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Soft as Steel—The Cable Sculptures of Kang Muxiang
2018-07-30

The work Ignore Me, from Kang Muxiang’s “Rebirth” series. (photo by Lin Min-hsuan)

The work Ignore Me, from Kang Muxiang’s “Rebirth” series. (photo by Lin Min-hsuan)

 

A steel cable can bring the world together. Cables that have carried visitors from all over the globe to the top of Tai­pei 101 have been shaped by the hands of artist Kang Mu­xiang into forms that embody the supple strength of Taiwan’s spirit. Moreover, through the process of cleaning the cables, prison inmates have experienced hope for a new life. With worldwide exhibitions of his series “Rebirth: A Steel Cable Connecting the World,” Kang is not only bringing Taiwan closer to the world, he is also linking the hearts of his viewers with those of people in Taiwan.

 

Long gray hair, a snow-white full beard, and a bold, uninhibited look—Kang Muxiang’s appearance matches his indomitable yet gentle personality.Long gray hair, a snow-white full beard, and a bold, uninhibited look—Kang Muxiang’s appearance matches his indomitable yet gentle personality.

His appearance bespeaks the man: the long gray hair, full snow-white beard, and bold, uninhibited look exactly match Kang Mu­xiang’s unyielding personality, indomitable yet gentle. It is his perseverance in his art and his concern for the environment that have enabled him to repeatedly break barriers and bring Taiwanese art onto the world stage.

A serendipitous American exhibition

“In 2017 I was invited to exhibit at the Montreux Biennale in Switzerland, where I met a local man who held onto my hand for a long time, saying he was very moved to see such great work.” Similar feedback from local people has continually occurred during Kang’s overseas exhibits. These works, made from steel cable retired from the high-speed elevators of the Tai­pei 101 building, have been a big hit with local governments, people in the arts, and the public in all the places they have been shown, from Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz to the Montreux Biennale to YIA Art Fair’s Paris Contemporary Art Show.

Following the retirement of a second batch of elev­ator cables from Tai­pei 101, Kang was invited by the then Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lee to try to translate his successful experience in Europe to the United States. With the assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, and the Tai­pei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in the US, he visited Barbara A. Blair, chairperson of New York’s Garment District Alliance. Blair was very moved by Kang’s sculptures, for no-one else anywhere in the world had yet used steel cables to sculpt such works. Beyond the environmental message of recycling the cables in this way, the combination of the strength of steel with the gentleness of the sculptures’ smooth, rounded forms was even more amazing.

Infinite Life, Kang Muxiang’s first foray into sculpting with copper cable.Infinite Life, Kang Muxiang’s first foray into sculpting with copper cable.

To demonstrate its appreciation of Kang’s art, the Garment District Alliance brought forward the grand opening of the exhibit in the Garment District to May, so as to show seven works from Kang’s series “Rebirth: A Steel Cable Connecting the World” throughout the summer (May 17 through September 16, 2018). In October, in conjunction with TECRO’s celebration of the 130th anniversary of the historic Twin Oaks Estate in Washington, DC, Kang will donate one of the works on display, Twin Life, to the permanent collection at Twin Oaks, doing his bit for Taiwan’s public diplomacy.

The Worried Whale and Twin Life

Two new works in the “Rebirth” series are being premiered in New York: The Worried Whale and Twin Life.

The Worried Whale weighs 2.9 tons and is 2.7 meters tall. Its shape is intriguing, contrasting the whale’s body with an enormous head. “Taiwan is an island. Once a whale was stranded onshore, and when its body was opened up, it was found to be filled with garbage.” Conveying his impassioned plea and longing for peaceful coexistence with the ocean, Kang placed the whale “sitting” gazing into space, to express the question: In the end, is it the whale that causes us to worry, or is it mankind that causes the whale to worry? The work speaks volumes about the connections and dialogue between man on the one hand and the ocean and animals on the other.

The Worried Whale weighs 2.9 tons and stands 2.7 meters high. The body shape is set off by the enormous head, making for a delightful sculpture. (photo by Lin Min-hsuan)The Worried Whale weighs 2.9 tons and stands 2.7 meters high. The body shape is set off by the enormous head, making for a delightful sculpture. (photo by Lin Min-hsuan)

The other new work, Twin Life, shows a symbiotic relationship of coexistence and mutual prosperity. Two lives are twisted together, symbolizing peace and harmony, and representing a blending together. Kang says, “I think it’s especially significant that this piece will be placed at Twin Oaks, for both Taiwan and the US need this kind of sharing and cooperation.” The sculpture weighs 3.7 tons and is 3.2 meters tall. Because it has so many convex and concave surfaces, and is made from a single length of cable, Kang not only faced a tremendous physical effort in making it, but every twist and turn was an extreme challenge. However, it is for this very reason that he achieved such depth and vitality in the work.

