2019絕對空間英文版展覽年報

Absolute Art Space

02

06

The Dialectic Between

The Occurrences of

Foreign and Local Creativity-

Absolute Space of

Absolute Space for the Arts

the Arts: Notes From

Exhibitions in 2019

an Art Administrator

• By Tzu-Chieh Jian

• By Chiung-Yi Hsieh

10

12

14

Ingenious Craftsman

Dempsey Roll

2019 Next Art Tainan:

with Rainbow

TSUNG-YU TSAI

Invisible Dimensions

Enchanted Wonder

Solo Exhibition

YU-HAO HUNG ×

Contents

JIUN-YANG LI

MIKE STUBBS (UK)

Solo Exhibition

18

22

28

After Right Place

Molding Island City-

Evolutionary Sequence

MELMEL CHEN

Taiwan-Vietnam

CHUN-CHAN LU

Solo Exhibition

Artist Residency

Solo Exhibition

Exchange Exhibition SHU-KAI LIN × CONG-KHANH BUI

32

36

40

Dwelling in the Invisibility

Home as Commercial

Clown Wall

CHI-TUNG LIU

Space：A Case Study

MOLLY HASLUND

Solo Exhibition

of Art Storein Taiwan

Solo Exhibition

TIAN-SHIANG HUANG Solo Exhibition

01

The Dialectic Between Foreign and Local CreativityAbsolute Space for the Arts Exhibitions in 2019

By Tzu-Chieh Jian

It’s quite absurd to look back at Molly Haslund’s exhibition Clown Wall in Absolute Space for the Arts after almost one year. In the Danish Artist’s work, masks that once showed origin and identity have switched to face masks, which have now become a necessity for people around the world while going out. When westerners, who experienced developed democracy spontaneously resisted the epidemic control policy due to doubts on human rights violations, this, in consequence, led to severe epidemic outbreaks. In Taiwan, we as locals obeyed the erasure of personality from the face mask. As the result, we can have the rare freedom to travel freely in the country.

In a modern civil society, policies usually involve the contradictory ethical positions of public and private sectors. One gives trust to the system and seeks collective consensus, while the other one allows individual differences, which is

02

crucial in art making and other forms of expression, such as the freedom of speech. Also, in this consumer society, which is highly stimulated by capitalism, the private factor leads to distinct personal styles. In the art field, we can find many examples of isomorphism in this tension created by these two opposing point of views. For example, while some of the most flexible small and medium-size art spaces look for the dilalectic of creativity between globalization and localization, some are strategic in operations while others simply have dialectics occur in exhibitions as if they are there by chance. Looking back to the nine exhibitions in 2019, various arts had intersected at the same time and space within Absolute Space of the Arts.

The first two exhibitions of the year are by senior artists, Li JiunYang and Tsai Tsung Yu, who created Ingenious Craftsman with Rainbow Enchanted Wonder and Dempsey Roll respectively.

E v e n t h o u g h t h e y c a m e f r o m d i ff e r e n t c r a f t s m a n s h i p a n d academic backgrounds, they both chose painting as their main form of presentation. The use of color and subjects brought strong sentimental expressions on localization.

However, three exhibitions from March showed a hint of fading out from localization with the intention to turn the attention to international exchange. For example, 2019 Next Art Tainan: Invisible Dimensions curated by Ming Turner, we invited the wellknown UK artist Mike Stubbs to collaborate with award winning artist Hung Yu- Hao. Although Hung created images with digital devices, the sources of images mostly came from historical street scenes. Melmel Chen had also studied in the UK. She presented “After Right Place”, which was made, when she was still in London in 2017. Even though she used weeds as the medium, during the form shifting in between art installations and documents, the gap between these supposedly down to earth materials and their origin widened. Even Groys’ Topology of the Aura will have a hard time identifying the weeds. In Lin Shu- Kai and Bui Cong Khanh’s Molding Island City - TaiwanVietnam Artist Residency Exchange Exhibition, the Vietnam artist exchanged regional differences through the mold of his Taiwanese artist father in depth. Even though from a distance, the title of the exhibition still reveals the vision of international exchange in a macroscopic perspective.

03

Starting from the second half of the year, Absolute Space of the Arts addressed “localization” in a higher density through various strategies. Comparing the two exhibitions earlier in the year, young artists further interfered the production tools and with a reflexive mindset. In Lu Chun-Chan’s Evolutionary Sequence, he focused on presenting the urban landscapes around Absolute Space through animal perspectives and gallery live stream images. The locations became hard to recognize in the shifting of the two perspectives. I can’t help but think of Wu Sih-Chin’s exhibition Australia in 2016, which shared similar awareness on the issue, but was more lively in presentation. Liu Chi Tung’s Dwelling in the Invisibility is tried to investigate the rivers that are hidden in the urban landscape. However, other than the field aspect in modernology, the artist installed a toilet in the exhibition to echo the concept of rivers as sewers. Dwelling in Invisibility not only symbolizes the artist’s daily life, but everyone else’s. We can also find a young artist’s obsession with toilets in Huang Tian Shiang’s exhibition Home as Commercial Space: A Case Study of an Art Store in Taiwan. This transplanted art supply shops not only existed as an art form that was meant to be pushed off the context, but also belongs to the artist’s actual family. It is a personal residence that has more commercial space than home space, especially for the artist.

With a post-pandemic hindsight at the end of 2019, Molly Haslund’s Clown Wall seems prophetic as quarantine became a globalized new normal with her clown mask magically fixed on the nose. And those originally planned international exchanges with emphasis on connections to local art residency, specific works, and exhibitions in Absolute Space of the Arts, have become the whole missing pieces for the next year. I start to imagine that when the outward policy becomes inward self recognition, the island’s privacy will no longer be seen as mere restriction. How will this art space express itself (I supposed it will be like the way it has been this year). Maybe Haslund’s fragile ceramic mask represents Absolute Space of the Arts’ outstanding performance that of managing to balance international exchanges and localization with limited resources.

Eventually, we shall see the long-anticipated face behind the mask.

04

About Tzu-Chieh Jian PhD. in Art Creation and Theory from National Tainan University of the Arts.

Jian is currently teaching at the Department of Fine Arts in National Kaohsiung Normal U n i v e r s i t y. H e i s a n o m i n a t o r for the observers of the 14th a n d 1 5 t h Ta i s h i n P r i z e , a n d was an observer himself at the Kaohsiung Prize in 2015.

He once worked in "Originally Uncompromising Studio" and was a senior author in the monthly periodical Artco. Up until now, he has curated exhibitions such as "Missing Key Piano: An Solo Exhibition by Leo Liu" (IT Park, 2 0 1 7 ) , " I W i s h t o Wa l k A b o u t the Island Just to Have a Deep Gaze: The Magic of Desolated Sceneries by Lien Chien Hsing" ( Yu H s i u A r t M u s e u m , 2 0 1 6 2017), "No Flesh, No Pleasure: Kao Ya Ting, Chao Yu, Lin Jia Yi" (Taiwan Annual, 2016) and "Everyday Thomasons" (Double Square, 2016).

