Being Human: Forging Fields of Experience

Location: Artspace@Helutrans, 39 Keppel Rd, #01-05 Tanjong Pagar Distripark, Singapore 089065
Exhibition till: 30th November 2025
Opening hours: 9am to 6pm
Curator: Dr. Susie Lingham

Being Human: Forging Fields of Experience is an exhibition that immerses visitors in the world of Prof. Liu Po-Chun 劉柏村, focusing on industrial materials, spiritual symbolism, and human resilience. This exhibition showcases monumental sculptures crafted from recycled steel, presenting objects that were once discarded as representations of human strength, vulnerability, and transformation. Prof. Liu’s sculptures compel the viewer to contemplate the intersection between the material world and philosophical experience. Drawing inspiration from Buddhist philosophy and personal encounters with industrial waste, the exhibition reinterprets the nature of human frailty, inner strength, and self-doubt. Prof. Liu’s larger-than-life steel bodies arise from the floor like urban giants, expanded to occupy the space and arranged into a maze of corridors, thresholds, and unexpected openings. Welded plates, beams, and recast fragments coalesce into towering human forms that distort sightlines and reflect echoes, inviting the audience to navigate between ribs of metal, brush against textured seams, and uncover shifting vistas at every turn. It is simultaneously sculpture, architecture, and adventure—an immersive experience where audiences do not merely observe the work; rather, they engage with it, feel its weight, and depart marked by its grandeur.

Inspiration Behind the Sculptures

Prof. Liu transforms aged, recycled steel into innovative forms by melting it down and reforging it, akin to reconstructing the past within the present. His creations draw inspiration from Buddhist philosophy, particularly the JinKang guardian deities, which symbolize protection against doubt and fear. Each sculpture embodies dual truths: strength and vulnerability. They function as psychological sentinels, confronting our internal struggles directly. The installation will reach heights of up to 6 meters, featuring a total of 188 figures that collectively weigh over 400 kg, thereby establishing an imposing, monolithic presence and providing a powerful, visceral viewing experience.

Prof. Liu’s Artistic Journey

As a sculptor, Professor Liu engages profoundly in a dialogue with his selected medium. His oeuvre arises from the tension between the natural environment and industrial materials, which, in many respects, reflects his broader philosophical inquiries. Steel, omnipresent in modern society, embodies both human aspiration and the stark realities of industrial advancement. For Professor Liu, the utilization of this material represents an endeavor to forge a connection between the past and the present. The discarded objects he employs are meticulously reclaimed and re-forged, thereby imbuing them with new life and renewed purpose. Through this transformative process, Professor Liu converts industrial refuse into art, metamorphosing once-abandoned objects into poignant articulations of human emotion and spiritual fortitude.

The Human Connection

This exhibition serves as a pertinent investigation into the capacity of art to influence international discourse on sustainability, authority, and the human condition. As Singapore steadfastly pursues its aspiration to emerge as a preeminent figure in cultural innovation, “Being Human” presents a unique opportunity to contemplate the transformative impact of contemporary sculpture and the profound symbolic narratives it embodies.

About Prof. Liu Po-Chun

Prof. Liu Po-Chun is a renowned Taiwanese sculptor and Professor at the National Taiwan University of Arts (NTUA), celebrated for his innovative use of recycled industrial steel. His work explores themes of strength, frailty, and human resilience, transforming discarded industrial objects into powerful symbols of protection and inner strength. Drawing inspiration from Buddhist philosophy, particularly the JinKang guardians, his sculptures are recognized internationally for their philosophical depth and cultural significance, making him a key figure in contemporary sculpture.

About Dr. Susie Lingham

Dr. Susie Lingham is an acclaimed curator and writer known for her curatorial work exploring the philosophical dimensions of contemporary art. With a deep engagement in material culture, Dr. Lingham has curated numerous exhibitions that emphasize human experience, resilience, and phenomenological reality. In Being Human, she brings Prof. Liu Po-Chun’s sculptures into a dialogue with material truths and psychological phenomena, focusing on the relationship between industrial materials and human strength. Dr. Lingham’s curatorial work seeks to explore how art can embody resilience, anxiety, and self-doubt, while also demonstrating the transformative potential of materials in shaping our understanding of the world.

About SCULPTURE 2052

SCULPTURE 2052 serves as both an art space and a research initiative dedicated to the discipline of sculpture. It is envisioned as a continuous research endeavor aimed at exploring the practice of sculpture in Singapore from the perspective and vision of sculptors. SCULPTURE 2052 seeks to preserve the distinctive characteristics of contemporary sculpture and sculptural art, thereby fostering ongoing dialogues that benefit future generations of artists. A sustainable duration of thirty years, from 2022 to 2052, is established as both a challenge and an aspiration for the local sculptor community. Through an in-depth appreciation of classical forms, we aspire to envision the future.