Untitled
Huang Bo-Hao
黃柏皓
Production date
2016
Object Detail
Media
gold leaf on linen
Measurements
190.5 x 190.5 cm
Notes
Untitled (2016) follows Huang Bo-Hao's earlier works made with ground mineral pigments. It is as if the alchemist has now succeeded in his task of turning base metals into gold. A field almost two metres square of shimmering gold leaf on linen reveals a faint grid formed by the overlapping sheets of paper-thin gold, visible as a trace on the surface.
Gold referenced the celestial realm in the decorative arts of imperial China, but Untitled also recalls fine gold leaf symbolising the heavens that was applied as flat decorative backgrounds in medieval and early Renaissance European painting. In his use of mineral pigments, Chinese ink made from carbon diluted with water, and paper made from plant fibres, Huang Bo-Hao refers to the Daoist cosmology of the Five Elements — wood, fire, earth, metal and water. The interaction of these fundamental elements causes shifting relationships between the forces of Yin and Yang: ideally, all should be in balance. Huang Bo-Hao says that his act of painting makes him aware of the transformation of objects under the influences of time and space. In this way, the still flat field that he activates through his method of painting — of ultramarine, vermilion, black or gold — is activated like a living thing, taking on his own ‘qi’ spirit.
Gold referenced the celestial realm in the decorative arts of imperial China, but Untitled also recalls fine gold leaf symbolising the heavens that was applied as flat decorative backgrounds in medieval and early Renaissance European painting. In his use of mineral pigments, Chinese ink made from carbon diluted with water, and paper made from plant fibres, Huang Bo-Hao refers to the Daoist cosmology of the Five Elements — wood, fire, earth, metal and water. The interaction of these fundamental elements causes shifting relationships between the forces of Yin and Yang: ideally, all should be in balance. Huang Bo-Hao says that his act of painting makes him aware of the transformation of objects under the influences of time and space. In this way, the still flat field that he activates through his method of painting — of ultramarine, vermilion, black or gold — is activated like a living thing, taking on his own ‘qi’ spirit.
Accession number
2016.197