The Mountain of Iron Men

Po Chun Liu is one of the most important Taiwanese sculptors. Viewers often find the beauty of strength and vitality in his art. By using highly industrial material like iron and steel as his creative medium, the artist reflects on the drastic impacts on natural ecology and human society brought by civilization and industrialization.

Mountain of Iron Men was inspired by what he saw in the storage area for scrap iron at Tungho Steel Factory. He chose to use thick steel plate that had been smelted and cast from recycled iron scrap and then cut out human figures of various sizes. These human figures, although each is small in size, are piled up to become a giant, powerful piece of art. Together they appear to be as marvelous as a mountain. The circular opening on the top of the artwork enables the viewers to see all the way through to the sky, leaving them in awe of the power of the material and the inner spirituality of Liu's art.