〈水流向下，火流向上，氣流走在火裡，土是火的通道〉
文|應力空間 彭奕軒
應力空間在2025年很榮幸邀請台灣藝術家陳瑋軒，是應力第20檔展覽〈野燒穴居民〉個展發表，自2021年邀請瑋軒舉辦於節點空間個展〈實話中的神話〉，已經為第二次的合作之邀清展覽，這四年瑋軒（虎神hóo-sîn）經歷了許多創作養分的累績，他依舊是我們熟悉的虎神。
從2021年都蘭月光小棧，受土偶邀請駐留，我們與虎神、子定等眾人一同完成一顆小土窯開始，從共同工作中，理解了虎神許多過往的經驗及背景，也從他的經驗學習到許多土壤觀察及運用，並促成原土計畫的開端，延續至今。
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套來套去——
一切都是從陌生與不熟悉開始亂玩，但虎神很慶幸一開始他所接觸的陶土，就是地面自己挖起來的土，「他曾是社區營造工作者、電影的美術製作，以高度勞動的方式製陶，將土地萬物、從前務農的快樂與哀愁、做工的志氣、對社會時事、土地正義等的看法與省思，轉換成富野性與諷刺意味的陶作」，這是2021年展覽介紹，這幾年他的創作有了明顯的轉變。我與虹毓陸續參與及關注許多他往後的創作計畫，包含在台灣及離島各地的「捏地計畫」。
套來套去，是這次個展中作品所呈現的視覺樣貌，在這些樣貌背後，是自2022年開始的捏地計畫所生產出的野燒件，當時的製作情境下，這些野燒件是由土壤現地採集，並捏塑於現場，燒製成形，成為火流、氣流、水分的通道。虎神將這些野燒件放在自己的工作室，逐漸感知出這些野燒件雖然不像釉燒陶瓷作品般，在完成後成為穩定的狀態，反觀這些野燒件被放置於戶外的場域，它有了自己的「釉」，雜草穿入生長、青苔生成於表面、各種有機物的包覆，這可能也是這些野燒件存在於它的所屬地的樣貌。
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互相保護，也成為觀看的奇特感知，一個脆弱的野燒件頭盔保護著釉燒居民、獸型站立雕塑，若單一存在，都會顯現出某種不夠安全的外地移置展場的突兀不適感。
水——
虎神從這些野燒件開始，逐步構想裡面的居民模樣，並思考到這幾年的「捏地」經驗，首先到了一個地方，不像基本工作室所有的可用材料都在旁邊，而是開始尋找「水源」，有了水源才可以開始所有捏塑的可能性，可能是要挖一個土坑、引水小渠道、排水道，一切有關於水源的層面，也造就野燒的開端，水作為捏塑的基準，它不斷的在捏塑、燒製階段產生變化，
「地」的形狀——
在這次展覽發表後的虎神的朋友，三哥，看到現場作品，點出了這些野燒件的底部，就是每個捏地時刻的土面，那裡的故事，在底部看得到，這也說明，作品的內看面貌，同時展現於藝術家在思考及對應自然的觀察，可穿上、可脫掉，在觀看不到的位置，同樣也存在痕跡。
火——
作為貫穿且讓人心情穩定的作用，這也是現代比較少能被拉回的經驗，每個經過的通道（野燒件），時而融化、時而低溫，與它每一次的接觸，總是有許多可能去產生些什麼。它成為居民流動於通道。
氣流——
走在火裡
土去包火，火裡有氣流，土裡有水的通道，氣流最後變煙道。
虎神的作品有著對於他在捏地產生出的無數周遭環境給他的感知，他目前回到了居住已久的台南左鎮工作與生活，重回他熟悉的自然環境中發展相關計畫，也將帶領串連及重新認識更多處的捏地計畫。
應力空間（Soil Space），作為土星工作室延伸之展演空間。建立於土，由下而上的結構延伸並進，致力於藝術家展覽策劃、研究發表、出版、推廣、教育經營、策展規劃；重視實驗性，跨媒材合作等。
Water Flows Downward, Fire Rises Upward, Air Moves Within Fire, Earth is Fire’s Pathway
Written by | Soil Space Peng Yi-Hsuan
In 2025, Soil Space is honored to invite Taiwanese artist Chen Wei-Hsuan to present his solo exhibition "Wild-Fired Pit Dwellers", the 20th exhibition at Soil Space. This marks our second collaboration with Wei-Hsuan, following his solo exhibition "Myths in the Truth" at Zit-Dim art space in 2021. Over these four years, Wei-Hsuan (also known as hóo-sîn) has accumulated abundant creative nourishment, yet he remains the hóo-sîn we know.
