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Collection of scattered ideas

WHEN: UNTIL APRIL 4

By Susan Kendzulak
SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR
Sunday, Mar 12, 2000, Page 19

Two works from the group show of Taiwanese artists: Chang Nai-wen's 'Reason Why,' above; and Chou CheOng-liang's 'Diversified Collection of Growing,' right.

The group exhibition "Abnormal Temple" never really feels like much of a team effort. Lacking focus, the exhibit seems more like a collection of scattered ideas that confuse the viewer and weaken some of the stronger work.

The exhibit comes from a group of male colleagues who have been showing their art together for years. Reassembled again, they have filled the cavernous basement space of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum with their latest work.

The first pieces encountered are by Chou Wei. Rows of small, framed drawings of black and white craters or donuts line the wall in a symmetrical order, evoking themes of science and lunar landscapes as well as man-made systems of order.

Lai Jeou-tsern exhibits two de Kooning-like canvases. White drippy layers hint at the grand gestures of the abstract expressionist painters but the structure of the painting is less solid and more washy, perhaps an indication that he is still experimenting with his style.

In the middle of the room, sprouting up like mushrooms, is Chou Cheng-liang's "Diversified Collection of Growing," a set of gray shoeboxes etched with architectural elements such as doors and windows. Paper pulp that looks like a combination of oatmeal and cat litter has been formed into totem poles that are hemmed in by the boxes, an allusion to the coexistence of ancient and modern cultures.

Liu Shih-tung is one of the more noteworthy artists showing, known for his outdoor projects for Land Ethic and the River Art Show where he hints at the primordial power of Mother Nature by making direct connections between his art and the natural environment. For his installation here, ornate fabric banners suspended from curtain rods are embroidered, beaded and appliqued and titled with names such as "Mermaid of the Postracial" and "Goddess of Mercy of the Postracial." Painter Tsai Ju-chun mixes an abstract style with a touch of George Hermann's Krazy Kat cartoons to produce the "Element and Space Series," in which thick, drippy, seductive layers of ochre and sienna appear like landscapes, brick walls or floating worlds.

Another painter whose surfaces are equally seductive is Chang Cheng-nan.

On large canvas slabs, he uses a thick rust-colored paint and applies objects such as antler-shaped branches, a door latch or a metal chain.

In the end, Yao Jui-chung's standout installation "The Barbarians Celestine" may be the only work in the show that aptly fits the title. Placed on the wall are 15 large gold-framed photographs of huge cement dinosaurs that lie crumpled in pieces and Chinese gods and Buddha heads frozen in concrete. One photograph shows an empty street scene with a roaring Godzilla-like creature approaching a lone car. A gigantic, gold-painted dinosaur faces the wall, its stove-pipe neck penetrating the wall photos. Here, a wry connection is made between the belief in Chinese gods and science fiction.

In the dimly-lit back room is Chang Nai-wen's meditation on mortality, titled "Reason Why." Spotlights shine on an array of plaster skulls that show an absurd line of evolution while wax masks lie shattered on the floor.

Lu Pei-lin exhibits a slide show of a previous work where he dug holes.

The idea of a hole is as an empty space, so what is conceptually amusing is that Lu was able to dig out his holes, bring them to the museum, and display them in crates.

Perhaps one underlying theme in the show is the connection with the earth, whether the artists engaged with the earth directly or used earth colors. If this element were given more consideration, a more coherent statement would have emerged. However, the overall show does reflect one solid and consistent theme - the experimental nature of TFAM and its willingness to dabble in non-mainstream art.
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