Abstract

The title of this creative discourse is "囗" (wei)--an ancient form of the word "圍" (also pronounced as "wei")--which means "enclosure" according to Shuowen Jiezi (literally "Explaining and Analyzing Characters") of the Han Dynasty. For the present writer, "囗" represents the process of enclosing the space in painting, not only delineating the actual perimeter of a work but symbolizing the creative artist's inner structuring. Visually, "囗" is a blank, empty space, a space allowing for fertile imagination; it marks an undefined position suggestive of speculation / mobility / interchangeability, implying the vast potential of creativity. In sum, "囗" is not merely directed at a personal artistic manifesto put forward in words but intended as a possible reference point for the present writer's own creative contemplation.

The entire discourse comprises five chapters: "Search for the Inception of Personal Creation," "Theoretical Background," "A Few Words on Personal Artistic Creation," "Creative Context and Discourse on the Works," and "Possible Direction of the Artist's Creative Development." The first chapter "Search for the Inception of Personal Creation" seeks to locate the starting point of my artistic creation by combing through my personal background and aesthetic education. Chapter Two "Theoretical Background" aims to fortify the basis while elucidating the direction of my artistic creation by drawing inspiration from Henri Bergson's concept of " durée " , Marcel Proust's discourse on time and memory in his magnum opus In Search of Lost Time, and the art theories on instinct and intuition, thereby building a reference system in regard to my own creative thinking and artistic composition. Chapter Three "A Few Words on Personal Artistic Creation" revolves around the basic aspects of my artistic creation, documenting any perceptive experience encountered during the process thereof. The fourth chapter "Creative Contexts and Discourse on the Works" illustrates the context of creative structuring and development for my works in the following order: "Horizon," "Virtual Space," and "Prototype." The final chapter "Possible Direction of the Artist's Creative Development" serves as a sort of reflection on the possible direction of my artistic development by putting the present state and inclinations of my works into the larger context of my own creative reference network as well as the contemporary art scene and everyday reality.