In an address made on June 16 of last year, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) commented on the possibilities of navel engagement with the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) in the Taiwan Strait. His comments were met with incredulity by many in the military and sent shivers down the spines of ordinary citizens.
While the possibility of such an offshore engagement is not something that instantly lends itself to humor, several local artists have joined together in order to take a collective, sarcastic and off-the-wall look at the possibilities of such an event.
PHOTO: CHERNG PIIN GALLERY
Entitled Iconoclasm to Neo-Iconolatry, the exhibition at the Cherng Piin Gallery sees works by seven artists tackling the issue of war with China and deterioration of society in general.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHERNG PIIN GALLERY
The most prominent of the works on display is by Mei Dean-E (梅丁衍). Returning from the US in 1991 after three years studying Chinese art history under Professor James Cahill at Berkeley, Mei's memories of the post-martial law era in Taiwan remain vivid. Recalling that period today, Mei refers to it as "the era in which everything was deconstructed."
And indeed, deconstruction plays a big part in his latest work. Titled Offshore Engagement (境外決戰), the work depicts jet fighters and bombers attacking four of Taiwan's better known landmarks. The National Palace Museum, the Presidential Office, the Grand Hotel and the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Plaza, all pictured being unceremoniously leveled by squadrons of the People's Liberation Airforce.
PHOTO: CHERNG PIIN GALLERY
Through the use of computer generated and composite graphics, Mei has created a world that on the outside might appear to be the stuff of nightmares, but within the bombs and chaos lies sarcasm of the blackest variety. Like many, Mei feels the chances of a major naval conflict with China actually taking place are laughable.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHERNG PIIN GALLERY
This point is echoed by art critic and curator of the exhibition Jason Wang (王嘉驥), who, while not voicing his opinion on matters of national defense, does feel that the post-martial law era has seen a marked rise in the challenging of authority through the defamation of once sacred political and cultural icons.
Needless to say, deconstruction of such icons features largely in the exhibition. While Mei may be the only artist who dares to level the Presidential Office, the tongue-in-cheek concepts of annihilation and devastation take many forms: such as the comic belittlement of one of the nation's lesser known tourist spots.
Well-known for his Recover the Mainland series, in which he superimposed his own photographic image into shots of several of China's leading tourist attractions, Yao Jui-chung (姚瑞中) has chosen an unusual ally in order to help him tackle the issue of destruction and armed conflict.
With the help of The Little Mermaid and an amusement park located in northern Taiwan, Yao ridicules true love in a commercial world that could come to an untimely and bloody end. The angelic aquatic mermaid is pictured rotting amid the ruins of the devastated amusement park.
Unlike Mei and Yao, artist Hung Tung-lu (洪東祿) has addressed the issue of decimation and defamation without the devastation. Hung isn't going to war with the PLA and is instead making viewers ponder social deterioration and changing values.
With the help of a host of Japanese cartoon characters including Street-Fighter, Chun-li, Sailor Moon, Lynn Minmay, and Evangelion Ayanami Rei, Hung makes viewers look twice at images normally taken for granted.
Slightly altered images of these X-Gen cultural icons have been superimposed over pictures of temples. Hung sees this as indicative of how mass produced items have replaced once solid religious values and truths.
There are contributions from four other artists, all of whom have their own highly personal styles. Works by Chen Chieh-jen (陳界仁), Lin Ju (林鉅), Hsia Yan (夏陽) and Kuo Chen-chang (郭振昌) may not be as hard hitting as those by the other artists, but they remain as sarcastic and as poignant as those of their peers.
Although From Iconoclasm to Neo-Iconolatry is not an exhibition that will appeal to all art lovers, those who enjoy black humor will find something to amuse themselves amongst the exhibits.
Art Notes:
What: rom Iconoclasm to Neo-Iconolatry (從反聖像到新聖像)
Where: Cherng Piin Gallery (誠品畫廊), B2, 245, Sec. 1, Tunhua S. Rd., Taipei (台北市敦化南路一段245號B2)
When: Until June 17
April 28 to May 4 During the Japanese colonial era, a city’s “first” high school typically served Japanese students, while Taiwanese attended the “second” high school. Only in Taichung was this reversed. That’s because when Taichung First High School opened its doors on May 1, 1915 to serve Taiwanese students who were previously barred from secondary education, it was the only high school in town. Former principal Hideo Azukisawa threatened to quit when the government in 1922 attempted to transfer the “first” designation to a new local high school for Japanese students, leading to this unusual situation. Prior to the Taichung First
The Ministry of Education last month proposed a nationwide ban on mobile devices in schools, aiming to curb concerns over student phone addiction. Under the revised regulation, which will take effect in August, teachers and schools will be required to collect mobile devices — including phones, laptops and wearables devices — for safekeeping during school hours, unless they are being used for educational purposes. For Chang Fong-ching (張鳳琴), the ban will have a positive impact. “It’s a good move,” says the professor in the department of
On April 17, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) launched a bold campaign to revive and revitalize the KMT base by calling for an impromptu rally at the Taipei prosecutor’s offices to protest recent arrests of KMT recall campaigners over allegations of forgery and fraud involving signatures of dead voters. The protest had no time to apply for permits and was illegal, but that played into the sense of opposition grievance at alleged weaponization of the judiciary by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to “annihilate” the opposition parties. Blamed for faltering recall campaigns and faced with a KMT chair
Article 2 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China (中華民國憲法增修條文) stipulates that upon a vote of no confidence in the premier, the president can dissolve the legislature within 10 days. If the legislature is dissolved, a new legislative election must be held within 60 days, and the legislators’ terms will then be reckoned from that election. Two weeks ago Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) proposed that the legislature hold a vote of no confidence in the premier and dare the president to dissolve the legislature. The legislature is currently controlled
RSS