05 05

The Occurrences of Absolute Space of the Arts: Not es Fr om a n Art Administrator

By Chiung-Yi Hsieh

The Prerequisites of Occurrence How has Absolute Space for the Arts, a notso-big long and narrow space, expanded its “occurrence” in various ways? Instead of simply calling it an alternative space, it seems like the hybridity of Absolute Space is higher than other art spaces in Tainan. There are around 10 exhibitions a year in Absolute Space, including one international art residency program and the project, Come to My Place, an interactive project with other art institutions. There is also a subject-based seminar, ASA Salon (Absolute Space Art Salon). In order to cover these various events alongside basic operational costs including salaries, it's hard not to rely on subsidies. Therefore, working with the Ministry of Culture, National Culture and Arts Foundation, and the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Tainan City is essential.

06

Absolute Space of the Arts is surely not a commercial gallery; however, the openness of the space embraces all possibilities including the selling of artworks. In the operation, how to think outside the box and maximize the restricted fund is the focal point of running Absolute Space. It’s more like a tacit understanding instead of a strategy, or at least such awareness on limited budget exists.

An Occurrence Also Ages Occurrences are categorized. During the pandemic period, we need to reconsider the art exhibitions, whether the planned ones or those that happened rapidly out of the blue.

The institution of an art space is just like the human body. We want to choose what we take in and what we don’t want, and also what we want to present to the public. From the outside impression, exhibitions in Absolute Space’s c h a n g e r a p i d l y, a n d a r e f u l l o f d i v e r s i t y.

There are also many projects planned for the year, such as the all year round project ASA Salon and Coming to My Place: International Communication in Artists’ Studio, which regularly takes place three to four times a year.

Coming to My Place started from 2017.

The goal was to introduce two domestic/ international artists or curators to each other’s works in two days, and share the result in the form of a seminar. This event was developed f r o m t h e c o n c e p t o f Ta i w a n ’s t e a d r i n k i n g culture, in which hosts invite the guests for a chat in the name of tea drinking. The idea was creating an opportunity for foreigners, who have either stayed in Taiwan for a long time, or just for an art residency program, to meet Taiwanese artists from the south. Absolute Space wanted to open a new door to create conversations in a relaxed, non-working e n v i r o n m e n t . C e r t a i n l y, s o m e t i m e s t h e t w o paired artists already knew each other either

personally or from work. Even so, reopening conversations and creating an environment that connects Tainan’s local art communities have brought meaningful and surprising conversations. In the end, the seminar itself is no longer the focus, what makes it special is how the conversations continue to grow within each heart.

When talking about “structure”, the one-on-one interaction and seminar has already become a constant model of Coming to My Place; nevertheless, each person’s background and art form are different. Where the conversations takes place also changes every time. Starting from 2018, Absolute Space started to break through the limitations of space by working with external organizations, such as Soulang Artists-in-Residence and the Pier-2 Art Center.

H o w e v e r, w h e n s u c h i n t e r a c t i o n s b e c o m e s a cycle, even for just four times a year, does that mean the occurrence has been “framed”?

Can the form of one-on-one conversation and seminar be shaken? Do the pairing of artists and number of project per year have to be repeatedly the same?

When the Occurrence Becomes Stable When talking about the iconic projects, the ASA Salon has been in place for years. It started when the Absolute Space was first founded.

When compared to Coming to My Place, which can be attended freely and unexpectedly during the process, the ASA Salon is a charged course. Along the years, there are regular attending members. At the early stage, there w a s o n l y a s i n g l e l e c t u r e r. N e v e r t h e l e s s , since 2019, we have switched to a “project” based course, inviting researchers, artists and curators from different fields. The ASA Salon mostly located on the second floor of Absolute Space, where the lecture atmosphere is

stronger; therefore, its occurrence is hard to change. The form of lecture leads to inconsistent interactions between the lecturer and the lectured. In most cases, the speaker leads, but each lecture is different. Fully engaged audiences are also often seen.

To b e h o n e s t , I ’ m n o t t r y i n g t o m a k e comparisons in this article. I simply want to explore the potential of “structure”. The occurrence of ASA Salon lasts two hours each time. How can we detect the absorption of the participants? Or is it more important to create varieties and lively vibes? The ASA Salon always follows the same sign up system and lecture form. Still, it’s interesting that the subject-based norm creates flexibility for the art administrators. When the administrators shift, the subject shift. For example, when I o r g a n i z e d H a v e a Wa l k i n Ta i n a n i n m y term, I broke the rigid structure of lecture, and explored different locations in Tainan, by stepping out the classroom.

Within a year, the ASA Salon steadily released more than twenty events and lectures. I can’t help worrying about how the salon can grow in the future in terms of productivity. However, signs show that there is no need to worry. As the attendants grow steadily, it’s clear that other than exhibitions, artist residencies, events, and many other general affairs, the art space can also spread art knowledge through different means. From 2020 to now, I have seen much creativity in the art administrator after me in handling the ASA Salon. Not only did the attendants show their interest, but the art administrator’s inner curiosity of exploring the outside world has also been fulfilled by an intangible energy growing in the art space.

07 07

The Occurrence versus Professionalization As the administrators in an art space need to be professionalized, how about the occurrence? How can we professionalize occurrence? Does it mean submitting a wellwritten and well-illustrated report to the government and get subsidy verification? In Absolute Space, it often feels like time flies.

The physical feeling might be related to multitasking and chasing short deadlines. Looking back, the self-disappointment of physical and mental inability to keep up disappeared because of Absolute Space’s unique personality. Even though many occurrences are temporary, they have triggered many thoughts and connections. I think it is very genuine. Yet while the pandemic is universalized, there are restrictions worldwide. More or less, it changes our life. We have to rethink the meaning and the method of occurrence.If we are in another country, can the visits of artists’ studios in Coming to My Place still happen? We have to be grateful for what we currently have; in the meantime, as we comply with the current international situation, we should also create a more “futuristic” method of occurrence. Is there room for imagination in the art field?

Other than the variation of occurrence, Absolute Space’s long term quality on productivity of releasing new exhibitions and events in a short time should be considered too. In these two years, prompt information is

08 08

shared as website updates are integrated.

In 2019, Coming to My Place and ASA Salon were compiled and published as a booklet with the support of the Ministry of Culture.

However, as exhibitions and the ASA Salon occur one by one, what can we do to convert these occurrences other than benefitting the audience? Maybe one day the occurrences can turn to other directions, such as academic researches. Or maybe they will create other interesting occurrences and connections?

Starting from last year, the call for essay in ASA Hornsun(Absolute Space for the Arts Hornson) seems to approach this direction.

Other than open calls for exhibition critiques, the planning of ASA Salon is also integrated with art critique workshops, showing the intention to open up channels for young people in the art field. Even if it's not yet powerful, we can still anticipate occurrences in the future.

