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the Ink Traces of Time project：More is Less series
《時間之漬》 創作自述
The "More is Less" series explores the "Ink Traces of Time" project, utilizing video and painting to engage in a dialogue with traditional landscape and calligraphy. Through the temporal layering of dotted stains, the work reinterprets the classical "Accumulated Ink" (Ji-Mo) technique, transmuting the painting process into a profound contemplation of time and the vestiges of ink marks.
On sized Xuan paper, as countless dots and stains overlap, a new spatial dimension emerges, while once-defined contours fracture and dissolve into ambiguity. This process of flux—moving from the figurative (text or image) to the abstract—manifests the inherent qualities of the medium and the dynamic tension of Eastern ink aesthetics, bridging traditional landscape and calligraphic brushwork with Western abstraction.
Consequently, the Ji-Mo technique is imbued with a new contemporary vitality, where the materiality and spirituality of ink converge: it no longer serves the depiction of landscape scenery, but becomes an object of contemplation in itself—a metaphor for the passage of life. The layering of dotted stains resembles the filling of years. As the white paper is gradually consumed by ink marks, it symbolizes the diminishing "margin of life" that vanishes with time. This is a dialectic of "More is Less"—within the ultimate state of accumulation, one witnesses the void and the substantial, the manifest and the hidden, and the ebb and flow of existence.
《時間之漬》「多即少」系列計畫探索「時間的墨跡」，運用錄像與繪畫與傳統山水及書法進行對話。透過點漬的時間疊加，重新詮釋了古典山水畫中的「積墨法」，將繪畫過程轉化為對時間與點漬痕跡的深度凝視。
在熟宣紙上，隨著無數點漬的不斷疊加，一個新的空間維度隨之浮現，而曾經明顯的輪廓則斷裂並消隱於模糊之中。這種從具象（文字或圖像）流變至抽象的過程，展現了材質本身的特質與東方墨韻的張力，並將東方山水或書法筆墨連結了西方的抽象。於是，積墨法被賦予了全新的當代生命，墨的物質性與精神性合而為一：它不再為描繪山水圖像服務，而是成為被觀看的自身，以及人生歲月的隱喻。點漬的疊加如同歲月的填充，當白紙逐漸被墨跡占滿，亦象徵著人生可支配的餘裕正隨時間消逝。這是一場「多即是少」的辯證——在極致的堆積中，看見實與虛、顯與隱、生命的消長。
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On sized Xuan paper, as countless dots and stains overlap, a new spatial dimension emerges, while once-defined contours fracture and dissolve into ambiguity. This process of flux—moving from the figurative (text or image) to the abstract—manifests the inherent qualities of the medium and the dynamic tension of Eastern ink aesthetics, bridging traditional landscape and calligraphic brushwork with Western abstraction.
Consequently, the Ji-Mo technique is imbued with a new contemporary vitality, where the materiality and spirituality of ink converge: it no longer serves the depiction of landscape scenery, but becomes an object of contemplation in itself—a metaphor for the passage of life. The layering of dotted stains resembles the filling of years. As the white paper is gradually consumed by ink marks, it symbolizes the diminishing "margin of life" that vanishes with time. This is a dialectic of "More is Less"—within the ultimate state of accumulation, one witnesses the void and the substantial, the manifest and the hidden, and the ebb and flow of existence.
