Ju Ming: Sculpting life
August 28, 2004 | 12:00am
The scale of the Sky is high and clear. The scale of the Earth is vast and deep. The Sky enlaces the Landscape with the wind and clouds. The Earth animates the Landscape with the rivers and rocks. It is only through capturing the scale of the Sky and Earth that one may probe the unpredictable mutations of Landscape. – artist/theorist Shitao of the Ming Dynasty
By exploring the unpredictable changes of landscape and by placing at its heart his large sculptural creations, Ju Ming makes his presence felt via sculptures that project all the objective qualities of natural things.
Ju Ming is a globally recognized name in the field of sculpture. Synonymous with his name are the ruggedly-carved figures depicting the different taichi movements. And when Ju Ming’s name crops up, the "Taichi Series" immediately comes to mind.
In the early part of his career, these sculptural forms mystified his viewers but nevertheless made an unforgettable impact. Essentially, these figures became the standard symbols of Ju Ming’s career, and paved the way for more poignant creations that inevitably led to his fame today.
In the early ’80s, Luz Gallery, the local art gallery that pioneered the promotion of modern art in the Philippines, presented an exhibition of Ju Ming, a Chinese artist from Taiwan. No other gallery in Asia was probably as bold and updated in educating the public on modern art than Luz Gallery and therefore, even artists from neighboring countries like Hong Kong and Taiwan came to Manila to exhibit. Like Ju Ming, most of these artists, who are now established and famous, would have Luz Gallery in their books.
If appreciation for modern art appears to have taken off in the Philippines somehow, Luz Gallery was responsible for that. However, even gallery aficionados would attest to the fact that art appreciation had generally been directed toward paintings or artworks that were mounted on the wall. Sculpture was not given much attention. If at all, very few came out and most of them were traditional and figurative. Apart from Japan, all Asian countries were similarly not comfortable with modern sculpture. For this reason, Ju Ming’s first sculpture exhibit in Manila proved to be too "pioneering" to be appreciated. One can imagine the mixed, if not perplexed, reaction to the purely unconventional, in fact avant-garde, work of Ju Ming.
Now considered one of modern day’s greatest Chinese sculptors, Ju Ming (born 1938) is an established name in Asia, the United States and Europe. His Taichi Series, which in the beginning he carved from hard wood, has now evolved into a more challenging material: Bronze. The casting process has also enabled Ju Ming to explore larger pieces which brought him to exhibitions in Europe, gracing such honorable institutions as the Pergammom Museum in Berlin and Place Vendome in Paris. In 1999, the Ju Ming Museum opened in Taiwan, a culmination of his dream to have a home for all his masterpieces in his home country. It has become a major cultural spot and a must for every artist who visits Taiwan.
Alittle background on the artist will show once again that by recognizing God’s gift, anyone can realize his divine potential. Ju Ming was born to a poor family in Taiwan. At 15, he apprenticed under a traditional Buddhist master craftsman whose works were mainly religious sculptures for Buddhist temples. It was during this time that Ju Ming discovered his own passion to create things that were not the traditional pieces he did at work. Eventually, recognizing that he had clashing ideas with his teacher whose style totally differed from what he wanted to do, he decided to apprentice under Taiwan’s most famous nontraditional sculptor, Yu Yu Yang. Yang’s modern approach to art served as a vital inspiration to Ju Ming’s creative development.
At that time, Ju Ming was also immersed in the practice of taijiquan or taichi boxing. The discipline the sport required played a key role in Ju Ming’s diligence and perseverance in mastering his craft. The martial art and meditative practice, having been so integrated with his life-philosophy at that time, therefore also became the logical theme of his works, which greatly emphasized the relationship between positive and negative space, otherwise explained as " fullness or emptiness " or the yin and yang. These values formed the foundation that enabled Ju Ming to establish his artistic identity. Thus, he created his first body of works called the Taichi Series – a visually engaging collection of abstract human figures in different martial arts positions depicting the exercise.
The Taichi Series is the distilled product of Ju Ming’s creative process. One can assume that these works are more "disciplinary" in that they are based on existing principles of centuries-old martial arts tradition. These principles are then harnessed and interpreted three-dimensionally by an individual who turns them into solid, yet dynamic, forms. The artist explains, "Practicing taichi with one’s body and hands is, in fact, the same thing as sculpting with one’s hands. Nothing I accomplish has been calculated beforehand. Until now, nothing in my life or my creations, including the subjects I choose, has been preconceived".