The Strength of Occurrence Starting from 2018, Absolute Space has been getting the subsidy of “Granted by Cultural Exchanges and Collaborative Projects with Personnel from Southeast Asia.” We invited Ye o h L i a n H e n g , t h e c u r a t o r o f M a l a y s i a n Contemporary Art Space Lostgens to Taiwan for the first time. In 2019, Vietnamnese artist Bui Cong Khanh came to visit. It opened up a two-way communication afterwards. The members of Absolute Space visited the two c o u n t r i e s i n a r o w, o r g a n i z e d e x h i b i t i o n s overseas, and also get to know the local art spaces and art communities comprehensively.

As a multi-faceted art space, it’s not surprising that exhibitions, lectures, workshops and field studies took place one after the other.

However, the same issue of getting permission within the subsidy repeats. At the meantime, the administration workload is still heavy with

About Chiung-Yi Hsieh Born in the 80s, Hsieh has a master degree from the Department of French of Tamkang U n i v e r s i t y. D u r i n g 2 0 1 7 t o 2019, she was the art manager of Absolute Space, and was

all the fund applications, communications with artists beforehand, assistance artists need for accommodation, collaborations with external organizations, and subsidy verifications.

Although it’s not a great turmoil, the whole Absolute Space feels like a sauna sometimes.

In short, there is both joy and pain.

The international artist residency not only brought quantized results such as exhibitions and the extended events, but also an intangible influence. Only occurrences like this create connections and chemistry within the institution. The art residency program has m o b i l i z e d t h e w h o l e a r t c o m m u n i t y. W h e n the role switches, we go to other countries to feel the status and atmosphere of their local art communities. What really leaves a strong impression is not the exhibitions themselves, but what happened behind the scenes, and discovering art spaces and meeting people by accident. That’s what is truly precious and what comes freely off the schedule. After the pandemic, the short term interaction stopped.

What can we do to seek reactivation? How can we keep providing nutrition to the art space?

What should we abandon or cut down? What should we intensify? We always talk about the new trendy word “bailout”, but what about reorganization?

responsible for the annual project planning and executions. Hsieh is currently an exhibition coordinator at Yu-Hsiu Museum of Art.

09 09

Ingenious Craftsman with Rainbow Enchanted Wonder JIUN-YANG LI Solo Exhibition 2018/12/19 - 2019/02/03 A

Statement by Jiun-Yang Li Flickers! Rainbow enchanted spiritual phantom spectrums! Lu… Rainbow enchanted Elysium with phantom portraits! The genuine Tai Chi is as beautiful as the sun, the origin of Taiwan Tai Chi fish doll. Working materials in the exhibition Ingenious Craftsman with Rainbow Enchanted Wonder are mostly acrylic on canvas or used wooden panels. These works are paintings done after Fairest Fairies Fair, Phû-lōng-kòng Blossom, which was shortlisted for Taishin Arts Award in 2012. These works are inspired by life dramas of the ingenious craftsmanship and mysterious thinking in art-making; while enlightenment drawings and recreated mythologies serve as the function of frameworks of these works. Works such as “Chang,” “Rainbow Taichi Fish,” “Superman Playing Instruments,” “Chirotheriu Playing Traditional Mythological Animals,” “Old Craftsman,” “Cat the Shooter,” “Retarded Doll” should be read as colorful paintings in temples. His recent works were done in Soulangh Artist Village; and the artist applied the techniques of temple painting, overlying colors with the shimmering effect.

B

A. Fairest Fairies 卍 Craft Affair! Hooray Old Craftsman! Acrylic, 72.5×60.5cm, 2015 B. Fairest Fairies Dreaming of Jiuru, Acrylic, 72.5×60.5cm, 2015

10

About Jiun-Yang Li Exhibitions 2017 Enchanting Drawingman, Tsing-Hua University, Hsinchu 2011 Fairest Fairies Fair, Phû-lōng-kòng Blossom, Ciaotou White House, Kaohsiubg 2010 Who’s Playing the Clothing of Stories—Puppet Calligraphy Painting, Beyond Gallery, Taipei 2010 Ingenious Craftsman Playing, VT Art Space, Taipei 2010 Ingenious Craftsman Holoulou, Kao Yuan University Art Center, Kaohsiung 2010 Ingenious Craftsman Holoulou—Jiun-Yang Li Solo The Immortals, Acrylic, Diameter40cm, 2015

Exhibition, Show Gallery, Kaohsiung

Tai Chi God Descending Among Rainbow Spirits , Acrylic, 162×120cm, 2016

11

Dempsey Roll TSUNG-YU TSAI Solo Exhibition 2019/02/13 - 03/10

Statement by Tsung-Yu Tsai

A

“Philosophy is picking up arrows shot by the predecessors and shoot into a farther distance.” However, when you pick up the arrows shot by predecessors from the ground and prepare to shoot, you might discover that certain areas are already full of arrows: some were left by the masters and some by your contemporaries and even the younger generation. It is hard to find a new target to shoot, especially when using ancient media such as painting.

Ippo Makunouchi, the protagonist in the manga The First Step , develops a destructive technique called “Dempsey Roll”. His regular big movements are highly in contrary to the moves defined by modern boxing. In the manga, Ippo not only pursues his own dream, but also challenges the definition of modern boxing. The movements of "Dempsey Roll" is the result of continuous evolvements of modern boxing. With arrangements of m o v e m e n t s s o d i ff e r e n t f r o m t h e o r i g i n a l rotational displacements, "Dempsey Roll" is considered as a reactionary force that redefines modern boxing. Likewise, artists also shall have this kind of reactionary response like Ippo’s boxing techniques. Just like boxers who are always alert and honest to themselves, artists absolutely shall not be pretentious by simply using symbols or popular keywords to make art.

12

B

A. B2 , Ink on paper, 65×91cm, 2017 B. Crow Singing at Night , Ink on paper, 15×21.5cm, 2018

Somewhere Nearby Taipei, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 65×91cm, 2017

About Tsung-Yu Tsai Exhibitions 2018 Paper Art Project, MUMU Gallery, Tainan 2018 How Do You Define ARTIST ?, FreeS Art Space, Taipei

Museum, Taitung 2016 Next Art Tainan Award: Tsai Tsung-Yu & Fung Ka-Fai,

2018 Kaohsiung Art Award, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts,

MUMU Gallery, Tainan

Kaohsiung

2016 NEXT ART TAINAN, Tainan Art Fair, Tainan

2016 Into the body field: The connection of Asia and

2016 POLY MACAU HOTEL ART FAIR, Poly Macau Hotel,

European arts, HOAHAUS, Taipei

Macau

2016 Austronesian International Arts Award”, Taitung Art

13

2019 Next Art Tainan: Invisible Dimensions Curator: MING TURNER Artists: YU-HAO HUNG × MIKE STUBBS (UK) 2019/03/14 - 04/14

Statement by Ming Turner T h e t i t l e o f t h e 2 0 1 9 N e x t A r t Ta i n a n exhibition is "Invisible Dimensions," which aimed to present the visible and the invisible landscape and culture through the diversity of contemporary art. The exhibition visualized three dimensional people and objects.

