Taiwan connections

It seems that in Taiwan it is most certainly good to be born in the 80’s. From my trip so far there has been artists ‘a plenty’ to get excited about, nearly all born in the generation most brits try to forget (bad leggings and hair styles mostly – and I say this still wearing those shameful leggings today!). One absolute hidden treasure in North Taipei, is a group of artists and recently re-homed ‘Open Contemporary Art Centre’. In the space of 3 months they had transformed an disused government building into a simple, sleak and contemporary 3 floored art space, complete with experimental kitchen area (for cross disciplinary art and food projects to be explored), a work in progress residency space, workshop area, office and gallery.

Female artist LEE Jo-Mei introduced me to some of her previous works, including ‘Mangrove’ and ‘Ishigaka Jima’. Both video installation works, they dealt with similar isssues of identity; some known, some forgotten and some re-found. LEE seemed preoccupied with Taipei’s rich history and how this connects to her own. As an island once colonised by Japan, the artist is interested in the overlapping connections between one place and another, and how in fact this has and always will relate to her own family history. Intimate video works and sound pieces relating to stories between one place and another are repeating enquiries in her work. Beautiful and subtle pieces – which I was lucky enough to experience sat by the side of the artist in their gallery space.

Another artist, whose name may be more widely known since his recent apprearance in the Venice Bienniale is Hsu Chia Wei. His installation and video works are some of the most beautiful set design and cinematic scenes I have seen. By deconstructing production through exposing green screens, props and fake set designs, but still also using the real backdrop of his subject matter within every short, Hsu turns short film work into anyone’s cinematic joy! Dealing with minority and forgotten subcultures of Asian lands, simiar to LEE’s work, the artist eloquently explores the identity of others, but one very much close to home.

The 3rd artist I want to share with you is Wu Chi-Yu, whose work takes a completely different and quite light approach. He feels quite passionately in the open and fresh effects your work can have when you start to collaborate with others. I was lucky enough to see one such example. The work will be revealed at Open Contemporary Art Centre’s exhibition opening this Friday night, but all I can say is circus and drive through cinema meets 3D viewing and home dressing room cabinet! Using trickery of perspectives/ view points with playful kinetic sculpture results in one fantastic alternative personal free cinema house!

So day 1 in Taiwan started with an old reunion breakfast with British artist (and previous Manchester rogue studio artist) Ross Mcarry followed by my first day of the Curators and Institutions forums at Taipei Contemporary Art Centre. The days speakers were a mixture of new and old faces to me. Cosmin Costinas from Parasite arts space in Hong Kong shared the history and current programming at the arts space, and it was clear that a strong sense of art history and social politics led to the strength and vibrancy of their programming. A familiar face to Chinese Arts Centre and the Aisa Triennial Manchester 2011, was second speaker Mirwan Andan. Andan was here to talk about arts collective and non-for profit organisation Ruangrupa from Indonesia. The group were initiated in 2000, and establshed themselves quickly amonst the indonesian arts scene as the leadning DIY ground level arts organisation. Their eclectic programming, festivals and projects were a kin to the likes of Islington Mill in Salford (even down to its own gallery come gig venue).

Meiya Cheng from Taipei Contemporary Arts Centre finished the days presentations by focusing on two Taipei artists whose work looked closely into responding to real social movements of every day society. For me this was the most resonant topic, particulalry listening to artists’ Yao Jui-Chung and Kao Jun-Honn, discuss their projects as ‘collective curation’ where the artists are learning just as much from the participants involved in the project as the participants are learning from the artists. Yao Jui-Chung has been working with a host of students, teaching them key photography skills and sending them off to photography abandoned or disused buildings in Taiwan, of which there are plenty. These collective images work together as a published book work, which are then sent on to the local goverment and authorities in a hope that something will be done to utilisie and re-invest in these abandoned buildings. For Yao whether this project was seen as an artististic project or not became irrelevant; what mattered was the social effect it could have on its particpants and the wider public involved in it.

Certainly food for thought for a first day in Taipei and an altogether very international curatorial programme of events.

Tomorrow I set sail (well a train and two planes) to Taiwan. Expectations are high but so they should be – Taiwan has an extremely vibrant art scene, particularly in Taipei – a city which boasts its own artist village, high end institutions and museums but more over, particularly for me, an excitment around a real ground level and DIY arts scene, thought up by artists, led by artists, supported by artists and continually ciritiqued and challenged by artists.

As part of my research trip I am honoured to be presenting on behalf of Chinese Arts Centre, a talk at the Tapiei Contemporary Art Centre. As part of their curatorial forum series, I will be presenting the role of Chinese Arts Centre within its regional context, and presenting the dynamic cultural programme of Manchester to Taiwan. Discussing the roles of various cultural venues, with everything from the large institutions such as the Whitworth Art Gallery to the very self-led and subculture arts organisations such as Islington Mill, I hope to address the cultural balance of the Manchester art scene, and Chinese Arts Centre’s place within it. More over with plans to develop more sustainable and engaging links with Taiwan, I hope to bring new opportunities for interntaional dilaogue and projects between Manchester and Taipei.