[ LINK ]
The core themes of Lin Wen-Hsuan’s work are memory and psychological space, transforming past negative experiences into symbolic gifts as a way to let them go. Growing up in the countryside, Lin struggled with the fast pace of modern life, which led her to adopt a slower artistic process—through rituals, this extended creative journey becomes a nurturing experience that helps her release past troubles. In recent works, she has begun observing how objects change within psychological space, focusing on the viewer’s experience and interaction with the space itself.
Lin Wen-Hsuan's early ceramic works treat clay as a material shaped by geography, history, culture, space, and time, carrying unique meanings in people's minds. These intangible qualities free her creations from the constraints of traditional decorative techniques.
In 2023, Wen-Hsuan participated in a residency at the European Ceramic Work Centre [ EKWC ] in The Netherlands, where she conducted material experiments related to the body, fluidity, and resonance, expanding her artistic practice.
Artwork
Title
The Table Of The Underworld 幽冥餐桌
Material
porcelain, black clay, ready-made table
Dimension
90 x 90 x 45cm
Weight
18kg
In 2024, during a field study in Penghu focused on the theme of the Ghost Table, Lin became intrigued by local Taoist beliefs about the underworld and the realm of souls, an enduring ritual culture that called for deeper exploration. The Ghost Table reflects Taiwan's cultural attitudes toward external influences: Lin believes that Fenggui residents use rituals to accept and embrace the spirits of foreign soldiers—spirits that once inspired fear but now linger without a home in the afterlife.
Lin envisions the ghosts of Dutch soldiers as ancestors, considering how to provide them a taste of home. Observing traditional offerings that symbolise the local idea of Western food—such as raw beef and red wine—she questioned whether the Dutch souls could find their path to peace or reincarnation through such stereotypes. Drawing from her time in the Netherlands, she created ritual offerings that more closely reflect Dutch cuisine, incorporating foods like pancakes, cheese, tea, and sausages. However, the surfaces of these offerings are marked by cracks, as if weathered over time, symbolising cultural conflict.
Ceramic fragments depict the time and space of the underworld, while Taiwanese white clay and Dutch black soil are used to represent the two cultures—two materials with distinct colours and firing temperatures. When combined and fired as one, their surface cracks but new patterns appear throughout the ceramic pieces, suggesting that cultural conflicts may yield unexpected outcomes.
[ LINK ]
The paintings, graphic work, and installations of Jonat Deelstra [ 1991 ] are both narrative and alienating, often described as magical realism. His work explores humanity’s attempts [ sometimes pathetic failures ] to settle on planet Earth, as well as how people interact with each other and their environment. His bright, inviting, and accessible imagery conceals an unspoken tension—as if something terrible were about to happen.
Among themes such as migration, religion, identity, climate change, and death, Deelstra feels like he’s in the eye of the storm: “Just like previous generations, ours has a revolutionary character. We are at a crossroads in history. Like a theatre stage, we play our part in several global stories—changes brought by artificial intelligence, nuclear threat, the rise of ultra-right and left-wing politicians, the climate crisis... Stories that are usually built around protagonists and antagonists. As long as I can tell myself that I'm on the right side and the other is the bad guy, the world feels comprehensible. I aim to show these stories in a new light, mixing up the roles and stepping out of the binary view of good and bad.”
Artwork
Title
Crevice/ And Therefore
Dimensions
H120 x W170cm oil paint on canvas [ Lleft ]
H120 x W170cm - oil paint on canvas [ Right ]
Upon viewing the work of his partner artist Lin Wen-Hsuan, Deelstra created a pair of contrasting pieces in response. While Wen-Hsuan’s work employs two contrasting materials that form cracks when combined, Deelstra’s rely on each other, reflecting the classic metaphorical dichotomy between the Apollonian and the Dionysian—the Romantic versus the Enlightened.
The two complementary paintings explore distinct aspects of Ghost Month: one presents a rational, earthly, and pragmatic view, while the other embodies a dreamy, spiritual, and more abstract nature. The first painting depicts a deserted table filled with symbolic offerings, while the second features bubbling, liquid forms that reference the hungry ghosts' attraction to water. The works’ fleeting, painterly strokes evoke a sense of transience.
While researching, Deelstra traced a parallel between the nature of Ghost Month and the human body, particularly in the functioning of the brain—The left hemisphere is primarily responsible for speech and abstract thinking, controlling the body’s right side, while the right hemisphere governs image processing, spatial thinking, and movement on the left side of the body. Ghost Month rituals come into being only when these different worlds intersect. In this way, Deelstra seeks to fuse abstract cultural beliefs with tangible elements of human experience.
