HSU YUNGHSU WAS IN VAN WITH SISYPHUS'S DOUBT

Considered one of the most original names in contemporary ceramics, Taiwanese artist Hsu Yunghsu's international touring exhibition, “Sisyphus's Doubt”, was shown at the Tariria Culture, Art and Gastronomy Center in Van from March 14 to April 26, 2026, following its initial presentation in Seoul.

Photos: ASSOC. PROF. NURTAÇ ÇAKAR

Hsu Yunghsu, who held his first exhibition in Türkiye in Van, pushes clay beyond its traditional boundaries, transforming it into a monumental language of bodily resistance. Having left the comforts of an academic career nearly forty years ago, the artist has dedicated his practice entirely to the rhythm of earth and fire. Today, he continues his work in Tainan, South Taiwan, in one of the country's largest ceramic kiln workshops.

One of the defining turning points in Yunghsu's artistic development was his encounter with Richard Serra's monumental steel sculptures during his artist residency in New York in 2005–2006. Rejecting the smooth surfaces of traditional ceramic techniques, the artist embraces cracks, voids, and smoky tones as conscious aesthetic strategies.

Returning to the ancient coil technique of ceramics, Yungshu constructs each of his works through direct physical contact. In an age where production is increasingly digitized and outsourced, his pieces bear the traces of hands, palms, and resilience. Inspired by the myth of Sisyphus, Yungshu views art not as a final outcome, but as an ongoing ritual of existence.

Following its presentation in Van, the exhibition titled "Sisyphus's Doubt" continues its international journey in Seravezza (Italy), aiming to maintain its universal narrative shaped around patience, material resilience, and the timeless relationship between body and earth.