Exhibition Dates：
December 2, 2025 (Tue) – May 3, 2026 (Sun)

Exhibition Venue：
4F, Taipei Contemporary Crafts & Design Branch
(No. 41, Nanhai Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, 4F)

Opening Hours：
Tuesday to Sunday, 09:30–17:30 (Open on national holidays)

Exhibition Statement

This exhibition celebrates the rich life and vocation of artisan Chen Ching-Lin, recipient of the 2024 National Craft Achievement Award. Chen’s journey embodies “SLOHAS,” a philosophy advocated by the National Taiwan Craft Research & Development Institute for its inaugural “Year of Mindful Craft.” By presenting the core values of Simplicity, Lifestyle, Originality, Health, Aesthetics, and Sustainability, the exhibition traces Chen’s path and invites the public to join this journey. It aims to inspire reflection on self-cultivation, sustainable living, and the pursuit of a life of peace and well-being.

Born in 1956 in a mountain village of Nantou, Chen Ching-Lin grew up in a workers’ hut surrounded by high mountains and streams that cultivated his perception of form and color. In high school, Chen’s teacher Li Hui-Cheng encouraged him to pursue sincerity and the beauty of goodness through art. Chen later studied fiber artistry under master Lou Ching-Wei, who guided him into the world of weaving and dyeing. On his path as an artisan, Chen continuously explored and innovated, elevating the aesthetic level of craft while infusing new vision and energy into Taiwanese craft artistry. 

In 2010, Chen Ching-Lin summarized his craft research by proposing the “New Six Principles of Art” of weaving and dyeing: beauty of form, elegance of color, excellence of material, refinement of skill, appropriateness of use, and historical insight. In reflection of Chen’s artistic attitude of uniting research with creation and knowledge with action, this exhibition summarizes Chen’s craft sensibility and vision using six characters: Weave, Dye, Create, Expand, Converge, and Heart then organizes these characters into six corresponding exhibition sections: “Weave: Deconstructing the Vocabulary of Fiber Form,” “Dye: Searching for Taiwan’s True Colors,” “Create: Pioneering a New Style of Dye Painting,” “Expand: Broadening Life Aesthetics,” “Converge: Guiding Craft Fashion,” and “Heart: Mother River of Taiwan.” Visitors can see how Chen applies his fine arts training to refine fiber artistry, using techniques of gathering, extracting, and weaving. His research reveals colors representative of Taiwan while his creation express new realms of dyeing and weaving. His philosophy expands into daily life through the design of practical items and a commitment to sustainable green craft. Advancing from skillful technique into the realm of artistry, Chen transcends boundaries, moving between the tangible and intangible while adding greater and subtle substance to the craft of weaving and dyeing.