COSMOS OF THOUGHTS: The Future Drawings Liu Cheng-Hsiang Art Exhibition

Previously trained in ecological architecture, and as a self-taught, successful photographer, Liu started creating tech-based art in 2015. Primarily interested in the logic used in creating various graphics—an apple, a building, and the universe, Liu also, as one articulate representative of “The Big Data Generation”, closely follows how scientists, artists and the society perceive the mammoth pool of digital information in recent years, and it us. Liu created intricate drawings that slowly evolved based on given parameters and algorithm. Seemingly duplicating the procedure of the natural growth with fractal theories, the computer-assisted artworks depicts a man-made Universe with dots, lines and colors, what the artist dubbed “the digital equivalents of the DNA chains”. The ever- evolving series—like the programming languages used to create it—titled Cosmos of Thoughts (currently with ten generations in total) behaves and performs in the unprecedented way, in both micro and macro dimensions.

Liu’s tech-based art practice is inspiring and very much digestible for most of the viewers, who, even with our smart phones, high-tech drones and digital home assistant “Alexa”, are dangerously untrained for computer science or engineering. Carefully tucking away the long digital sequences and complex 3D renderings (which the artwork designs were originally blueprinted), the artist presents fine art prints using state-of-the-art printing techniques. Resembling traditional Asian paintings with meticulous Gongbibrushes, the pieces are completed in a fine and slow process, deeply connected to the artist’s inner self and ever-self-bettering spirits. Lending the art space a magical presence of galaxies, nebulas and cosmic rays with mesmerizing colors and great depth. Always sleek, quick-witted and incredibly tech-savvy, Liu has one time said slowly, “I created a digital universe for viewers to store their true thoughts. Through that, I hope they find their true self”. “The universe” highlights the relationship betweenmachine and mankind, technology and creativity, inner and outer self; those exquisite works in it are inevitably the future drawings.

Liu Cheng-Hsiang’s digital art has been exhibited extensively with acclaimed Taiwan art institutions and organizations including National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art and Kaohsiung Fine Art Museum. Cosmos of Thoughts was the winner of Tainan New Arts Award (2019) and the National Ministry of Culture MIT New Art Recommendation (2019). He currently lives and works in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. In September 2021, Liu has been selected as the resident artist of Young-Artist-in- Residence@V54 scheme organized by Po Leung Kuk, which not only houses his first Hong Kong art presentation, but also offers the artist a rare opportunity of local community exchange. Cosmos of Thoughts and the program centered around the art series are part of the “Y-Lot SciTech series”, designed by the charitable organization to increase accessibility to Science and Technology initiatives.