One of the most distinguished and internationally recognized contemporary Asian sculptors, Ju Ming rose to prominence in the early 1970s when his highly acclaimed series captivated audiences in Taiwan. After moving to New York and holding exhibitions abroad, the artist’s international fame and appreciation accumulated, elevating him to the forefront of the Asian contemporary art scene. Ju Ming’s works have been widely sought by global collectors and dealers, and have seen a continuous increase in market value over recent years, with a total escalation in value of over 300% in the past decade. This tremendous ascension has secured Ju Ming’s place on the auction market’s list of the world’s top 100 selling artists, a remarkable status that no other living Taiwanese artist has achieved.

As an essential turning point in Ju Ming’s artistic development, the “Taichi” series exhibits the maturity of the artist’s sculptural language and aesthetic style. The series epitomizes the transformation from his previously meticulous and formal craftsmanship to a sculptural aesthetic characterized by complete ease and freedom, achieving a fluid sculptural form that transcends the concept of the self. For Ju Ming, the selection of the ancient martial art of Taichi as his subject matter stemmed from a perfect melding of the artist’s technical ideals with the philosophical concepts embodied by the practice of Taichi. While under the tutelage of preeminent Modern sculptor Yuyu Yang, Ju began exercise in Taichi as means of increasing his own strength and stamina as a sculptural artist. Ju Ming’s eventual absorption with the fluid motions and inner strength cultivated from Taichi provided the artist with inspiration in developing his new series of sculptures. Seeking to capture the tranquil dynamism of controlled yet spontaneous motions, Ju Ming imbued his sculptures with a monumental animus derived from the harnessed spiritual energy of the martial art. “In a work that is harmonious and alive,” Ju Ming explains, “the texture of each part should flow in a way that serves the piece’s inner energy and sense of motion in order to present an overall shape that possesses a rhythm of the most natural and understandable kind. Such vitality is transmitted only when the inner qualities achieve outer effects.” By adapting the inherent ideals of Taichi to the practice of sculpting, Ju Ming developed a unique aesthetic derived from a shared inspiration of self–cultivation and exploration. For more than two decades, Ju Ming created numerous sculptures under the “Taichi” series, continually expanding and refining his artistic lexicon. From early individual figurines to pairs of boxers, to exceedingly abstract arches in later years, the “Taichi” series demonstrates the evolution of Ju Ming’s artistic pursuit in terms of stylistic development, exploration of medium, and advancement in sculpting technique.

Ju Ming’s unrestrained sculpting technique and process emanate visibly from works such as “Taichi Series – Single Whip”. The unrestrained liberty of Ju Ming’s aesthetic permeates the massive bronze body, creating the sensation of elegant motion within a stationary form. This ideal movement and fluidity inherent to each of Ju Ming’s works derives directly from his sculptural practice. “After starting to carve,” the artist describes, “the changes begin and follow up with the first and second cuts, and just before my mind is about to intervene, the third cut comes…Thus, even if my mind always follows, my cuts are going ahead.” Recounting his artistic process as akin to meditation, Ju Ming continues by stating, “ideas cannot intervene, and only one very deep sense of self is left to proceed.” Clearly visible in works such as “Single Whip”, Ju Ming relies on his own instinctual freedom of expression, deftly capturing this volatility of sculptural motion.

Perhaps the most frequently explored position in Ju Ming’s Taichi oeuvre, “Single Whip” depicts an individual figure gently lowering his body, with one leg deeply bent and the other gracefully straightened. The figure raises his hands in a wide gesture implying readiness, a stance appropriate for both offence and defence. The elegant poise with which Ju has expertly sculpted this staunch figure signifies the harmony and balance between the dualities of strength and tenderness, as well as motion and stillness. Despite its size, energy and contemplation exude from the refined figure. With this piece, Ju Ming has created a fluidity of form at odds with a relatively angular and hard–edged contour. Demonstrating not only the artist’s traditional Asian inspiration, “Single Whip” retains a certain degree of steadfast weightiness attributed to the influence of ancient Roman architecture from Ju’s visit to Europe in 1976, where the artist found himself entranced by the colossal and magnificent classical architecture, inspiring him to simplify excessive details and produce clean contours in order to express a sense of monumentality. The vitality and dynamism of “Single Whip” recalls qualities of additional Western art influences, such as Italian futurist Umberto Boccioni’s explorations of capturing a sense of movement within a static form. Regarded as a prototype of Western sculpture in motion, Boccioni’s “Unique Forms of Continuity in Space” (1913) strides forth, emanating a sense of strength and speed, while the simple and curvaceous contours extend the movement into infinite space. Ju Ming’s “Single Whip” carries a similar potency and dynamic quality, claiming an imaginary space even greater than its physical volume.

A diligent artist who has never stopped producing artworks, Ju Ming, undeterred by his age, still perpetually creates his “Living World” series, which continues to demonstrate the artist’s indomitable creativity. Nevertheless, the “Taichi” series remains as the most representative and valuable series within Ju’s large body of work. Since 2002, when Ju Ming ceased production of his “Taichi” series, the market value for these works has risen steadily, and is believed to continue its ascent in the global market.