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The shortlist of the 2023 Hengshan Calligraphy Award is as follows:

• Wang Yi-chun Calligraphy Solo
• I Could, What if: Yang Ping Solo Exhibition
• Hsiao Yi-Fan Ink Calligraphy & Paintings
• The Cold Flowers, Grew in Old Cliffs: Buzi Art Collection Exhibition
• Waving Script

The nominations for the Hengshan Calligraphy Award were enthusiastic, and the competition was intense. In this preliminary review, based on the objectives of the 2023 Hengshan Calligraphy Award, criteria were set to select five exhibitions that have significant historical value in calligraphy, embody the spirit of the times, and possess an international perspective with pioneering viewpoints. The selected exhibitions advancing to the final review are: "Wang Yi-chun Calligraphy Solo," "I Could, What if: Yang Ping Solo Exhibition," "Hsiao Yi-Fan Ink Calligraphy & Paintings," "The Cold Flowers, Grew in Old Cliffs: Buzi Art Collection Exhibition," and "Waving Script."

The jury for the preliminary review provided the following comprehensive opinions:

"Wang Yi-chun Calligraphy Solo" presents large-character calligraphy on different materials placed in living environments, creating an immersive dialogue between calligraphy and spatial surroundings. It breaks through framing constraints to showcase the interaction between calligraphy and environmental spaces.

"I Could, What if" simultaneously presents calligraphy and ink painting, transcending conventional perspectives. Yang Ping, in addition to significant variations in ink painting, incorporates the rhythm of the body into calligraphy, expressing fluctuating thoughts in casual writing.

Hsiao Yi-Fan's cursive script is wild and natural, with rapid and powerful brushstrokes. His use of dry brush and concentrated ink, as well as subtle gradations, brings about significant compositional variations. Hsiao delves into classical themes with an ambitious challenge to ancient masters.

"The Cold Flowers, Grew in Old Cliffs" showcases four stages of Buzi's life, from deep engagement with antiquity to using cursive script as a creative foundation. It reflects on transforming calligraphy into modern art, breaking free from the confines of traditional "calligraphy" and revealing the artist's late-life individuality, surpassing contemporaneous calligraphers.

"Waving Script" takes calligraphy as its creative subject, using digital media to transform the calligraphy of ancient masters into a new interpretation through self-created digital fonts.

As calligraphy, with its profound tradition, continues to traverse mountains and present the face of the times to gain societal resonance, the jury expressed higher expectations for the shortlist after discussions.

The shortlisted exhibitions will proceed to the final review, where the winner of the Hengshan Calligraphy Award will be determined. The winner will be invited to curate a new exhibition at the Hengshan Calligraphy Art Center, with the organizer covering exhibition production expenses, up to a maximum of two million New Taiwan Dollars.

Members of the 2023 Jury for Preliminary Review:

• Huang Hai-ming: Retired Professor, the Department of Cultural and Creative Industries Management, National Taipei University of Education
• Liu Yung-jen: Independent Curator and Critic
• Kao Ming-yi: Affiliate Associate Professor, Department of Fine Arts, Taipei National University of the Arts
• Lu Pei-yi: Associate Professor, Critical and Curatorial Studies of Contemporary Art, National Taipei University of Education
• Tsai Ming-jiun: Assistant Professor of the Fine Arts Department, Tunghai University