台北當代藝術館 官方網站 Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei

中國詩人陶淵明的桃花源記中闡述，空靈的烏托邦是個如欲尋覓卻越無法尋得的地方。藝術家將此概念與「臺灣性 (Taiwanese-ness)」重疊，描述臺灣性也是一個存在於空間中但欲靠近卻無法實際碰觸的狀態。對她而言，代表著一個因擁有複雜的殖民歷史背景，而產生多層次與複雜的國家身分。與外來者有著深刻的連結，導致臺灣與其他影響者之間的界限模糊不清，甚至可以評斷為不存在，而此影響也在臺灣的建築中顯現，如此的狀態吸引了她，並對臺灣建築產生了興趣，並以此列為展覽的主題。

這幾年大野由美子以建築物件為靈感來源來創作素描與陶瓷雕塑，她蒐集在臺灣期間所見之建築以及其表面質地的影像，作為創作素材。在駐臺期間，她開始對紙紮的技術感興趣，她發現她創作中想像的建築體與紙紮間有相似的連結，兩者確實存在著現實的外表卻也兼併著不切實際的用途。在此展覽中，融合她蒐集來的影像，創造出一個擁有不同面的複合建築體。同時她也發現臺灣廟宇喜愛使用偶數與對稱，此現象與日本格外的不同，因而使她以對稱與偶數來陳設此一展覽。

藝術家試圖創造一個擁有實際存在的元素和細節的作品，卻以此散發一種無法捕捉介於真實與不真實之間的微妙感受。在她的繪畫中使用不同時代的臺灣建築所富有的元素來創造一個仿建築，一個看似熟悉卻又不存在於任何地方。在瓷器作品中，受到美國野獸派建築物的影響，創造一個不屬於任何地方且難以捉摸的世界。


一個不存在卻實際存在於空間之中的創作，成了想像的縮影。 Chinese poet Tao Yuanming described the ethereal utopia as the place that you would never reach if you seek in his fable account, The Peach Blossom Spring. Ono overlaps the idea of utopia and “Taiwanese-ness” in that sense since it exists but it is hard to grab when you get closer to its details. For Ono, “Taiwanese-ness” stands for a complex national identity with multiple layers for Taiwan due to the colonization history. It has an enormous connection with outer influences that cause the boundary, which exists between Taiwanese-ness and other influencers who are getting blurry and almost unseen. The affection appears in the architecture as well, prompts Ono’s interest in focusing on the architectural structures in Taiwan for this exhibition.

Ono has been drawing inspiration from architecture as elements that she then incorporates into her drawings and ceramic sculptures in the past several years. She collects the photo images of buildings, which also include the textures and the architectural appearance that she sees every day in Taiwan. During her stay in Taiwan, she has a chance to experience a Taiwanese traditional technique called “-Zhizha” (「紙紮」 or Taoist paper art), which is handmade paper objects that are supposed to be burned as offerings for the ancestors to use in their afterlife. She becomes interested in Zhizha technique and finds a connection in this art to her imaginary architectural works in terms of having realistic appearances with an unpractical purpose. In this exhibition, Ono reconstructs new buildings on paper together with the source she collects and collaborates with a Zhizha company in Taipei to display objects that consist of several facades, which are her hybrid representation of architectures in Taiwan. She also focuses on the composition of pairing in her works and two exhibiting venues due to Taiwanese temples’ frequent use of pairs and even numbers, which is something she has observed and differed from Japanese culture in general.

Ono attempts to create the subtle feeling that consists of actual existing elements and details in her works. Along with her drawings, Ono uses the elements of architecture in Taiwan in various time periods in order to create pseudo architectural objects, which seem familiar but do not exist anywhere. Together with her porcelain works influenced by Brutalist architecture in America, Ono creates an elusive world, which does not belong to anywhere and epitomizes her imagination.