Marking the second anniversary of the passing of artist Yin-Huei Chen, the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Taichung City Government, in collaboration with the artist’s family, presents the memorial exhibition “The Realm Arises from the Mind · Artistic Resonance Endures.” The exhibition is now on view at the Taichung City Dadun Cultural Center through January 28. Deputy Mayor Guo-Rong Huang, attending the opening ceremony on behalf of Mayor Shiow-Yen Lu, noted that the exhibition traces Professor Chen’s artistic journey spanning more than seven decades since the 1950s. More than a retrospective, it is a heartfelt tribute to an esteemed artist and educator who embraced art with unwavering passion throughout his life.
Born in Chiayi in 1931, Professor Chen taught at the Department of Fine Arts, National Taiwan Normal University before returning to Taichung after retirement, where he remained deeply engaged in artistic creation and arts advocacy. Widely regarded as a key force in the development of central Taiwan’s art scene, he nurtured generations of artists through both his teaching and practice. His work traversed realism and abstraction, evolving through constant exploration into a distinctive and recognizable personal style. Frequently exhibited and collected by cultural institutions, his art has left a lasting imprint on Taichung’s cultural landscape and art history.
Curated by his daughter, Yu-Wen Chen, the exhibition is structured around four thematic sections—Love Hidden in Brushstrokes, Resilience in Adversity, Still Waters Run Deep, and Mind and Image in Harmony. Together, they form a gentle yet profound journey through the artist’s life, reflecting his keen observation of the world, deep affection for family, and lifelong devotion to art—from his early years of persistent practice to the calm maturity of midlife and the free, expansive spirit of his later years in Taichung.
Recalling her father as a quiet and steadfast presence at home, the curator shared that preparing this exhibition allowed her to rediscover the emotional depth beneath his reserved exterior. Centered on the theme of family, the exhibition presents a carefully curated selection of portrait and family-themed works rarely shown in the past, including portraits of his parents; Little Lamb, I Love You, symbolizing marital affection; Feeding, Portrait of Yu-Wen, and Gallant on a Bicycle, which trace the growth of his children; and Lovely Granddaughter and Granddaughter Doing Exercises, reflecting the bond between grandparent and grandchild. She noted that the works were selected not from an expert’s perspective, but through the eyes of a family member, in the hope that audiences may glimpse her father’s gentle side and how he transformed a lifetime of emotion into color and line.
In 2018, during his 90th retrospective at the Dadun Cultural Center, Professor Chen remarked, “I will keep painting.” Despite physical limitations in his later years, he completed his final work,“Awakening,” with the support of his wife, Shu-Chen Yang. The piece—unveiled to the public for the first time in this exhibition—transforms the structure of the Chinese character for “awakening” into a tilted eye, infused with symbolic imagery and flowing vitality, embodying the artist’s enduring creative spirit.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau emphasized that Professor Chen’s humility, warmth, and dedication to both creation and education profoundly shaped Taiwan’s art development. To his family, he was a quiet pillar of strength; to the art community, a guiding light whose influence continues to illuminate creative paths. Through “The Realm Arises from the Mind · Artistic Resonance Endures,” audiences are invited not only to revisit his artistic achievements, but also to encounter the lasting spirit he expressed through both his art and his life.For more information, please visit the Dadun Cultural Center website at www.dadun.culture.taichung.gov.tw