Through the artists’ imaginations and their reinterpretations of life, the works also visualized the invisible trans-dimensions of our everyday life, such as the abstract concepts of time, humanity and philosophy. 2019 Next Art Tainan aimed to support emerging and talented young artists by inviting specially selected established artists to exhibit their works alongside theirs. As a result, dialogues and responses were formed through artworks.

The themes of the exhibited works covered both recognizable and conceptual aspects of our surroundings, which included the prosperity of our urban landscape, historical artifacts and their cultural connotations, the a m b i g u i t i e s o f g e n d e r, t h e m e l a n c h o l y o f abandoned relics, discourses pertaining to housing, the dramatic effect of grassroots culture, scooter culture, and the uncertainties faced by the younger generations.

The exhibition featured ten groups of artists f r o m Ta i w a n , t h e U K a n d N o r w a y. A r t i s t s

14

from a diverse range of generations and cultural backgrounds exhibited their works i n t e n d i f f e r e n t g a l l e r i e s a c r o s s Ta i n a n .

The project featured a representation, construction and deconstruction of the visible living environment and its people, as well as challenges and reconsiderations of the exiting, y e t i n v i s i b l e d i m e n s i o n s o f l i f e , s o c i e t y, and culture. The exhibited works included paintings, multi-media, new media, ceramics, s c u l p t u r e , p h o t o g r a p h y, a n d c o m p u t e r generated images among others. 2019 Next Art Tainan presented a range of excellent artworks created by artists of different generations, and furthermore, by inviting international artists to create site-specific w o r k s i n Ta i w a n , t h e p r o j e c t e x p e c t s t o embrace more contemporary and international visions and ambitions, and thereby draw attentions to the senses of contemporaneity, diversity and sensitivity in art in Tainan city.

Mike Stubbs, Part of Mobile Home , Video+Performance documentation, photographic performance documentation, Dimensions variable, 2019

Mike Stubbs, Part of Donut , 2-channel video installation, color and sound, poem text, Dimensions variable, 2001

About Mike Stubbs The artist's work encompasses video, performance and

Stubbs also works as a curator, and has been recently

new media installation. Exploring themes such as power,

appointed as Creative Producer, Creative Doncaster 20-22.

technology, work and identity, much of his work has been

Prior to this, he was Director of FACT, Liverpool, and jointly

made with people through a process of interdisciplinary

appointed Professor of Art, Media and Curating, at Liverpool

research. Stubbs has exhibited internationally, including

John Moores University.

at the Bluecoat, Liverpool, EAF, Adelaide, Tate Britain and

In 2017, Stubbs co-curated "No Such Thing As Gravity" with

Tate Modern, London, BALTIC Art Centre, Gateshead and

Rob La Frenais at NTMOFA, Taichung. In 2004, he received

MIC, Aukland, and has worked in the collections of ACMI,

a Fleck Fellowship from Banff Art Centre, Canada, and

M e l b o u r n e a n d t h e S c i e n c e M u s e u m , L o n d o n . Aw a r d s

he made a fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. He was

include: 1st prize, "Independent Celtic Film Festival;" Golden

educated at the Royal College of Art, Cardiff Art College of

Pencil, "Locarno Film Festival;" Barbara London Prize,

Art and Mander College, Bedford.

"Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial," Japan; "Golden Phoenix, Monte Negro Media Art Festival," Serbia, and 1st prize in "Oberhausen," Graz & Osnabruk.

15 15

Yu-Hao Hung, Disapora , Single-channel video installation, 7’00”, 2017

Yu-Hao Hung, Migrant , Holographic installation, color and mute, Loop, 2016

16 16

About Yu-Hao Hung Born in Taipei in 1989, Huang earned an MFA degree from the New Media Art Institute of National Taiwan University of Arts. The theme of his artworks focuses on virtuality and reality in new media contexts, which are represented in geographical images and as social cognitions. He has participated in the following exhibitions: solo exhibition "On Fluid Street" (NTMOFA), solo exhibition "Drifting District" (Waley Art) and the "6th Mediation Biennale," Poznan, Poland, among others. He received the Gold Medal of the "2018 National Art Exhibition, ROC," and first prize of the "2017 Keelung Art Exhibition." Some of his artworks are held in the collections of the Art Bank, Ministry of Culture, and in Yo-Chang Art Museum.

Yu-Hao Hung, Shift , 2-channel video installation, color and sound, Loop, 2016

17 17

After Right Place MELMEL CHEN Solo Exhibition 2019/04/20 - 05/26

Provided by MelMel Chen With an eye to the heterogeneity of the relationship between aesthetics and politics beneath the context of modernity in recent years, Melmel Chen takes primarily New Materialism as the point of departure, focusing on the conditions of nature-culturesociety, human-nonhuman and subject-object relationships in modern society.

The artwork Right Place exhibited at London in the summer of 2017 was a site-specific installation of Melmel Chen when she was in the UK for study. Via the creation of an indoor weed garden to showcase the common weeds deemed by the British government, the artist attempted to probe into the relationship between nature and culture. “A plant becomes a weed because of the labeling by humans,” said the nature writer Richard Mabey. That is, a weed is not a species by nature, but a general term, born out of the human minds, referring to those undesired or unloved in u n e x p e c t e d p l a c e s . A s a r e s u l t , d i ff e r e n t criteria for weed are employed in different cultures and societies. Nonetheless, nature and culture are not as binary as they were.

If we revisit the same artwork selected and recognized by the 2019 Kaohsiung Awards at Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts short while ago. The same concept conveyed at the museum in Taiwan, whereas weeds as a seemingly aggressive natural beings

18

are apparently not welcomed. “An email from a museum” reveals the predicament encountered when aesthetics practices meet a museum institution. As the museum is an institute deployed by the modern state apparatus, not surprisingly it would be embarrassing for the weeds as such.

Would there have been no “weed” if there were no “we”? The human species has been employing a wide range of technologies and techniques to gain control over the objective world ever since the modernization.

Classification of nature might be the most convenient and efficient mean in the process of modernization. Instead of debating over the potential errors derived from this methodology, it is better to construct various possible methodologies concerning objects. The issues beneath may be how to transform, exceed, and exclude what there is when an object is localized. How should the consciousness of an object be perceived by mankind? How should the noumenon transcend the visions of others and exist on its own? The modernized society after disenchantment oftentimes forcefully “purge” nature; yet, could we have more possibilities in the treatment of nature?

Is the acknowledgement of the inconceivability of objects an indirect acknowledgement of the incompetency of humanity? Is equality of things a mere imagination of Utopia?

