Master calligrapher Shih Chun-mao shares experience exhibiting in Paris

Master calligrapher Shih Chun-mao shares experience exhibiting in Paris

2025-03-05

Today we catch up with veteran calligrapher Shih Chun-mao, who has been practicing calligraphy for over 40 years. After exhibiting in Paris at the end of last year, he recently returned to Taiwan to showcase his works to those who could not make it to France. FTV reporter Stephany Yang sat down with Shih, who shared insights from his overseas trip.

On one side of the script, Shih wrote the Chinese character Hua or flowers in cursive letters. On the other side, he wrote another Hua in black ink. He added color, transforming the assembled characters into a painting.

Shih Chun-mao
Calligrapher
This is the character for flower in cursive script. And here, the flower written in black ink is upside down. This is upright and this is upside down. They are intertwined like this, so I call it a leopard. One color is the color of cinnabar. The other is black ink. I wanted the two characters to look like they are connected. Lastly, I used light blue dots to embellish the whole picture.

Shih has been practicing calligraphy for over 40 years, and teaches classes in his studio and the Presidential Office. After displaying his works Impressions in Paris last November and December, he recently held an exhibition in Taipei that paid tribute to the tradition of calligraphy art while seeking innovation and breakthroughs. Shih is renowned for combining calligraphy and painting, showcasing the infinite possibilities and contemporary value of the art. He says visiting Paris gave him a lot of new inspiration for his future works.

Shih Chun-mao
Calligrapher
There are about 30 to 40 pieces on display in this exhibition, including 40 small pieces. French artists tend to express more using abstract art. My works all break away from tradition and create more abstract or semi-abstract works. After I went to France, I felt that in France I was not just going to exhibitions, but absorbing the new concepts of artistic pursuits by French artists. The path I want to take in the future is different now. I want to use the concept of abstract paintings I saw in France. I took a lot of photos of France.

At 83 years old, Shih is still very passionate about calligraphy and hopes to continue pushing boundaries in this ancient art form.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

施春茂書法回顧展探討東西方藝術境界

2025-03-05

融合書法與繪畫的藝術家施春茂，投入書法長達40多年，他的作品尋求創新與突破。去年底在巴黎舉辦個展，圓滿成功。回台後，更推出法國書藝展的台北回顧展。一起來聽聽他去巴黎的感想!

這幅作品，施春茂分別用紅色及黑色墨水，以草書形式寫下漢字「花」。藝術家運用色彩和字體風格，將文字轉變成一幅畫。

[[書法家施春茂]]
"這個是草書的花，然後這邊呢，是用黑墨寫的花是顛倒。這是正的，這是負的，這樣互相穿插，所以我叫它花豹。一個顏色是硃砂的顏色，這個是用原來的水墨的書寫的材料。整個畫面要讓這兩個花互相有連結，再用淺藍色的點滴，把整個畫面點綴"

施春茂投入書法已有40多年，並在自己工作室和總統府授課。去年11月、12月在巴黎舉辦個展圓滿成功，回台後，施春茂也在台北舉辦回顧展，向傳統書法藝術致敬，同時尋求創新與突破。施春茂生以書畫結合而聞名，展現了藝術的無限可能性和當代價值。他說這趟去巴黎帶給他許多新的靈感。

[[書法家施春茂]]
"這次展覽展出差不多30到40件，包括小件的40 件。法國的藝術家比較偏向抽象藝術的表現，我的作品都是脫離原來傳統，然後創作比較具有抽象或是半抽象的作品。我去到法國以後，回來感覺在法國不只是去展覽，而是去吸收這個法國的藝術家對藝術追求的新的觀念，我以後要走的路要不一樣，我要透過在法國參觀的抽象畫的觀念。我拍了很多法國的照片回來"

83歲的施春茂對書法充滿熱情，希望繼續突破傳統藝術形式的界限。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週日至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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Miniatures have gotten popular in recent years. In this art form, artists make1:64 to-scale models of real scenes. One such artist, Ko Ta-tung, worked as an advertiser for over 20 years. In 2008, he threw himself into making miniature models. A lover of Taiwan’s unique night market culture, Ko creates miniatures from his imagination that are quintessentially Taiwanese. Ko makes sure that every market stall is not just tiny but precise. Let’s take a look at his work...

People bustle around night market stalls, making for a lively scene.

Lee Kuan-kuan
FTV reporter
It looks like drone footage of a typical Taiwanese street scene. But it’s actually an entirely handmade, 1:64 scale model.

If you look closely, even the food on the tables is realistic. Every ingredient of the pan-seared steak is essential. Not a single one is missing. At the stall next door, to make the surface of the pan-fried buns look crispy, the artist has to use different colors.

Ko Ta-tung
Miniature artist
It’s a little difficult to make it so small while also being extremely realistic. I believe that when making something like a steak, you need to have a steak as well as the egg. All the accoutrements of a food stall.

