Mountain Mists in Dreams: Li Wei Chen's Artistic World and Spiritual Journey
Between the secluded valleys of Keelung’s Lion Ball Ridge, a young girl traversed shadowy mountain paths daily, her heart filled with trepidation. Decades later, this child who once feared the forested ridges now reveals the ethereal beauty of mountains hidden deep within her soul, emerging as a Taiwanese artist of international acclaim. She is Li Wei Chen, a creator who has inscribed an extraordinary legacy in the art world through her innovative “impasto knife painting” technique.
From Apprehension to Splendor: Childhood's Metamorphosis and Awakening
“Growing up amidst mountains offered no beauty to me as a child—only fear and unease,” Chen recalls. The valleys she passed through on her daily journey home cast shadows like wandering spirits. Yet, the carefree moments spent running across Lion Ball Ridge and the silhouette of her mason father awaiting in the sunset glow infused her childhood with warmth and natural beauty. These seemingly contradictory memories wove an intricate tapestry in her mind until, at twelve, she relocated to the city with her family. By eighteen, having bid farewell to Keelung, she had vowed never to speak of this place again.
Time passed imperceptibly, and at forty, a pivotal moment quietly arrived. The dissolution of her marriage, like mountain mist dissipating, revealed an artistic yearning that had long lain dormant in the depths of her spirit. As if guided by some invisible providence, intention preceded technique, and an ineffable force led her to pick up painting tools. When her brush first touched canvas, astonishingly, images of childhood mountain haze emerged naturally, flowing across the paper like spring water. “Only after rendering them visible did I realize their beauty had been concealed by fear.” Through each blending of color and layering of texture, she reconciled with her former self, transforming landscapes buried in the depths of her soul into wellsprings of artistic creation.
Father's Legacy: Birth of the "Impasto Knife" Technique
Chen’s distinctive impasto knife technique stands unparalleled, with bas-relief-like dimensional effects that astonish viewers—a method originating from her father’s masonry craftsmanship. As a child, she often stood at construction sites, observing her father smoothing cement with his trowel. “He unknowingly infused his skills into my bloodstream,” she explains. “When I began creating, I naturally employed his methods.” Where her father used his trowel to sustain the family, she employs a palette knife to pioneer new artistic frontiers. This self-taught approach imbues her works with both depth and profound personal resonance. She only later recognized this inheritance when, during an interview, the term “impasto knife painting” spontaneously escaped her lips. Returning home, enlightenment dawned: “Is this not my father’s silhouette overlapping with my own form? His trowel and my palette knife—a direct lineage.”
"Foundation and Opportunity": From Keelung's Daughter to the International Stage
Without formal artistic training, Li Wei Chen embarked on her artistic journey driven by inner conviction and unique technique. In 2016, her paintings earned an invitation to the Louvre in Paris, where she received the jury’s grand prize. Subsequently, her works toured the Grand Palais, Australia, China, and beyond, garnering accolades including the Tokyo Art Biennial Academic Award. The woman who once departed Keelung ultimately returned to her native soil. “My father, second brother, and uncle all said I was Keelung’s daughter and should return to exhibit here,” she recounts. During the pandemic, these three beloved relatives passed away in succession. Her current exhibition at the Keelung Art Museum, “Foundation and Opportunity” (February 26 to March 16), represents both a retrospective of her quarter-century artistic journey and the fulfillment of their final wishes. This exhibition symbolizes the foundation and rebirth of her artistic life, setting sail from Keelung to unveil new possibilities.
Four Core Series: Dialogues Between Nature and Life
Chen deeply believes art should integrate with life rather than remain aloof. Her creations carry childhood memories, familial comfort, and attachment to nature. This exhibition highlights four major series:
- “Mother Earth”: Using female forms to metaphorically represent nature, expressing reverence for her homeland’s mountains and forests.
- “Horse Meets Connoisseur”: Symbolizing resilience and opportunity encountered along the dream-pursuing journey.
- “Ancient Vases, New Works”: Blending Eastern and Western elements, exploring cultural and temporal intersections.
- “Butterfly and Phoenix Dance”: Presenting creative freedom and transformative vitality.
Her palette knife moves across canvas with varying pressure—sometimes gently blending, sometimes building substantial layers—embodying Eastern philosophy through Western techniques, transforming mountains, flowers, birds, and seasonal changes into brilliant colors that reflect her inner world. Art critics marvel: “The knife follows the heart’s movement, layering intentions to reveal the artist’s abundant emotional yearnings.”
Guardian of Environment and Culture
Chen’s paintings transcend personal expression to address cultural heritage and environmental conservation. Her specially created “Four Seasons of Jade Mountain” series portrays Taiwan’s sacred mountain through seasonal transitions, symbolizing nature’s permanence and life’s continuity. She once remarked that witnessing trees felled for construction filled her with indignation, yet “I can paint trees,” preserving nature’s memory through art. She regards women as symbols of perseverance, concealing maternal strength in her “Mother Earth” series, awaiting viewers who observe with attentive hearts.
Spiritual Resonance Amidst Mountains and Waters
Chen’s artwork transcends visual landscape to become sanctuary for the soul. She creates intuitively, preserving pure emotion, hoping her work heals herself while inspiring others. Taking her father as exemplar, she believes remaining true to oneself ultimately creates new horizons, encouraging younger generations to “be yourself,” for art permeates every aspect of life. From “seeing mountains as mountains” to “seeing mountains not as mountains,” and finally “seeing mountains as mountains again,” she has completed a spiritual journey, gazing back at her path with tranquil eyes. This exhibition represents not only a dialogue with her hometown but also a celebration of life and anticipation for the future.
