The Taichung City Seaport Art Center is presenting "Umbrella Longevity Energy: Chung You-Hui’s Creative Exhibition" in Exhibition Room A from now until July 12, and held its opening ceremony on the afternoon of May 16. This exhibition coincides with artist Chung You-Hui’s eightieth birthday and features a curated selection of 200 works spanning printmaking, oil painting, ceramics, glass, and installation. Together, they present more than half a century of artistic practice and spiritual transformation, offering viewers a profound dialogue that brings together art, nature, and reflections on life.

In her remarks, Hsiao Ching-Ping, Chief Secretary of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taichung City Government, noted that "umbrella longevity" is one of the traditional terms used for celebrating longevity and is also known as "high longevity". The Chinese character for umbrella is composed of the numerals eight and ten, symbolizing the journey of an eighty-year life, while also suggesting the rounded fullness and outward unfolding that come with the accumulation of time, much like an opened umbrella. Titled "Umbrella Longevity Energy", the exhibition not only marks the artist’s eighty years of life, but also echoes the core concerns that have long shaped his work, namely natural cycles, life energy, and spiritual consciousness. Through the deep emotion and life philosophy embodied in the works, the exhibition reveals the artist’s creative energy as still abundant and powerful after years of refinement.

The Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taichung City Government stated that Chung You-Hui is an important driving force in the development of modern printmaking in Taiwan. His artistic career spans creative practice, academic research, and arts education, and has had a far-reaching impact on Taiwanese printmaking. He is known for his use of repeated plate making, layered overprinting, and transparent textures to develop a highly distinctive visual language. His works bring together Eastern philosophy, reflections on nature, and contemporary abstraction, demonstrating the richness and versatility of printmaking as an art form. In addition to looking back on his artistic achievements, this exhibition also presents the transformation of his work from cultural exploration and inner reflection to a focus on the energy of nature, tracing a creative path that has grown in step with life itself.

Organized according to the trajectory of his artistic development, the exhibition presents thirteen series in total and offers a comprehensive view of the changes in the artist’s work across different periods. The "Eastern Humanities Series" uses symbols, text, and the concept of tai chi to express the unity of humanity and nature. The "Window of the Heart Series" uses geometric lines and layers to present inner landscapes and the relationship between culture and nature. The "Splendor Series" creates visual movement between concealment and revelation through transparent overprinting. The "Abundant Color Series" integrates cross disciplinary media to express harmonious and unrestrained energy.

Artist Chung You-Hui stated that the core of his work lies in a long-standing concern with "energy", and that he takes "one leaf, one world; one tree, one universe" as his creative philosophy. Through the repeated processes of plate making and printing, he transforms the accumulation of time and physical labor into visual language. The blades of grass and natural imagery that often appear in his works symbolize the resilience and ongoing generation of life, and also serve as an important expression of his observation of nature and reflection on life.

One particularly eye-catching work in the exhibition is "Ode to Happiness", a mini copper car co-created by the artist and his wife, Lin Hsueh-Ching, through silkscreen printing and hand painting on a baked finish. Using the car as a symbol of the force that moves a shared life forward, the work features thirty butterflies weaving through blades of grass and wood grain textures, suggesting thirty years of a happy marriage. It also demonstrates how the artist’s practice has expanded from two-dimensional work into sculpture and installation. Another work, "Eternal Life", was an award-winning piece in the first International Print Biennial of the Republic of China. Using the Western figures of Adam and Eve together with the Eastern symbolism of yin and yang in tai chi, it represents the continuation of life and the eternity of the spirit. Its clear and vivid colors bring the theme into focus and mark a key turning point in Chung You-Hui’s stylistic transformation.

In an age of fast paced contemporary life, the exhibition hopes that the warmth and quiet strength embodied in these works will lead viewers to reflect anew on the relationship between the self and nature, and in doing so gain a sense of calm and inspiration. Members of the public are warmly invited to visit the Taichung City Seaport Art Center and experience "Umbrella Longevity Energy: Chung You-Hui’s Creative Exhibition". Amid the flowing colors and layered prints, visitors can feel the rich energy revealed where art and life come together. For more details, please visit the official website of the Taichung City Seaport Art Center (https://tcsac.taichung.gov.tw/) or its fan page.