Su Meng-Hung’s Garden of Folding Screens at Art Basel 蘇孟鴻於巴塞爾藝博會展出屏風庭園
／Ocula interview by Tessa Molden
Working across printing, painting, installation, and sculpture, Su Meng-Hung draws viewers into a ‘romantic misunderstanding’ of Eastern aesthetic traditions.
橫跨版畫、繪畫、裝置與雕塑等領域的創作實踐中，蘇孟鴻將觀者帶入一場對東方美學傳統的「浪漫誤讀」。
Su’s enduring concern with the interpretation of these traditions dates back to the late 1990s, when he studied at Changhua National University of Education before obtaining an MFA in painting from Goldsmiths College, London, in 2005. Employing techniques of image reproduction and appropriation, Su explores how motifs from ink art can be incorporated into contemporary fine art. In The Thorn Birds: Qianlong Emperor’s Arrow -2 (2013), for example, birds and flowers from the late Qing-dynasty paintings are rendered in saturated colours in acrylic paint.
蘇孟鴻對於東方美學傳統詮釋的關注，可追溯至 1990 年代末，他當時就讀於國立彰化師範大學，後於 2005 年取得倫敦大學金匠學院的繪畫碩士學位。他運用圖像重製與挪用的技法，探索水墨的母題如何被轉譯至當代藝術。例如在 2013 年的作品《刺鳥圖：乾隆的箭 -2》中，他以飽和的壓克力色彩重新詮釋清末花鳥畫
橫跨版畫、繪畫、裝置與雕塑等領域的創作實踐中，蘇孟鴻將觀者帶入一場對東方美學傳統的「浪漫誤讀」。
Su’s enduring concern with the interpretation of these traditions dates back to the late 1990s, when he studied at Changhua National University of Education before obtaining an MFA in painting from Goldsmiths College, London, in 2005. Employing techniques of image reproduction and appropriation, Su explores how motifs from ink art can be incorporated into contemporary fine art. In The Thorn Birds: Qianlong Emperor’s Arrow -2 (2013), for example, birds and flowers from the late Qing-dynasty paintings are rendered in saturated colours in acrylic paint.
蘇孟鴻對於東方美學傳統詮釋的關注，可追溯至 1990 年代末，他當時就讀於國立彰化師範大學，後於 2005 年取得倫敦大學金匠學院的繪畫碩士學位。他運用圖像重製與挪用的技法，探索水墨的母題如何被轉譯至當代藝術。例如在 2013 年的作品《刺鳥圖：乾隆的箭 -2》中，他以飽和的壓克力色彩重新詮釋清末花鳥畫
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In 2019, Su became interested in traditional craftsmanship after seeing a photograph of Coco Chanel’s Coromandel screens—Chinese lacquer screens that primarily reached Europe in the late 17th and early 18th centuries as part of the global trade of antiques. Fascinated by the cultural distance he felt towards the popularised imagery of Eastern art and culture on ornate objects, Su began experimenting with traditional crafting processes as he went from working with antique folding screens to creating his own. His references vary, including techniques borrowed from classical Eastern painting, lacquerware, and silkscreen printing, as well as the use of acrylic paint and digital tools.
2019 年，一張 Coco Chanel 收藏的烏木屏風照片，使蘇孟鴻開始對傳統工藝產生興趣。這些中式屏風主要於 17 世紀末至 18 世紀初隨古董貿易進入歐洲。面對那些流行使用於華麗物件上的東方意象，蘇孟鴻產生一種文化上的疏離感。這份疏離感使他著迷，促使他展開對傳統工藝技法的實驗。從古董屏風出發，蘇孟鴻開始嘗試自行創作，並探索傳統工藝的可能性——他所涉技術範圍甚廣，不僅結合東方古典繪畫技法、漆器製作方式與絹印工法，更融合壓克力與數位工具等當代媒材。 At Art Basel’s Unlimited sector, Tina Keng Gallery will present Desolate Landscape on the Golden Screens (2025), Su Meng-Hung’s new installation consisting of eight screens with motifs drawn from three Chinese classics in painting and literature. In anticipation of the opening, Su discussed his evolving approach to folding screens, the physical process of crafting a painting, and navigating domains of the public and private in his new work. 在今年巴塞爾藝術展「意象無限」單元，耿畫廊將展出蘇孟鴻的新作《殘山剩水鬧金屏》（2025）。此裝置由八件屏風組成，圖像取材自三部中國經典繪畫與文學。展出前夕，蘇孟鴻分享了他對屏風創作的發展脈絡、繪畫中的身體實踐過程，以及新作中公共與私密空間之間的轉換關係。 |
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TM: Combining lacquer with layers of paint that have been sanded down, your screens explore both Eastern and Western aesthetic traditions. How did craftsmanship become a focal point in your practice?
