{"id":6588,"date":"2025-10-22T14:25:31","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T06:25:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/01x10.tw\/en\/?page_id=6588"},"modified":"2026-06-02T20:22:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T12:22:03","slug":"comment-on-angels","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/01x10.tw\/en\/comment-on-angels\/","title":{"rendered":"Comment- On Angels\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A Reflection on Hsieh Chun-Te\u2019s
Brave the World<\/h2> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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On Angels \u2014 A Reflection on Hsieh Chun-Te\u2019s Brave the World<\/h4>\n

By Juan Yuen-Yue (Professor of Art and Design, Yuan Ze University)<\/strong><\/p>\n

In\u00a0Brave the World, his large-scale exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei, Hsieh Chun-Te turns his focus to the aging society and the growing presence of dementia, particularly Alzheimer\u2019s disease. He invites several notable public figures to participate. The exhibition expands far beyond Hsieh\u2019s well-established photographic practice, integrating documentary film, high-speed video, and installation art\u2014evidence of his desire to weave a broad and multifaceted visual discourse.<\/p>\n

What struck me most throughout the exhibition was the strong and recurring use of the angelic image. This ties directly to Hsieh\u2019s long-held fascination with the idea of the \u201cparallel universe.\u201d Yet both concepts\u2014angels and parallel realities\u2014remain elusive. What do they truly signify in his work? This requires deeper reflection.<\/p>\n

When Hsieh first described his impressions of individuals with dementia, he said:<\/p>\n

\u201cThey always seem to smile. Like angels, they float around me. Everything feels clean, purified. That was my first impression.\u201d<\/p>\n

To reframe what is typically seen as tragic or degrading\u2014the \u201cill\u201d\u2014into something positive and transcendent\u2014the \u201cangel\u201d\u2014is astonishing. Hsieh suggests that perhaps these individuals are not simply patients, but messengers on undisclosed missions, spirits living in another temporal dimension. His stance reframes the narrative of dementia entirely, moving it from medical diagnosis to metaphysical possibility.<\/p>\n

This perspective transcends the boundaries of art or social empathy. It gestures toward a cosmology\u2014an intersection of theology, philosophy, and speculative science. It is not just an exhibition; it is an articulation of Hsieh\u2019s metaphysical worldview.<\/p>\n

So, what is a \u201cparallel universe\u201d?<\/p>\n

In physics, the term often refers to the multiverse theory\u2014a speculative hypothesis suggesting the existence of other universes outside our own, with potentially different physical laws. The term was first coined by William James in 1895. While such theories remain unprovable within current scientific parameters, they open up fertile territory for philosophical or theological exploration.<\/p>\n

Thus, in\u00a0Brave the World, the presence of angels becomes not only poetic, but inevitable. The angel, from a Judeo-Christian context, is a \u201cmessenger\u201d (malak in Hebrew)\u2014a being dispatched with divine purpose. According to Paul Enns in\u00a0The Moody Handbook of Theology, \u201cAs messengers of God, angels are heavenly beings entrusted with missions from the divine.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is how Hsieh chooses to view those whom society deems as \u201cpatients.\u201d He refuses to define them by their pathology. Instead, he envisions them as beings \u201centrusted by heaven,\u201d endowed with unseen missions. He does not try to explain these missions, nor does he define their meaning\u2014but perhaps that is precisely the point. It is not for us to decipher.<\/p>\n

Rather, Hsieh turns his gaze to another set of messengers\u2014human ones. The artists, scholars, and elders who appear in his works are chosen because he sees in them a certain \u201cbrave calling.\u201d Their lives become symbolic vehicles for exploring the presence of human \u201cmessengers\u201d in this time and world.<\/p>\n

Through their embodied participation, Hsieh seeks to demonstrate that those who live with integrity\u2014who pursue a unity of existence, action, and spirit\u2014can also serve as messengers. They bear witness to the meaning of fleeting life. In doing so, he honors both the known and the unknown, the visible and the metaphysical.<\/p>\n

What, then, defines such a \u201cmessenger\u201d?<\/p>\n

Mystic writer John of Ruusbroec, in\u00a0The Seven Rungs, describes a third type of person who dwells in unity with God:<\/p>\n

