Chung You-Hui: Sustainability, Creation and Appreciation of Printmaking

Organised by Soka Gakkai Malaysia, the talk “Sustainability, Creation and Appreciation of Printmaking” was moderated by Mr. Kim Ng, Head of the Department of Fine Art at Dasein Academy of Art, and featured renowned Taiwanese printmaker Professor Chung You-Hui as the keynote speaker. In this session, Chung shared insights drawn from more than half a century of artistic practice and reflection.

Since the 1970s, Chung has studied various printmaking techniques, including intaglio, relief, lithography, and screen printing, under the guidance of his mentor Liao Shiou-Ping. Over time, he developed his own artistic language through sustained experimentation. With decades of experience in both practice and teaching, he has played an important role in the development of printmaking within contemporary art discourse in Asia.

Reflecting on his artistic journey, Chung shared that his entry into printmaking was not driven by romantic idealism, but rather emerged naturally from circumstance and opportunity. What initially served as a supplementary technique to painting gradually became his primary medium, a practice that has continued for over fifty years.

In terms of technical development, he emphasised that different printmaking methods are not mutually exclusive, but can be juxtaposed and integrated. Moving from early work focused on intaglio processes, he later incorporated screen printing, woodcut, lithography, and other techniques into hybrid approaches. Materials such as wood, paper, and digital output all participate in image-making within his practice, resulting in more open visual structures and expanding the expressive possibilities of traditional printmaking.

During the talk, Chung also discussed his long-term engagement with the motif of the “leaf.” He noted that leaves, as natural forms, embody a full cycle of growth, transformation, and decay, carrying a strong sense of temporality and cyclicality. For him, the leaf is not only a subject of formal variation but also a site for observing natural processes over time.

After 2000, Chung expanded his practice beyond the flat picture plane into spatial and installation-based works. Through techniques such as double-sided printing, cutting, inversion, and the use of flexible materials, his works move beyond a single viewing surface, allowing images to exist within spatial relationships. Viewers are invited to move through space, gradually forming an understanding of the work’s structure.

In response to the rise of digital output and artificial intelligence, Chung proposed a distinction between “Print” and “Printmaking.” He explained that “Print” refers primarily to machine-generated output, while “Printmaking” emphasises the artist’s thinking, decision-making, and active engagement throughout the process. He noted that technology may serve as a supportive tool, but the core of printmaking remains rooted in the artist’s sustained involvement in material and procedural decisions.

On the question of appreciating printmaking, Chung suggested that viewers may begin by observing colour, composition, rhythm, and overall visual structure, before gradually developing an understanding of the techniques involved. While technical knowledge can deepen appreciation, it is not a prerequisite for engaging with the work.

In discussing the sustainability of printmaking, he cited the Evergreen Graphic Art Association as an example, highlighting the importance of artistic groups and generational continuity. He emphasised that sustained exchange and pedagogical transmission can help establish stable networks for practice, ensuring the continued development of printmaking while fostering broader regional exchange.

From artistic practice and technical development to modes of viewing and broader ecological structures, Chung’s reflections are not limited to the evolution of specific techniques, but instead concern how printmaking continues to sustain itself as a mode of artistic thinking and making across changing contexts.