Even with their creator gone, rows upon rows of copper soldiers were dispersed throughout the park grounds, standing at ease at firing practice, lounging below leafy trees, lumbering uphill with an injured mate, coordinating a four-men haul of a medical sketcher, carrying ROC flags hewn out of stone — each blunt and menacing like a cracked ax.
Ju Ming’s 2005 tribute to the ROC Armed Forces — his opus comprising “the arts of sculpture, installation and performance under the theme of the military” — is an impressive 330-piece collection that is thoughtfully divided across the museum’s 11 hectares to give each troop its own complimentary space, ushering visitors from entrance to central square:
“The soldiers, with their different postures and faces, are each a work of sculptural art in its own right… such that the work transcends the traditional sculptural format of individual stand-alone pieces; yet, at the same time, it also engages with the surrounding spaces of its site.”
The environs are very much part of the predominately bronze and steel sculptures planted across the grounds, as well as the weathering and natural erosion. At a serene pond garden bedecked with early sculptural studies of the female form, the museum’s bilingual sign states:
“To present Ju Ming’s creative philosophy of going along with Nature, a number of works have been specially designated to be displayed in open air in the new plans and design for this area. They are to actualize a dialogue between unassuming stone art and the natural environment. Installed in a totally open setting, works of pristine sandstone will naturally radiate the glamor of varying colors and a certain vitality as the weather and seasons change.”
Monumental sculptures like Taichi Arch, which was revealed to the public in 2001 as a larger-than-life edition of the smaller original from his Taichi Series, were cast and built on site to allow for adjustments by Ju and his apprentices. Set against bright blue skies, brisk clouds, and a lapping bay below, the sculptures emulate the natural flow of energy.
There was also a fitting tribute to Taiwanese chemist Yuan T. Lee in Ju’s garden of scientists that features statues of Michael Faraday, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin, Marie Curie, Bi Sheng (inventor of the movable type), Ts’ai Lun (inventor of paper). The first Taiwanese Nobel Prize laureate (who, along with Hungarian-Canadian John C. Polanyi and American Dudley R. Herschbach, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1986 “for their contributions to the dynamics of chemical elementary processes”) shares an umbrella with Thomas Edison in Ju’s world.
Following Ju’s suicide at the age of 85 in April 2023, a presidential citation was issued posthumously commemorating the master as “a fount of humanistic knowledge,” which made the museum’s main building even more poignant.
This is where we can fully appreciate the late master’s lifelong pursuit of form. On display are modern and early studies — a tin can collection of “toy soldiers” made of tinfoil, thoughts penned on ripped cardboard, timber carvings completed under his first mentor, and miniature resin clay studies that became the white-and-gold “Beauty” collection, his last series to be made public.
Yet on another piece of cardboard, Ju had inscribed a list of traits he believed an artist should aspire to:
Courageous. Motivated. Persevering. Undaunted by setbacks. Never hasty.
Patient. Steadfast. Embracing of sacrifice. Kind. Inclusive. Situational. True to one’s nature.
Born 1938 in Miaoli’s Tongxiao Township, Ju served two apprenticeships — first under wood sculptor Lee Chin-chuan, then with artist Yang Ying-feng. Mentored in two styles and guided by a thirst for form, Ju developed his craft by experimenting with materials encompassing clay, sponge, styrofoam, bronze, and stainless steel. He also played with color and texture, to great effect.
Ju quickly established himself in the global art circuit. Artnet reports that “His auction record stands at US$2.7 million for an edition of the iconic bronze sculpture Single Whip from the ‘Taichi’ series, which sold at a 2010 Ravenel sale in Taipei.” Some accounts theorize the daunting logistics of transporting Ju’s outsize sculptures may have complicated efforts to promote his artistry outside of Asia.
His philosophy has taken root here, a museum the artist has cultivated since 1999. Among Ju’s animated figurines and monolith creations are swashes of greenery and running water swelling with life of their own. During summer, when cicadas are as alarming as fire sirens, visitors can even walk across the museum’s grassy plazas and trace the blocky shadows of each megalith.
In 2010, Ju drew a flourishing tree to reflect his life and career. The sprawling roots below represent drawing inspiration from his Taiwanese background and land that nurtured him, giving rise to his Nativist era. His formative years are denoted by the tree trunk characterizing his Taichi period. The broad canopy above bears fruit such as the Living World series.
Labeled “Story of an Old Tree,” the simple marker-on-cardboard sketch is a visual reminder of Ju’s philosophy that sees humankind inseparable from the natural world.
Juming Museum in Jinshan, New Taipei is accessible by bus and tourist shuttles: www.juming.org.tw
