Where Making Meets Healing: Hsuan Ying Ho’s The Journey Between the Mountains
Hsuan Ying Ho has been awarded the Gold Prize in the category of Best Fine Art & Paintings at the World Front Design Award 2025 Autumn for the compelling work The Journey Between the Mountains. The award recognizes not only the artistic quality of the piece, but also the profound emotional depth and personal narrative embedded within its creation.
The Journey Between the Mountains was conceived during one of the most challenging periods of the artist’s life. While caring for her seriously ill father, Hsuan Ying Ho spent countless days traveling to and from the hospital—sometimes three or four times a week. The physical exhaustion, coupled with constant worry and emotional strain, left her unable to rest or find inner peace. Stress, fear, and uncertainty became part of her daily reality.
In the midst of this turmoil, Ho turned to metalsmithing, her most familiar and trusted practice, as a way to regain balance. The act of working with metal became a form of meditation. Through the repetitive rhythm of hammering and shaping, her mind gradually quieted, allowing space for calm and reflection. Creation became a refuge—one where emotional weight could be released through physical action.
Equally important to the work was the time Ho spent in nature between studio sessions. These moments outdoors offered brief but essential pauses, helping her reconnect with stillness and perspective. Over time, the experiences of making and being in nature intertwined, forming the conceptual foundation of this body of work.
Rather than merely depicting peace, The Journey Between the Mountains embodies a process of healing. It reflects an inward journey—one marked by endurance, quiet strength, and the gradual rediscovery of serenity. The title emerged naturally after the completion of the work, capturing both the emotional passage Ho experienced and the imagery of moving through mountains: slow, contemplative, and ultimately restorative.
Through this award-winning piece, Hsuan Ying Ho invites viewers to share in that sense of calm. The work stands not only as an artistic achievement, but also as a deeply personal testament to how creative practice can restore the heart and mind during life’s most difficult passages.