If we convert such to artistic practices, can objects not be bound by symbols? Can the subsistence of objects be liberated from the post-colonization forced by the consciousness of humanity? How can artworks not be reduced by notions, being and living on their own accounts? Can materials go beyond the media, which mean manifestations in artworks, and become existence on their own right? “View objects via media, transcends the meanings of the actual objects; view objects via objects, and you shall see the objects solely the way they are.” (Anonymous) Can artworks be displayed not for humans?

We are supposed to be flowers , but you say we are weeds, Embroidery pillow, 50×50cm, 2017

The exhibition site in Absolute Space for the Arts.

19

The exhibition site in Kaohsiung Museum of Finearts.

The exhibition site in Absolute Space for the Arts.

20

We not only follow the winds, but also our hearts, Embroidery pillow, 50×50cm, 2017

About Melmel Chen She is an interdisciplinary artist who lives and works in London. Over the last five years, her artistic research has been focused primarily on investigation of subject and object relationship in terms of philosophical and Biopolitical spectacle in relation to modernity and urban society, m a i n l y t h r o u g h t h e m e d i u m s r a n g i n g f r o m i m a g e , p h o t o g r a p h y, sculpture, and (site-specific) installation. She is interested in how human observes and receives reality and non-reality, and how human sees and categorises things in different culture, history, and society.

The exhibition site in London.

21

Molding Island CityTaiwan-Vietnam Artist Residency Exchange Exhibition SHU-KAI LIN × CONG-KHANH BUI 2019/06/01 - 07/14

Statement This art residency and exhibition project used molds as the research theme. Through interviews with mold industry workers, photography records, workshops, art creations and other forms, the project has not only brought better understandings on the life and molding culture in Tainan, but also highlighted the similarities and differences between Taiwan and Vietnam. Moreover, the collaboration has a continuous influence on the artists that reflects in their works.

About the artist residency exchange exhibition by Cong-Khanh Bui This is my second opportunity to cooperate with Artist Shu-Kai Lin, whom I really admire.

We had enough time to understand each other via our backgrounds, our attentions to history and life, and inspirations of our creations. I am very interested in Lin’s background. He grew up in his father ’s molten factory. Metal casting is a very hard job, but it supports the whole family. Lin liked to play around with his father’s molds. One day he started to create a molding city from his own imagination. In a d d i t i o n t o h i s f a t h e r ’s h u g e i n f l u e n c e o n Lin’s works, I personally believe that Lin also

22

uses molds as a way to communicate with his father. In other words, he tells a story about his father: he is the present and his father is the past.

When comparing our experiences, I found out that I share a similar background. When I was a child, my father often took me to his wood factory. I liked carving the wood and turning them into my own toys. Both Lin’s and my art spirit as well as creative imagination all originated from our fathers. I think that our artistic creativity is the outcome of fusions.

The concept of fusion is closely connected to the Chinese Five Elements Philosophy, which believes that all kinds of matters on the earth are made of five elements, wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. The philosophy perceives all matters to be the construction and assembly of these five elements.

Base on the above mentioned accounts, I shall continue to explain the process of casting conducted by Lin’s father. His father melted the aluminum bar (identified as the element of metal), into liquid (identified as the element of water), and finally poured the liquid into a wooden mold (identified as the element of wood) for us to developing the Molding Island City with our creativity and imagination.

20

We then transformed the wooden molds into potteries (identified as the element of earth).

Throughout this process, we understood those elements through the literal meaning of the materials we used as well as the various cycles of human consciousness from the symbol system.

Cong-Khanh Bui & Shu-Kai Lin, Transformation , Wood, ceramic hand-painted, 20.5cm×10cm×2.5cm, 2019

23 23

A. Cong-Khanh Bui & Shu-Kai Lin, Blue Temple , Chinese ink, water color on paper, 24.5cm×35cm, 2019

E. Cong-Khanh Bui & Shu-Kai Lin, Fortress Temple , Chinese ink, water color on paper, 24.5cm×35cm, 2019

B. Cong-Khanh Bui & Shu-Kai Lin, Different Shades of Color(01) , Chinese ink, water color on paper, 24.5cm×35cm, 2019

F. Cong-Khanh Bui & Shu-Kai Lin, Part of Town Folk , Wood model, Chinese ink on paper, Painting: 24.5cm×35cm Wood: 11cm×23cm

C. Cong-Khanh Bui & Shu-Kai Lin, Current Red , Chinese ink, water color on paper, 24.5cm×35cm, 2019 D. Cong-Khanh Bui & Shu-Kai Lin, The Other Side of Red , Chinese ink, water color on paper, 24.5cm×35cm, 2019

A

24

B

C

D

E

F

25 25

The report in Hoi An Ancient Town.

About the artist residency exchange exhibition by Shu-Kai Lin It is my second time to cooperate with the Vietnamese Artist, Cong-Khanh Bui. The first cooperation was five years ago. Due to language barriers, last time when we worked together for a month, we could only communicate through body languages and drawings to learn each other ’s different life experiences. Other than the language barrier, the daily draft drawing actually brought out a lot of emotions (e.g. happiness, distress, sadness and joy), which could not have been communicated in spoken words. We reconstructed our identities through sharing about ourselves. In this sense, this onemonth cooperation left a subtle foreshadowing for our future project. Of course, we were not sure if we could have another chance of working together when Bui returned to h i s h o m e t o w n H o i A n , Vi e t n a m l a s t t i m e .

Five years later, both of us have undergone different life experiences. This time, We suddenly discovered that we both are highly interested in the subtleties in a city and our art creations are both strongly connected to our family memories related to the business started by our grandfathers and fathers.

Therefore, the second collaboration project

26

is carried out with the concept of “modeling.”

Of course, we both continued to share about ourselves through collaboration and communications. In Tainan, since my father’s molten factory has closed down, we could both use my father ’s leftover molds as the materials for our artistic creation. These molds are full of history and had a glorious past.

We had both left our hometown for a long time, but in the end, we returned home for the family memories. Nevertheless, some things are lost forever, even the ones that forever live in our hearts. Beyond the literal meaning of “molding,” the manufacturing process is also a new way of interpreting life generated from duplication and replication.

In the process of socialization, everyone seems to be homogenized, but each life can regenerate and thrive. This homogeneity also symbolizes the problem which many cities are facing in the current of time as well as in the process of transformation. There are more than memories in a city. Most important of all, we must reflect on what civilization really means to us. By contemplating the past and the present, we shall redefine the value and meanings of civilization for the future generations.

Molding Island City in Hoi An Ancient Town.

