Same medium, different message

In the years following the end of martial law in 1989, Taiwan has seen such an explosion of creative media and artistic languages to the extent that few artists these days find enough common ground on which to form a group.

So when nine members of the former Taipei Painting Society (台北畫派), known for its keen social observations in the wake of the lifting of martial law, set up Handtoo Art Group (悍圖社) in 1998, they were going against the grain. At a time when painting was no longer a fashionable medium, members of Handtoo, which literally means "defending pictures," still believed that there was still much to be explored in a two-dimensional manner. All of Handtoo's members were already established artists, including Wu Tian-chang (吳天章) and Yang Mao-li (楊茂林), who represented Taiwan in the Venice Biennial in 1997 and 1999 respectively.

What drew these artists together was "a revolutionary sentiment that we shared since the days at Taipei Painting Society," said Wu.

A new exhibition entitled, "King Kong Feels Up Barbie" (金剛"摸"芭比), Handtoo's 2003 exhibition at Hong-gah Museum (鳳甲美術館), shows how these artists approach a medium that has, since the lifting of the martial law, undergone a sea change from overtly social-conscious to introspective.

When members of Handtoo touch upon social issues, they present their keen insights in subtle ways, as demonstrated in Lu Tian-yan's (盧天炎) 3366 "Long Live the Republic of China"'s (三千三百六十六個中華民國萬歲萬萬歲) and 1568 "Long Live Taiwan Independence"'s (一千五百六十八個台灣獨立萬歲萬萬歲), two pieces of blood calligraphy that face each other in the exhibit.

Mostly in their forties, five of the artists have gone to graduate school in search of a possible breakthrough in their careers. The influence of this experience is evident in the new works of Yang Ren-ming (楊仁明) and Lien Chian-hsin (連建興), who have found more solid conceptual bases for their paintings.

Yang Mao-lin has found freer expression for his Inviting the Immortals (請眾仙) series, started in 1996, since he returned to school. In the exhibition, Yang presents a final chapter of a discourse on the influence of imported cartoons in Taiwan. An array of wooden sculptures of deities is mounted on an altar, or so it seems. Upon closer inspection one finds the objects of worship are actually heros from Japanese manga. A video montage of adult video and war documentary placed among these hints at apotheosis Taiwanese-style, the result of a secular attitude to religious matters.

Young, new recruits to Handtoo's ranks provide a refreshing shot of vitality to the

sometimes heavy-hearted exhibition, such as Chen Ching-yiao's (陳擎耀) kitsch photo sticker-inspired self-portrait series that deals with the impact of Japanese culture on Taiwanese.

The 10 artists in the exhibit also display works and documents about themselves or their past in a section in the back of the museum. Some show self-portraits, sketches for their paintings or subject studies dating back to their college years. These exhibits provide a background perspective on present-day Handtoo. Impeccable sketches and well-executed drafts for their works show the strength of their in painting. These serve as an intriguing contrast to today's art scene where young artists, are trained more in concept than in technique.

King Kong Feels Up Barbie runs until March 23 at Hong-gah Museum, 5F, 260 Tahye Rd., Peitou, Taipei (北市北投區大業路260號5樓).