SMH: I was first drawn to the beauty of antique folding screens when I saw Coco Chanel’s Coromandel screen collection, and I realised the beauty of craftsmanship is something that hadn’t really been discussed in the context of fine art. That curiosity led me to explore the combination between painting and craftsmanship through the physicality of making. I started with antique folding screens, but they were too fragile, so I began making my own wooden panels. This gave me more control over the process—layering paint, sanding, polishing. These physical actions create the textures and surfaces I’m looking for. As I work, the process itself begins to guide the composition, not through deliberate planning, but through bodily engagement with the surface. I see this as a way to connect traditional decorative techniques with contemporary painting. TM：你在作品中結合漆器技法與層層打磨的顏料來探索東西方美學傳統，請問工藝是如何成為你創作的核心之一？ SMH：當我第一次看到 Coco Chanel 收藏的烏木屏風照片時，立刻被其器物美學所吸引，也意識到工藝之美在純藝術語境中的討論並不充份。這份好奇心驅使我開始透過「動手製作」的身體經驗，去探索繪畫與工藝的結合。起初我是從現成的古董屏風著手，但它們太脆弱了，所以我開始製作自己的木料底版。這個做法讓我能更完整地掌控製作流程，從堆疊上色、打磨到拋光，這一切行動塑造出我所追求的表面質地。隨著創作的進行，創作的「過程」開始主導作品構成；畫面構圖也不是預先規劃的結果，而是透過身體對材料的回應自然生成。我將這樣的創作方式，視為一種連結傳統裝飾性技法與當代繪畫的方法。 TM: How do you engage with technology in terms of reproducing images?
SMH: Technology enters my practice in two distinct but interconnected ways. Firstly, I borrow the Bientu (變塗) techniques from traditional lacquerware to develop what I call Bientu painting. This method blends painting and craft, creating surfaces that resemble lacquer but are built through layers of acrylic. In this sense, craftsmanship itself functions as a kind of technology; an embodied, time-intensive system of making. Secondly, I use digital drawing tools to recreate traditional images. In ink painting, linmo (臨摹)—the act of copying—is fundamental to artistic training at schools in China. I see digital redrawing as a contemporary form of linmo. Using software, I re-render classical images and transfer them onto silk prints, where I continue working by hand. It’s not about high-tech innovation; rather, it’s about how digital tools can support the slow, repetitive labour of revisiting cultural memory and giving it a new form. TM：你使用什麼技術進行圖像的再製與處理？ SMH：我的創作中結合兩種不同卻彼此關聯的技術。第一，我借用傳統漆藝中的變塗技法，發展出所謂「變塗繪畫」。這個技法結合繪畫與工藝，以壓克力層層堆疊並打磨後創造出類似漆器的質地。從這個角度來說，工藝本身也可以被視為一種技術，是一種身體性的、費時的製作方式。 其次，我也運用數位繪圖工具重製傳統圖像。在水墨傳統中，「臨摹」是藝術教育的基本訓練。我將數位重繪視為一種當代形式的臨摹：透過數位軟體重新描繪古典圖像，然後轉印到絹布上，接著再繼續以手工介入創作。這不是一種高科技導向的創新，而是數位工具如何協助我們以緩慢、重複的勞動形式回應文化記憶並賦予它新形貌。 TM: Could you talk about the role of kitsch in your work?