\u201cHere, we live by God and for God. God lives in us, and we in Him. This is a vibrant life within, transcending hope and faith, above the practice of virtues. It is one\u2014its being, its life, its work.\u201d<\/p>\n

This vision of unity\u2014between being, life, and action\u2014seems to be Hsieh\u2019s ideal for the human \u201cmessenger.\u201d\u00a0Brave the World\u00a0becomes a visual theology: a meditation on those who live consciously, spiritually aligned with their existence.<\/p>\n

And why are these individuals chosen by Hsieh? Perhaps because they\u2014like Ruusbroec\u2019s third type\u2014do not require faith, grace, or moral achievement to perceive the divine. Their being is already attuned. Their bodies and actions testify to something sacred.<\/p>\n

The use of angelic imagery here is not mere aesthetics. It signals a spiritual shift\u2014one that redefines the meaning of being chosen, the weight of mission, and the sanctity of aging. But the exhibition offers no firm answers. The angels appear, but we never hear the message. The sender remains unnamed.<\/p>\n

In this way, Hsieh\u2019s work leaves open a metaphysical space. The \u201cblack warrior\u201d performed by Jin Shih-Chieh in\u00a0Witch 1×10\u00a0evokes darker forces\u2014perhaps death, desire, or the underworld\u2014unspoken yet deeply present. The dialectic of light and dark, angel and demon, is suspended in midair, unresolved.<\/p>\n

To view\u00a0Brave the World\u00a0is to engage with Hsieh\u2019s lifelong artistic journey. One must follow his past works and anticipate his future ones to fully grasp his evolving universe. What he now explores is no longer confined to art\u2014it is an expanding personal cosmology.<\/p>\n

