Our relationship with Hsu Ruifu began in 2009. It is when Da Xiang Art Space launched a joint exhibition of five young artists in Young Art Taipei. During that exhibition, Hsu’s works got the most attention and he was soon awarded one of the best emerging artists by the program “Made in Taiwan: Young Artists Discovery.” Since our first cooperation with Hsu, what we have been looking forward to is his solo exhibition. Recently, Hsu starts his previous focus on the techniques of classical realism to display his observation on the microscopic world. With his simple but offbeat style, Hsu brings viewers a brand-new experience of sensation. What he is doing is to challenge people’s conventional view of “beauty” while sharing his study on rubbish and rotten objects randomly found in the nature.

Moreover, behind Hsu’s delicate pen work reveals the artist’s subconscious character: poetically melancholy on one hand and dismal on the other hand. Such gloomy atmosphere has enveloped his works, extending endlessly while in the end turning to violence and passion in the shadows of the mind. Just as the artist reveals, “People often live in the misty zone where reality and fantasy overlap. Being a creator, my job is to explore that area to have a close-up of human nature.” Therefore, we can see in Hsu’s paintings some potential personality quietly emerging in the ambiguous areas where dreams and reality coexist. Through such a process, his works manifest both poetic and aesthetic quality.

From his sketch works in Crazy Status, to oil paintings in both series—Dark Scenery and Observation Records, we see Hsu’s ceaseless trials in creation. In fact, Hsu’s works are well-received and favored by many collectors. Not only domestic but foreign collectors have shown their interest in this young artist. Furthermore, in the exhibition I and Myself, Hsu faithfully presents the potential “beautiful” scenery, which he concerns from the bottom of his mind. Also, through this exhibition, we will find Hsu’s maturity in his new works after ongoing explorations and experiments in the past few years. Why not come and see it through your own eyes? We look forward to seeing you at Hsu’s exhibition.