ILLUSTRATED:

Su Wong-shen is an observer who uses the sensitive eyes of an artist to quietly pick up the nuances of his surroundings. From these, he distils a warm and humorous empathy. Social phenomenon or small town scenes are used simply as inspirations for his art, the blocks of color and arrangement of objects on the canvas provide strength and the tranquil mysterious subdued tones providing a unifying theme. The texture, color tones, atmosphere and shifting shapes of the objects call out to your senses, recreating those of the artist during the painting's creation to hint at all the uncertain possibilities that exist.

"Many years ago, Su Wong-shen arrived for the first time at the offshore island of Matsu as part of an Artist-in-Residence event. He had expected to find a simple idyllic land free from the stresses of the big cities, but instead discovered disputes and conflicts here as well. It was as if Matsu was a miniature version of Taiwan where tolerance had shrunk in scale to the geography.

Maybe it's the fate of island communities but the local people always seemed blind to the beauty of the endless seas around them. Instead, they defend every inch of dirt beneath their feet, creating a fanged 'Treasure Island'."

(Extract from Su Wong-shen, published September 2003 by Eslite Gallery)