fluktor -|||- study - office - newsletter June 11, 2005

Taipei Times, Jun 09, 2005
Venice about to be turned on by Taiwanese artists
The Venice Biennale in Italy opens on Sunday and Taiwan is making its presence felt on the international stage
By Susan Kendzulak, CONTRIBUTING REPORTER

The Venice Biennale in Italy opens on Sunday. This granddaddy of international art exhibitions began in 1895 at a time when world fairs and international exhibitions started growing in popularity, and was founded with the idea that nations can showcase the best of their talents, just like the Olympics that were founded the following year.

The Venice Biennale is in two sections: national pavilions, and a curated international exhibition. The national pavilions are determined by the individual participating countries, so the Taiwan Pavilion is organized by the Taipei Fine Arts Museum and funded by the Taiwan government.

And even though this is an art exhibition, politics still come into play as in all the printed documentation -- such as catalogs and Web sites? -- Taiwan is listed not as a participating country but under the organization of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, due of course to pressure from China.

The curator for the Taiwan Pavilion, Wang Chia-chi (王嘉驥) takes Luis Bunuel's film The Spectre of Freedom as a starting point for this group exhibition of four artists.

[image] Lin Hsin-i's image from a De-strike Web site. PHOTO COURTESY OF TFAM
The Spectre of Freedom implies death and the desire to get rid of the limitations of life. The four artists in the exhibition, Kao Chung-li (高重黎), Tsui Kuang-yu (崔廣宇), Lin Hsin-i (林欣怡) and Kuo I-chen (郭奕臣) all live and work in Taipei and their works share a vision of coming to terms with the uncertainty of Taiwan's stability and status. A pang of uneasiness lies just beneath the surface.

[image] Kuo I-chen's shadow of a plane flying on the ceiling of the museum. PHOTO COURTESY OF TFAM
Kao Chung-li (高重黎) creates installations of altered 8mm-film projectors that noisily hum and whir while projecting his hand-drawn animations of personal mementos that are combined with historical images. For Venice, he is showing images that show people fighting and wrestling as a metaphor to show the daily human struggle.

Tsui Kuang-yu (崔廣宇) gained immediate recognition for his single channel videos where he, as both director and filmed subject, showed the absurdity of contemporary life in a Buster Keaton-meets-Chinese-Kung-fu-masters-metaphysical kind of way. The city is his stage, while his performance shows us how to simplify our lives in a consumerist society.

Lin Hsin-i (林欣怡) is known for her oversized digital self-portraits that combine futuristic images with cannibalism and eroticism. For Venice, she has an interactive Internet installation titled De-strike, housed in a Panopticon structure, in which she can observe the on-site action via a Webcam linking her studio in Taipei to this former Venetian prison.

Kuo I-chen (郭奕臣) recreates his enigmatic moving plane piece that was shown at the Taipei Biennial last year onto the vaulted ceiling of the old prison for Invade the Prigioni, evoking the ominous feelings evoked by planes flying overhead.

Huge speakers periodically emit a low rumbling sound that grow ominously louder as if to signal an impeding disaster, stopping viewers in their tracks.

In addition to the works in the Taiwan Pavilion, artist Chen Chieh-jen (陳界仁) will be showing his filmFactory. This documents unemployed garment workers in Taoyuan and is in the international section curated by Maria de Corral.

His inclusion is a boost for Taiwan's contemporary art scene as his work was not a regional choice but was instead accepted to be part of the larger international discourse that the Venice Biennale represents.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2005/06/09/2003258615

***************************

Taipei Times, Jun 02, 2005
Taiwan's turn to judge
Four Taiwanese graduate students will head to the Venice Biennale in order to turn exhibition politics around with the "Taiwan Award"
By Meredith Dodge, STAFF REPORTER

Taiwan's contributions to the Venice Biennale have gained recognition from the international art community, but this year four graduate students from Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA) have decided to turn things around with a fresh idea and US$20,000.

The students are members of the Hedao Group (赫島社, "awesome island"), which was established to promote creativity in Taiwanese art, as the "Red Island Group" did in the 1920s.

Hedao's projects are designed to create the maximum impact: Instead of manipulating physical objects to create art, they seeks to manipulate the institutions that evaluate art.

They do this by raising money for cash awards to be given at major art exhibitions. This year the "Taiwan Award" of US$20,000 will be handed over to the winner of their choice at the Venice Biennale on June 11.

The Hedao Group intends to subvert the process of cultural colonization and globalization by creating the award. It reasons that Taiwan is a small country that struggles to be recognized in the world of contemporary art, where discourse is dominated by a Western point of view.

