Sculptor Ju Ming captures nature and life

What started off as woodcarving eventually turned into an impressive career manipulating unforgiving materials such as bronze and marble for the prolific Taiwanese sculptor Ju Ming, whose talent has brought him international acclaim. Ju, born in 1938 in a small township called Tongxiao in the Miaoli county of Taiwan, is, in the purest sense of the word, a true artist. For a sculptor to carve well, Ju says one needs knowledge and cannot just replicate others' styles, otherwise one is simply an artisan. But insight like this into life and art has come after years of practice that humbly started with an apprenticeship at age 15 with then- prominent sculptor Lee Chin-chuan from the Temple of the Empress of Heaven. Following the apprenticeship, Ju hankered for the big city. Throughout the 1950s, he continued sculpting in the cities of Keelung and Tongxiao - a young man finding his voice. In 1959, he turned his practice into a viable business - finally employing apprentices and successfully selling to clients in the mecca of Taipei. At that point, love found Ju, and in 1961 he married a girl from his hometown named Chen Fu-mei. One of his most famous works now, A Girl Playing with Sand, was dedicated to her. However, business wasn't always successful for Ju, who lost his factory but in turn realised that he was an artist wanting to practise his craft, and not a businessman. And for just over 10 years, Ju did exactly that - he practised under the mentorship of renowned Taiwanese sculptor Yuyu Yang. "Art does not stem from studying, but from practice. And practice stems from life and nature," Ju says. The artist has quietly practised this very craft through accolades, including various awards, misfortunes, and even the opening of the self-funded Juming Museum built from scratch near Taipei. Now as a 70-something-year-old man clad in blue jeans and a checked shirt, he describes practice to be "how one must rediscover the self and call the lost self back home in order to foster one's essential nature". One of the most noticeable attributes of the grey moustached artist's work and mind is his deep love for nature. New generation of experimental Chinese artists reflect a globalising world Nature in Ju's sphere does not necessarily refer to Mother Nature. "Humans can be nature, the way we live every day can be nature," he says. The artist describes nature as his teacher. "I look to nature for guidance in everything - I don't necessarily think in artistic terms but rather in terms of nature or the connections to life." The examples that Ju gives regarding nature and life are less obvious for an artist but could easily sound like the insight and wisdom that would come from perhaps a Buddhist monk. "Everybody says tigers are so fierce, but humans are actually far more brutal. When a tiger has a full stomach, you can sleep beside it and it won't lay a paw on you," he says. In fact, Ju believes that the study of art must be like a "monk cultivating higher consciousness: mindfulness of Buddhist practice must be applied to everything in life, from eating to dressing to sleeping - no other thoughts are permitted". The line between traditional and controversial art is blurred as radical artists seek ways to voice their dissent The 1980s and 1990s were when Ju started to truly reflect this mindfulness in his work. From the Taichi Series that "drew heavily on the art's boxing forms" to the Living World Series which began in 1980, Ju was cascading away from form and was becoming more interested in the idea that was steering the work. What has changed over the course of almost 34 years for his Living World Series is not only the depiction of humans in all their diversity through sculpture - but also the materials used in doing so. From ceramics to bright figures made up of bronze, wood that is painted, foam rubber, and stainless steel, Ju continues to challenge his ability to use materials and make them his own as he creates these oddly familiar characters from our world. The constant factor, however, in his work has been his insight into the awareness of humanity. In 2004, Chen Chi-nan, the minister of Council for Cultural Affairs, Executive Yuan of Taiwan, praised Ju as "a genuine and unique world artist from the land of Taiwan - the leader of the world of sculpture". A 2010 version of the series entitled Living World Series - Imprisonment is an extension of his evolving aesthetics and artistic philosophy. This three-sculptural set symbolises what he calls the three axes of life philosophy - that of "imprisoning others, being imprisoned by others, and self-imprisonment". The implications, according to Ju, are that even though humans face challenges we have the right to "choose". On the artwork itself, a key left on a cage serves as a reminder of this exact choice. When asked what he wants to do next with his life or his work, the artist says: "I will keep working on the Living World Series because it is so interesting and there is so much to present". Why South Korea’s monochrome painting movement is the art world’s latest obsession MILESTONES 1966 Attractive to Each Other wins the excellence-for-sculpture prize at the 21st Taiwan Provincial Fine Arts Exhibition 1976 Holds his first solo exhibition at the National Museum of History 1998 Wins an award from the Fok Ying Tung Foundation in Hong Kong for his lifetime work and contribution to art 2003 Awarded an honorary degree of doctor of art by Fu Jen Catholic University in Taipei 2004 Wins the Executive Yuan Cultural Award 2007 Wins the Art and Cultures Prize of the 18th Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize Want more articles like this? Follow STYLE on Facebook

Sculptor Ju Ming captures nature and life

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Ming takes a Buddhist approach to art

Ming takes a Buddhist approach to art