Artist’s Statement – Kimmy Tsai

On a beach not far away, there stands a towering rock. At its peak, a strange force has carved a heart with wings. Legend has it that only those who often play games can discover this heart. Sadly, only a few children have ever found it. The reason is that children, beyond being nimble and agile, play with a certain grace—unlike adults, who often resort to tricks and play in less appealing ways.

This rock marks the gateway to a magical world, and as such, it cannot risk accepting those who are unkind—or those who waver between kindness and unkindness. Otherwise, that beautiful world would be instantly destroyed. (Adapted from Ami, Child of the Stars)

I love nature, and I love depicting children and animals in my work. Their presence, their appearance, is filled with mysterious signals—swinging between civilization and savagery, the known and the mystical. The contrast between a little girl and wild animals, rendered in bold complementary colors, is what awakens my soul. Observing animals feels like stepping into an entirely different mode of existence—quieter, but more untamed. So alive, so conscious, so full of wonder.

Meeting Professor Ko Shih-Chung was a major turning point in my life. He guided me from the darkness of reality into a world of imaginative delight. He taught me not to be confused by the various faces of things, but instead to distill them to their most vivid and essential elements—stripping away the excess and keeping only the luminous core.

As a child, I often looked up at the stars and wondered: what lies beyond the edge of the universe? And then—what beyond that? Falling into this ever-expanding spiral of thought would leave my heart trembling with excitement.

What is my creative philosophy?
I can’t express it in words.
I only hope that when you look at my paintings, something stirs within you.
Whatever your story may be—that is enough.

Stay childlike at heart.


蔡英君自序

在一處並不遙遠的海灘上有一塊高聳的岩石，有某種奇異的力量在岩石頂端上刻下一顆長著翅膀的心。據說，只有經常做遊戲的人才能發現這顆心。遺憾的是，只有少數幾個孩子找到了這顆心。原因是，孩子除了比成年人動作靈巧、敏捷之外，他們玩得很優美；相反地，成年人喜歡耍花招，玩得不太好看。
由於這塊岩石是通向一個神奇世界的起點，所以它不能冒險接納不好的人，也不能接納時好時壞的人。否則會立刻毁壞了那個美好的世界。（取自阿米的宇宙之星）

我喜愛大自然，喜愛以小孩與動物為作畫的對象，他們的存在、他們的外表、充滿了神秘的信息，在文明與野蠻、在已知與神秘之間的擺盪游離。而小女孩與野生動物搭配強烈的對比色最能喚醒我的靈魂。觀察動物就像進入另一種存在方式，更安靜，但也更野性。如此活潑，有意識，充滿奇蹟。

認識柯適中老師是我人生一個重要的轉戾點，他引導我從黑暗的真實走向有趣的想像世界，他讓我瞭解進而學習在面對事物時不迷惑於它們的形形色色；必須僅選取其鮮明耀眼的元素，化繁於簡去蕪存菁。

小時候常抬頭看著星空，在宇宙的外圍是什麼？然後再外圍呢？在掉入這個不斷往外擴張的宇宙迴圈後，最終這個思路會讓我的心興奮到發顫。
創作理念是什麼？
我無法用文字表達，只希望你能在看我的畫時有所觸動，無論你是怎樣的故事，這樣就夠了。

保持赤子之心。