Time：
2008.06
Content：
From these grandmothers, aged 85 and above, I witnessed the resilience and vitality of life. Rather than me guiding them in artistic activities, it felt more like they were leading me to witness the art of life.
I briefly explained the basics of operating a digital camera and demonstrated to the grandmothers. After they captured an object, such as a flower, tree, or person, I encouraged them to switch perspectives with empathy. They were to take a photo from the viewpoint of the object, aiming to help them appreciate different aspects of the world through the lens and find joy in photography.
In the grandmothers' photographic debut, I observed their initial awkwardness with the camera, yet they surprisingly created some stunning pieces. Examples include Grandma Xiao's photograph of dancing butterflies, Grandma Lotus's vibrant flowers, and Grandma Chen Yang and Grandma Lin Shenchung's banana tree. These artworks showcased their unique perspectives and the ability to capture the beauty of fleeting moments. As they each admired their photos and explained some of them, I realized that some pictures, seemingly mundane to outsiders, held profound meaning for the grandmothers. For instance, Grandma Fang Mei shared that the dried leaves and fallen flowers in her photo symbolized the Japanese forces devastating her youthful years. Grandma Chen Hua emotionally mentioned that the water buffalo statue in her picture reminded her of the solid farming life from her childhood.
In the afternoon's soul-painting session, I led the grandmothers into the colorful and flowing world of blow painting. Many grandmothers complained about feeling dizzy while blowing through straws, but they persisted, evidently enchanted by the beauty created by the mixture of colored ink. Grandma Lin Shenchung was particularly focused, completely immersed in the realm of artistic creation. Her paintings were vibrant and full of tension, earning my admiration. Grandma Fang Mei's artwork stood out with its dark and somber colors, the most distinctive among all the grandmothers' pieces. She specifically mentioned that the dark green tones symbolized the dark times when she was forced into becoming a comfort woman. Viewing Grandma Fang Mei's artwork, I felt a profound emotion as I saw beneath the black ink stains on the canvas, the vibrant force of life flowing.
As colored ink drops onto moistened paper, forming freely flowing streams that intertwine and blend, blow painting becomes rich and dazzling due to chance and serendipity. It mirrors the grandmothers' lives – brought together by chance, weaving a beautiful tapestry of existence.
CHEN,TAO
CHEN,BAO
Taroko AMA CAI,FANG-MEI
Hakka AMA - LU,MAN-MEI
Hakka AMA - WU,XIU-MEI
Hakka AMA - SU,YIN-JIAO