Ko Ta-tung used to work as an advertiser for over 20 years. In 2008, he started posting his artwork online of miniature versions of Taiwanese night markets. He’s loved visiting night markets since he was a kid, and dreamed of creating his own quintessentially Taiwanese art.

Ko Ta-tung
Miniature artist
For this mirror, I thought for two months about how to make it reflective. I tried out so many things. It had to be small and curved, as well as reflective.

It’s not enough to just draw a sketch, print out a 3D model and paint it. In order for a piece to be this realistic and possess a soul of its own, you have to try all kinds of paints and materials, in addition to having a delicate hand.

Wearing a magnifier, he paints on every detail on one by one. This food cart is now complete. To make an entire night market, the next step is for Ko to try making a “boss” of this little fiefdom.

Ko Ta-tung
Miniature artist
I’ll first photograph a few examples. Yeah, like the apron and some hand gestures. Then I can make the feel I want of the people and stall owners.

From visualizing the scene to the finished product, Ko does everything himself to make his imagination concrete. His small workshop is packed with his artwork. One day, he hopes to hold an exhibition to show more people his miniature versions of Taiwanese life.

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Pingtung postie stays calm with dedicated tai chi practice

A Pingtung postal worker has attracted attention with his tai chi prowess. The Pingtung postman has been practicing the traditional Chinese martial art since fifth grade. Now he teaches it during his free time. Shen Hsin-hung has even won a gold medal at the Citizens Sports Games, Taiwan’s prestigious amateur athletics contest. We met up with Shen to learn how this gentle martial art fits into his life.

Postal worker Shen Hsin-hung sets off on his scooter, in a green uniform, with a wad of mail to deliver.

Shen Hsin-hung
Postal worker
I used to work as a substitute teacher in schools. It wasn’t very stable. So, up came this exam for the post office, and I’ve been doing this ever since, 13 years.

He winds his way through the streets of Gaoshu Township in Pingtung, deftly stuffing each letter into its recipient’s mailbox. But it’s a tiring job. How do you imagine he manages the exhaustion? He has a special practice.

Shen Hsin-hung
Postal worker
I relieve some of the exhaustion through tai chi. It’s an exercise that’s about preserving and nurturing energy. So I actually feel great and very energetic after I’ve been practicing.

He changes into a tai chi uniform. He’s been practicing the martial art since the fifth grade. After he entered the post office in 2011, he eventually began teaching tai chi in Fulun Temple in his hometown, Changzhi Township, and promoting the practice.

Shen Hsin-hung
Postal worker
Martial arts films used to be very popular, so that was a motivation for me. On a physical level, of course, it does make the body basically a bit stronger. But the main thing is that it can help to calm your heart and mind.

Shen’s years of practice have borne fruit: in recent years he has won accolades at the Citizens Sports Games.

Shen Hsin-hung
Postal worker
I’ve taken part in the Citizens Sports Games six or seven times. My highest achievement was a gold medal, yeah. A further achievement would of course be if I can win gold three years in a row.

Tai chi is about the marriage of strength and softness, a practice that can be seen in Shen’s movements, but also in his life as he combines his passion for the martial art with his service to the mail.

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Thomas Demand’s touring exhibition comes to Taipei

A worldwide tour to exhibit the works of German conceptual artist Thomas Demand is now in Taipei. Nearly 70 large-scale photographic works, wallpaper installations, and moving image pieces aim to challenge viewers to reflect on the nature of visual imagery. FTV reporter Stephany Yang takes us in for a look!

This is a photo from a press conference held by US President Donald Trump in 2017. Or, is it? German artist Thomas Demand recreated the scene from paper before he captured it on camera.

Sung Yu-mei
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Another work by Demand was created using 270,000 paper leaves to create a forest.

Sung Yu-mei
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He was curious about the difference between the man-made and the natural world. He used 270,000 paper leaves, paper cut into the shape of leaves, to make this work. For him, the lighting was also very important. He tried a lot of lighting from different directions, and finally adjusted it to one that he felt was very consistent with the feeling of the dreamy forest that everyone imagined.

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Sung Yu-mei
TFAM media associate
He will use images of historical or social events as his subject matter. He will use paper to build the scene true-to-scale. After the construction is completed, he will use lights to make the scene look like the original image. He wants to challenge whether images are objective and legitimate media. What is the gap between images and reality? The last exhibition Demand took part in Taipei was at the Taipei Biennale in 2002, which marked the 10th of his creative career. This time, after more than 20 years, he presented a 30-year retrospective, which contains nearly 70 of his works, from which we can see his unique creative method of integrating sculpture and photography.

The paper models are destroyed after Demand gets the shot he wants. The object thus fades but the image remains. The exhibition will be held at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum until May 11.

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2025-03-05