Hiding in the Island

2017 / 02 / 18 Sat.

2018 / 04 / 09 Mon.

About

The small town Yuli in East Rift Valley was previously known as “Pu Shih Ko,” which means “the ally of dust” or “the world of dust” in aboriginal languages. It is said that on one occasion, the indigenous people who lived deep in the mountains were so immersed in hunting that they found themselves walking beyond the edge of the forest. The people saw a small town surrounded by dust, a deserted scenery that looked different from the mountains, hence the name “the world of dust” come out. Xiuguluan River is often surrounded by dust with occasional small tornadoes during midsummer and early autumn. In the early days, people would take the train halfway up the mountain and look on to the empty town while black trains carrying sugar cane slowly pass by the foot of the mountain, quietly puffing smoke. The changing contours and colors of the mountains and large clouds throughout the rift valley are as light as if they were shadows of themselves. The development of East Taiwan started 200 years later than West Taiwan. Most people have the impression that East Taiwan is an undeveloped place with indigenous tribes, confronted with ruthless typhoons brought by the wild Pacific Ocean and earthquakes created by the energetic Philippine Sea Plate. Just like seasonal flowers and plants, the habitants of East Taiwan live passively under the impact of nature. If colonialism brings a sense of inferiority, authoritarian leads to banality. The margins of this island, forgotten by others, have become even more insignificant and represent a life of anti-intellectualism. The edges of this island and remote locations are indeed destined to be isolated and forgotten; however, there are exceptions. Some manage to avoid the chaos of the outside world and preserve authenticity, hiding and nurturing the inner scenery, creating art in solitude. These people are unable to live in the city nor in the country for long, constantly traveling back and forth. As time goes by, East Taiwan, previously known by many as “Back Mountain,” has now become “the last pure land of Taiwan.” This phenomenon does not contain any logic and is merely a paradox of existence. With the dawning of the new age, contradictions in life and values that result from the advancement of the West have led to a new possibility for East Taiwan. The spacious land, ruthless nature, and simple culture, all have their unique value. In “The Critique of Judgment,” Immanuel Kant mentioned “the sublime,” a sensation that arises in the heart when one encounters overwhelming size or force in nature. The sensation induces reason to grasp and conquer the phenomenon, which results in the pain of fear or recoil. This pain further transforms into a pleasing sensation of dignity and courage towards the self (human). This unique quality of aesthetic judgment does not arise from harmony or beauty, but from an intertwined and mixed sensation of pleasure and pain. For artists of East Taiwan, this contradiction is the first paradox and an inspiration for creativity, the ambition and judgment of grasping the enormous emptiness of boredom and ancient forces of nature. In addition, artists who have returned and are moving back and forth between secluding quietly and creating boldly, form a second type of paradox, a life force that sways between the two extreme poles of different values with physical and mental energy. The third paradox lies between the indigenous world of the mountains and the dusty Han Chinese world, a vigilance of exploring origin and existence. Each paradox involves social issues and contradicting forces. In order to identify this world, alone and without forebears and followers, the artist must continue to preserve the liveliness of the mind and the joy of creating while also enable the return to serenity and seclusion. These artists have no right to enquire about the incidents of this world but are blessed with a clear mind, living in our capitalist world while maintaining social conscience. The ongoing connection with nature and the metaphysical is the temperament of living in seclusion on this island. Hiding in the Island is an exhibition that aims to explore this unique aesthetic and authenticity of existence through these three paradoxes. Artists who live deep in East Taiwan and young artists who arrive during the travels in their studies come together to share their mindset and work, hoping to highlight the idea that “any location is a place for nature and the world, freedom and culture.”

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Artists

Labay Eyong

Huang Jin-Cheng

Malay Makazuwan

Pakavulay

Silvia Piantini

Giacomo Zaganelli

Tseng, Yi-wen

Tommaso Muzzi

Corner Art Group

Sculpture Garden

Tien, Ming-Chang

Idas Losin

Watan Tusi

Eleng Luluan

Labay Eyong (b. 1982) is a member of the Truku village, called Ihownang, in Wanrong Township, Hualien County. She has always disliked constraints and systematic frameworks. After graduating college with a major in metal art, she travelled to Spain and explored the potentiality of experimental temporary space. She places physical senses before rational thinking and escapes two-dimensional limitations. According to the artist herself, “I have to work with my hands first to feel the materials and slowly build the work. I have never done preliminary drawings because they are deceitful. My work is organic, like endless layers upon layers.” Following her mind to explore weaving and a combination of heterogeneous materials, Labay Eyong has inherited the traditional weaving culture of the Truku people and incorporated her gratitude for the inspiration from female elder weavers in her community. She combines metal work techniques with mixed media, such as fibers, and the art form of video installation to create her works, which are mainly soft sculptures that tend to delineate one subject at a time from various perspectives. Her works engage viewers in issues about identity, bodily actions, women and the environment.

Huang Jin-Cheng was born in Yilan, Taiwan. He graduated from the Department of Applied Arts, Fu Jen Catholic University. He now lives and works in Jian, Hualien.

Malay Makazuwan was born in Hualien, Taiwan. She graduated from the Department of Ethnic Relations and Cultures, College of Indigenous Studies, National Dong Hwa University. She now lives and works in Jian, Hualien.

