The monster artwork is around three meters tall and weighs in at over three tons, featuring soft effortless lines that contrast with the threatening coldness of the steel. It possesses a balanced beauty, somewhere between aggression and calm, the new and the old. Kang has named it Wishes from Taiwan, the latest in his Life series. Embedded in the work is an Oriental ornament, a ruyi image, bringing good luck and congratulations to Karlsruhe.
“There is a strong emphasis on renewable resources and environmental protection among the German people, so this work will be a perfect fit with the spirit of our nation,” says Dr. Roland Wein, executive director of the German Trade Office in Taipei, who expresses great admiration for Kang’s art. Integrating modern materials with a traditional image, and creating a new life for the discarded steel cable, Kang’s work is helping to build a bridge of goodwill between Taiwan and Germany.
Learning from Nature
Kang at age 54 has a reputation as a unique local artist. Although he learned traditional woodcarving skills in his youth, he has been able to think outside the box to develop his own style of art.
“Ever since I was a young man, my mind has always been clear: I want my work to be different,” says Kang. Any skilled woodcarver is capable of creating works to whatever specifications their customers order. Images of the god Guan Gong, for example, always feature a long beard and sword. “This is how any craftsperson survives. But I want to do more than just survive—I want to live!”
The industry went through something of a transformation during the 1990s as woodcarvers began to focus on creation rather than production. Kang changed direction earlier than most, so his works were already becoming popular at exhibits throughout South America, Southeast Asia, and Japan. However, at that time his creative impulse had just about reached its limits in that particular direction—but fortunately he was given a new opportunity.
In 2002, huge amounts of driftwood accumulated on Taiwan’s northeast coast and the beaches of Guishan Island due to a number of typhoons in the region. The Northeast Coast National Scenic Area Administration developed a win-win strategy to deal with the problem, thus avoiding having to spend huge amounts of money cleaning up the waste: they invited a number of artists to use the driftwood as material for their artwork.
Kang was one selected for the task, so he moved to the almost uninhabited Guishan Island to create art from rubbish.
“I was really able to observe nature closely when living on the island,” says Kang. Gazing into the universe at the stars in the night sky, listening to the roar of the ocean in his remote habitat every day, he came to realize how insignificant and short life is compared to the eternities of Nature. His experiences during this year-long isolation on the island became an important source of inspiration for his future creative work.
“Each piece of driftwood was once a tree growing in the mountains for decades or centuries, eventually brought down by storms and floating down the river to the sea—and finally ending up on my island. It must have been a special destiny that brought the driftwood and me together,” says Kang. He was so busy with his work every day that he sometimes even forgot to eat, so the year passed quickly almost without notice.
Unlimited life
Inspired by the experience of living on the island, Kang created a series of artworks which he named Life, and which have become his most representative current works.
The theme of the Life series is very broad. One of the works shows a large fully rounded mother figure embracing the tiny baby in her womb, a symbol of the origins of life. The entire figure also represents the Chinese ideas of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, and reflects the artist’s long-term cultivation of the self in harmony with Nature.
The Life series was the key creation of his work in this period, and forms the basis of the major collection in his Sanyi gallery. In 2013, the Life series made further progress through cooperation with Taipei 101.
Taipei 101 is not only the world’s tallest green building, but also boasts the world’s fastest ultra-high-speed elevators. The steel cables that hold and guide the elevators are naturally extremely strong, but after years of wear and tear they all need to be replaced.
“We thought up a number of possibilities to reuse the cables, but none of them turned out to be feasible. We also contacted a lot of artists offering them the use of the discarded cables, but they all said that it was impossible,” says Christina Song, chairperson of Taipei 101. But then one of Song’s friends introduced her to Kang.
Steel cable is constructed from thousands of smaller steel wires wound together. It’s almost impossible to bend, let alone to create art from.
A woodcarver was going to attempt the impossible: to create art from steel cables! “Everyone thought I was crazy, but I just wanted to do it. If I weren’t just a little bit crazy, how could I be an artist?” says Kang. Those beautiful strong elevator cables had carried 6.6 million visitors, so there seemed to be millions of lives wound up in their curves. Kang was inspired. “And the driftwood was becoming pretty scarce and getting more expensive, so I thought it was time that I tried out a new material anyway,” says Kang jokingly.
The artist and his assistants worked very hard to complete their daunting task in 18 months. Kang suffered muscle strains and burns, and eye injuries due to working with a welder for long periods. But, he claims, “It’s worthwhile. I’m giving my short simple life in exchange for a piece of eternal art, a bequest to future generations.”
Wishes from Taiwan
Infinite Life, the artwork created from old elevator cables, is now positioned in front of the Taipei 101 building. Passers-by stop regularly to admire the sculpture, and after reading the explanatory sign, are without exception stunned by its creation. “It’s simply incredible that elevator cables can be turned into art!” Infinite Life has added to the fun and imaginative ambiance of the Taipei streetscape.
When Vanessa Shih, ROC vice minister of foreign affairs, was visiting Germany in 2014, she heard that the city of Karlsruhe was planning to celebrate its 300th year. “We wanted to take this opportunity to enhance our friendship. But performances and other similar activities are all fleeting. I wanted to leave a lasting memory” says Shih. An idea quickly came to her mind—making a gift of an artwork that would bring Taiwan culture to Karlsruhe. “I made a quick call to Master Kang and asked for his assistance.” Kang acceded to her request, and agreed to donate his work at no charge. Shih was most impressed by this gesture.
Taipei 101 assisted by providing the steel cables for the task, while Evergreen Marine sponsored the event and agreed to provide free shipping. The company even ordered special containers to transport the massive artwork to Germany.
Kang is unique in his use of discarded steel elevator cables to create art. Along with his love and respect for Nature, he strives to constantly push his abilities to the limits, taking on the challenge to do “the impossible.”
Looking around at the pieces of discarded steel cable, gesturing animatedly, his gray hair and beard wafting in the breeze, he proclaims: “This work is just the beginning. These old bits of cable from Taipei 101 will one day bridge the continents, helping to bring the world’s peoples together.”
The Life series has become Kang’s representative work, depicting in soft lines the relationship between mother and baby.
His gray flowing hair and long beard have become Kang’s special trademark. But this bold, assertive exterior harbors a delicate and gentle soul.
In the process of perfecting his art made from steel cables, Kang often works without welding goggles—and his eyes have suffered as a consequence. The picture on the facing page shows the artist surrounded by steel wires as he fashions them into shape.
In the process of perfecting his art made from steel cables, Kang often works without welding goggles—and his eyes have suffered as a consequence. The picture on the facing page shows the artist surrounded by steel wires as he fashions them into shape.
The work Wishes from Taiwan incorporates the efforts of (from left) Vanessa Shih, ROC vice minister of foreign affairs, Dr. Roland Wein, executive director of the German Trade Office in Taipei, sculptor Kang Muxiang, and Christina Song, chairperson of Taipei 101.
