Art houses on common ground

Hwang Wen-yung's (黃文勇) Looking for the Point of Origin (尋找原點) shows 30 monochromic close-up photos of serene faces with accompanying quotes at the sides of each. Some of the quotes are from religious scriptures while others are maxims like "the most painful days in life are also the moments that give one the most sense of achievement."

Shin Leh Yuan artists show the youngest and distinctively urban side of art in alternative spaces. "Almost all of our members were born in the 1970s and grew up during opulent times. Their lives have been strongly influenced by consumerism and fast-food culture, which they now try to look at in their works," said Chen.

Chiu Hsin-hao's (邱信豪) One-Minute Lover photo series shows smiling boy-girl couples holding hands on campuses or in downtown streets. The sweetness of the couples is actually staged after Chiu put together random passers-by on the street and took photos of them. At the opening of his "One-Minute Lover" at Shin Leh Yuan last year, Chiu invited viewers to take photos with him and thereby be his "lover" for the time that it took for a Polaroid photo to develop. This parody of "fast-food relationships" seems to somehow celebrate it.

Su Yu-ling (蘇玉玲) put several altered exit signs at random spots in the gallery space. Instead of directing people out of the building in an emergency, these signs were made to confuse people as one can never get out of the building by following them. Titling the installation Ways to Survival (生存的方式), Su meant it as a metaphor of the world we live in. While there are instructions which claim to deliver us out of unpleasant situations, we often end up in deeper trouble by following them.

To adjust to the space at Whashang, some of the works have been altered from their original version displayed before at their respective spaces. Since installation pieces often integrate their particular surroundings, and many of the works were planned for much smaller exhibition rooms as a single piece, rounding them up in this large old factory has cost many of the works adequate conceptual expression.

This demonstrates a strong symbiosis between alternative spaces and the works they display. Taking the exhibits out of their particular context -- if not depriving them of their meaning altogether -- all too often causes them to fall flat. If the artists for alternative spaces aspire to someday show their works in a museum gallery, they may want their works to transcend the confines of the alternative space.

Despite this, the exhibition is a good chance for a taste of the lively art scene throughout Taiwan.