SMH: I’ve always been drawn to decorative images that sit at the edge of good taste—visuals often dismissed as kitsch. Since my college days, I’ve collected and used images like flower and bird paintings, folk patterns, and vivid colours. These forms exist between popular culture and fine art. In my work, kitsch becomes a tool, both playful and critical, that allows me to bring everyday aesthetics into the language of contemporary painting, while also questioning what’s considered tasteful. TM：你能談談「媚俗」在你作品中的角色嗎？ SMH：我一直對那些屬於「大眾美學」的裝飾性圖像深感興趣，這些視覺元素經常被視為豔俗（kitsch）而遭到忽視。從大學時期開始，我就會收集並運用花鳥畫、民俗圖樣與鮮豔色彩等介於流行文化與純藝術之間的視覺資源。在我的作品中，媚俗變成一種創作工具，既帶有賞玩性也具有批判性。它讓日常的審美經驗進入當代繪畫的語言體系，同時也質疑我們對「品味」的定義。 TM: What are your inspirations?
SMH: Some textures in my work resemble Abstract Expressionism or Automatism, but they emerge naturally from the process of sanding, layering, and erasing, not from a conceptual link to those movements. I’m more influenced by artists like Giuseppe Castiglione (Lang Shining), who successfully combined Eastern and Western arts at the Qing court. His hybrid visual language is foundational to my art practice. I also see connections to Pop Art, especially in my use of image reproduction and repetition. These influences come not from stylistic homage, but from shared concerns—translation, hybridity, and the politics of visual language. TM：你的創作靈感來源有哪些？ SMH：我作品中的某些畫面可能讓人聯想到抽象表現主義或自動性技法，但這些效果其實是透過打磨、堆疊與抹除等操作自然生成的，而非刻意從概念上與這些藝術運動產生連結。比較起來，我更受到郎世寧（Giuseppe Castiglione）這樣的藝術家影響，他在清朝宮廷中成功融合東西藝術，其混合性的視覺語言，成為我藝術實踐的重要根基。我也認為自己的圖像重製與重複運用方式與普普藝術有某種連結，但這些影響並非風格上的致敬，而是源自對圖像的翻譯、挪用與視覺語言的政治性所產生的共同關注。 TM: How does the scale of Desolate Landscape on the Golden Screens push the themes and ideas you have been exploring in your work with screens since 2019?
SMH: Working at this scale lets me turn the screen into something you can walk through. According to Professor Wu Hung (巫鴻) in his essay ‘The Double Screen: Medium and Representation in Chinese Painting’, folding screens function as painting, furniture, and sculpture all at once. That combination creates a unique viewing experience, a special installation that viewers can walk through. I was inspired by traditional uses of screens in public from Shangyuan Lantern Picture (上元燈彩圖). This installation takes that idea further, creating a space like a traditional Chinese garden in which the viewer can linger. It expands the idea of painting into something architectural, where the viewer’s body becomes part of the viewing process. TM：自 2019 年以來在屏風創作中持續探索的主題與想法，是如何延伸至《殘山剩水鬧金屏》的尺幅與規模？ SMH：這樣的創作尺度讓我可以把屏風變成觀者可以「遊走」的物件。根據巫鴻教授在〈雙面屏風〉一文中的觀點，屏風同時是繪畫、傢俱與雕塑的結合。這樣的跨類型性質創造出一種特殊的觀看體驗，一種觀者可以透過身體行走而感受的裝置式繪畫。我也受到〈上元燈彩圖〉中，屏風於公共空間的傳統用途啟發。這次的裝置進一步延伸這個想法，營造出如同中國古典園林般的空間，使觀者能在其中駐足。它將「繪畫」的概念擴展為一種具建築感的經驗，讓觀者的身體也成為觀看行為的一部分。 TM: There will be eight sets of screens of varying sizes. How do you envisage them to be read and experienced in a European art fair context?
