The traveling exhibition “Sisyphus’s Doubt” by Taiwanese artist Hsu Yunghsu meets audiences at the Tariria Culture, Art and Gastronomy Center in Van from 14 March to 26 April. Following its first presentation in Seoul, the exhibition arrives in Van and will later continue its journey to Seravezza, Italy.
Bringing together the ancient Urartian heritage with contemporary architecture, Tariria stands out as a new international cultural platform that opens space for multidisciplinary productions. With Hsu Yunghsu’s exhibition, Van becomes one of the key stops on a cultural art route established between East Asia and Europe.
Considered one of the distinctive figures of contemporary ceramic art, Yunghsu is known for his monumental forms that push clay beyond its traditional boundaries. Nearly forty years ago, the artist left behind his academic career and devoted his practice entirely to the rhythm of earth and fire. Today, he continues his work in a large-scale ceramic kiln studio in Tainan, Taiwan.
One of the decisive turning points in the artist’s practice occurred during an artist residency in New York (2005–2006), when he encountered the monumental steel sculptures of Richard Serra. After this experience, Yunghsu rejected the tradition of smooth ceramic surfaces, transforming cracks, voids, and sooty tones into deliberate aesthetic choices. His modular structures, evoking organic growth forms, expand according to the exhibition space, establishing a direct encounter between viewer and material.
Inspired by the myth of Sisyphus, the artist approaches production not as a final outcome but as a continuous practice of existence. Formed through the ancient coil technique, the works carry traces of the artist’s physical labor, while each layer inscribed onto the clay’s surface becomes a record of memory. Following its presentation in Van, the exhibition will continue its international journey in Seravezza, Italy.
