Liu Zhen-kun: people cut from black

On the poster for Liu Zhen-kun's 《刻畫人生》, two people lean very close. Dense white cuts pull their pale clothes out of the black. Step back and you see figures; move closer and it's all the stubborn work of a knife on wood. Your eyes keep switching between people and flying wood chips. Even looking at a poster can keep you busy.

The extraordinary patience required to wear down a block of wood probably got some training in a primary-school classroom. Pingtung's Taiwan Fund for Children and Families recorded in 2019 that the retired Guanghua Elementary School art teacher had been volunteering with its Chaozhou classes since 2007, keeping the little rascals company while they drew. In 2019 he also donated prints to raise education funds. His current solo exhibition brings us the streets, train carriages and working lives under his knife.

《刻畫人生》 runs in room 202 through September 20, 2026. Wei Hsiu-min's 《刻畫印記》 is next door in room 201 for the same dates. Two shows in one outing. Aim for the city art museum on Zhongzheng Road beside Zhongshan Park; don't send yourself to the county museum in the tobacco factory. Allow 15 minutes to walk from Pingtung station. If you pick up a tea along the way, finish it before going in.

Free; Tuesday–Sunday 09:00–17:30; closed Mondays and national holidays. Pingtung Art Museum, 74 Zhongzheng Road, Pingtung.

Liu Zhen-kun, exhibition image for 《刻畫人生》, 2026. Published by Pingtung Art Museum.