Controversy on Thursday surrounded a mural in front of the Taipei Museum of Contemporary Art by local avant-garde artist Yao Jui-chung (姚瑞中) in which the word “Taiwanese” is transliterated into the Chinese characters for Ta wan ni ssu (他玩妳死), meaning “He plays, you die.”
The characters were used in the title of Yao’s painting, which features a red demon copulating with a green animal-headed female while she gives a thumbs up with her right hand.
Visiting with officials from the Museum and the Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Councilor Wang Shih-chien (王世堅) said the painting insinuated that Taiwanese were represented by the female figure, who Wang said was being raped.
Photo: Liu Jong, Taipei Times
Wang said the creative, artistic process should have absolute freedom, but art should not be derogatory to others and engage in self-defamation.
In addition, because the painting was placed at the front of the museum plaza and right next to a pedestrian sidewalk on Chang-an W Road, people in the surrounding neighborhood might complain about what could be perceived as the city government’s use of taxpayer money to subsidize creations that set a “bad example” for children, Wang said.
Although there is a notice warning that the painting is “R-rated,” which says children under the age of 12 should be accompanied by parents when viewing the painting, local residents said the warning is meaningless in a public space.
Museum executive director Shih Jui-jen (石瑞仁) said the museum respected artists’ right to freely express themselves and that “nude does not necessarily represent sex.”
Shih and Wang argued about the issue at the site and the incident was finally resolved when Kuo Pei-yu (郭珮瑜), third section chief of the Bureau of Cultural Affairs, agreed to move the painting to the inner part of the plaza.
Kuo said the museum hoped to be able to relocate the painting within a week.
Yao said the intention of his painting was to approach the notions of country and nationality in a humorous manner and that the work had nothing to do with the pan-green or pan-blue camps.
The mural is part of a series titled Cynic’s Republic, which includes other pieces that use other nations’ names, such as Japan and China, Yao said, adding that the paintings were simply an expression of esthetics and that critics were overreacting.
Yao said the red devil represented the evil forces of authority, while the beast-headed female represented the silent public and the cynic because even while being raped, she was still giving the thumbs up.
The figure of the female was also a representation of chaos in Taiwan, Yao said.
In 2007, a similar painting by Yao was shown at the Shanghai Art Fair with a title that transliterated to Chuai ni ssu (踹你死), meaning “to kick you to death.” The work was removed from the exhibition after a day.
“I thought this was something that only happened in authoritarian countries,” Yao said of the affair.
New Taiwan Wall Painting Team curator Jiang Yao-xian (蔣耀賢) said the artists themselves had come up with the funds for the exhibitions.
No government subsidies were involved and controversy over one painting is unfair, Jiang said.
Art critic Huang Hai-ming (黃海鳴) said Yao was a well-known contemporary artist who was known to be concerned with political problems.
Haung said Yao is not concerned about sex, but he is trying to satirize politics through art, and this is one of Yao’s important characteristics.
TRANSLATED BY JAKE CHUNG, STAFF WRITER
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face