Depiction：
This series is based on the concepts of the Eight Trigrams of the Book of Changes, and contains a total of 8 works. The eight trigrams in the Book of Changes are actually the eight most common elements in the world: heaven, earth, water, fire, wind, thunder, mountain, and marsh. The Book of Changes uses the opposition of yin and yang to explain the changes of all energy in the world. Although the rules seem simple, they can predict endless things in orderly changes. Everything in the world seems complicated, but it seems to be governed by laws; it seems impermanent, but it is constant. The black and white lines of woodcut prints, the simple black and white can create infinite changes in light and shadow. The orderliness of the carving knife painting on the plate gives the picture a complete common tonality, just like the hexagrams in the Book of Changes, which contain infinite changes and laws in those simple symbolic lines. Xun Gua is the last Gua completed in the series of the Eight Guas in the Book of Changes. Xun Gua means decreeing and obedience. The Gua symbol is "Yang above and Yin below, entering in smoothly. It can enter all things, create all things, support the heaven and earth, and give birth to and scatter all things." It is a very gentle Gua symbol. It seems to warn and remind the creator that everything will be successful if you are gentle. After finishing this work, I planned to move out of the place where I had lived for many years with my children and start a new life in Rome. This work is like a breeze, a gentle reminder, soothing my anxiety.
The "I Ching Bagua Series" started with the first "Li Gua" in 2018, and then completed two hexagrams each year in the order of Li, Kan, Ze, Gen, Gan, Kun, Zhen, and Xun. Finally, the last "Xun Gua" was completed in June 2021.
The creation of the I Ching Bagua records a lot of reflections and observations on life during the past four years, as well as more awakenings on the path of artistic creation. As someone who is not good at communication, I cherish the fact that woodcut creation provides me with a medium to express myself.
This work, Zhen Gua, was completed on May 19, 2021, when the epidemic in Taiwan was getting worse. The image of Zhen hexagram is: Stay calm in the face of change, a gentleman uses fear to reflect on himself. Also, "震 (shock) means to shock the lazy and idle in order to awaken the lazy and idle people." It is used to awaken the lazy and idle people's hearts. The message of this work is that change, fear and then taking action can be a blessing in disguise. Every time I finish an I Ching work, I always feel that before, during, and after the creation, there is a wonderful connection with the time and space background or the life of the creator. The works seem to have become intelligent individuals, interpreting the world and healing difficulties.
