Through the lens of different generations of contemporary artists from Taiwan, this exhibition examines the effects of globalization on the island's transformation
The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University presents Jie (Boundaries): Contemporary Art from Taiwan, on view now through December 21. This exhibition, jointly organized by the Johnson Museum of Art and the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, was curated by An-yi Pan, associate professor in the Department of the History of Art and Visual Studies at Cornell, assisted by Ellen Avril, chief curator and curator of Asian art at the Johnson Museum.
The artists represented are Chang Chia-ying, Chang En-tzu, Chang Li-ren, Agi Chen, Chen Chieh-jen, Chen Ching-yuan, Chen Wan-jen, Chiu Chao-tsai, Chou Yu-cheng, Hou Shur-tzy, Hsia Yi-fu, Hsu Wei-hui, Huang Chin-hua, Huang Hsin-chien, Huang Ming-chang, Vincent J. F. Huang, Kuo I-chen, Liao Chi-yu, Lin Hsin-yueh, Lin Shu-min, Lo Chan-peng, No2Good, Su Hui-yu, Tsai Ou-bao, Tu Pei-shih, Tu Wei-cheng, Wu Cheng-chang, Yang Mao-lin, Yao Jui-chung, Yeh Tzu-chi, Yeh Yili, Yu Cheng-ta, and Yuan Jai.
On Saturday, September 6, the Johnson will host a daylong artists' forum and symposium on contemporary Taiwanese art, with presentations by Chu-Chiun Wei, City University of New York; Wenny Teo, Courtauld Institute of Art; Hsin-tien Liao, National Taiwan University of Arts; Sophie McIntyre, Australian National University; An-yi Pan, the exhibition curator, Cornell University; and artists Tu Wei-cheng, Huang Hsin-chien, Hsu Wei-hui, Yu Cheng-ta, and Vincent J. F. Huang.
The multiple ways that globalization has altered Taiwan over the last decade have become important sources for artistic creation, as the works of thirty-three artists included in this exhibition demonstrate. Adopting the philosophical connotations of the Chinese character jie (meaning scope and/or boundary), this exhibition examines the intricate and complicated human and natural boundaries navigated and negotiated by individuals, as well as by Taiwan as a whole, in today's interconnected world.
The viewpoints of several generations of artists reveal how identity has become more fluid, variable, remixed, and multidimensional, less determined or defined by ethnicity, location, or national allegiances. Works by the generations who grew up, lived through, and struggled against Martial Law (which was lifted in 1987) address issues pertaining to local and international politics and the major social and environmental concerns of our time. Works by younger generations reveal how globalization has affected individual life experience, exposing an inner world tinged with both playfulness and anxiety.
Major support for the exhibition and catalogue is provided by the Ministry of Culture, Republic of China (Taiwan). Additional support for the exhibition and symposium was provided by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, the Judith Stoikov _63 Asian Art Lecture Endowment at the Johnson Museum, and the Cornell East Asia Program.