《時間之漬》「多即少」系列計畫探索「時間的墨跡」，運用錄像與繪畫與傳統山水及書法進行對話。透過點漬的時間疊加，重新詮釋了古典山水畫中的「積墨法」，將繪畫過程轉化為對時間與點漬痕跡的深度凝視。
在熟宣紙上，隨著無數點漬的不斷疊加，一個新的空間維度隨之浮現，而曾經明顯的輪廓則斷裂並消隱於模糊之中。這種從具象（文字或圖像）流變至抽象的過程，展現了材質本身的特質與東方墨韻的張力，並將東方山水或書法筆墨連結了西方的抽象。於是，積墨法被賦予了全新的當代生命，墨的物質性與精神性合而為一：它不再為描繪山水圖像服務，而是成為被觀看的自身，以及人生歲月的隱喻。點漬的疊加如同歲月的填充，當白紙逐漸被墨跡占滿，亦象徵著人生可支配的餘裕正隨時間消逝。這是一場「多即是少」的辯證——在極致的堆積中，看見實與虛、顯與隱、生命的消長。
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'Feminine Writing in THEY Shanshui and Manual of Yuan's Texturizing Strokes'〈類山水與袁氏皴譜的陰性書寫〉
2021
The Texturizing Strokes (Cunfa) Project represents a radical deconstruction and reorganization of the Cun (texture mark) tradition in the history of Chinese painting. Yuan Hui-Li transforms the traditional strokes once used to depict natural geological textures with the intricate emotions of the female body. This is no longer a detached, scholarly observation of nature by the male literati class; it is a "Texture Symbol System Revolution" rooted in gender politics and the essence of life experience.
By transmuting internal feminine emotions into texture marks, the artist shatters the male-dominated gaze that has governed landscape painting for millennia. These "Feminine Texture Strokes" reclaim the female subjectivity that has long been absent from the history of landscape art, shifting it from grand natural narratives toward a spiritual landscape forged through feminine consciousness.
THEY Shanshui expresses Yuan Hui-Li's abstract inner emotions. Each texture block (cunfa) is constructed from the shifting moods of feminine joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—every emotion possesses its own distinct form. The composition of THEY Shanshui is not built upon a single texture technique, but rather through the assemblage of diverse and fragmented texture blocks. This hybrid visual structure symbolizes Taiwan’s complex history of multiple colonization, and the resulting multicultural hybridity and polyphonic voices of the world it inhabits.
The Manual of Yuan’s Texturizing Strokes originates from my THEY Shanshui series, in which the artist distilled and codified thirty-two distinct types of cunfa (texturizing strokes). Each stroke is named and interpreted to articulate both its form and spirit as expressions of emotion. These brushstrokes (Cun-fa) are detached from the mimesis of natural landscapes. By weaving abstract emotions into literary poetry and bodily discourse, they re-interpret the context of text-image iconography, transforming inner psychological states into visible, gestural brushwork.
The PS. THEY series consists of digitally edited video works that involve the appropriation of classical paintings and the creation of original imagery. By substituting traditional texture marks (Cunfa) with "Feminine Texture Marks," the series highlights a profound shift in the underlying politics of subjectivity: the "imperial body" of ancient landscapes is supplanted by the "female body." Within this transition, the structural logic of texture marks evolves from a centralized consistency to a pluralistic multiplicity. This represents a radical subversion of the aesthetic and formal traditions that have long governed the structural system of Chinese landscape painting.
《皴法計畫》是對中國繪畫史上「皴法」傳統的解構與重組。袁慧莉將原本用於構建自然山石紋理的「皴法」，轉向對女性身體情緒對位。這不再是男性文人階層對自然的觀察，而是一場關於性別政治與生命經驗的皴法革命。
透過將女性內在情緒轉化為皴法，藝術家打破了千年來山水畫中由男性主導的觀看視角。這種「陰性皴法」將過往山水畫史中缺席的女性主體彰顯出來，使山水畫從宏大的自然敘事，轉向另一種女性意識的精神山水。
《類山水》 表達了藝術家內在的抽象情緒。每一個「皴塊」皆由女性的喜、怒、哀、樂等情緒轉化而成—--每一種情感都有其獨特的形態。《類山水》的構圖並非建立在單一的皴法技巧上，而是透過多樣且碎片化的皴塊組構而成。這種混雜的視覺結構，隱喻了台灣複雜的多重殖民歷史，以及由此產生的文化雜交現狀與世界眾聲喧嘩的樣貌。
《袁氏皴譜》 源自於《類山水》系列，藝術家從中提煉並編碼出三十二種獨特的皴法。每一種皴法皆被賦予命名與詮釋，以表達其形神特質與情感意涵。這些皴法脫離自然地景的模仿，將抽象情緒連結文學詩詞、身體話語，重新詮釋皴法圖文符號語法，將內在狀態轉化為可見的皴法姿態。
《PS. THEY》系列包含換置古畫和自創圖像的電腦編輯錄像作品，藉由陰性皴法換置古畫中的皴法，彰顯在不同政體時代下，山水畫所隱含的主體政治從帝國身體變成女性身體，皴法的結構也從一致性轉向多元性，這是對山水畫皴法結構美學傳統的徹底顛覆。
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By transmuting internal feminine emotions into texture marks, the artist shatters the male-dominated gaze that has governed landscape painting for millennia. These "Feminine Texture Strokes" reclaim the female subjectivity that has long been absent from the history of landscape art, shifting it from grand natural narratives toward a spiritual landscape forged through feminine consciousness.
