Born in Chiayi, Lii Jiin Shiow displayed a talent for art from an early age. She graduated from the Department of Fine Arts at National Taiwan Normal University, and, in the 1980s, she went to Paris, France for further studies and enrolled in the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs. After returning to Taiwan, she engaged in creative practice and teaching, and assisted her family in children’s art education. Working in painting, calligraphy, installation, and other forms, Lii was skilled at using everyday objects as creative media. Her work integrates Eastern calligraphy and Western composition, demonstrating a free-spirited and dynamic artistic vocabulary. She was active in Taiwan's avant-garde art scene in the 1990s, with her pioneering works being highly iconic. Due to her low profile and busy schedule, she was not active in organizing solo exhibitions during her lifetime. However, after her passing, her works have been continuously exhibited on a large scale, accompanied by ongoing research.

Lii Jiin Shiow（1953–2003）

Born in Chiayi, Jo Hsieh showed a strong aspiration for art from her teenage years, and she entered the Fu-Hsin Trade & Arts School after graduating from the junior high school. In the 1990s, she pursued advanced studies in the UK, earning a master’s degree from the Royal College of Art in 1998 and a doctoral degree in Philosophy of Art from Falmouth College of Art in 2002. During her long residence in the UK, Hsieh developed a series of works centered around the concept of “None-Space,” employing blue tones, geometric elements, and mixed media to express her inner state. In 2015, she returned to Taiwan and continued her creative practice. Throughout her lifetime, she participated in numerous exhibitions in the UK, the USA, and Taiwan; after her passing, her family established a foundation to continuously promote her art.

Jo Hsieh（1967–2017）

The Chiayi Art Museum is built upon the arts and culture characteristics of Chiayi, City of Paintings. Since the preparation period, it has been rooted in the "Preserving and promoting the value and glory of Chiayi, City of Paintings," "Incorporating creativity of aesthetics, art and culture into daily lives and education," "Enriching content of a cultural city in Chiayi" and diverse art development, shaping its important characteristics as an urban art museum.

Chiayi Art Museum

Self Portrait

Six Friends

The Wedding

Family 6

A Pair of Shadows

Memory of Space and Time (alone)

The Search of Self

Dreamland III

Untitled

Self-portrait No. 1619

Still Life

Indoors

Salute to Vermeer

Focus

Misplaced Space and Time

Psychic

The Window of Paris

Outdoors

BORDERLINE

Day In And Day Out I

Space Form III

Three Focuses

My Space

Universe

Involvement

Roaming Everywhere

I, We, and the In-Between

More and Less

Outside the Form

Centring on the two Chiayi-born women artists—Lii Jiin Shiow (1953-2003) and Jo Hsieh (1967-2017), the "Practice and Practice with LII Jiin Shiow and Jo HSIEH" exhibition presents their journeys of thoughts and practices within the realms of art, the self, and others through their works, quotidian studies, experimental creations, and lesson plans. The exhibition also features three artists—Tsai Chih-hsien, Kang Ya-chu, and Wang Yi-ting —who engage in cross-generational dialogues through field research and site-specific works, revisiting the artistic and life practices of two contemporary artists from Chiayi.

Since the 1990s, women’s art has been increasingly emphasized by art museums. After undergoing various stages of exhibitions and historical compilations, in recent years, art museums have further focused on the multiple identities and social roles of women, organizing exhibitions from different perspectives and positions. In this context, the Chiayi Art Museum is also concerned about this issue. Through featuring the two women artists, Lii Jiin Shiow and Jo Hsieh, who passed away in their middle age, the museum explores how their boundless energy emerged despite their limited lifespans, and reflects on how to challenge the established framework of gender discourse for reinterpretation and expansion. The exhibition attempts to reveal, based on the existing high regard for Lii, her creative approaches that ingeniously incorporated calligraphic lines, as well as her dedication to children’s education and selfless devotion. For Hsieh, the exhibition highlights her dedicated journey of self-development, showcasing how she built a dialogue between herself and space through extensive practice, self-portraits, sketchbooks, and mixed media.

The “Practice and Practice” in the exhibition title refers to both “the act of putting ideas into action” and “the process of repeated practice.” Through research and curating, the exhibition is not merely about viewing and appreciating works, but also emphasizes the practice and process of art-making. Furthermore, from the artists’ works and ideas, it extends to the viewer’s perspective, opening up a third space.

Organized into three sub-themes—“I, We, and the In-Between,” “More and Less,” and “Outside the Form”- the exhibition delves into the relationship between the lives and art of the two artists. Viewers will gain insight into the multiple facets and meanings of their contrasts and connections, which constantly evolve and are redefined over time, deeply experiencing the spirit and energy of the artists’ “practice and practice.”

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Practice and Practice with LII Jiin Shiow and Jo HSIEH

Fond of the color gray, Lii Jiin Shiow was keen on expressing the ambiguity conveyed by gray tones, or even shadow as the counterpart to the light of appearances. The work Self Portrait depicts a dim environment with a few rays of light coming through the front. From the face to the arms, the subject reflects a play of gray-green light and shadow. The wall in the background also displays a range of tones shaped by light and shadow. Navigating between the abstract and the figurative, the interior and the exterior, Lii expresses her emotions and an eerie atmosphere in an ambiguous way. Colors of green, purple, and orange punctuate the gray tones, exuding a sense of etherealness.

Lii Jiin Shiow
Self Portrait
1977
Watercolor on paper
77 x 53.5 cm
Courtesy of the artist's family