Joy from the King(s) -Bohumil Hrabal & Ma Sing Ling瑪馨玲

Joe come to me at the coffee shop of X-Power Gallery Taipei last Sunday. She just come back from Prague several days ago. She is a tour guide, and the last trip hit her fifth guidance for Taiwan tourists in Czech and the areas nearby.  During the simple and quick conversation by the table and free refilled herbal tea, the name of city, Prague was mentioned maybe just 2 or 3 times, and it made its way that afternoon.

I recalled one artwork "King" (by art group Ma Sing Ling this summer (2012)) and Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal's famous book "I served the King of the England"(我曾伺候過英國國王). Prague is the scenery set of this book.

Ma Sing Ling瑪馨玲 Website

Form of Unity／Purple Energy from the East‧King

Oil on Canvas 2012
100 X 200cm

"Hrabal's two best-known novels are Closely Observed Trains (Ostře sledované vlaky) (1965) and I Served the King of England (Obsluhoval jsem anglického krále), both of which were made into movies by the Czech director, Jiří Menzel (1966 and 2006, respectively). 

Menzel's adaptation of Closely Observed Trains won an Oscar in 1967." (Wiki data)

Ma Sing Ling (LA interview)

(Manihoo, SingWay and Ling Ling, left to right)

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Ma Sing Ling瑪馨玲 (Profile Origin)

Ma Sing Ling is a collaborative working team comprised of three young promising artists in Taiwan: MANIHOO, Singway and Ling Ling. These young artists have developed quite tacit understanding with one another, X-Power Gallery thus brings them together to spark new light. Their first attempt to create as a trio is “Form of Unity,” a series featuring the beauty of grandeur, magnificence, and incredible coherence. One of their creations in this series has been selected into the 159th Autumn Exhibition organized by Royal West of England Academy, United Kingdom (2011). More information, please check the Ma Sing Ling Website or X-Power Gallery.

Joe come to me at the X-Power Gallery that afternoon, and I remembered the essence from the book "I Served the King of England" is nothing but "Joy". 

Hrabal noted the joy comes from the death, by the story of the Czech attendant, who was inspired by English King or other dignitaries (even Ethiopia King) and engraved to seek for fame and fortune all his life, and finally got peace and joy upon his death, alone. 

While Ma Sing Ling瑪馨玲, this collaborative art group of 3 artists from Taiwan, expressed the idea of joy and peach come from genuine King from our innate, by the painting "King" and their method of creation,  "Form of Unity".