THEY Shanshui expresses Yuan Hui-Li's abstract inner emotions. Each texture block (cunfa) is constructed from the shifting moods of feminine joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—every emotion possesses its own distinct form. The composition of THEY Shanshui is not built upon a single texture technique, but rather through the assemblage of diverse and fragmented texture blocks. This hybrid visual structure symbolizes Taiwan’s complex history of multiple colonization, and the resulting multicultural hybridity and polyphonic voices of the world it inhabits.
The Manual of Yuan’s Texturizing Strokes originates from my THEY Shanshui series, in which the artist distilled and codified thirty-two distinct types of cunfa (texturizing strokes). Each stroke is named and interpreted to articulate both its form and spirit as expressions of emotion. These brushstrokes (Cun-fa) are detached from the mimesis of natural landscapes. By weaving abstract emotions into literary poetry and bodily discourse, they re-interpret the context of text-image iconography, transforming inner psychological states into visible, gestural brushwork.
The PS. THEY series consists of digitally edited video works that involve the appropriation of classical paintings and the creation of original imagery. By substituting traditional texture marks (Cunfa) with "Feminine Texture Marks," the series highlights a profound shift in the underlying politics of subjectivity: the "imperial body" of ancient landscapes is supplanted by the "female body." Within this transition, the structural logic of texture marks evolves from a centralized consistency to a pluralistic multiplicity. This represents a radical subversion of the aesthetic and formal traditions that have long governed the structural system of Chinese landscape painting.
《皴法計畫》是對中國繪畫史上「皴法」傳統的解構與重組。袁慧莉將原本用於構建自然山石紋理的「皴法」，轉向對女性身體情緒對位。這不再是男性文人階層對自然的觀察，而是一場關於性別政治與生命經驗的皴法革命。
透過將女性內在情緒轉化為皴法，藝術家打破了千年來山水畫中由男性主導的觀看視角。這種「陰性皴法」將過往山水畫史中缺席的女性主體彰顯出來，使山水畫從宏大的自然敘事，轉向另一種女性意識的精神山水。
《類山水》 表達了藝術家內在的抽象情緒。每一個「皴塊」皆由女性的喜、怒、哀、樂等情緒轉化而成—--每一種情感都有其獨特的形態。《類山水》的構圖並非建立在單一的皴法技巧上，而是透過多樣且碎片化的皴塊組構而成。這種混雜的視覺結構，隱喻了台灣複雜的多重殖民歷史，以及由此產生的文化雜交現狀與世界眾聲喧嘩的樣貌。
《袁氏皴譜》 源自於《類山水》系列，藝術家從中提煉並編碼出三十二種獨特的皴法。每一種皴法皆被賦予命名與詮釋，以表達其形神特質與情感意涵。這些皴法脫離自然地景的模仿，將抽象情緒連結文學詩詞、身體話語，重新詮釋皴法圖文符號語法，將內在狀態轉化為可見的皴法姿態。
《PS. THEY》系列包含換置古畫和自創圖像的電腦編輯錄像作品，藉由陰性皴法換置古畫中的皴法，彰顯在不同政體時代下，山水畫所隱含的主體政治從帝國身體變成女性身體，皴法的結構也從一致性轉向多元性，這是對山水畫皴法結構美學傳統的徹底顛覆。
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'Fiery Ink: Breathing in the Smog_ Reconstruction of Contemporary Ink Aesthetics Vocabulary'
〈火墨：在霾中呼吸 _當代墨性語彙的重構〉
2017
The Fiery Ink project employs a fire-ink technique in which paper is burned and its ash transformed into ink landscape. The work closely engages with contemporary phenomena such as 21st-century global warming and air pollution. As a modern ink-based vocabulary, it replaces the “moist essence” of traditional ink painting with the “arid energy” of Fiery ink, echoing climatic transformations across both ancient and modern times. Started in 2015, Fiery Ink is structured as a trilogy titled the 'Fiery Ink Project,' comprising three parts: Displacing the Classical (Part 1), Quotidian Smog(Part 2), and On-site Creation and Installation(Part 3).