About Cong-Khanh Bui

About Shu-Kai Lin

Born in Da Nang in Central Vietnam, Bui graduated from

B o r n i n 1 9 8 3 i n Ta i n a n , Ta i w a n , L i n g r a d u a t e d f r o m

the Oil Painting Department in Ho Chi Minh City of Fine

Department of Fine Arts, Taipei National University of the

Arts University, and now works and lives in Hoi An City. He

Arts, and acquired a master ’s degree from the Graduate

founded the GO FISH Studio in 2017. He was invited to

Institute of Fine Arts, Taipei National University of the Arts

participate in the 2016 Singapore Biennale and has exhibited

in 2012. His has exhibited in Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan,

in Hong Kong, Myanmar, Indonesia, Germany, France and

Korea, Netherlands and US. Lin's works often use various

US. Bui Cong Khanh creates through a variety of media,

materials and forms such as painting and objects to construct

i n c l u d i n g g r a p h i c p a i n t i n g , d i g i t a l p h o t o g r a p h y, v i d e o ,

his imaginary spaces and our mental states in modern society

miniature sculpture, space installations. He focuses on the

as he tries to provide a new perspective to viewers.

history of the country, changes in the social environment caused by military politics, and the mental state and identity of people, etc. Therefore, the materials the artist uses are diverse, and he often cares about the symbolic meanings behind the of the materials. The media includes tree materials, metals, porcelain, etc. He is specialized in reconstructing and rearranging the form and texture of a medium to question today's society.

27 27

Evolutionary Sequence CHUN-CHAN LU Solo Exhibition 2019/07/20 - 08/25

Statement by Chun-Chan Lu The theme of this exhibition is “evolutionary sequence,” which explores not only the transcending nature of interpretation, but also probes the entity’s transformation due to external factors such as force or energy.

I use videos, installations, paintings and other media to arrange the entities one by one according to our habitual viewpoints, meanwhile enabling the media to convert and modify the entities. In this sense, since these entities exist in our daily routine without the intervention of external forces, the relationship between the entities can be seen as a type of “sequence.” The viewers will see two projection screens while entering into the exhibition venue. Since the two different videos are played on two screens, which occupy most of the exhibition space, the viewers will see the two screens as a prologue, and expect more works to follow as they continue attending this exhibition.

Coming to the middle and the last part of the exhibition, the viewers will see the sculptures and models made based on unidentified entities as well as projected images slowly changing projected on-screen. The visual familiarity of the images shall not only evokes connections between the two videos shown earlier, but also resonates with the entire exhibition. This triggers a question: Other than the sequences of inductive reasoning and calculations, can the art

28

language turn to practices that allow the kind of aesthetics, which are more organic and creative, apart from the conventional changes among systems, ecological environments, and multi-media interactions?

In the last part of the exhibition, there are massive architectural models and a coverless power device exposing its inner structures.

These artworks are also shown on the two screens in the first part of the exhibition.

The exposure and revelation of the models and device was meant to trigger the viewer’s psychological and physical reactions in association with the first part of the exhibition.

The artist wants to create the feeling of “No Wonder” rather than “Of Course.” The images are translated through the interface and the references within the architecture in the exhibition with the hope that the viewers may understand the works through means other than the traditional and linear way of reading printed descriptions. My method may be more non-linear and more organic, but this method is closer to a contemporary approach. Those entities are re-created by perceptions, archives and symbols. In addition to the abstract meanings represented by cartography, people will use their bodies to wander, watch and connect with different media in the real space. This process can explain the interactions between the local space and people as well as represent the possibilities and variations of the relationship between human and the world.

T h e u s e o f G o o g l e S t r e e t Vi e w s e r v i c e i s a unique way of viewing in respect of the contemporary technological development.

The users can be as close as possible to the reality, and the reality can be recaptured as much as possible. Without having to be there physically, the viewers can experience on-site street views through the technology.

Sometimes accidents and errors still occur due to misproductions or miscalculations, c a u s i n g f a i l u r e s t o c a p t u r e r e a l i t y. A f t e r recognizing this kind of failures, viewers will be able to step back from the simulated reality and accept the nature of the medium.

As the the viewers returns to the painting interface, and observe the reality stacked from brushstrokes, and the lights and shadows captured in the painting, they shall have a fresh way of interpreting Google Street View.

I also intend to highlight the contradictions between the two. I cannot return back to the stimulated point of reality, but I can re-create the ambiguous imaginary space through the positioning system, street view service, mapping, and drawing. The media can be seen extensions of the body. As the indirect

approach to reality replaces the physical s e n s e o f r e a l i t y, t h e u n s t a b l e p e r c e p t i o n disturbs the mind and body in between observations.

If a medium has always carried a political and intentional purpose, what are the multiple identities, transformations, and combinations between the "medium" and the "sequence" in terms of contemporary art? This exhibition is trying to point out that medium has never been neutral or harmless. Besides being a communication tool, each medium has its own set of values and stance; moreover, in a sense embodies certain power relations.

Among all the set interpretations, how can we view a medium free of the constraints and limitations under the means of inductions and calculations?

About Chun-Chan Lu Born in 1993 in Changhua, Lu graduated from the Graduate Institute of Plastic Arts, Tainan National University of the Arts.

Through the encounter with objects or events in life, such as the scenery along bike rides, daily browsing of the web, reading, etc., he observes the possible hidden characteristics of objects or phenomena, and then considers how the medium itself or the medium that carries these phenomena can be viewed and used in a more unconventional way to 22.993927, 120.199594 , Video, Dimensions variable, 2019

generate new discourses.

29

Evolutionary Sequence 04 , Acrylic, UV direct injection, canvas, 55×27.5cm, 2019 Photo Credits by Chun-Chan Lu

Evolutionary Sequence 01 , Acrylic, UV direct injection, canvas, 55×27.5cm, 2019 Photo Credits by Chun-Chan Lu

30

EVolutionary Sequence 03 , Acrylic, UV direct injection, canvas, 55×27.5cm, 2019 Photo Credits by Chun-Chan Lu

Evolutionary Sequence 02 , Acrylic, UV direct injection, canvas, 55×27.5cm, 2019 Photo Credits by Chun-Chan Lu

31

Dwelling in the Invisibility CHI-TUNG LIU Solo Exhibition 2019/09/01 - 10/06

Statement by Chi-Tung Liu Civilizations have flourished along rivers, and colonizers have also followed the same routes. The route of this exhibition follows the same logic behind civilization and colonization. The “invisibility” in “Dwelling in the Invisibility” suggests a place that exists but can’t be perceived visually, while “dwelling” stands for the place of residence. Together, the two components point at an existence that is two-fold by nature; one that transcends beyond visual experiences. The everyday reality is actually a highlighted simulacrum that depends on memories. The sun sets a little earlier in the east side of this island because the mountains, which separate it from the west coast, block part of the western sky.

The cities in the western coast then follows the rhythms of the east with the sun also setting a bit earlier than the coastline due to high-rising buildings and river embankments.

The modern urban structure of the island derived from repeated replications of colonial ambitions and the local submission and dependence on civilization. Slowly, the locals have lost their navigation skills in nature, with their memories for history disoriented and their sense of identity fragmented.

W h e r e f r o m , w h e r e t o , w h y, a n d h o w ?