The deep transformation of rebirth

Elevator cables that are taken out of service at Tai­pei 101 must first undergo various processes like soaking in solvent to remove oil, and then rewashing. Besides carrying out these tasks himself, Kang also works with the minimum-security prison at Bade in Tao­yuan, using art to rebuild the inmates’ spirits.

“First I spoke to the prisoners to let them know that cleaning the cables is a meaningful activity, and to share with them the reactions I got during the Euro­pean shows.” Kang has found 18 prisoners to help him. He himself has to leave home between 6 and 7 a.m. to come to the prison to work with them, and can only leave once every­thing is finished at night. At first some of the prisoners complained that the soaking and washing process was too demanding, and they only wanted to do the latter stages, which are less strenuous. But because of the actions used in the cleaning process, the job has to done by the same person from beginning to end for the cable to be really clean. Kang’s exhortations helped them understand that through the work of their hands, these discarded cables will later be transformed into works of art that will be exhibited all over the world. Thus one after another they have volunteered to take part in this cleaning process.

Twin Life weighs 3.7 tons and is 3.2 meters tall. It is Kang Muxiang’s latest work, created after exploring Twin Oaks in Washington, DC.Twin Life weighs 3.7 tons and is 3.2 meters tall. It is Kang Muxiang’s latest work, created after exploring Twin Oaks in Washington, DC.

One young prisoner in his twenties, having washed a cable halfway, was told that his mother had come to visit. Half an hour later, Kang Mu­xiang asked him how the visit had gone. The young man said that his mother had noticed how dirty he was, and asked what he had been doing, to which he replied that he was making art. “There’s a master artist here who makes art from steel cables,” he told her. “We are just now washing the cables, and later they will be used to create something that will go to be exhibited.” This was a new topic for dialogue between this prisoner and his family, and Kang sensed that from then on there was a subtle change in the relationship between parent and child.

“Through this chance opportunity I got to hear a speech by Master Kang in which he took his realizations about life and transformed them into a spiritual baptism, saying that only if you can transcend your own psychological barriers can you find rebirth.” “After the Master began to speak, I was hugely surprised by what he said. It turns out that the art of sculpture is closely related to our challenges in life, and the Master used the subject of rebirth to give me a life lesson that I will never forget.” The prisoners’ words reveal how Kang has shone a light into their hearts, filling this steel cable with the meaning of “rebirth.”

Through the patience and perseverance needed for cleaning the cables, and their expectations toward future art exhibitions, the lives of imprisoned men become settled, helping them turn over a new leaf.Through the patience and perseverance needed for cleaning the cables, and their expectations toward future art exhibitions, the lives of imprisoned men become settled, helping them turn over a new leaf.

Cables connecting the world

The support and tolerance between the brothers and sisters of the large family into which Kang was born in ­Miaoli County’s Tong­xiao Township have given him a heart filled with love and concern, but in his creative work what he has gotten is the courage to innovate and break new ground. From Tong­xiao, Kang’s life in wood sculpture brought him to ­Sanyi and later to Gui­shan Island, and then by happenstance he encountered the steel cables of Tai­pei 101. To have the courage to take up any challenge or responsibility, to have the wisdom and tolerance to accept the consequences and be able to let go, and to continually make breakthroughs and innovate… this is Kang’s philosophy of life.

“At that moment, as I stood in the plaza outside Tai­pei 101 in front of the work Infinite Life, I vowed that starting from Tai­pei I wanted to use these cables to make a journey around the world.” Kang believes that the steel cables symbolize the strong and resilient character of Taiwanese people, and can help the world to understand their courage and toughness. The affirmation that he received from experts, artists, and ordinary people during his exhibits around the world deepened his confidence in steel cable artworks.

These works that combine the strength of steel with the gentleness of their smooth and rounded forms are symbolic of the courage and perseverance of Taiwan’s people.These works that combine the strength of steel with the gentleness of their smooth and rounded forms are symbolic of the courage and perseverance of Taiwan’s people.

“This was once a piece of the living earth [in the form of iron ore], and was then refined by industrial technology into steel cables for elevators. After being used, it was given to me to recycle and reuse.” Kang took this thing that came out of the earth and, in the form of art, spread it to every corner of the world. These cables that once carried visitors up Tai­pei 101 also carry the thoughts and hopes entrusted to them by so many prison inmates, as well as Kang’s lifelong ardent hopes for and devotion to the environment and nature. Moreover, when the work Twin Life goes on permanent display at Twin Oaks, it will raise steel cable art to the level of public diplo­macy, giving an artistic creation from Taiwan infinite life by enabling it to bind together Taiwan and the US in even closer friendship.