《火墨》以火燒宣紙取炭灰作畫，表現當今21世紀地球暖化空污現象，作為當代山水畫另一種墨性語彙，以「火墨」的「燥氣」取代「水墨」的「潤氣」，對應古今氣候變異。《火墨》從2015年開始創作，以變古(Part 1)、霾日常(Part 2)、現地創作裝置(Part 3)作為"火墨計畫"三部曲。
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《火墨》以火燒宣紙取炭灰作畫，表現當今21世紀地球暖化空污現象，作為當代山水畫另一種墨性語彙，以「火墨」的「燥氣」取代「水墨」的「潤氣」，對應古今氣候變異。《火墨》從2015年開始創作，以變古(Part 1)、霾日常(Part 2)、現地創作裝置(Part 3)作為"火墨計畫"三部曲。
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'Dwell amidst the Mountain and Inhale from the Valley', STATEMENT OF FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION.
〈《居山飲壑》創作自述〉， 袁慧莉（袁澍）2000年首次個展
2000
Sometimes I enter tradition, and sometimes I maintain my distance; sometimes I embrace it, and sometimes I critique it. At times I remember, and at times I forget. Remembering is to enrich my own nourishment; forgetting is for the freedom of creation.
Thus, in the oscillation of entering and exiting, "To be or not to be" rests entirely upon oneself. The crux is: Who am I? Am I fulfilling my true nature?
Painting exists to discover, understand, express, liberate, and complete oneself. Only through this can painting hold meaning and creation find its foundation. Throughout years of inward introspection and the exploration of the spirit of painting, I have continuously experimented with various forms of expression. By breaking free from the ruts of habit and seeking possibilities beyond traditional materials, I believe there are still uncharted "blank spaces" in the world of Chinese painting waiting to be expanded.
In my Cotton and Linen Series, I experiment with applying Chinese pigments, brush, and ink onto cotton and linen mounted on panels. Can these unprecedented, innovative materials offer another possibility for ink expression? Due to the dual nature of the pigments and the fibers, the sensations and challenges encountered when the brush wanders across cotton are vastly different from those of traditional Xuan paper or silk. This difference compels me to leap out of old brush-and-ink habits and rediscover ways of handling the brush and ink that harmonize with these new surfaces. It is a new ordeal, but also a new horizon—a vantage point from which to explore and uncover another facet of traditional brushwork.
Most importantly, this form aligns perfectly with my state of mind in recent years. Finally, I can speak my own words in my own language—speaking to my heart's content, speaking with ease, and attaining the pure exhilaration and joy of creation.