Questions like these often result in irrelevant answers that bring contempt upon oneself.

As the body breaks away from nature, a thorn in the flesh is formed. This truth was

32

manifested before me one afternoon in a small alley. As we walked by a row of old houses, t h e C h i n g s h u i Te m p l e , s o m e o l d b a n y a n trees, a water well, a pump, and a gutter, my boy friend pointed towards the gutter under my feet and said, “This is the Fang Creek!”

I was puzzled by the idea of a river running inside a gutter, a river stream inside a city, in a place that I pass by everyday. Although a mysterious structure has been placed over it, with inscriptions that have faded through time, I began to sense a divine presence because of this invisible river meandering through the alleyways, passing through the city’s upand-down topography, and also the names of industries and locations associated with it.

Constructions for modern underground waterways began after the Industrial Revolution, with the objective of improving hygienic conditions and preventing rivers and streams from being polluted. Modern water management and infrastructure in Taiwan began during its Japanese colonial era. Large-scale underground water system was implemented in the 60s to accommodate the growing population and urbanization.

However, most of the everyday wastewater is still now being discharged into rivers via various pipes and ditches, and people have grown accustomed to rivers becoming large gutters.

Reflecting on the relationship between the moving water and life in the past, I recalled that I once mistook the water in cities to be a resource controlled by the water bureau, and distributed through pipelines only. I would never forget the time when a water pipe got clogged and my balcony was swamped. I lived near the Wushantou Reservoir when I was in college and thought the place was heaven on earth. One day I was stuck in the mud at the bottom of the reservoir during a dry spell, and as I fought hard to pull up my sinking body, I was reminded that the reservoir was built along the Guantian River.

The nature show made in Japan , Mixed media, 25.5cm×31.5cm×51cm, 2019

As memories from my childhood crumble and my youth collapses, I escape from a single-sided view that only shows the good, shattering the filter that evokes bliss and wonder. Leaving behind the rules and regulations on hygiene and safety that I was taught, I push through the concrete jungle and venture out into the ocean.

About Chi-Tung Liu Transform the wasteland into oasis , Mixed media, Dimensions variable, 2019. Photo provided by Chi-Tung LIU

Exhibitions / Presentations 2019 Street Fun, Fun Street—Inhale! Exhale! What a Quality

A line is drawn out in the exhibition space.

This line resembles a route that follows a river, and it is an attempt at attesting the relationship between the cycle of how water is used in today’s time and myself, showing that the reservoir is at the upstream of water usage; human behavior is at the middle reach, and rivers running through the city have become the invisible downstream.

Life Really Entails — Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei 2 0 1 8 Ai r d r o p Ta i w a n : M a r g i n Sp a ce x Ka o Ju n - Honn x ET@T— ET@T, Taipei 2017 Art Bus Doing the Powerslide, Taipei 2017 Daxi Culture Festival — Art Museum in the Alleys of Daxi, Taoyuan 2016 The Young Voice - A Joint Exhibition with 10 Schools — Dadun Cultural Center, Taichung 2015 Nan Pa, a graduation exhibition presented by the 6th graduating class of the Department of Material Arts and Design, Tainan National University of the Arts, Tainan 2015 The Great Scenery — Absolute Space Joint Exhibition” — Absolute Space, Tainan 2014 Passing By — NEPO Gallery, Taipei

33

34

A scene of visiting activities during the exhibition. Photo Provided by Chi-Tung LIU

35 35

Home as Commercial Space： A Case Study of Art Store in Taiwan TIAN-SHIANG HUANG Solo Exhibition 2019/10/12 - 11/24

Statement by Tian-Shiang Huang The works have a strong connection with my personal background. My family has been running an art supply store in Tainan for twenty-nine years. In 1990, our store started to sell professional art supplies and provide picture framing services. However, with computer graphics getting more and more popular, the sales of painting materials were impacted and went from bad to worse.

Furthermore, with the emergence of largescale stationary retailers, customers have turned to less-professional, budget-saving substitutes. Thus, the sales of those pricy yet good quality products imported from Europe, U.S.A. and Japan dropped. Eventually, these dead stock inventories have been placed in areas where are originally used for residential purposes. These out-of-date and unsalable products have even been placed in the bathroom. As time went by, the dead stock inventories have increased and have to be stored vertically due to the lack of space. The bathroom walls have become an exhibition of dead stock inventory and personal objects from different periods of time.

In a densely populated country such as Taiwan, it is critical to store things properly and smartly due to the lack of space in either a commercial or a mixed-use property. This work is intended to represent part of my own house, a mixed use building,

36

which is used as a residence and an art supply store. Those stocks that can’t be placed in the shop are stored in our domestic bathroom, so are the materials of my artworks and the unfinished works. The dead stock inventories from the shop and the spare materials of my art creation are stored in the less used rooms, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem. Due to the lack of storage room, I have to take advantage of vertical storage. For safety considerations, heavy things are placed at the bottom, which makes the whole structure stabler. As a result, styrofoam boards and PP plate sheets are put on the top of the shelf in the work as well. The sight of parts of a mixed used building is then represented.

Part of Home as Commercial Space : A Case Study of Art Store in Taiwan-Scene 1 , Dimensions variable, Mixed media, 2019 Version 2

A Picture of Totem Art Store in 2003.

Photo Credits by Tian-Shiang Huang

37

About Tian-Shiang Huang Exhibitions 2019 A Series, Yiri Arts, Taipei City, Taiwan

2012 Da-poche. Group exhibition from Tainan National

2017 D r e a m Te a m o f K a o h s i u n g A w a r d s a n d I t s F o u r

University of the Arts - 14th Graduate institute of Plastic Arts,

Challenges, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung City,

Taipei City, Taiwan

Taiwan

2012 Kaohsiung Awards 2012, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine

2016 T r a n s f o r m a t i o n s : C o n t e m p o r a r y M e d i a a n d

Arts Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

Manifestations, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung

2012 Huang Tian-Shiang Solo Exhibition ｜ Please 18, Howl

City, Taiwan

Space, Tainan City, Taiwan

2014 Pop Art Factory - Heating．Cooling．Contemporary Art in Taiwan, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

38

39

Clown Wall MOLLY HASLUND Solo Exhibition 2019/11/30 - 2020/01/05

Statement Molly Haslund is a Danish artist based in Copenhagen. She has been an artist-inresidence at Absolute Space for the Arts since September 15th. Here, she has spent time developing props and costumes for a clown character, an alter ego in progress, which for the time being is occupied by masks.

D u r i n g t h e s t a y, s h e h a s a l s o l e a r n e d traditional embroidery techniques at Ta i n a n K u a n g Ts a i E m b r o i d e r y S h o p , a n d experimented making porcelain clown noses at Chin Chin Pottery. Her installations were under inspirations of furniture and objects in her living and working space as well as things she has observed in public venues.

