Hsiao Yuhui proclaims the Gospel through art, divine mission
Hsiao Yuhui describes herself as a mother, a grandmother, an educator and an artist. Through her work on fabric, she creates sacred works found in all of Taipei’s churches. Her artistic work "allows me to express my most special part of myself, the one that is in relationship with God.”
Taipei (AsiaNews) – Mother, grandmother, educator and artist is how Ms Hsiao Yuhui (蕭玉蕙) describes herself.
When someone asks to interview her, she says, “I can do art, but I cannot speak”. Yet, when she begins to tell her story, she becomes unstoppable and seeks out the most appropriate words to express her inner world.
At the start of the interview, she makes a few things clear. "Before I was s mother and an artist, now I am the grandmother, and I continue to be an artist."
She is mostly interested in the way she succeeded in developing her art inspired by her faith. "God gave me such talents that I have. I could not look the other way! Art for me is above all a form of prayer and deep contact with God."
In her family, "we were seven children,” she said. “I have an older sister, three younger sisters and two brothers. We grew up in central Taiwan, in a village in Zhanghua province (彰化 縣).
“My dad passed onto me his passion for art, woodworking and fabrics, in addition to pottery and painting. He was trained according the Japanese way, methodical and well structured.
“When I was in elementary school, I started doing odd things with paper. My teacher saw that I had a different passion than my classmates, and encouraged me a lot to nurture it."
At first, the father was not happy. "He wanted me to have a good education. He was not sure. He used to tell me not to waste my time, to do my homework and not get distracted. He worked for the railway, but also had an artistic side that he nurtured with dedication.
“He had taken evening woodworking classes and was a very capable and expressive artist. When he noticed that I wanted in some way to follow that path, he could not but face that fact and encourage me. He praised me and supported me."
As an artist, Hsiao is versatile. "My interests are very wide, from wood to fabric, pottery, drawings of any kind, but if I had to choose one thing, I undoubtedly prefer drawing on fabric, which allows me to express myself and reach heights others think impossible."
At the entrance of her living room, a large representation of the Sacred Heart on fabric is on display. "Years ago, on a Sunday afternoon, we went to visit a friend in the hospital in Hukou, which sports the Sacred Heart motif in mosaic. I loved it right away. It has a very relaxed, not serious or intimidating face. We took a picture and I worked on it at night for a week. My children were young so I had no time during day.
“Somehow it was a mystical experience. I felt I could not stop; I had to draw on the fabric the figure that was telling me something deep. Every time I start a new work, I feel the same emotion and the same power."
Hsiao is very much involved in the local Christian community.
“For the Resurrection Church here in Taipei I have done many works, including the Via Crucis in ceramic on the church’s walls. Every pastor has asked me to do something new to embellish the buildings where the community gathers to pray or do other activities. This artistic work allows me to express my most special part of myself, the one that is in relationship with God. In this sense, art is a special language."
However, the artist has also worked in the elementary school across from her home, where she heads the ceramic art workshop for children.
"Working with other teachers is very addictive,” she explained. “You realise that you can inspire children to do something artistically beautiful. Children always want to learn and experience. Working in schools, as well as at home with my children, has always given me something special.
“One of our students went on to become a very famous artist here in Taiwan. He used to be an ordinary kid in our elementary school. My kids were always near me when I drew something new; they too amused themselves drawing or making pottery, which the children love."
One belief always follows her. "The essential part of my art is linked inextricably to my faith. My family has been Catholic for four generations, and continues to be so with my grandchildren who are now the sixth generation.
“When we moved to this flat in Taipei in 1984, we found this parish eager for new artistic works. The pastor, a Belgian missionary at that time, Father John, gave me a commission right away to make two portraits, one of Jesus and one of Mary. Since then, it has been non-stop production, until now."
Hsiao’s creations include a series about the young Jesus (imagining his life as a child), which proved popular and is now in art books.
"That series was born from swapping experiences with non-Christian parents at the school where I used to work. Since they knew I was an artist from to the Catholic parish, I was asked to depict the life of Jesus as a child. When I spoke about it with Fr John, he told me, 'We don’t have a lot on the young Jesus, but you have a lot of imagination!'"
Ultimately, for Hsiao, “such is my ability to proclaim the Gospel that I bring my talents to this mission in which I can play a role along with many other artists and people who seek alternative ways to communicate the beauty of the faith."
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