有時進入傳統，有時保持距離；有時擁抱傳統，有時批判傳統；有時想起有時忘記。想起是為了厚實自己的養分，忘記是為了創作的自由。
所以，在進出與擺盪之間，To be or not to be全憑自己，重點是：自己是誰？！是否盡己之性。
繪畫就是為了發掘自己、了解自己、表現自己、解放自己、完成自己，為其能此，繪畫才有意義，創作才有依據。
在多年向內自省探索繪畫的精神過程時，對於表現的形式同樣也一直在摸索實驗著。跳出習慣的窠臼，試圖尋找傳統材質之外的可能性，中國繪畫的世界仍有可以延伸開拓的空白境地。
棉麻布系列作品便嘗試以中國顏料及筆墨畫於裱在板面的棉麻布上，前所未有的創新材質是否能提供水墨表現的另一種可能性？
由於用料與纖維雙重質性的不同，當筆墨在棉布上游走時，所碰觸的感覺與問題便迥異于傳統的宣紙與絹布，這種不同逼使我必須跳出舊有的筆墨習慣，重新找出可以與之配合的用筆用墨的方式。這是一個新的考驗，但也是一個新的視野，從這裡可以探討發掘傳統的筆墨所能發現的另一種面貌。
最重要的是，這樣的形式正好與我這幾年的生活心境貼合，於是，我終於可用自己的語言說自己的話，說得盡性、說得舒暢，得到創作的快感與喜悅。
READ MORE
Thus, in the oscillation of entering and exiting, "To be or not to be" rests entirely upon oneself. The crux is: Who am I? Am I fulfilling my true nature?
Painting exists to discover, understand, express, liberate, and complete oneself. Only through this can painting hold meaning and creation find its foundation. Throughout years of inward introspection and the exploration of the spirit of painting, I have continuously experimented with various forms of expression. By breaking free from the ruts of habit and seeking possibilities beyond traditional materials, I believe there are still uncharted "blank spaces" in the world of Chinese painting waiting to be expanded.
In my Cotton and Linen Series, I experiment with applying Chinese pigments, brush, and ink onto cotton and linen mounted on panels. Can these unprecedented, innovative materials offer another possibility for ink expression? Due to the dual nature of the pigments and the fibers, the sensations and challenges encountered when the brush wanders across cotton are vastly different from those of traditional Xuan paper or silk. This difference compels me to leap out of old brush-and-ink habits and rediscover ways of handling the brush and ink that harmonize with these new surfaces. It is a new ordeal, but also a new horizon—a vantage point from which to explore and uncover another facet of traditional brushwork.
Most importantly, this form aligns perfectly with my state of mind in recent years. Finally, I can speak my own words in my own language—speaking to my heart's content, speaking with ease, and attaining the pure exhilaration and joy of creation.
有時進入傳統，有時保持距離；有時擁抱傳統，有時批判傳統；有時想起有時忘記。想起是為了厚實自己的養分，忘記是為了創作的自由。
所以，在進出與擺盪之間，To be or not to be全憑自己，重點是：自己是誰？！是否盡己之性。
繪畫就是為了發掘自己、了解自己、表現自己、解放自己、完成自己，為其能此，繪畫才有意義，創作才有依據。
在多年向內自省探索繪畫的精神過程時，對於表現的形式同樣也一直在摸索實驗著。跳出習慣的窠臼，試圖尋找傳統材質之外的可能性，中國繪畫的世界仍有可以延伸開拓的空白境地。
棉麻布系列作品便嘗試以中國顏料及筆墨畫於裱在板面的棉麻布上，前所未有的創新材質是否能提供水墨表現的另一種可能性？
由於用料與纖維雙重質性的不同，當筆墨在棉布上游走時，所碰觸的感覺與問題便迥異于傳統的宣紙與絹布，這種不同逼使我必須跳出舊有的筆墨習慣，重新找出可以與之配合的用筆用墨的方式。這是一個新的考驗，但也是一個新的視野，從這裡可以探討發掘傳統的筆墨所能發現的另一種面貌。
最重要的是，這樣的形式正好與我這幾年的生活心境貼合，於是，我終於可用自己的語言說自己的話，說得盡性、說得舒暢，得到創作的快感與喜悅。
READ MORE