Ideas of a mask archive and masks made of porcelain were developed in collaboration with the participants of two public workshops hosted by Absolute Space for the Arts. These masks are also included in the exhibition.

T h e v i d e o w o r k " H e l l o , D o Yo u H a v e a Mask?"filmed over three days features not only “the clown,” but also the people she met in the neighborhood she visited in Tainan.

On-site behavior record.

Photo Credits by Jui-Yang Lin

40

Photo Credits by Jui-Yang Lin

Molly Huslund learning from local embroidery masters in Tainan.

41

Welcome to my laboratory. Welcome inside my white walls. I’m the one who lives upstairs, in a room just like this. It covers the area running from right here, to the reception, on to the front glass and the entrance door facing the street.

The yellow cross is where I sleep. Opposite from the inbuilt gallery bookcase is where I do my washup.

Ten weeks ago today I moved in. Between the walls, my studio and private life mix with foreign furniture and stuff. Dry flowers. IKEA. Feng Shui attempts. From 8 o’clock every morning, the sounds from two construction sites are my soundtrack. The cat fights and screams at night under the glass balcony.

Festival crackers, military aeroplanes, and the Polish melody ring Every day, Every night.

First thing I noticed among the people I m e t i n t h i s c i t y, w a s h o w e v e r y o n e w a s preoccupied with the protests in Hong Kong, and especially after the mask ban. Maybe you can see, as you look around, that I've been preoccupied with that too.

My grandmother never went on protests. She was so touched when she saw the crowds of people gathering for the same cause, that she cried and cried. If she had thought about it more she could have worn a mask, and joined in. I’m just the same. But here in Tainan I did it, in September.

M y n a m e i s M o l l y. I ’ m f r o m D e n m a r k , a tiny country that is 41.933 square metres.

There are 602,000 people living in the capital city, Copenhagen, but only 5.6 million people in the whole country. Not that many; nevertheless, still, it’s difficult to find space.

Not everyone has a place to live, and now the temperature is in minus degrees.

M o r e o v e r, I h a v e b e e n o n a n e m b r o i d e r y c o u r s e a t Ta i n a n K u a n g Ts a i E m b r o i d e r y Shop, and modeled porcelain clown noses at Chin Chin Pottery, hoping to make a perfect one.

Regarding the exhibition, to explain it really simply, I’ve let some situations from my ‘live and work space’ upstairs fall through the ceiling that is above you. I stopped working that moment.

I s i t O K t o w r i t e “ I ” ? S h o u l d I p r e t e n d i t ’s s o m e o n e e l s e ’s w r i t i n g ? A n d t h e o n e who is shouting? Is it you who sucks my blood? Should I suggest sign language?

In the beginning, I collected mango stones, but the season ended, so I stopped. I also collected what I can see; looking right through the facades when a construction worker was taking a nap under a house he just began demolishing. Children were running around in their grandparents’ store. The shoemaker were watching television. Kitchens were being cleaned up in the middle of the pavement, and the hair- dresser was smoking nearby.

Everything was transparent.

The heat makes all this possible.

Do you actually prefer art that could be a selfie background, or do you prefer art that you can spend time with? Or is it the art that makes you relax and reminds you of yoga that you prefer?

42

These are just examples. I do know that there are more to choose from. Just curious. Is Gucci your thing? If we think of art as fashion, are we really ready for the coming season?

How’s that?

Urinal. Snot cup. Madonna form. Baroness Clown. Heavy Porcelain.

It has also been an inspiration to water someone else’s plants.

If only I could stay here and sell porcelain clown noses 8 hours a day forever. If I could, would it be a good life? How many noses would I need to sell per day to survive?

Wearing porcelain on your face is a paradox.

It makes it easier for your enemy to target you, hit you, smash your face and rip your skin. Therefore, you must walk around carefully, and pay attention to where you are, whom you talk to, and what you aim for.

Expect that those you meet will treat you extra carefully. We believe they will, but we don't expect anything.

Porcelain clown noses increase the sense of smell and make everyone find their way. I promise.

I didn't know that Joker was playing in the movie theatre just around the corner. Thanks.

Unexpected guests. You are allowed to do everything.

For example, if you leave your passport at the reception, you are welcomed to take a walk wearing a clown nose. And continue to embroider the costumes.

Photo Credits by Jui-Yang Lin

About Molly Haslund Haslund holds a master’s degree from The Royal Academy of Fine Art, Copenhagen, and a master’s degree from the Glasgow School of Art, United Kingdom. Since Haslund graduated in 2005, she has shown performances, sculptures, socially engaging and movement based works.

She has exhibited and performed extensively, both in Denmark and abroad, including Glasgow, London, Berlin, Munich, New York, Philadelphia and Kyoto.

Haslund operates in the intersection between sculpture

I would like to go for a walk with you. Would you come?

and performance art, integrating elements from pop culture, performing arts, literature and music into a multifaceted artistic practice. Through various strategies,

If all of you put on a mask, we can take a walk around the block.

Haslunds’ work explores how ideas, identities and social hierarchies are intimately connected with, and continuously negotiated through, bodily gestures, rituals, social designs

The clown noses count as small masks.

and arrangements of our physical surroundings. In her performances, she occasionally integrates text and short

If all of you pick a mask.

narratives, often with a humorous twist.

With her interest in physicality related to history, social

If each of you put on a mask, then we’re off.

environment and the present moment, her pieces are rarely constructed or performed the same way twice but are usually developed locally or adapted to new locations in dialog with the given context.

43

Published ｜ Yuan-Ta Hsu Chief editor ｜ Pei-Shan Yen Editors ｜ Yi-Min Huang, Yen-Yi Chen, Yu-Chieh Shih Writers ｜ Tzu-Chieh Jian, Chiung-Yi Hsieh Designer ｜ Pei-Shan Yen Translators ｜ An-Li Cheng, Kuo-Wei Lan, Hui-Fen Liao, Hsin Li, Yung-Wei Tung, Hsi-Hao Hou Published ｜ Absolute Space for the Arts Address ｜ NO. 11, LN. 205, SEC. 1, MINSHENG RD., WEST CENTRAL DIST., TAINAN CITY 700, TAIWAN (R.O.C.) TEL ｜ +886 6 2233508 Website ｜ https://absoluteartspace.wixsite.com/absolute-art-space Facebook ｜ https://www.facebook.com/abaspace Printed by ｜ GAIN HOW PRINTING CO., LTD. FIRST PRINTING ｜ February 2021 SPONSOR ｜ Copyright © 2020 by Absolute Space for the Arts All rights reserved. Copyrights of the works are reserved for the artists, whereas texts for the authors, and photographs for the photographers.

CONG-KHANH BUI

MOLLY HASLUND

CHUN-CHAN LU

SHU-KAI LIN

CHI-TUNG LIU

TSUNG-YU TSAI

JIUN-YANG LI

TIAN-SHIANG HUANG

MIKE STUBBS

YU-HAO HUNG

MELMEL CHEN