Making the mundane into art

Wang Fu-tong's Untitled. pHOTO: courtesy of Main Trend Art Space

Pottery, weaving and metal jewelry are forms of handicraft as old as history. But since they are objects for wear or use, it has been difficult for them to cross the threshold of art galleries.

Only recently have a couple of commercial galleries been daring enough to hold exhibitions of practical items like these. Looking For the Vital Force of Taiwanese Art: an exhibition of materials and creations (尋找台灣美術生命力-材料與創作研究展), a group exhibition currently on show at Main Trend Art Space (大趨勢畫廊), is set to change the role of handicraft by bringing it into a fine art venue.

The exhibition, consisting of works from 35 artists in various media and is the result of professor Wang Fu-tong's (王福東) hard work and in particular his course, The Study of Materials and Creations, over the past four years at Tainan National College of Arts (台南藝術大學). This college was the first in Taiwan to set up a graduate school of applied art six years ago. Four teachers and 31 students, who either are or have been part of the school, feature in the show.

The transformation of applied art into fine art, according to Wang, is just taking off in Taiwan.

"Using materials like clay or cloth, which is the usual media of applied art, to deal with contemporary themes is still quite new in Taiwan, although it has been a recognized practice in the US, Europe and Japan. It was only after the mid-1980s, when art teachers studied abroad and later brought home the new concept, that art students begin to realize that applied art can be more than pottery or textiles," said Wang, the curator of the exhibition.

Dealing with contemporary themes does not have to compromise the works' quality of being pleasant-looking and collectible.

"It is easy to mistake the materials used in handicrafts for new media, for installation art, or conceptual art, but there is a difference. Applied art as fine art can be valued freely. It can be admired not only for its peculiar shapes and forms but can also convey rich concepts. The viewer can interpret these works in a more modern light," Wang said.

Wang predicts a trend toward accepting applied art as an legitimate form of contemporary art.

"In the history of Taiwanese art, we see the traditional 2-D works replaced by 3-D objects and video installations, which then developed into devices that play with concepts these days. But conceptual works have shown their limits.

Site-specific works cannot last and works playing with concepts cannot be handed down to later generations.

"In the future, we need something that revitalizes traditional crafts while presenting something executed in more concrete and disciplined ways than the sometimes excessively random installations [often produced]. This will make Taiwanese art more multi-faceted," Wang said.

Wang's work in the exhibition, Untitled, is based on a plate bearing the portraits of three Buddhas and the well-known Buddhist mantra "Hail Amita Buddha," or "na-mu A-mi-to Fo" (南無阿彌陀佛).

It is a common Buddha portrait you can purchase at any Buddhist utilities store. To turn the epitome of mass-manufactured handicraft into an individual statement of atheism, Wang smeared paints over the Buddhas' auras and on the word "na" so that the mantra reads "mu A-mi-to Fo," (無阿彌陀佛) which means "there's no A-mi-to Fo."

With most works expressing their distinctive message while maintaining skillful craftsmanship, Looking may be enjoyed by handicraft collectors and contemporary art lovers alike.

Main Trend Art Space is located at 209-1, Chengde Rd, Sec 3, Taipei. (台北市大同區承德路三段209-1號). The show runs through July 19.