TSENG Shang-Jie

TSENG Shang-Jie has dedicated himself to woodcarving for many years, and his figurative sculptures, imbued with a sketch-like style, are often inspired by his fleeting glimpses of people on the streets and his observations of the surrounding environment from different perspectives. Through this, he connects to trigger his inner contemplation on the essence of art. TSENG's works have never aimed for precise representation of real life; he avoids overly meticulous rendering to evoke a sense of stillness akin to that of still life. Instead, he excels in handling temporality in his creations. Throughout the sculpting process, he leaves traces of different stages such as cutting, sawing, grinding, and outlining. Whether it's the handling of color or the marks of carving, there's a rhythm to it, allowing the artwork to embody the passage of time. Thus, the artist infuses his creations with a sense of movement and velocity. He has recently started experimenting with acrylic and mixed media to create paintings, exploring the relationship between space and people in a different form.

TSENG Shang-Jie was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 1991 and holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Sculpture from the National Taiwan University of Arts. His past solo exhibitions include "Wanping" (2024), "Hunter" (2021), "Shovel" (2019) at Dynasty Gallery, "Through the Glass" (TRENDS, 2018), "Down The Hill, Before Darkness" (44 Art Gallery, 2018). Some of his recent selected group exhibitions include "ONE ART Taipei" (Hotel Metropolitan Premier Taipei, 2024), "Art Taipei" (World Trade Center, 2023), "Taiwan-Japan Exchange Exhibition" (Art Lab A.S.K. & Sakuragi Gallery, 2023), "its" (EQUAL=, 2022), "Cycle of Life" (Moon Gallery, 2022), "Chanpuru-Okinawa‧Taiwan Contemporary Art Exhibition" (Okinawa CAMP TALGANIE artistic farm, 2021), "Feast" (Tianmu SOGO, 2021), "Salvage" (Fuyi Gallery, 2020), among others. His works have been collected and recognized by both public and private institutions such as the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Sanyi Wood Sculpture Museum, Lih Pao Cultural & Art Foundation, Elite Construction, and Rock Records.