[image] The Hedao Group (back row) and their supporters (front row) show off the Taiwan Award. PHOTO: MEREDITH DODGE, TAIPEI TIMES
What the Hedao Group intends to take to Venice is not a work of art to be judged, but rather a unique Taiwanese viewpoint with which to judge other works of art.

The Hedao Group flier states that "the Taiwan Award seeks to reverse the subject-object relationship, adopting the role of observer and a specifically Taiwanese viewpoint to assess the Venice Biennale."

[image] Taiwanese works that will appear in the Venice Biennial include Kuo I-Chen's Invade the Prigioni. PHOTOS COUTESY OF TFAM
The Hedao Group raised the cash for the Taiwan Award by going around the country

fundraising. Most of the donations were from individuals and non-profit organizations, rather than large corporations or public agencies.

"There were book clubs that donated, [even] housewives that found ways to save an extra NT$1,000 per month" said group member Lu Hao-yuan (呂浩元).

Besides monetary contributions, the Hedao Group has gained support of another kind. In order to ensure that the Taiwan Award accurately represents Taiwan's viewpoint, the group's members asked accomplished Taiwanese cultural figures from a variety of disciplines to serve as judges for the award.
[image] By Kao Chung-li

The panel they assembled includes filmmaker Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮), TNUA principal and chairman of the CKS Cultural Center Chiu Kun-liang (邱坤良); painter and art historian Lin Hsin-yueh (林星嶽), poet and writer Chen Fang-ming (陳芳明), and folk musician Lin Ku-feng (林谷芳).
[image] By Kao Chung-li

The Hedao Group created a stir with their first "meta" art project, An Award for Taipei Biennale. It hopes to continue subverting the politics and structure of arts exhibitions and awards by taking the Taiwan Award to New York's Whitney Biennial and Germany's Kassel Documental X.

The group, plus the judges and accompanying art critics, will head for Venice this Saturday. Deliberations will begin next Thursday and the award will be presented at the Hotel Monaco and Grand Canal, on June 11.

The trophy for the award, designed by Zhuang Wu-nan (莊武男), is a 200-year-old Taiwanese brick encased in Formosan michelia wood, carved with various Taiwanese folk symbols.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2005/06/02/2003257658

__________________

with kind regards,

Matthias Arnold
(Art-Eastasia list)

http://www.chinaresource.org
http://www.fluktor.de

__________________________________________

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For postings earlier than 2005-02-23 please go to:
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	June 11, 2005: [achtung! kunst] Exhibitions I : Taiwan and The Venice Biennale

