Exhibition Dates／2020.9.25(Fri.)-10.18(Sun.) (Closed on Monday)
Artists／NIU Jun-Qiang, HUANG Meng-Wen, JIAN Yi-Hong, CHEN Zi-Yin
Venue／Taipei Artist Village, Barry Room
An asteroid struck Earth millenniums of years ago and triggered mass extinctions at the end of the Cretaceous Period; consequently, dinosaur sightings are now only caught in museums. Thousands of years later, a virus is actively seeking hosts, and the most progressive and development-driven species on Earth is dying because of this noncellular invasion.
Facing the infinite cycle of history, how should we, the human species, despite being the result of Creationism or the evolutionary theory, deal with the unknown and find the meaning and value behind our existence? According to the concept of Existentialism, when people are confronted by tremendous pain and defeat when they are seeking to fulfill their desires, some may choose to escape from reality because they feel helpless. However, compared to other living beings, humans have a stronger desire for change and can’t help but to chase after it. We can’t help but to seek higher dreams and ideals, and while in pain, joy is also experienced. So, we continue to pursue equal rights, explore the unknown, and have a thirst for desire and strive to attain self-recognition.
This artist exchange preliminary group exhibition is an extension of the “Artist-in-Residence Taipei” program facilitated by the Taipei Artist Village (TAV). The artists presented are arranged to partake in short-term residency exchange programs overseas, whereby they will temporarily depart and transform through immersion. On view in this exhibition are artworks by artists, Niu Jun-Qiang, Jian Yi-Hong, Huang Meng-Wen, and Chen Zi-Yin, whom were originally planning to respectively participate in residency programs in autumn of 2020 at the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art in Manchester, England; Silpakorn University in Thailand; Goyang Residency at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea; and Openspace Bae, Korea. Continuing to explore the issues and directions that they’ve focused on through their creative experiences, these four artists have integrated information that they’ve collected to prepare for the upcoming residency programs, and imaginative thoughts they have for the unknown that lies ahead are presented. This preliminary exhibition held before their departure provides an opportunity to allow the changes that the artists will go through before and after their residencies to be observed in the future.
Experiences come from what one goes through and also what one observes. The insights one garners throughout a lifetime are applied in the works that one goes on to produce. Regardless of what attributes they hold, the elements incorporated, which are derived from the past, are critical to one’s pursuit for both the known and the unknown. Opportunities for Taiwanese artists to engage in exchange programs with art institutions overseas are facilitated by the Taipei Artist Village & Treasure Hill Artist Village, and through the residencies, they are able to experience unique regional cultures and lifestyles, which will undoubtedly be valuable and creatively inspiring. At the same time, the cultural stimulants received will also give the artists’ creative journeys an enriched sense of meaning, which will result in artworks of diverse perspectives presented for the audience to see.
Art may not be a practical priority but it is, nevertheless, necessary. When faced with a mysterious and difficult to resolve challenge in life, we may perhaps try to examine it and get closer to it by using the language of contemporary art. In this moment in time when we are trying to adapt to the “new normal”, let us wait together for an order that will connect all living begins together; let us wait for the arrival of a sense of normalcy. (Text／HAN Ching-Ling)
For more information, please check Taipei Artist Village Website
https://www.artistvillage.org/event-detail.php?p=4358
