Taipei, March 25 (CNA) European stone sculptor Joseph Visy, who has made Taiwan his home for nearly two decades, will present one of his artworks as a gift to Hualien to thank the county and its people before he returns to Paris in June.
The 71-year-old Visy has created an art installation which reflects the happiness he felt while living in the east coast county. That work will be his gift to the people of Hualien to express his gratitude to them for looking after him during the 18 years he lived there, he said on Friday.
Speaking of the gift to Hualien, Kuo Ying-yi (郭應義), chief of the Eastern Taiwan Joint Services Center under the Executive Yuan, said the Hualien County government, East Rift Valley National Scenic Area Administration, and East Coast National Scenic Area Administration will coordinate to find a suitable location to exhibit the sculpture.
The Hungarian-French national was born in Budapest in 1951 and at the age of 30 in 1981, settled in Paris, where he took part in the restoration of Versailles, the Bourbon Palace, the Louvre, and the Triumphal Arch, before coming to Taiwan at the end of 2001 to take part in a month-long camp for the Hualien International Stone Sculpture Festival.
After the Hualien program Visy returned to France, but then decided to come back to Taiwan and relocate to Hualien in 2004.
Over the years, he has fallen in love with Hualien's seas and mountains, and the many different types of stones that the county produces, Visy told CNA in a telephone interview Friday.
According to the Stone Sculpture Museum in Hualien, Visy applies repetitive and gradient patterns to transform his sculptures into creations with spectacular textures and colors.
Besides Hualien's scenery and stones, Taiwanese people were another reason why Visy has stayed in Taiwan so long, according to the artist.
"I love Taiwanese people. Taiwanese people are very passionate and I have many good friends in Hualien and in Taiwan who have helped me a lot," Visy said.
One of Visy's friends in Hualien is Horng Sheng Marble Enterprise Co. Ltd. Chairman Lin Kao-jung (林高榮), who provided him with a workshop with electricity and water free of charge. Lin told CNA Friday that he met Visy through a friend at the local Rotary Club who knew Visy through church.
After meeting Visy and seeing his original working conditions, which were not very good, Lin decided to help.
"My friend took me to meet him and the environment where he was originally working in wasn't really suitable, so I told him I'll find a place for him," Lin said.
Lin described Visy as someone who is dedicated to his craft.
"You'll find him working on his sculptures from Monday to Saturday, and Sundays at the church. He is a simple person," Lin said. "We are all going to really miss him."
When asked why he had decided to return to France, Visy said it was because his son had turned 18 and is planning to begin his tertiary education in the country.
He will continue to sculpt in France but is a little worried about adjusting to life there, Visy said, adding that he will miss living in Taiwan.
