Four contemporary artists from Taiwan are flying the island’s cultural flag during the 53rd International Art Exhibition at the Venice Biennale. These emerging artists, from diverse backgrounds and different generations, will display their works from June 7 to Nov. 22 in the Taiwan Pavilion’s “Foreign Affairs” show at Palazzo delle Prigioni. According to Chang Fang-wei, curator of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum and organizer of the Taiwanese exhibition, in Chinese, the term “foreign affairs” can mean many different things in addition to interactions between countries. “It can also refer to exchanges between individuals and imply excellent social skills, for example,” she said.
Citing Russian philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin’s concept of “dialogism,” Chang said it is only through interacting with others that the subject of people or countries is constructed. She believes that due to Taiwan’s diplomatic plight, locals have developed various and unique ways to respond to the outside world.
To illustrate this theory, the curator invited Hsieh Ying-chun, Chen Chieh-jen, Chang Chien-chi and Yu Cheng-ta to produce a selection of works that explore the practical state of cross-regional art in the context of contemporary global politics; economics and society; alternative possibilities for communicative interaction; and the question of Taiwan’s status and identity.
Born in 1954, Hsieh is known as a social activist architect who spent years heading up building projects for minorities and disadvantaged members of society. In addition to raising awareness of social justice, he also promotes his ideal of “sustainable construction.” By creating an open architectural system, Hsieh and his team try to safeguard the right of disadvantaged groups to subsist and work by heightening environmental consciousness through eco-friendly buildings.
Hsieh’s work at the exhibition, titled “Mutual Subject: What to be Done,” highlights the recovery of mainland China’s Sichuan Province, which was devastated by an earthquake May 12, 2008. A documentary and series of photos and samples of housing materials are on display. “I want visitors to experience something more than just the concepts,” Hsieh said June 4 in Venice. “These images convey the power of blood, sweat and tears.”
Using the medium of video, Chen Chieh-jen showcases the relationship between history and power and the plight of labor in the age of globalization. His thought-provoking works, including “Military Court and Prison,” have been widely exhibited overseas. To echo the theme “Foreign Affairs,” Chen created two works to re-examine the imperial ideology embedded in the process of obtaining visas and passing across borders.
“The first film ‘Empire’s Borders I’ highlights the fact that many people in Taiwan, especially young single women, experience suspicion and even humiliation while applying for U.S. visas,” Chen said. “‘Empire’s Borders II’ focuses on the discrimination that mainland Chinese women face when reuniting with their Taiwanese spouses at the airport.” The artist said he hopes these two celluloid offerings will shine the spotlight on Taiwan’s need for greater self-examination in relation to its global position and politics.
The plight of immigrants also features in the work of Chang Chien-chi in his long-term project “Chinatown.” For 17 years, he has taken black-and-white photos of illegal mainland Chinese immigrants struggling for a better life in New York’s Chinatown. Chang returns with these images in hand to the immigrants’ hometowns in Fujian Province and snaps color photos of the wives, children and elderly who wait for money and phone calls. He then carries these pictures back to New York.
The transformation of cities and human relationships is chronicled by Chang’s work. “His installation results in an imaginary reunion of these expatriates and their families,” local art critic Lin Hong-john commented. “The changes over time are astonishing, but the photos also imply that what remains is asymmetrical regional development in an era of globalization and the uncertain future of people living on the edges of society.”
Chang started out as a photojournalist in the United States, later becoming a documentary filmmaker. His work “The Chain” won Best Photography Book in the 2003 Pictures of the Year International competition, one of the most highly respected photojournalism contests in the world.
The youngest of the four artists, 26-year-old Yu Cheng-ta presents a series of humorous video installations. In “Ventriloquists: Introductions,” Yu found short-term foreign visitors in Taiwan on the streets of Taipei and asked them to participate in the film. The artist then hid behind the tourists, asking them to repeat the stereotyped self-introduction he had created, as if they could speak Chinese.
Through the misunderstandings stemming from imprecise imitation or accents, Yu tries to convey how language can become a barrier to communication. “I address the differences that exist between verbal communication systems,” he said. “This is achieved by playing the role of an invisible interpreter who uses body language and voice to express new forms of politics and dialogue that make up foreign relations.”
In one installation, Yu converses in English, Holo and Mandarin with two Filipino women married to local men. According to the artist, each individual can be viewed as a microcosm of “diplomacy” through the mix-and-match of languages and the ensuing misunderstandings that take place.
According to Chang Fang-wei, this year’s Taiwan Pavilion has already been lauded by international art critics as being “more confident and mature” than previous editions. “We have achieved this by focusing more on the philosophical depth and social meaning of each artist’s project, rather than the innovative medium or form of the works,” she said.
“As our featured artists’ works are themed on dialogue with other areas of world, we also seek more interaction with visitors in the hope of sharing Taiwan’s unique perspective during the biennale.”
- Publication Date：06/12/2009
- Source： Taiwan Today
- By Amber Wu
