“Heartfelt Offering” by Tsai Shan-Kuan

Artist Statement:

We rely on flowers for so much in life. They hold diverse meanings across occasions, usually embodying the giver’s sentiments for us. In this series, traditional symbolic paper money forms the background. Given the varying customs between northern and southern Taiwan and the paper materials differ in thickness and size, this endeavor resembles gathering data and preserving records of local industries and traditional beliefs. The focal point of the artwork, the floral arrangements, transcends regional disparities, influenced by local florists’ techniques and aesthetic compositions. Regardless the arrangement or presentation, in terms of belief, it simply symbolizes devotees’ heartfelt wishes offered to the deities.

Artist Bio:

Tsai Shan-Kuan was born in Changhua, Taiwan in 1997, currently residing and creating in Changhua. He focused on photography and graphic painting during his undergraduate period and often documented traditional folk activities and explored the juxtaposition of the culture of local beliefs and landscapes.

Upon entering graduate school, Tsai Shan-Kuan shifted focus from traditional beliefs to contemporary society, exploring themes such as politics, environmentalism, and consumerism. Recent works concentrate on the traces left on land after human habitation, discussing the relationship between imagery, objects, and geography.