Placing objects on a scholar’s desk for quiet contemplation has long been a way of cultivating and ordering one’s inner world. For Lin Yu-shuan, painting is not simply a means of depicting the forms of objects; it is also a way of conversing with himself and observing his state of mind in everyday life.

The title The Self in Things comes from the artist’s quiet interactions with ordinary objects. Whether ancient vessels, scholars’ rocks, or everyday items, these objects bear traces of use and the marks of time. Through the long process of studying light, texture, and shades of ink, these once-static forms gradually become infused with the artist’s own emotions and memories.

As careful observation of objects develops into an awareness of the self, the process of “observing things” also becomes a process of “awakening to the self.” Through depicting and understanding the objects around him, the artist re-examines and recognizes his own state of mind. The inscriptions in his works serve as notes of thoughts and feelings that cannot be expressed through painting alone. While the image preserves the physical form of the object, the words record the thoughts of the moment. Together, they preserve the traces of the artist’s encounters with these objects.

“Seeing the Self in Things” records the process of allowing emotions to settle into objects. Lin Yu-shuan invites viewers into this quiet space shaped by ink and objects, where, while contemplating the textures and traces of time held within them, they may also discover a quiet corner of their own inner world.