Pakavulay is formed by Malay•Makazuwan and Huang Jin-Cheng. In the Puyuma language, it means "to make things beautiful and wonderful." The artist collective often employs ready-made objects and natural materials to combine with or respond to imagery of their tribe's oral mythology. Their work emphasizes on the inheritance of their tribal culture and the possibility to create, and by doing so, highlights the modern circumstances of Taiwanese indigenous peoples.

Silvia Piantini (1986-) was born in Toscana, Italy, and works as a fashion accessory designer specializing in jewelry design. She is particularly interested in traditional handicrafts, lost artistry, traditional clothing, Traditional music, and music instrument.

Giacomo Zaganelli (1983-) was born in Florence, Italy, and now lives in Italy and Berlin. His work ranges from art, architecture, and public art installation for spaces. He hopes to provide an "unconventional" perspective to look at daily life. His work and research focus on the relationship between time and space, showing his belief in the fact that the value of art comes from its historical depth, which is informed by thoughts on the past, present and future.

Noticing the fading of the tribal culture, Amis artist Tseng, Yi-wen boldly attempts to search for the source of her mother culture, determined to transform the abstract experience, silent but moving spirits, and collective memories that originate from everyday life and form vivid life forces, into totems through readability of visual language. Tseng hopes to touch and encourage the viewer to contemplate and understand the guidance within local traditional and historical context, using it as the foundation of interpretation, finally creating new contemporary appearances.

Tommaso Muzzi is an artist from Foligno Italy who completed his degree in film making in Italy and Spain. Muzzi is a director who focuses on shooting experimental documentaries with a storyline. In 2009 and 2015, Muzzi was invited to be an artist-in-residence in Hualien and Toucheng, Yilan. The artist is currently living in Hualien, Taiwan.

“Corner Art Group” is a contemporary art group from Hualien that was established in 2014 by a bunch of students and teachers from National Dong Hwa University who have a deep passion for art. The “Corner Art Group” arranged the Dong Hwa Corner Art Festival, which later became a unique annual event throughout campus. This artistic combination is spontaneously made up of a group of art enthusiasts who have a common interest towards alternative performance spaces and interdisciplinary art experiments. The members of the group come from all sorts of departments including Art and Design, Arts and Creative Industries, Sinophone Literatures, and History. The members gather together regularly for discussions and engage in group exhibitions and all sorts of different interdisciplinary experiments. Discussion topics focus on campus politics and environmental, cultural, gender, and race issues in East Taiwan. “Corner Art Group” hopes to provide an opportunity for discussion about issues concerning East Taiwan that are discovered through artistic performances and display.

Artists:

Gheorghi Filin
Yang, Cheng-Duan
Wu, Ming-Sheng
Goran Čpajak
Knut Steen
Liu, Shun-Tian
Chang, Nai-Wun
Moshe Perelman
Nicolas Bertoux
Joseph Visy
Yu, Tsung-Chieh
Cheng, Ting-Chen
Piero Gensini
Hu, Tung-Ming
Karin Van Ommeren
Hitoshi Tanaka
Stephen Woodward

英國布萊敦大學藝術創作博士，現為國立東華大學藝術與設計學系專任副教授。創作媒材主要以攝影與錄像為主，藝術創作長期聚焦在鄉愁此一主題上，探討個人離開「家」之後，對於土地和親人的思念，而近年開始探索自我的童年，回到故鄉挖掘孩時的記憶。自2011年開始對鏡中世界產生好奇心，因此成為創作素材的一部分。在這些創作轉折中，從沈重的鄉愁氛圍，轉化為一種詼諧的遊戲，就如回到童年一般的玩耍，以此方式作為另類的鄉愁主題再現。

Idas Losin is an artist from Truku who specializes in oil painting. Transforming the totem weave pattern from her culture through minimalist designs, added with simple colors and layers using bold, confident techniques, Idas Losin creates surreal works that are simple and remind the viewer of collages. Apart from displaying elements of the image and initial structure of symbol’s, the works of Idas Losin are also an extension of the determined vitality of the indigenous people.

Watan Tusi, a Taroko artist from the Swasal Tribe in Zhuoxi Township, Hualien, inherited the name of his great-grandfather and his father. Watan Tusi moved to Taipei with his parents at a young age. In 1997, at a performance by the Formosa Aboriginal Song and Dance Troupe, Watan Tusi felt a calling from the ancient songs and plunged into the world of traditional indigenous song and dance. Watan Tusi founded the “TAI Body Theatre” in 2012 and conducted field collection in tribes, collecting the songs and dances of the older generation. Apart from promoting tradition, “TAI Body Theatre” also creates a new form of indigenous theater on the foundation of theater creation. The themes of his works include survival, the environment, culture, and literature. Choreography works include Humming of the Body, Tjakudayi: How Should I Say I Love You, Dancing Under the Bridge, The Path of Water, and Weaving X Our Steps.

Eleng Luluan (1968-), whose Chinese name is An Sheng-Hui, was born in Pingtung, Taiwan. She is a member of an artist community in Taitung, called Floated Tribe. She specializes in using driftwood and plant fiber to create sculpture, installation, and land art. Her work shows her self-pursuit and reflection of the land, fully embodying the artistic spirit of using natural materials and learning from nature and demonstrating limitless tension and power.

Artworks

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