The earth beneath, the light above.

土壤以下，浮光以上
2011-2012

「我們的天，並不只在上面，它也在下面。」[1]

《土壤以下，浮光以上》是我在2009年自澳洲旅行返台後陸續完成的一系列繪畫作品，亦是我首次以地景為主題的創作。作品記錄了我在一年半的時間環繞澳洲大陸旅行的經驗：廣袤無垠的土地、直聳天際的原始森林、炙熱乾燥如夏四季的北領地、潔白綿延的海岸線，以及靜臥在公路旁的動物屍體，皆成為深植記憶的視覺片段。

畫面中呈現的不僅是自然的氣息——土地、植物與陽光交織而成的芳香——更進一步關注「空間」的轉向。在我大學與研究所時期的創作中，作品多圍繞「飛行」、「天空」與「翅膀」等意象展開，視線多聚焦於海平線以上、那似乎接近天堂的純淨空間。然而，在澳洲的旅程與勞動生活中，與自然、人群、動物以及陽光的直接接觸，讓我開始將視線從天際收回至腳下的土地，從高處轉向貼近現實的地景經驗。

《神曲》中對天堂、煉獄與地獄的空間劃分，亦是我長期繪畫中用以組織畫面的隱喻結構：「浮光以上」（the light above）象徵純潔之境，即天堂的空間；「土壤以下」（the earth beneath）則貼近大地，涵納肥沃土壤與潛藏的黑暗；而介於兩者之間的「中間地帶」則如同煉獄，是人不斷努力、掙扎、向上攀升的空間。

此外，此系列畫布的外框特意採用四角倒圓的形式，靈感來自我在澳洲長途火車上跨夜移動的經驗。從車窗望出的圓角風景被記憶封存，轉化為畫面中的色彩與構圖。那段旅程為我帶來飽和且高彩度的視覺經驗，並讓我在島國台灣與澳洲大陸的自然轉換之間，進行了一場內在空間的重組——從「看風景」過渡到真正「在風景之中」。

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[1] 讓—呂克．南西（Jean-Luc Nancy）著，簡燕寬譯，《天與地——關於神》（Au ciel et sur la Terre），北京：新星，2013，頁22。

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The earth beneath, the light above.
2011-2012

“Our heaven is not only above—it is also below.”[1]

The Earth Beneath, the Light Above is a series of paintings I gradually completed after returning to Taiwan in 2009, following an extended journey through Australia. It marks the beginning of my exploration of landscape as a central theme. These works are a visual record of my one-and-a-half-year journey around the Australian continent: the vast, boundless land; forests that stretch skyward; the scorching, arid heat of the Northern Territory; the bright, endless coastline of fine white sand; and the animal carcasses quietly resting by the roadside—all vivid visual memories etched into my consciousness.

Beyond the natural atmosphere conveyed through land, plants, and sunlight, the series delves deeper into a shift in spatial perspective. During my university and graduate studies, my work often focused on motifs such as flight, sky, and wings—images rooted in the space above the horizon, a space that felt closer to heaven. But during my time in Australia, through direct contact with vast landscapes, people, animals, and the relentless sun, my gaze gradually shifted downward, from the unreachable heights to the grounded reality beneath my feet. It was a return to the earth.

Dante’s Divine Comedy and its division of space into Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell has long served as a metaphorical framework for my compositions. “The Light Above” signifies a realm of purity, a symbol of heaven. “The Earth Beneath” connects with the ground—rich in soil, yet also concealing unseen darkness. Between these two lies a liminal space, akin to purgatory, where human effort, struggle, and upward striving unfold.

The canvas design of this series features intentionally rounded corners—a reference to my memories of long, overnight train rides across Australia. The view through those rounded windows framed each landscape like a moving picture, imprinting scenes that were later transformed into colors and compositions on the canvas. That journey offered a vivid, highly saturated visual experience. Moving between the island of Taiwan and the Australian continent marked a period of internal reconfiguration for me—shifting from “looking at the landscape” to truly “being within the landscape.”

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[1] Jean-Luc Nancy, Au ciel et sur la Terre [In Heaven and on Earth: On God], trans. Jian Yankuan, Beijing: New Star Press, 2013, p. 22.