Lu Chia-Nuoh’s solo exhibition Let Me Settle offers a unique viewing experience, embodying the intimate connection between the artist, the canvas, and the specific moments of creation. The Trinity series invites viewers to confront the artist’s evolving emotional state in response to his father, ranging from turbulent waves to calm seas. The works reconstruct the memories of his father’s battle with cancer and eventual passing, a process that coincided with the artist’s own time from his father’s stroke to his departure.

Amid the pressures of his graduate studies, the artist’s inner world oscillated between the desire to overcome these difficult periods and the awareness that doing so meant bidding farewell to his father. This interplay of pain and happiness is vividly conveyed in the works. In this exhibition at Cloud Gallery, the compositions of Trinity use vertical and horizontal overlaps to symbolize the fluctuations of the artist’s emotions. The solemn black of the gallery space reflects the heavy atmosphere surrounding his father’s passing.

Lu Chia-Nuoh treats the exhibition layout as part of the creative process, altering the materiality of the works and the perception of space, thereby engaging with the three core issues in his painting practice: illusion, space, and materiality. By employing masking tape and sponges instead of traditional painting tools, he expresses the passage of time through the act of applying and peeling tape. This physical labor becomes inseparable from the creative process, ultimately producing a synchronized, almost spiritual visual experience.

The First Be, Lest Be series highlights the artist’s methodical approach and the trace of paint, corresponding to his practice of exploring selfhood through repetition. By repeatedly applying and removing tape, the canvas accumulates a grid-like pattern, with each layer of paint revealing its sequential presence. Variations in repetition create differences in hue and density, making the creative process visible. The canvas thus becomes a record of existence, a testament to the artist’s presence.

A Confession Like a Beam of Light

Lu Chia-Nuoh’s works impart a sense of solace, like a linear confession: “I hang, I paint; I remember you.” The exhibition’s atmosphere mirrors the artist’s religious experiences, with the intensity of light serving as a visual metaphor.

The Heavenly Gems series reflects the artist’s closeness to and longing for both God and the spirit of creation, continuing the symbolic and spiritual visual language of medieval imagery. These works, reminiscent of the rose windows of Gothic cathedrals, emphasize pattern, form, and the symbolism of light, conveying sanctity and revelation. Lu Chia-Nuoh integrates his Christian identity into the exhibition, transforming the space into a church-like environment. Through his Composing Paintings approach and interaction with light, viewers feel the presence of the divine, bathed in luminosity, as the gallery transforms into a golden sanctuary of prayer.

Gems Resonating on the Canvas

In Lu Chia-Nuoh’s recent works, I am reminded of Mark Rothko’s insight: “You are sad, I am sad—and my art is where these two sorrows meet, so that we feel less sorrowful.” The artist skillfully directs the viewer’s gaze, merging life experiences, bodily engagement, and creative tools into crystallized works of art.

These works, like gemstones, exhibit unique beauty, rarity, and durability, symbolizing eternal beauty. Emeralds represent prosperity and rebirth, while rubies signify passion and vitality. I believe that on his future creative journey, Lu Chia-Nuoh will continue to retain the sharpness and brilliance of a gemstone, shining persistently through his art.