It sounds like we're discussing the issue of flatness in modernism, but not entirely. I believe TSENG Shang-Jie's work is more related to the texture of digital imagery in the digital age. Here, I want to describe some characteristics of digital imagery that I personally perceive from his work. First, TSENG Shang-Jie's sculptures have a "pixelated" feel to them. It's a bit like taking a 3D cartoon figure and coloring it to look 2D, in other words, creating an illusion of painting. However, TSENG's approach is more complex. He doesn't make it blatantly obvious that 3D sculptures look like flat paintings from a specific angle, but rather, in more subtle ways, they carry a texture reminiscent of the digital age. The bases of those sculptures, in fact, resemble something you might find in modeling software.

Another characteristic of digital imagery is that it appears to have more detailed shadows. You can easily notice this by comparing photos on a screen to those on paper. This characteristic creates an interesting experience: when we look at these sculptures, they seem to exist not in the physical space but in a digital world. Also, due to the presence of numerous details in the works, there isn't a distinct focal point for viewing (in contrast to traditional digital sculptures or photographs, which often presuppose one or more fixed perspectives). As a result, viewers tend to engage in a kind of zooming in and out, rather than lateral movement through space (for example, circling around the artwork as is common in traditional sculpture appreciation), because the image's structure is sprawling, lacking a clear center. I found myself involuntarily drawn to the details inside the sculptures at the exhibition, constantly moving forward or backward, as if I were a camera capable of zooming in and out.

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The sense of imagery also implies a greater lightness in the works (compared to the often heavier weight of real-life experiences). At first glance, TSENG Shang-Jie's works may not seem to meet this criterion, as his figures are rather solid in form and their postures do not emphasize anti-gravity movements such as leaping. However, because most of TSENG's works are accompanied by a more substantial base, this juxtaposition makes the figures on top appear lighter in comparison. This "lightness" also stems partly from a sense of realism. In contrast to some traditional sculpture bases — serving as a point of support, a boundary between the artwork and the world, suggesting the isolation of the work in an abstract realm unrelated to reality — TSENG Shang-Jie's bases are more connected to the experiential world. When we see those skateboard ramps, streets, we get a contextual hint, feeling as though these figures are standing on the ground (rather than heavy sculptures).

Taking all of this into consideration, the strokes of imagery, the digital texture, the eye-catching bases, they collectively showcase TSENG Shang-Jie's new imagining of wood carving, where he treats wood carving as fiber. Here, it's easy to make a "modernist" judgment. For instance, we might initially think, drawing from the tradition of sculpture, that TSENG Shang-Jie is concerned with the physical properties of materials, such as how the fibers of wood undergo stress and produce specific cracks. However, TSENG's "fibers" actually resemble more of a visual brushstroke or, in the context of ink painting, a texture stoke. Within his wood carvings, he consistently layers upon layers to "render" the details of the scene, evoking a sort of flat brushstroke language. The bases in the exhibition similarly convey this sense of flatness; on one hand, they appear as a backdrop for a sculpture, yet on the other hand, these bases serve as the plane for another artwork. Especially within the exhibition space, when you look down from above, you'll notice interesting strokes, forms, and structures there too.