14. 5. –27. 6. 2026
Big Eyes Art Gallery, Strada Maggiore 7/E, Bologna, Italy
The exhibition Black Horses, Blue Horses by Peng Hsuing, student of the Studio of illustration and graphics / Visual Arts at UMPRUM presents a series of works on paper created using mixed media, combining oil pastel and acrylic. The show includes 23 works — 18 in A4 format and 5 in A3 — all centered on the figure of the horse, a universal symbol of freedom, energy, and a forward-looking drive.
The project draws inspiration from the Year of the Horse in Chinese tradition, which embodies courage, independence, and a desire for emancipation. Within this symbolic framework, the horses become a metaphor for the artist’s personal journey: a necessary movement of detachment and growth, intertwined with a deeply intimate dimension.
At the core of Peng Hsuing’s research lies the relationship with his mother, who remains in Taiwan while the artist pursues his path in Europe. The act of departure — filled with both desire and loss — translates visually into a tension between presence and absence, between emotional connection and the need for autonomy. Some of the A4 works include short poetic texts written by the artist: lyrical fragments that take the form of a lullaby or an imagined dialogue, in which the mother’s voice encourages her son to follow his own path, despite the awareness of distance.
The exhibition unfolds through a dual installation dimension. On one side, a wall hosts a composition of objects related to horse care — ladles, brushes, and non-restrictive tools — evoking gestures of nurturing and the protective bond between mother and child. On the other, a wooden bench presents traces of the artist’s journey: receipts, train and flight tickets, restaurant bills, and entries to exhibitions and concerts collected during his travels across Taiwan, Japan, Italy, Prague, and Paris.
These fragments of life, each enriched with a small drawing, are paired with fortune cookies and offered to the audience as an integral part of the work. Visitors are invited to take one with them, transforming the exhibition experience into a gesture of sharing and good fortune. The cookies will be distributed free of charge during the opening on May 14 starting at 6:00 PM.
Black Horses, Blue Horses thus emerges as a visual and emotional narrative about separation, growth, and the possibility of transforming memory and travel into an opening toward the future.
Art curator: Tiziana Sanzone