Thus,\u00a0Brave the World\u00a0is the beginning of Hsieh Chun-Te\u2019s angelic discourse. His construction of the \u201cparallel universe\u201d is far from complete\u2014it continues to unfold, inviting us to think, to wonder, and perhaps to believe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Reflection on Hsieh Chun-Te\u2019sBrave the World<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6588","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author",""],"yoast_head":"\nComment- On Angels\u00a0 - Hsieh Chun-Te<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/01x10.tw\/en\/comment-on-angels\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Comment- On Angels\u00a0 - Hsieh Chun-Te\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A Reflection on Hsieh Chun-Te\u2019sBrave the World\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/01x10.tw\/en\/comment-on-angels\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hsieh Chun-Te\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-02T12:22:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/01x10.tw\\\/en\\\/comment-on-angels\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/01x10.tw\\\/en\\\/comment-on-angels\\\/\",\"name\":\"Comment- On Angels\u00a0 - 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He invites several notable public figures to participate. The exhibition expands far beyond Hsieh\u2019s well-established photographic practice, integrating documentary film, high-speed video, and installation art\u2014evidence of his desire to weave a broad and multifaceted visual discourse.<\/p> <p>What struck me most throughout the exhibition was the strong and recurring use of the angelic image. This ties directly to Hsieh\u2019s long-held fascination with the idea of the \u201cparallel universe.\u201d Yet both concepts\u2014angels and parallel realities\u2014remain elusive. What do they truly signify in his work? This requires deeper reflection.<\/p> <p>When Hsieh first described his impressions of individuals with dementia, he said:<\/p> <p>\u201cThey always seem to smile. Like angels, they float around me. Everything feels clean, purified. That was my first impression.\u201d<\/p> <p>To reframe what is typically seen as tragic or degrading\u2014the \u201cill\u201d\u2014into something positive and transcendent\u2014the \u201cangel\u201d\u2014is astonishing. Hsieh suggests that perhaps these individuals are not simply patients, but messengers on undisclosed missions, spirits living in another temporal dimension. His stance reframes the narrative of dementia entirely, moving it from medical diagnosis to metaphysical possibility.<\/p> <p>This perspective transcends the boundaries of art or social empathy. It gestures toward a cosmology\u2014an intersection of theology, philosophy, and speculative science. It is not just an exhibition; it is an articulation of Hsieh\u2019s metaphysical worldview.<\/p> <p>So, what is a \u201cparallel universe\u201d?<\/p> <p>In physics, the term often refers to the multiverse theory\u2014a speculative hypothesis suggesting the existence of other universes outside our own, with potentially different physical laws. The term was first coined by William James in 1895. While such theories remain unprovable within current scientific parameters, they open up fertile territory for philosophical or theological exploration.<\/p> <p>Thus, in\u00a0Brave the World, the presence of angels becomes not only poetic, but inevitable. The angel, from a Judeo-Christian context, is a \u201cmessenger\u201d (malak in Hebrew)\u2014a being dispatched with divine purpose. According to Paul Enns in\u00a0The Moody Handbook of Theology, \u201cAs messengers of God, angels are heavenly beings entrusted with missions from the divine.\u201d<\/p> <p>This is how Hsieh chooses to view those whom society deems as \u201cpatients.\u201d He refuses to define them by their pathology. Instead, he envisions them as beings \u201centrusted by heaven,\u201d endowed with unseen missions. He does not try to explain these missions, nor does he define their meaning\u2014but perhaps that is precisely the point. It is not for us to decipher.<\/p> <p>Rather, Hsieh turns his gaze to another set of messengers\u2014human ones. The artists, scholars, and elders who appear in his works are chosen because he sees in them a certain \u201cbrave calling.\u201d Their lives become symbolic vehicles for exploring the presence of human \u201cmessengers\u201d in this time and world.<\/p> <p>Through their embodied participation, Hsieh seeks to demonstrate that those who live with integrity\u2014who pursue a unity of existence, action, and spirit\u2014can also serve as messengers. They bear witness to the meaning of fleeting life. In doing so, he honors both the known and the unknown, the visible and the metaphysical.<\/p> <p>What, then, defines such a \u201cmessenger\u201d?<\/p> <p>Mystic writer John of Ruusbroec, in\u00a0The Seven Rungs, describes a third type of person who dwells in unity with God:<\/p> <p>\u201cHere, we live by God and for God. God lives in us, and we in Him. This is a vibrant life within, transcending hope and faith, above the practice of virtues. It is one\u2014its being, its life, its work.\u201d<\/p> <p>This vision of unity\u2014between being, life, and action\u2014seems to be Hsieh\u2019s ideal for the human \u201cmessenger.\u201d\u00a0Brave the World\u00a0becomes a visual theology: a meditation on those who live consciously, spiritually aligned with their existence.<\/p> <p>And why are these individuals chosen by Hsieh? Perhaps because they\u2014like Ruusbroec\u2019s third type\u2014do not require faith, grace, or moral achievement to perceive the divine. Their being is already attuned. Their bodies and actions testify to something sacred.<\/p> <p>The use of angelic imagery here is not mere aesthetics. It signals a spiritual shift\u2014one that redefines the meaning of being chosen, the weight of mission, and the sanctity of aging. But the exhibition offers no firm answers. The angels appear, but we never hear the message. The sender remains unnamed.<\/p> <p>In this way, Hsieh\u2019s work leaves open a metaphysical space. The \u201cblack warrior\u201d performed by Jin Shih-Chieh in\u00a0Witch 1x10\u00a0evokes darker forces\u2014perhaps death, desire, or the underworld\u2014unspoken yet deeply present. The dialectic of light and dark, angel and demon, is suspended in midair, unresolved.<\/p> <p>To view\u00a0Brave the World\u00a0is to engage with Hsieh\u2019s lifelong artistic journey. One must follow his past works and anticipate his future ones to fully grasp his evolving universe. What he now explores is no longer confined to art\u2014it is an expanding personal cosmology.<\/p> <p>Thus,\u00a0Brave the World\u00a0is the beginning of Hsieh Chun-Te\u2019s angelic discourse. His construction of the \u201cparallel universe\u201d is far from complete\u2014it continues to unfold, inviting us to think, to wonder, and perhaps to believe.<\/p>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/01x10.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/01x10.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/01x10.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/01x10.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/01x10.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6588"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/01x10.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6588\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8061,"href":"https:\/\/01x10.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6588\/revisions\/8061"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/01x10.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}