From 2021 at the Dulan Moonlight Inn, where he was invited to a residency by Claydoll, we, alongside hóo-sîn, Ziding, and others, built a small earthen kiln together. Through this collaborative effort, we gained insight into hóo-sîn’s extensive past experiences and background while also learning about soil observation and application—an encounter that sparked the inception of the "Soil Plan", which continues to this day.
Layer Upon Layer—
Everything starts from the unfamiliar and the unknown, a playful process of trial and error. Yet, hóo-sîn is grateful that the first clay he encountered was the very soil dug up from the ground. "He was once a community-building worker and a film art director, and he approaches pottery with highly labor-intensive methods—transforming the land’s myriad elements, the joys and sorrows of past agricultural life, the perseverance of labor, reflections on social issues, and land justice into wild and satirical ceramic creations." This was how his 2021 exhibition was introduced. Over the years, however, he has undergone significant transformation. Together with Hung-Yu, I have continued to follow and participate in his creative endeavors, including "Kneading the Earth" (Nie-Di), which he has carried out across Taiwan and its offshore islands.
Layer Upon Layer is the visual manifestation of the works in this solo exhibition. Beneath these forms lie the wild-fired pieces produced through "Kneading the Earth" (Nie-Di) since 2022. These works were created under specific conditions: the clay was gathered on-site, hand-molded on-site, and then fired in situ—becoming conduits for fire, air, and water. Hóo-sîn kept these wild-fired pieces in his studio, gradually sensing how, unlike glazed ceramic works that reach a stable state after completion, these wild-fired pieces, when left outdoors, developed their own "glaze." Weeds grew through them, moss covered their surfaces, and organic materials enveloped them—perhaps their true form when situated in their rightful place.
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In this interplay of mutual protection, a peculiar perception arises. A fragile wild-fired helmet shields a glazed resident, and beast-like standing sculptures support each other. If viewed individually, each piece might feel precarious, as though displaced from its original land, evoking a sense of dislocation and unease.
Water—
Hóo-sîn’s conceptualization of the residents within these wild-fired pieces began with his "Kneading the Earth" (Nie-Di) experiences in recent years. Upon arriving at a new location, instead of having a fully equipped studio with materials at hand, the first task was always to search for a water source. Only with water could he begin molding the clay. This process might involve digging a soil pit, diverting small channels, or creating drainage paths. Every aspect related to water defined the start of wild-firing. Water, as the foundation of clay molding, continuously transforms throughout the stages of sculpting and firing.
The Shape of the Earth—
After seeing the exhibition, hóo-sîn’s friend, San-Ge, pointed out that the bottom of these wild-fired pieces reveals the exact soil surface at the moment of molding—telling the story of that specific time and place. This suggests that the unseen parts of the artwork still carry traces of the artist’s interactions with nature. The works can be put on and taken off, yet even in places unseen, their imprints remain.
Fire—
Fire serves as both a connecting force and a stabilizing element for the mind—an experience that has become rare in modern life. Each passage within these wild-fired pieces sometimes melts, sometimes remains low-temperature, and with every interaction, new possibilities arise. Fire becomes the pathway through which the residents move.
Airflow—
It moves within the fire.
Earth encases fire, fire holds airflow, earth contains pathways for water, and airflow eventually becomes the smoke channel.
Hóo-sîn’s works reflect his sensory experiences of the environments encountered through "Kneading the Earth" (Nie-Di). He has now returned to Zuozhen, Tainan, where he has long lived and worked, immersing himself once more in the natural surroundings that shaped him. There, he continues to lead and expand "Kneading the Earth" (Nie-Di) initiatives, forging deeper connections and rediscovering new landscapes through his artistic practice.
Soil Space, an extension of Tu Xing Studio, serves as an exhibition and performance space. Rooted in soil, it grows upward through an evolving structure, dedicated to artist exhibitions, curatorial planning, research presentations, publishing, promotion, and educational initiatives. Emphasizing experimentation and cross-media collaborations, Soil Space fosters innovative artistic practices and interdisciplinary exchange.