HO KAN

Minimalism and geometric abstraction were responses in formulating our aesthetics in accordance with standardised production in the post-industrial era. This perspective is designed to be appreciated without a focal point or centre of gravity; any colour fields are to be treated as plains of absolute unity and formality. Within these contexts, the ‘human factors’ became mere imperfections and were clearly de-focused. Ho Kan was a founding member of the pivotal ‘Ton Fan Art Group,’ where he was instrumental in the development of modern art in Taiwan. Ho was born in Nanjing, China in 1932, and graduated from Taipei Teacher’s School Department of Art in 1953. He then studied extensively in Milan, during which time he established his unique approach towards geometric abstraction in which Eastern calligraphy and seal-carving are poetically integrated. He started from the most simple but universal elements of □, △, and ○ to create his own lexicon in the arrangement of image and shape–embedding Eastern philosophy in the Western framework of abstraction, resulting in a forward-looking and universal aesthetic.

Ho Kan, on the other hand, reintroduces the ‘human factor’ into his geometric abstractions in which all colour fields seem different and ‘imperfect’. This style developed naturally from his deep roots in calligraphy and Chinese traditional paintings where ‘ink encompasses all the five colours’ (墨分五色) when black is progressively washed down. Regardless of the tint, Ho’s colour fields carry a hand-made warmth that is inviting and inclusive, separating him from his Western counterparts in geometric abstractions. Not limited to colour fields, these key characteristics are clearly detectable in his approach towards lines and colour-separators as well.

‘Action through inaction’ has always been one of Ho Kan’s favorite Taoist concepts. The execution of ‘inaction’ and not ‘over-doing’ is exhibited in Ho Kan’s symmetry-breaking slanted lines. In Abstract 2013-005 (2013), Abstract 2017-037 (2017) and many other works on view, a slanted line is inserted with emphasis to unbalance the images–like an initiation or a trigger. Nonetheless, this seemingly intrusive line doesn’t overthrow the entire structure. It perfectly exemplifies Ho Kan’s stance on how human manoeuvres can organically co-exist with our natural and social environment.

Whereas Eastern styles of abstraction have historically been overshadowed by Western masters grouped by ‘schools’ and ‘isms,’ Ho Kan’s calligraphic approach towards geometric abstraction carries such warmth, highlighting the human factors in our increasingly rigid and mechanical world.

A digital catalogue with an essay by John Seed accompanies this exhibition.