▌展覽簡介｜午後的群影 Afternoon Shadows
這個展覽以「童年的星期三午後」為起點。
小時候，父親常帶我在台東四處遊走：有時是山裡，有時是海邊，有時是漁港。沿途，我看見白鷺鷥隨著農夫的步伐起落，看見溪裡的魚群閃光，也遇見山豬幼仔或山羌靜靜地佇立在林間。
透過這次展覽，我試圖將「動物、田野、山、漁獲」轉化為記憶的符號，讓觀者不只是看見一個地方的自然生態，而是能感受到一種「時間的質地」：陪伴、片刻、以及回望童年的凝視。
這場展覽既是對台東的致敬，也是我對家的想像與追憶。
我的作品源自於對家鄉——台灣東部，也被稱作「後山」——的深厚情感。後山的稱呼，源於台灣的開發歷史：當漢人自台灣西南部和北部向外拓墾時，東部因為崎嶇的地形和高山阻隔，成了最後被接觸、也是最富自然多樣性的地方。這裡不僅有許多原住民族群，還孕育了各種生物和自然景觀。
我的童年生活充滿了這片土地的印象：爸爸騎著摩托車載著我，穿梭於原住民的部落，見到山豬和野狗在山林中悠遊；我們到溪水邊釣魚、到田間看農人耕作、看白鷺鷥在田埂上覓食；更到海邊撿拾石頭，或看魚市場的拍賣熱鬧非凡。
在我的雕刻作品中，我將這些曾經接觸過的場景與事物一一刻下。每一次雕刻，都是對記憶的再創造，儘管這些記憶已在腦海中變得模糊，卻在木頭的紋理中重新生根。
我之所以選擇這樣的主題，源於一個深層的感受：身為台東的孩子，我已在城市待得太久。台東的遼闊與自由，讓我意識到自己被都市的框架壓縮得多麼狹隘。我希望透過這些作品，重新找回那些關於家鄉與自然的記憶，也提醒自己不必為了迎合城市的方框，而犧牲那份與自然共生的純真與寬廣。
這些風景不只是自然的一部分，更是我生命中最深刻的記憶。對我來說，台東不只是「後山」或「好山好水的地方」，它是「遮」——是一個家。
—— 郭奕庭
▌Exhibition Introduction｜Afternoon Shadows
This exhibition takes “Wednesday Afternoons of My Childhood” as its point of departure.
When I was a child, my father often took me wandering through Taitung — sometimes into the mountains, sometimes to the sea, sometimes to the fishing port. Along the way, I saw egrets rise and land with the farmers’ steps, fish glinting in the streams, and even young wild boars or muntjacs quietly standing in the forest.
Through this exhibition, I seek to transform “animals, fields, mountains, and catches from the sea” into symbols of memory — allowing the viewer not only to witness the natural ecology of a place, but also to feel the texture of time: companionship, fleeting moments, and the quiet gaze back toward childhood.
This exhibition is both a tribute to Taitung and an intimate act of imagining and remembering home.
My work is rooted in my deep emotional connection to my hometown — Taiwan’s eastern region, often called the “back mountain.” This term originates from Taiwan’s history of settlement: as Han settlers expanded from the west and north, the east — separated by rugged terrain and towering mountains — became the last to be reached, preserving its rich natural diversity. This is a place where many Indigenous communities live, and where a wealth of creatures and landscapes continue to flourish.
My childhood was filled with impressions of this land: my father would ride a motorcycle with me through Indigenous villages, where we saw wild boars and stray dogs wandering in the forest. We fished in streams, watched farmers at work in the fields, observed egrets foraging along the ridges, and went to the coast to collect stones or watch the lively fish auctions at the market.
In my sculptures, I carve these once-familiar scenes and creatures into form. Each carving is an act of re-creating memory — even as the recollections fade in my mind, they take root again in the grain of wood.
Choosing this theme comes from a deep inner feeling: as a child of Taitung, I have spent too long in the city. The vastness and freedom of the east remind me how confined I have become within urban frameworks. Through my works, I hope to reclaim those memories of home and nature, and to remind myself not to sacrifice that innocence and expansiveness in order to fit into the rigid boxes of city life.
These landscapes are not merely part of nature — they are among the most profound memories of my life. To me, Taitung is not just the “back mountain” or a place of scenic beauty; it is a shelter — a home.
— I Ting KUO
