Art Exhibit "Mind, Energy, Spirit" on Display Now at UH Manoa's Hamilton Library

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Library presents "Mind, Energy, Spirit," an exhibit by UH Mānoa graduate student Dieter Runge on display throughout Hamilton Library until the end of February 2004.

Millions of people practice the Chinese healing and martial art known as taijiquan on a daily basis. Called "the perfect exercise" by Time magazine, taiji is known as an internal art. It is the refinement of the live force energy (chi, qi), which is the goal of the practitioner. Mind, energy, and spirit are the three guiding principles for practicing taijiquan. The mind guides the energy, while the spirit creates the appropriate form and content. These principles can be equally applied to Taijiquan, art, or any other human endeavor.

Runge presents his exploration of taiji experiences and internal energy through different media. Art works on display include "100 Views of Taijiquan," the central work and the culmination to date of Runge's taiji art; "Yoga Stretch," a powerful triptych in primary colors; and "Genesis of a Drawing, which illustrates the movement of the taiji sword practice.

A recent graduate from UH Mānoa with bachelors degrees in Psychology and Art, Runge is currently enrolled as a graduate student in the painting program at UH Mānoa. He has studied taiji and qigong since 1982 in New York City with Manta Chia, T.K. Shi, and in Hawaiʻi since 1991 with Zeng Chen Dong. He has been teaching taiji and qigong for more than 10 years, currently at the Kaneohe Senior and Recreation Center, the Kailua Recreation Center, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences at UH Mānoa.

For more information on the exhibit, visit http://libweb.hawaii.edu/uhmlib/news/taichi_exhibit.html