"Blooming Layers" Solo Exhibition by Chou Kai-lun (周楷倫)

Mind Set Art Gallery (安卓藝術) will present in early summer this year the second gallery solo exhibition of its represented artist Chou Kai-lun (周楷倫), "Blooming Layers," showcasing Chou's recent transformations and latest explorations in life and art. In this exhibition, which contemplates painting through the concept of layers, the artist brings about 30 new works painted between 2024 and 2026, combining different expressions of painting, drawing, and sketching. The exhibition runs from May 30, 2026 to July 3, 2026, with an opening reception on Saturday, May 30 at 3:30 PM. We sincerely invite your presence.

Deep Gaze into Daily Life
In his solo exhibition "Blooming Layers" as he enters his thirties, Chou Kai-lun (周楷倫) has chosen to depict scenes that were originally not the main subjects: "I feel that turning those non-protagonist things and scenes into the main characters of this exhibition is a process of discovery. Through a slow-paced life and not staying fixed on a single starting point, I can continuously uncover the vitality of life." Through this shift in perspective and viewpoint, the artist attempts to bring viewers into a personal stroll he unfolds within the paintings, expressing his personality as a painter and artist with a more cheerful and positive mood, purely through the expansion of color and brushstroke.

Two works in the exhibition feature clear human figures: "The Thinker" (沉思者) and "Two People Under the Tree" (樹下的兩人). The original image for "The Thinker" comes from a video of David Hockney being interviewed in 1982, while "Two People Under the Tree" is from a film negative the artist shot in a park. These two works contain Chou Kai-lun's (周楷倫) understanding and aspiration for painting: "In the interview, the speaker and Hockney gently and quietly discussed different stages of life and different stages of creation. I think that is a very good state, both in human interaction and in the process of approaching art. What fascinated me about that video was the pace of their conversation, the audio frequency, their body language, paired with the simple background and chairs, giving me a feeling of no distance, penetrating back to that moment. Hockney mentioned in another interview that a good painter can depict any trivial thing. This was also my opportunity to start depicting various things different from the figures I used to paint. In composition, visual language, and brushwork, I hope to challenge myself to make breakthroughs." The imagery and figure depiction in "The Thinker" clearly loosen the figure shapes and contours in Chou's previous works, moving further into the intersection and expansion of brushstroke and color that the artist emphasizes.

Blooming: A Continuously Stacked and Interwoven Sensory and Spiritual Experience
"Blooming" in Chou Kai-lun's (周楷倫) brush is not merely the visual tension of flowers or colors, but a multi-layered penetration and direction. He believes that painting is the blooming of color layers and also an experience of emotional depth. Through the stacking of pigments and the wandering of brushstrokes, Chou magnifies those tiny, even mundane moments of daily life into the protagonists of the canvas, blending them into a paradise of nature and spirit. The core concept of the "Blooming Layers" exhibition is "interweaving." The artist attempts, in a chaotic and disordered world, to capture and interpret through painting those fulcrums that allow people to regain confidence—the people, things, and objects that accompany us daily, and the moments in life that truly touch us. "I believe painting carries a quieter, more enduring penetrating power that we need in contemporary life. Through repeated wandering and viewing, it can always bring us new insights and a habit of not jumping to conclusions quickly."

Seeing the Presence of "People" from Their Disappearance
Chou Kai-lun's (周楷倫) recent creations have undergone a significant shift. In the past, he focused on depicting human forms and translating visual language. But in this solo exhibition, the figure of "people" gradually fades out, replaced by environments and landscapes related to people. The artist hopes that through this extraction of human figures from the画面, he can show another kind of human life and the traces of what once existed, highlighting a state of coexistence between "the visible and the invisible," allowing viewers to feel more deeply the breath and warmth that have always existed in life from the figureless scenes. As the artist puts it: "I hope to create a space for breathing and wandering by depicting more landscapes and flowers. Under the feeling of blooming, this exhibition is also like a closed loop: interacting with people, being alone with oneself, getting along with the surrounding natural environment, wandering aimlessly, discovering new things, and experiencing new feelings about oneself."