If space is a straight line, then a sphere is an interval. If space is a two dimensional plane, then a sphere is an expandable disk. It is a planet that revolves on its own axis, a golden sun, a helix galaxy made up of thousands of star clusters and nebulae. It is the boundary of an internal space that is both open and closed - whenever we establish such a line, whether it is within ourselves or with others, we create struggle and conflict on either side of the border, leading to collapse and reorganization.

How is one to take restless anxiety and transform it into cold emotion? This is an old commitment and understanding, a minimalistic, calm and unpretentious creative language. It is a readymade object, a fundamental aspect of geometry, a surface made of arcs and colors, something I call sphere movement.

Text / Chen Hui-Chiao

Chen Hui-chiao is adept at combining symbolism and allusion with the perceptual methodology of readymade objects to create works that have a profound impact on the viewer. Her perception is derived from the human soul, exists in a spiritual space that is uniquely that of the artist and comes with a mysterious cosmological point of view represented here by a distinct type of systematic understanding – abstract geometry. For Chen, only through such a simple creative context is it possible to reveal the essential nature of art. In "The Sphere" she shows eight works from the Ping Pong series and four from the Needle and Thread series. The word "ping pong" is derived from the sound the ball makes as it zips back and forth between two players. Moreover, the ball is the smallest and lightest "round" object used in any ball sport. It is also a key element in the creative thinking of Chen Hui-chiao.

In the Middle Ages, many scholars believed geometry, astrology and astronomy were inextricably related to divinity. The ancient Egyptians held that the circle was a divine and perfect pictograph given to Mankind by the Gods. There are records of circles from the earliest human histories, with the sun, moon and plants examples of circles in nature. From the ancient Greek philosophy of Pythagoras, Parmenides, Anaxagoras and Archimedes to 20th Century theories of time and space, circles are primarily an abstract representation of perfection, that originate in a clearer understanding of the rhythms and rhymes of nature. However, this outlook is ultimately based on a geometric understanding of "circles," and the idea of a universal character based on simplicity and harmony, compatibility and independence.

When Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) first discovered that the orbit of the planets was elliptical, Mankind was able to learn and imagine even more about the distant heavens and space. In other words, knowledge has come not from pursuing the perfection of the circle, but rather from exploring the reasons the circle is imperfect. As such, the rational understanding in which "time never dies, the circle is not round" is a universal abstract concept that relates to our perceptual knowledge of a specific concrete object, while the focus of aesthetics is the perfection of perceptual knowledge.

Chen Hui-chiao first started using ping pong balls in her art work in 1997, and since then they have become one of her main creative media. In mathematics, Euclid wrote discourses about spherical geometry and number theory, pointing out that in three-dimensional geometric space the sphere is a perfect symmetrical body. In physics, spheres are rolling objects that collide or accumulate and occupy space. In Chen's works spheres symbolize planets that revolve on their own axis, but "moving spheres" are also an allusion to the reform movement, in the sense that reform is an important force promoting the development of society and civilization. In other words, movement is a process of change that lies in between potential and realized realities. In music, the word "interval" refers to the pitch differential between two notes. In the "Apartment of Art" solo exhibition in Munich, Chen Hui-chiao takes the sphere as an analogy for the relationship between high and low on the musical scale, extending the visual image of "ping pong balls" to musical notation. Aesthetically, Chen juxtaposes the expressive methodology of abstract geometry and readymade objects, though in terms of color she prefers monochrome painting.

Chen Hui-chiao extends material "spheres" with no apparent limit, the objective being to affirm the essential non material transformation of spiritual consciousness. This constitutes an attempt to return to a metaphysical discussion – wherein we see being in those beings that exist and reality in real world phenomena. For Chen metaphysics = transcending physics, and as such she places no particular emphasis on discussing "phenomena" preferring instead to focus on discovering "the truth," which for her means existence itself and the basic character of all real objects.

Text / Jo Hsiao

About the artist

Chen Hui-chiao was born in Tamsui, Taiwan, in 1964 and was one of the founders of IT Park Gallery in Taipei. She is also one of only a handful of female artists from Taiwan currently active on the international art scene. In 1987, Chen first experimented with spatial installations and following her work You're the Rose, I'm the Needle (1993) started to attract the attention of the local art community. After the pieces Within Me, Without Me in Space, Within Space (1997) and Then Sleep, My Love (1998) Chen's renown grew and the solo exhibition "Here and Now" at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei, in 2006, confirmed her status as a star in the firmament of contemporary Taiwanese art.

In Taiwan, Chen Hui-chiao is known for the new standards she has established in her dual role, first as director of IT Park Gallery, widely considered an important "promoter of modern art." With her excellent understanding of the artistic environment, many of the up and coming artists who have exhibited works at the gallery have gone on to make a name for themselves. IT Park Gallery was established in 1988 and in 2009 was awarded the 13th Taipei Culture Award. In that timeframe, Chen's works have earned her a reputation as something of an enigma in Taiwan's contemporary arts scene, known for pushing extremely simple materials to their limits and using them to explore new territory.

Chen Hui-chiao has been invited to show works at numerous international exhibitions. These include: "Everyday Miracles (Extended)" at the SFAI Walter and McBean Galleries and REDCAT in Los Angeles, 10th Istanbul Biennial and the Kwangju Art Biennial in South Korea. She also participated in "Face to Face – Contemporary Art from Taiwan" a touring group exhibition of art museums in Australia, "Inside Out – New Chinese Art" a touring group exhibition of art museums in the US and the Osaka Triennale 1996/7th International Contemporary Art Competition. Chen's works have been collected by art galleries and private art collectors across Taiwan and she has served as a judge at the SANCF Award, Taipei Artist Village, Taipei Arts Award and the National Award of Arts. Since 2006, Chen has also been the recommended consultant for Taiwanese artists at the Glenfiddich Artists' Village in Scotland.

About the exhibition

Duration: 13 Sep - 12 Oct 2014

Venue: Apartment der Kunst - apartment of art

Opening Reception: 13 Sep 2014 Sat 14:00

Courtesy of the artist and IT PARK, for further information please visit www.itpark.com.tw.