Zanum (Ah Shui)Zanum (Ah Shui) is a member of the Kavalan and Ami tribes in Zhangyuan Village, Changbin, Taitung. The main focus of his creations is based on the aboriginal spirit, which is expressed in wood carvings, iron sculptures, installation art and commercial space renovation. He has been engaged in creation for more than 30 years.30In 2001, he was an elder among Taiwanese aboriginal contemporary artists. He has participated in many major art festivals as a resident artist.2013“Ah Shui Workshop” was established in Taitung Sugar Factory in 2001. Over the past ten years, it has cultivated many new generation art creators and cultural creative designers. It combines driftwood with local elements and uses the thinking model of aborigines to create simple and environmentally friendly works. Use materials given by nature to add some ingenuity and creativity to life in Taitung!
Zanum
Artist Profile
Artwork
Title: Trace Back
Year: 2024
Dimensions: 3 x 2 x 1.2-1.9 m (L x W xH)
Material: driftwood, bamboo, iron, glass, wire
In 1991, the year my son was born, I returned to my hometown for the first time to find my roots. I took my mother and the Changyuan Kavalan people back to Yilan. After walking 160 kilometers for 200 years, the Kavalan people returned to their hometown to trace their origins. In 2024, I fulfilled my wish and dedicated my work “Trace Back” on the land of the Kavalan people, just like the flying fish swimming on the black tide to the place of birth, giving birth to new life and hope. The abundant water veins in Lanyang Plain converge into rivers and flow into the sea. At the estuary where the rivers and seas meet and fresh water and salt water converge, they provide the richest nutrients for various organisms. It is a hotbed for the reproduction and birth of many migratory organisms. And when I returned to create in the birthplace of our ancestors, the moving mood is like a cluster of fish close to the ocean and kissing the waves. Yes, “Kamalan people” we are always here!