	Taipei Times, Jun 09, 2005 Venice about to be turned on by Taiwanese artists The Venice Biennale in Italy opens on Sunday and Taiwan is making its presence felt on the international stage By Susan Kendzulak, CONTRIBUTING REPORTER The Venice Biennale in Italy opens on Sunday. This granddaddy of international art exhibitions began in 1895 at a time when world fairs and international exhibitions started growing in popularity, and was founded with the idea that nations can showcase the best of their talents, just like the Olympics that were founded the following year. The Venice Biennale is in two sections: national pavilions, and a curated international exhibition. The national pavilions are determined by the individual participating countries, so the Taiwan Pavilion is organized by the Taipei Fine Arts Museum and funded by the Taiwan government. And even though this is an art exhibition, politics still come into play as in all the printed documentation -- such as catalogs and Web sites? -- Taiwan is listed not as a participating country but under the organization of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, due of course to pressure from China. The curator for the Taiwan Pavilion, Wang Chia-chi (王嘉驥) takes Luis Bunuel's film The Spectre of Freedom as a starting point for this group exhibition of four artists. [image] Lin Hsin-i's image from a De-strike Web site. PHOTO COURTESY OF TFAM The Spectre of Freedom implies death and the desire to get rid of the limitations of life. The four artists in the exhibition, Kao Chung-li (高重黎), Tsui Kuang-yu (崔廣宇), Lin Hsin-i (林欣怡) and Kuo I-chen (郭奕臣) all live and work in Taipei and their works share a vision of coming to terms with the uncertainty of Taiwan's stability and status. A pang of uneasiness lies just beneath the surface. [image] Kuo I-chen's shadow of a plane flying on the ceiling of the museum. PHOTO COURTESY OF TFAM Kao Chung-li (高重黎) creates installations of altered 8mm-film projectors that noisily hum and whir while projecting his hand-drawn animations of personal mementos that are combined with historical images. For Venice, he is showing images that show people fighting and wrestling as a metaphor to show the daily human struggle. Tsui Kuang-yu (崔廣宇) gained immediate recognition for his single channel videos where he, as both director and filmed subject, showed the absurdity of contemporary life in a Buster Keaton-meets-Chinese-Kung-fu-masters-metaphysical kind of way. The city is his stage, while his performance shows us how to simplify our lives in a consumerist society. Lin Hsin-i (林欣怡) is known for her oversized digital self-portraits that combine futuristic images with cannibalism and eroticism. For Venice, she has an interactive Internet installation titled De-strike, housed in a Panopticon structure, in which she can observe the on-site action via a Webcam linking her studio in Taipei to this former Venetian prison. Kuo I-chen (郭奕臣) recreates his enigmatic moving plane piece that was shown at the Taipei Biennial last year onto the vaulted ceiling of the old prison for Invade the Prigioni, evoking the ominous feelings evoked by planes flying overhead. Huge speakers periodically emit a low rumbling sound that grow ominously louder as if to signal an impeding disaster, stopping viewers in their tracks. In addition to the works in the Taiwan Pavilion, artist Chen Chieh-jen (陳界仁) will be showing his filmFactory. This documents unemployed garment workers in Taoyuan and is in the international section curated by Maria de Corral. His inclusion is a boost for Taiwan's contemporary art scene as his work was not a regional choice but was instead accepted to be part of the larger international discourse that the Venice Biennale represents. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2005/06/09/2003258615 *************************** Taipei Times, Jun 02, 2005 Taiwan's turn to judge Four Taiwanese graduate students will head to the Venice Biennale in order to turn exhibition politics around with the "Taiwan Award" By Meredith Dodge, STAFF REPORTER Taiwan's contributions to the Venice Biennale have gained recognition from the international art community, but this year four graduate students from Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA) have decided to turn things around with a fresh idea and US$20,000. The students are members of the Hedao Group (赫島社, "awesome island"), which was established to promote creativity in Taiwanese art, as the "Red Island Group" did in the 1920s. Hedao's projects are designed to create the maximum impact: Instead of manipulating physical objects to create art, they seeks to manipulate the institutions that evaluate art. They do this by raising money for cash awards to be given at major art exhibitions. This year the "Taiwan Award" of US$20,000 will be handed over to the winner of their choice at the Venice Biennale on June 11. The Hedao Group intends to subvert the process of cultural colonization and globalization by creating the award. It reasons that Taiwan is a small country that struggles to be recognized in the world of contemporary art, where discourse is dominated by a Western point of view. [image] The Hedao Group (back row) and their supporters (front row) show off the Taiwan Award. PHOTO: MEREDITH DODGE, TAIPEI TIMES What the Hedao Group intends to take to Venice is not a work of art to be judged, but rather a unique Taiwanese viewpoint with which to judge other works of art. The Hedao Group flier states that "the Taiwan Award seeks to reverse the subject-object relationship, adopting the role of observer and a specifically Taiwanese viewpoint to assess the Venice Biennale." [image] Taiwanese works that will appear in the Venice Biennial include Kuo I-Chen's Invade the Prigioni. PHOTOS COUTESY OF TFAM The Hedao Group raised the cash for the Taiwan Award by going around the country fundraising. Most of the donations were from individuals and non-profit organizations, rather than large corporations or public agencies. "There were book clubs that donated, [even] housewives that found ways to save an extra NT$1,000 per month" said group member Lu Hao-yuan (呂浩元). Besides monetary contributions, the Hedao Group has gained support of another kind. In order to ensure that the Taiwan Award accurately represents Taiwan's viewpoint, the group's members asked accomplished Taiwanese cultural figures from a variety of disciplines to serve as judges for the award. [image] By Kao Chung-li The panel they assembled includes filmmaker Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮), TNUA principal and chairman of the CKS Cultural Center Chiu Kun-liang (邱坤良); painter and art historian Lin Hsin-yueh (林星嶽), poet and writer Chen Fang-ming (陳芳明), and folk musician Lin Ku-feng (林谷芳). [image] By Kao Chung-li The Hedao Group created a stir with their first "meta" art project, An Award for Taipei Biennale. It hopes to continue subverting the politics and structure of arts exhibitions and awards by taking the Taiwan Award to New York's Whitney Biennial and Germany's Kassel Documental X. The group, plus the judges and accompanying art critics, will head for Venice this Saturday. Deliberations will begin next Thursday and the award will be presented at the Hotel Monaco and Grand Canal, on June 11. The trophy for the award, designed by Zhuang Wu-nan (莊武男), is a 200-year-old Taiwanese brick encased in Formosan michelia wood, carved with various Taiwanese folk symbols. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2005/06/02/2003257658 __________________ with kind regards, Matthias Arnold (Art-Eastasia list) http://www.chinaresource.org http://www.fluktor.de __________________________________________ An archive of this list as well as an subscribe/unsubscribe facility is available at: http://listserv.uni-heidelberg.de/archives/art-eastasia.html For postings earlier than 2005-02-23 please go to: http://www.fluktor.de/study/office/newsletter.htm