is pointing directly toward Santa Maria Della Salute. Confucianists believe that the rhino horn represent a reverence to the god. Under a western context, Gothic spires are also thought to be a route to the heaven. Through out the history, it was first time that they confronted each other. Taking a broad view, the King Kong Rhino is facing Venice and its square. It stands as stable as a giant stone, showing its great strength and fitting into its surrounding environment. One can feel its happy and contented and nonparallel transcendence. The most famous landmark in Wall Street in New York in the USA is an enormous raging golden bull which is defiant, bowing to rush amuck and wildly. In fact, what we see is a portrayal of social selection by fighting each other and striving for succeeding in the typical urban jungle of America. On the contrary to the rhino of Shih, which is steady, calm, and dignified that is the virtue of an oriental humble gentleman. Yet, its towering horn is positively symbolized fortitude spirits for equality and justice in Chinese culture.


The virtue and symbol of Rhino King Kong pioneers an advent of spirits of new age.


Venice Biennale is a well-known international stage for artists and it is among the highest level within the art world. Every participant is dreaming of this chance and they could die for it. However, because most of the decisions are made by the government, it is plausible that such decisions are influenced by human factors, making many exhibited works homogeneous and obscure. Their qualities vary tremendously. To me, that is huge rue. Luckily, European Cultural Center and GAA Foundation chose and invited Li-Jen to join the show this year. Curators Valeria Romagnini and Lucia Pedrana travelled around the world and picked Li-Jen as their top choice. "The Reappearing of King Kong Rhino - The Circle of Life is Endless" is feature at Venice as one of the most important work. This time, Li-Jen's works were allocated into two separate rooms. This prestigious opportunity is without precedent.


About 30 years ago, I met Mr. Li-Jen while I just came back from the United States and started teaching in the Department of Fine Arts in Tunghai University. At the same time, he had already begun his own Art Gallery business. This gentleman was young, handsome, elegant, and charming. His intelligence especially impressed me. His galley was full of people and is known for its extraordinary taste. Once I was invited to see an exhibition but accidentally saw Li-Jen's art work on the top roof. I knew he was truly a talented artist since then. For years, the gallery became even more flourishing, and Mr. Shih constantly traveled around the world to Europe, America, and China, inviting well-known masters as: Rodin, Cesar, Zao Wou-Ki, Chu Ten-Chun, Armsan, and Hiquily to exhibit their works. Travelling around and visiting exhibitions in variety has broadened Shih horizons and views. When we met together, he always showed me some small unfinished figurines he made: raging from a naked crudely female sculpture, distinctive drawings of cheetah, to miniature sculptures as Taiwan native dog and rhinoceros. His works became more and more delicate. Since then, I realized that his busy work can never stop him from his passion for creation. As a man with a successful career like Shih, at first I couldn't help but think it might be just his pursuing hobby of creating works for fun, he must be not too out of mind to draw himself to be an artist, and who would have thought he is not just having fun!


While studied abroad in the United States, I had ask many artists about essential destiny of mankind and regardless of the minor variations, people were calling two major ways: one is a calling from a remove field which wants you to return to the basics and the nature, living away from bustle life in the city. Just like a wolf that accepts calling of wild turns back to its forest. Another calling is from one's heart, or say that one is gifted of art, for one who actually owns the talent. No matter what he is making, eventually they will response to their desire and devote himself to art. Paul Gauguin, a Securities Dealers, and Van Gogh, a pastor; they all follow their heart and created beautiful art pieces left to us to appreciate. Shi has achieved fame and fortune from his own gallery, yet in his mind there must be some kind of voice summoned, and finally motivated him devote himself into art. Time flies, to respond to that mysterious calling deep rooted his heart, Shi has managed to create Rhino Family and King Kong Rhino series, which represent the attainment and efforts of his twenty-year life span. Straddling on the back of his Rhino, Shih looks vigorous. It seems like time changed him in some but not all aspects. Time wrinkled some wise lines on his glowing forehead, and colored his black hair into silver white. However, with a lean but familiar figure, he was still that gentleman in my mind.


Past experiences allows Li-Jen to broaden his horizon further. In a contemporary art world, only those with great curiosity and intelligence could foresee the fad and trend. Li-Jen combines cherished traditions and modern beliefs as well as borrows the symbolic meaning of rhinos as his main theme. He is very clever and talented. All the rhinos he made become sighs of promising future. The rigidity and the perseverance of the rhinos show their remonstrance toward the past. They are sure the guardians.


