“ Ｗhen the relationship between humans and nature becomes closer, the state of souls will no longer have distinctions, and there will be no barriers between species. The essence of life and soul will return to its fundamental state of beauty and goodness”
- Huang Pin Tong

Whitestone Gallery Taipei is honored to present the solo exhibition "Sans Souci" by Taiwanese artist Huang Pin Tong. After a two-year hiatus, she unveils 18 entirely new works that employ warm, textured wood as her primary medium. By anthropomorphizing natural elements and phenomena through the imagery of newborn infants, Huang seeks to evoke familiar emotions and memories in viewers. Her profound artistic intention is to restore life and soul to a state of purity and innocence, ultimately bridging interpersonal connections. The exhibition will be on view from 14th December, 2024 to 24th January, 2025 with the opening reception scheduled on 14th December (Sat) at 4:00 pm where the artist will be present.

Huang Pin Tong (b. 1987, Taipei, Taiwan) holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the National Taiwan University of Arts. Her talent has been recognized through prestigious awards, including the 21st Chi-Mei Arts Award (2009) and the consecutive Golden Prize of the Yulon Woodcarving Innovation Award (2010, 2011)—Taiwan’s highest honor in contemporary art woodcarving. Her breakthrough solo exhibition “Meet” at Yu-Hsiu Museum of Art (2017), was widely acclaimed. She has also participated in notable group exhibitions at the Sanyi Wood Sculpture Museum (2013, 2017, 2019), Taoyuan Museum of Fine Arts (2019), and Juming Museum (2023). Her works are in the permanent collections of the Chi-Mei Museum, Yu-Hsiu Museum of Art, as well as the enterprises and foundations. Her creative process originates with hand-drawn sketches for conceptual design, progressing through experimental clay modeling, and ultimately transforming into intricate wooden sculptures. Her work demonstrates profound and rigorous sculptural techniques with meticulous attention to detail, integrating natural elements with her signature volumetric forms characterized by their rounded sensibility. By endowing the sculptural figures with infant-like soft and delicate feet, she imbues her work with a rounded morphology that symbolizes the depth of life and an abundant inner energy. This approach represents the artist's emotional connection between "individual" and "nature," serving as an exploratory journey into the fundamental essence of human emotions and the soul. Through this profound artistic expression, viewers are invited to discover their own reflections within the artwork, creating a deeply personal and introspective experience.

The exhibition “Sans Souci” presents a comprehensive exploration of Huang Pin Tong’s artistic practice, featuring her continuous “Succulent” series alongside her latest “Clouds” series. Through wood’s inherent texture and materiality, the artist creates a warm, tranquil visual atmosphere. The exhibition seeks to convey a life philosophy of maintaining inner peace and focusing on the present despite the subtle passage of daily moments. Her works are centered around the themes of “innocence” and “abundance”. The “Succulent” series, inspired by the slow growth of succulents, symbolizes purity and the accumulation of energy. By contrasting the rough, warty texture of plants with the smoothness of infant legs, it captures the emergent vitality of organic existence. In the “Clouds” series, cloud formations symbolize the nourishment of all living beings, carrying moisture through the air. The diverse and fluid nature of clouds stimulates viewers’ rich imagination while symbolizing the emotional fluctuations experienced throughout human life. Within an ever-changing environment, these works simultaneously represent nature's constant cycles, suggesting that one's state of mind—like clouds—can be malleable, adaptable, and at peace with the present moment.