SMH: Folding screens were historically exported to Europe as luxury objects, often admired for their exotic and decorative qualities. In today’s art fair context, those associations still exist. I’m particularly interested in how notions of exoticism will resonate with contemporary audiences. These screens may still be viewed as imported artefacts from the East, echoing a colonial legacy of trade and desire. Through this work, I want to open up questions about how such objects are read—not just in terms of beauty, but also as carriers of cultural projection and historical memory. What does ‘exotic’ mean in a globalised art world? TM：這件作品由八組尺寸各異的屏風構成。你預期在歐洲的藝術博覽會中，觀者會如何閱讀與體驗這件作品？ SMH：屏風在歷史上曾作為奢侈品被大量輸出至歐洲，因其異國情調與裝飾性而廣受喜愛。即便在今日的藝博會脈絡中，這樣的文化聯想仍未完全消失。我特別關注「異國性」在當代觀眾中將如何產生共鳴。這些屏風仍可能被視為東方舶來的藝術品，延續一種關於殖民貿易與慾望的歷史想像。 透過這件作品，我希望引導觀者思考這類物件究竟如何被觀看，不只是以「美」的角度，也作為一種文化投射與歷史記憶的載體。在全球化的藝術體系裡，所謂的「異國情調」究竟意味著什麼？ TM: How does the work explore the dichotomy of public versus private?
SMH: Historically, the folding screens represent spatial boundaries, shaping how private and public spaces are organised. In this installation, viewers move through a maze-like structure that encourages shifting between openness and intimacy. Some images are lacquer-like and decorative; others, more hidden and erotic. As viewers navigate the space, they move from public zones into moments that feel unexpectedly private. The screen acts as both surface and threshold, inviting the body to participate in changing states of attention. This dynamic of concealment and exposure is what I find most compelling to explore. TM：這件作品如何探討「公共」與「私人」之間的二元對立？ SMH：在歷史上，屏風本身就代表著空間的界線，它形塑了公共與私人場域的分野。在這次的大型裝置，觀者會在迷宮般的結構中移動，經歷開放與個人私密空間的轉換。有些裝飾圖像如同漆面一般光滑；有些則更為隱蔽甚至帶有情色意味。 當觀者在空間中移動時，會從公開區域不知不覺地進入一種極為私密的觀看時刻。屏風既是畫面也是屏蔽，在觀者行走間流動轉換其注意力。這種「遮蔽」與「暴露」之間的動態，就是我最想深入探索的主題。 TM: The screens contain images from the painting instruction book The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting, the Ming-dynasty classic The Golden Lotus, and the Qing-dynasty masterpiece Dream of the Red Chamber. What are the threads that connect these three literary pieces?
SMH: These texts represent different layers of Chinese visual culture and emotion. The Mustard Seed Garden Manual is a foundational training manual to ink art, as its repetition and technique shaped how we learn to paint. Dream of the Red Chamber captures emotional subtleties, while The Golden Lotus reveals unexpected depictions of lust and desire. I use images from these sources not to create something new, but to reinterpret and recombine cultural memory. They sit alongside the flower and bird painting from Giuseppe Castiglione, creating a layered, hybrid language. These images carry emotional, aesthetic, and historical weight, showing how traditional patterns can still resonate today. TM：這些屏風中的圖像來自《芥子園畫譜》、《金瓶梅》與《紅樓夢》三部經典。你認為這三者之間有什麼共通的線索？ SMH：這三部作品代表了中國視覺文化與情感表達的不同層次。《芥子園畫譜》作為水墨教育的基礎教材，其重複性與技法決定了我們學畫的方式。《紅樓夢》捕捉了細膩的情感流動，而《金瓶梅》則揭示了慾望與情色的描繪。 我使用這些源自經典的圖像並非為了創造全新的內容，而是為了重新詮釋與重組文化記憶。這些圖像與郎世寧的花鳥畫並列，形成一種多層次的混合視覺語言。它們承載情感、美感與歷史的重量，揭示傳統圖像母題如何能在今日依然引發共鳴。 |
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