Whirl With Merle

Wen-Fu YU (DUCK) ???

Growing up around his family’s bamboo crafts business, Yu acquired knowledge of traditional craftsmanship at young age. He was born in 1968 in Douliu Yunlin County and moved with his parents to Zhushan in Nantou County. Besides bamboo craft, he also developed strong interest in painting, calligraphy and seal carving. Yu eventually decided to retire from the air force after nine years to pursue a creative life of crafts and art-making.

“Natural Sensitivity” represents the fundamental aesthetics of Yu’s work. According to him, human beings, much like wild animals, gain the sharpest sensitivity to the environments when we reach an undisturbed and pure state of mind. Unfortunately, the advancement of technology has led to a society that overemphasizes sensational stimulation and interpersonal interaction, which directly or indirectly causes the aesthetic intuition of human being to vanish rapidly. In response, Yu rests on natural materials such as bamboo and feathers as his media to create installations and environmental art. His work is often familiar while simultaneously refreshing and allowing room for imagination. It encourages the audience to calm down and observe, or take a step further to actively discover and grasp some of the most transient yet inspirational moments and elements of our surroundings, such as airflow, the sound of the wind, and time.

Art curator Luchia Lee will also be calling in to tell us more about Rewoven, an installation at both Queens College and Queens Community College in New York.