Family Ethics and Humane Sympathy


"Rhino Family", created by Li-Jen Shih, is a unique subject that is rarely appeared in the art realms in both Eastern and Western. The moderate heavy rhinos, calm and inaccessible creatures, live alone in remote forests; yet, they were slaughtered by man and endangered due to its horn is considered precious medicinal herbs. During this Venice Biennale, Li-Jen's rhino array represents an ideology toward natural harmony. Shih features realistically how a group of rhinos getting along with each other and intimate relationship of a family, which arrest audiences to be affected by the warmth and care of a family in life. Another installation "The Circle of Life is Endless" reveals the cruelty of human nature and disclose their atrocity. By making huge contrast, Shih aims to call for sympathy among people and advocate for an eternal peace.


Romantic Ideology and Tragic Heroism


The rise of Romanticism and Neoclassicism between eighteenth and nineteenth century represent higher moral principles among the middle class; supplant the declining extravagant French court and nobility. It is a new age for heroic spirits, an age of fiery spirits, to create works for large-format portraits of Napoleon and his France court artists, Symphony No. 3 Eroica and No. 5 Fate by Beethoven, the "1812" by Tchaikovsky, etc. Nowadays in 21st century, creating weird image incredibly exaggerated, praising those twisted faces and bodies, or even those to simulate innocently and puerile cartoon and caricature art, is glutted the world of art with some kind of odd phenomenon, and the factor of degeneration and sagging becomes a fashionable selling point. Whereas Shih creates King Kong Rhino and indicate a positive bright attitude and heroic spirit toward art, to revive romantic and a concept of hero, and to inspire new thought for next era.


The Inspiration of Gothic spires – Beyond Enthusiasm


To be a masterpiece does not mean only counting on the form of its outlook or the matter that being used, but also the inner spirit of humanity and connotation which roles soul of it. To see Li-Jen's King Kong Rhino whose head rises and the titanium horn is soaring upward to the sky, that is associated with the lofty spires, a symbolic value of cohesion of supreme enthusiasm for Christianity that was pervasive during the late middle ages in Europe.


Christian civilization originated in southern Europe of Italy and Rome, and then spread over into Nordic. Even covered a dome to represent God's hand of pacifying, this traditionally idealized classical architecture of Greece and Rome hardly afford those energetic, endless enthusiasm of Nordic young soul, it has to therefore be concentrated the enthusiasm and energy in the top of spires for reaching up the unknown end, and their desire for approaching the glory of supreme belief to satisfy their longing. The King Kong Rhino, as large as a building, has dressed a rugged spine sustained by four pillars of feet of rhino and the firming geometric surface as if uneven walls of modern architecture. A lifting movement starts from its head through its neck that has transformed the rational, balanced calmly body into emotion and determination, and gathered upward enhanced until the entire passion reaching the tip of titanium horn.


The fantastic essence of art is the method of transforming materials. Michelangelo transformed a piece of marble into vital David, and Ingres turned paint into delicate skin. It is said in a poem of an ancient Chinese "Keep going until clouds gather overhead, wait and see it falls in rain." The materials on earth might be narrow and limited, as well as the Gothic spires and the titanium horn of rhino make no possible to extend upward unlimited; however, the tip of its horn have nothing to restrict its fate, for it is a new start right after material transformed, like Gothic spires that pushes the enthusiasm of belief upward to supreme heavenly high. The titanium horn gathers his strength and enthusiasm deep in the heart of Shih, and it seems transformable into a certain spiritual belief as invisible arrows of light shooting into the sky. For Li-Jen, titanium horn is the coherence of his passion and faith, leading him to create art and in search of meaningful life through his entire life.


Finally, I would like to quote a female art critic Yi-Chun Shih's words. In one of her article, she deeply discussed the inner spirit and meaning behind Li-Jen's art creation. Her words are pertinent and accurate therefore I want to borrow it as a conclusion of my writing -


"Today, three centuries later, Taiwanese artist Li-Jen Shih brought rhinos to Venice and Europe again. His King Kong Rhino series is no longer just a realistic depiction of rhinos as animals; moreover, the artist has merged his own thought and his understanding about Chinese culture into his works of art. He uses those pieces to express his artistic concept, while advocate for the protection of ecological system. One can hardly see cruelty or atrocity in his work since Li-Jen has long dedicated on passing positive energy through his art."



Sep., 2017

The former Dean of Fine Art Department and President of College of Liberal of Tunghai University