One Step Back, Two Steps Forward

A reverse of the familiar phrase “one step forward, two steps back”, the theme of this Collect issue focuses on the need of looking back at our history and cultural heritage in the development of art in future.

Certainly, artists carry with them the responsibility of opening new epoch in art history, influencing artists in generations to come, yet as Andy Warhol famously predicted, “in the future, everybody will be world famous for 15 minutes”, the rapid changes in the art scene leave little room for the trendsetter’s impact. This brings us to the discussion of evolution within the lineage of our culture in order to ensure continuity of meaningful dialogue that can stand the test of time.

The featured article of this issue brings up the heated topic of artificial intelligence in the art world and discusses the role of humanity amid these unprecedented breakthroughs. The inspiring stories of master Hsiao Chin and Huang Guanyu resonate each other in their reinventions of traditional cultural spirit. The special section Mind-Scape IV, an annual exhibition of 3812 gallery at Ink Asia 2017, surveys a group of artists spanning few generations who have developed their own artistic languages to reinterpret cultural heritage in the global village.

Welcome to the second issue of Collect, let’s look back in order to look further.