Contemporary artist of nature and humanity——Xu Bihua

“Natural landscapes are my spiritual mentors, and canvases and pastoral fields are my spiritual practice.” – Xu Bihua

     Xu Bihua lives in seclusion in Taipei’s Muzha District. He is a painter and an improviser of body art. Home farmer. I visited Xu Bihua’s Shanjia. The house where she and her husband live is surrounded by greenery. From the indoors to the outside, it can overlook downtown Taipei. It is far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but it can be contented, just like the teacher’s attitude towards life. There is no obstacle between birth and entry into the world.

Inspiration from nature becomes a source of creative inspiration

Her creations often take “natural people” as the starting point, and the countryside where he lives naturally becomes his daily source of inspiration. Xu Bihua quoted “the trees in the valley are green, and the winter and summer are as long as this” to describe his residence, because living in the mountains can clearly feel the four seasons of nature, and you can even see morning and dusk, sunny rain, and fog throughout the day. Xu Bihua, who is also a farmer himself, internalizes the mountains, clouds, water, stones, flowers and birds, fruits and vegetables, lingering insects, etc., which come from the heaven and earth, and internalizes them as sources of creative inspiration. .

     Many people like to read the philosophies of sages, but have difficulty understanding them. Xu Bihua realized the philosophy from the vagaries of nature and integrated it into his creations. Xu Bihua is good at abstract painting. If you carefully appreciate her paintings, you can observe whether it is the shade of color, light and dark, or the overall atmosphere. There are many subtle changes hidden in the paintings, just like the feelings that nature brings to Xu Bihua. .

Art, a language that transcends national boundaries


     When appreciating abstract paintings, two levels are required. Xu Bihua mentioned that the appreciators themselves are actually mental creators, and they need to be very creative and courageous to explore abstract paintings. Secondly, in addition to exploring and feeling the connotation of the painting through the guidance provided by the artist, viewers often also have their own unique interpretations due to different ages and life experiences.

    Xu Bihua himself once had a collector from the Netherlands. When Xu Bihua was exhibiting paintings at Spring Art Gallery, the Dutch collector bought a painting and then became a loyal collector. He would visit it again every time he came to Taiwan. Collect works. During a conversation, she discovered that in fact, the Dutch collector mainly collected Dutch paintings, which were in the realist style, while Xu Bihua’s style was abstract. The completely different styles made her wonder why. He likes his paintings, but the Dutch collector said, “It’s very different, I just like it.”

     In the past, Xu Bihua was exposed to both Chinese and Western philosophy and literature during her studies and studies, as well as understanding works from different eras and countries, as well as understanding the cultural, economic and social background of the author at that time, which became her professional creative inspiration. Nutrients and energy, and I also realized that artistic creation is “Universal but Unique” and cannot be restricted by fields, national boundaries, language or even time and space background; and it must have its own unique visual language.

Title of work: Heart of The Ocean 107x196cm

Show self-worth through “talent and interest”

     Xu Bihua was also confused when he was a student, not sure where his future should go. She not only wants to be a painter, but also wants to be a teacher, journalist, writer, and diplomat. She was inspired by the words of university teacher Zheng Shiyan, “People must follow their own talents and interests, and that will be the most meaningful learning.” , this made Xu Bihua discover that his talent, that is, his talent and interest is painting, thus starting his journey as a painter.

     Xu Bihua also shared that his parents are his most supportive first teachers. She has been fond of graffiti since she was a child. The sliding doors, walls, and even the floor in the old Japanese-style house have become Xu Bihua’s drawing paper. However, her parents never scolded her, and even cleaned the sliding doors during the New Year. The graffiti on the wall remains, Xu Bihua said with a smile, “I have been respected like Picasso since I was a child.”

     She is very grateful that she inherited her mother’s skillful hands and green fingers. Her father is also a young artist, so she has been deeply influenced by the books and music his father read and listened to since she was a child. Xu Bihua’s father was a good calligrapher. When she was studying in Taipei, every letter home from her father was written with brush calligraphy, which also created the powerful lines of calligraphy in her abstract paintings. And a kind of conceptual art full of spirituality, which uses calligraphy to copy scriptures or prayer sentences, and burns or collages them into blessings for all living beings when painting.

The balance between being born in the world and joining the world


     When Xu Bihua paints, she believes that she is in a state of “selflessness”, so that she can follow her heart and bring out her good energy. In the performance of “Dancing the Future of Taipei”, Xu Bihua said that the audience and the atmosphere of the scene are also sources of energy for his paintings. Therefore, the impromptu dance and painting performances on the scene made Xu Bihua hollow out himself and absorb the energy of the scene. Energy, let the heart drive the dancing and painting of the body.

     The so-called joining the world may contain many sorrows and joys, complexity, chaos, and even negative energies of overt and covert struggle. For Xu Bihua, as long as he takes these worldly things lightly, but observes them clearly, and maintains “the mind should live in nothing” ” state, that is, do not cling to worldly disputes and adhere to the right path of life cultivation, you can naturally find the balance between the world and the world, and coexist with the world, and this also requires years of life experience to achieve.

     Xu Bihua mentioned in an exclusive interview that we will experience many different hardships in life. It may be smooth one second, but something unfortunate or uncomfortable will happen the next second. Therefore, we should uphold Fan Zhongyan’s “Don’t be happy with things. With the attitude of “Don’t be sorry for yourself” and turning everything you encounter into the nourishment of life, you can face everything in life with a more harmonious attitude.

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