JhenLing-Weng
Grotesque-Love
copperplate-etching-intaglio-ink-pineapple-seal-incense-burning
52x298.8cm
2023
Depicting the various stories of the love between humans and gods, I recreate classic masterpieces. The skin of the figures is carefully etched with a needle, slowly carving out the pain of skin being scorched by cigarette butts. The lines of copperplate etching, in addition to the stinging sensation caused by the nitric acid touching the body, also capture a more spontaneous hand-drawn feeling during the process of engraving and removing the corrosion solution. In this process, with a delicate posture, I face the hard copper plate. In this contradictory state, the resulting form becomes a more subdued and powerless muscularity.
Another characteristic of the copper plate lies in the precision of its lines. From the tip of the engraving needle, fine lines are gradually drawn, and during the intaglio printing, the method of wiping and inking creates a uniform density of color in the image's lines. Additionally, when the copper plate does not use fine-point corrosion, the larger the engraved marks, the less ink they hold. As a result, the spaces between the lines, with incomplete ink coverage, make the human body appear more empty and powerless.
In my thoughts, throughout the printing process, the repetitive image of bodily labor echoes the idea that "humanity" in my vision remains in a constant state of grayscale. From plate-making to printing, this process narrates the endless cycle of human evil in an unbroken loop.