What's the anti-matter?

Wang Te-yu's (王德瑜) work is about altering viewers' perceptions of their surrounding environs.

In a piece for a group art show she did years ago, Wang installed a single row of bus seats on top of the roof of a chicken factory-turned-alternative art space in Chuwei, Taipei County. By doing so, Wang challenged viewers to throw their preconceptions about the art-viewing experience out the window, or in this case, off the roof.

Not having exhibited in a while, Wang makes a splash with her new solo show at Dimension Endowment of Art. However, the show titled "No. 40" may perplex some viewers. First, the show's title, like the names of the works, are simply numbers without any perceived relation to the pieces. Then, as you enter the space, you discover it is not an average art installation. Instead, what one finds is a room-sized air-filled structure made from translucent plastic sheets sealed together. In other words, you walk smack into a large plastic bag that hovers in the gallery.

"No. 40" is similar to a previous installation she made. In that piece, however, the plastic was thicker and in order to enter the space, you had to squeeze your body between the wall and the thick film of plastic. That piece succeeded in interrupting the flow of traffic and made one think of suffocation and air pressure, and how we occupy space by sharing it with other objects. The installation also had a sensual element as your skin felt the coldness of the cement wall and the stickiness of the plastic.

Wang's current bag-ist installation seems to have a different aura; it has an almost animation-like presence. Massive, but wanting to be delicate, the piece strikes one as rather lumbering and clumsy, much like an overgrown puppy. This piece seems to try to accommodate and please you, rather than get under your skin or on your skin like her previous work.

In the basement of the gallery, Wang achieves the opposite result. Completely dark, the space contrasts with the light, airy feeling produced upstairs. Once your eyes have adjusted, you begin to sense a ringing in your ears. A high-pitched sensor emits a noise that you will only be able to tolerate for five minutes at the most. You will also notice a small spotlight leaving an oval of light on the wall in the dim room. A long piece of clear plastic tubing juts out from the wall directly beneath the lit oval. Only when you approach will you will feel a blast of air blowing out of the plastic section, and then realize it is attached to an air machine hidden somewhere in a back room. At this point you ask yourself, "is Wang's show just about air?"

Art Notes:

What: Dimension Endowment of Art (帝門藝術郎)

Where: 7 Hsin Yi Rd., Sec. 3 Taipei (台北市信義路3段7號). Tel: (02) 2325-6283

When: Monday to Saturday 10am to 5:30pm, http://www.deoa.org.tw