Visually, the Taichi Series can be described as "climax captured in stasis" — as Jean-Luc Chalumeau, author of Ju Ming’s book, stated, "balance kept in the midst of disequilibrium." Rightly so, Ju Ming’s Taichi Series could only have been created in a meditative state, where instinct collaborates subliminally with personal experience. Thus, these artworks no longer necessitate the figurative details of the human form. Rather, they suggest the intense energy of a distinct moment or inchoative movement.
The captivating figures have varying levels of abstraction – solitary figures tend to have more detail than the interlocking ones such as his renowned arches. These initially resemble huge doorways although actually, upon closer examination, they are seen to be two human figures with their limbs locked together in keeping with the spirit of the martial arts. Perhaps the arches have less recognizable features because of the artist’s purpose: "To convey the forces exchanged between two individuals in opposing positions while projecting the intensity of their mental states." These are concrete representations of the otherwise abstract concepts that transcend the body in taichi interaction. In placing these figures in open spaces such as the rocky or sandy beaches by the sea, Ju Ming captures the harmony between chi (life force) and the environment.
The bronze stone simulations of the Taichi Series are site-specific. Ideal environments are outdoors, where earth, water and sky meet. One cannot help but feel that Ju Ming has somehow redefined Naturalism in the sense that his creations establish the identity of his existence, while remaining unobtrusive to nature. Through time, patination naturally occurs. Therefore, the works’ surfaces continue to physically change just as their surroundings do.
To this series Ju Ming dedicates his foremost, most difficult material – cast bronze. He creates the figures by means of a chain and hack saw on a styrofoam block. Then, by sand-casting the reshaped styrofoam, he is able to create the mold in which the molten bronze can be poured into.
On a philosophical basis, Ju Ming suggests a parallel between the paintbrush and his chain and hack saw. Initially, it was hard to see the connection between two such disparate objects – the painting process does not drastically follow a subtractive method such as Ju Ming’s creation of form. However, one later realizes that in calligraphy and Chinese brush painting, there is no room for error – and in the same way, Ju Ming’s art is as precise.
Despite Ju Ming’s disciplined lifestyle, he also has a profound fascination for humanity. This may have been brought about by his having lived in both Eastern and Western cultures. As a result, he also has a body of works called "Living World Series" – a sequence of animated human figures which started from the most obscure materials, such as sponge, wood , paper, clay … even breadcrumbs and, as the artist declares, " … any material that inspires [him] – from steel to wisps of hay."
The Living World collection, also shown outdoors, addresses the inquisitive side of Ju Ming’s character. They consist of reflections from childhood to the modern society in combination with his explorations of different media which also include: Ink on paper, collage, and even stainless steel – along with his now staple material, bronze. This major series of sculptures developed into being the more figurative and colorful. They portray people in the midst of today’s technologically enhanced environment.
The Living World Series celebrates the fact that life is no longer equivalent to just surviving. It lures one’s thoughts onto the simple pleasures of life, where we encounter Ju Ming’s subjects such as people leisurely sitting on a park bench, people holding out umbrellas in anticipation of rain, or people engaging in popular hobbies and sports – such luxuries we generally overlook because we no longer have to live in the "eat or be eaten" environment of primitive society.
Also attributed to being the more Pop-oriented series of Ju Ming’s work, the Living World Series reflects humankind coping with our contemporary surroundings. Today’s younger generation would probably more easily identify Ju Ming with this new body of works whose theme is people and how most of us behave today. Apart from using his own experiences as bases, Ju Ming shows how he has been able to adapt his traditional background to the present times and the overwhelming advancements in technology.
I see it more simply – The Living World Series serves as a counter balance to the Taichi Series. While the former is a distillation of artistic prowess, the latter celebrates the implicit richness of everyday life. The multi-media sculptures are situated in human-oriented environments, providing a simile for us through Ju Ming’s trademark textural style. I believe that this is also the artist’s way of suggesting to society that there is so much to wonder at in the world, if only one allows himself a second look.
Though one can always deduce Ju Ming’s influences and interest, from the taichi philosophy – the terra-cotta sculptures, Chinese brush painting – to the very Western Pop Art, one will be able to grasp Ju Ming’s message: By paralleling the vast range of media of the Living World Series to humanity’s diversity, we can conclude that he is reminding us that one can always find beauty when you look for it and that we are all connected – in spite of crime, pollution and environmental degradation. Whatever we do, we are all in this together – and there will always be hope.
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