[ LINK ]
The core themes of Lin Wen-Hsuan’s work are memory and psychological space, transforming past negative experiences into symbolic gifts as a way to let them go. Growing up in the countryside, Lin struggled with the fast pace of modern life, which led her to adopt a slower artistic process—through rituals, this extended creative journey becomes a nurturing experience that helps her release past troubles. In recent works, she has begun observing how objects change within psychological space, focusing on the viewer’s experience and interaction with the space itself.
Lin Wen-Hsuan's early ceramic works treat clay as a material shaped by geography, history, culture, space, and time, carrying unique meanings in people's minds. These intangible qualities free her creations from the constraints of traditional decorative techniques.
In 2023, Wen-Hsuan participated in a residency at the European Ceramic Work Centre [ EKWC ] in The Netherlands, where she conducted material experiments related to the body, fluidity, and resonance, expanding her artistic practice.
Artwork
Title
The Table of the Underworld 幽冥餐桌
Material
Porcelain, Black Clay, Ready-made Table
Dimension
90 x 90 x 45cm
Weight
18kg
In 2024, during a field study in Penghu focused on the theme of the Ghost Table, Lin became intrigued by local Taoist beliefs about the underworld and the realm of souls, an enduring ritual culture that called for deeper exploration. The Ghost Table reflects Taiwan's cultural attitudes toward external influences: Lin believes that Fenggui residents use rituals to accept and embrace the spirits of foreign soldiers—spirits that once inspired fear but now linger without a home in the afterlife.
Lin envisions the ghosts of Dutch soldiers as ancestors, considering how to provide them a taste of home. Observing traditional offerings that symbolise the local idea of Western food—such as raw beef and red wine—she questioned whether the Dutch souls could find their path to peace or reincarnation through such stereotypes. Drawing from her time in the Netherlands, she created ritual offerings that more closely reflect Dutch cuisine, incorporating foods like pancakes, cheese, tea, and sausages. However, the surfaces of these offerings are marked by cracks, as if weathered over time, symbolising cultural conflict.
Ceramic fragments depict the time and space of the underworld, while Taiwanese white clay and Dutch black soil are used to represent the two cultures—two materials with distinct colours and firing temperatures. When combined and fired as one, their surface cracks but new patterns appear throughout the ceramic pieces, suggesting that cultural conflicts may yield unexpected outcomes.
[ LINK ]
The paintings, graphic work, and installations of Jonat Deelstra [ 1991 ] are both narrative and alienating, often described as magical realism. His work explores humanity’s attempts [ sometimes pathetic failures ] to settle on planet Earth, as well as how people interact with each other and their environment. His bright, inviting, and accessible imagery conceals an unspoken tension—as if something terrible were about to happen.
Among themes such as migration, religion, identity, climate change, and death, Deelstra feels like he’s in the eye of the storm: “Just like previous generations, ours has a revolutionary character. We are at a crossroads in history. Like a theatre stage, we play our part in several global stories—changes brought by artificial intelligence, nuclear threat, the rise of ultra-right and left-wing politicians, the climate crisis... Stories that are usually built around protagonists and antagonists. As long as I can tell myself that I'm on the right side and the other is the bad guy, the world feels comprehensible. I aim to show these stories in a new light, mixing up the roles and stepping out of the binary view of good and bad.”
Artwork
Title
Crevice/ And therefore
Dimensions
H120 x W170cm oil paint on canvas [ Lleft ]
H120 x W170cm - oil paint on canvas [ Right ]
Upon viewing the work of his partner artist Lin Wen-Hsuan, Deelstra created a pair of contrasting pieces in response. While Wen-Hsuan’s work employs two contrasting materials that form cracks when combined, Deelstra’s rely on each other, reflecting the classic metaphorical dichotomy between the Apollonian and the Dionysian—the Romantic versus the Enlightened.
The two complementary paintings explore distinct aspects of Ghost Month: one presents a rational, earthly, and pragmatic view, while the other embodies a dreamy, spiritual, and more abstract nature. The first painting depicts a deserted table filled with symbolic offerings, while the second features bubbling, liquid forms that reference the hungry ghosts' attraction to water. The works’ fleeting, painterly strokes evoke a sense of transience.
While researching, Deelstra traced a parallel between the nature of Ghost Month and the human body, particularly in the functioning of the brain—The left hemisphere is primarily responsible for speech and abstract thinking, controlling the body’s right side, while the right hemisphere governs image processing, spatial thinking, and movement on the left side of the body. Ghost Month rituals come into being only when these different worlds intersect. In this way, Deelstra seeks to fuse abstract cultural beliefs with tangible elements of human experience.