TOUGH TOWN TAIPEI STYLE ...
The Glenfiddich team in Taipei have been supporting our returning residents for over a decade now and as ever the exhibitions held IT Park, our selection partners in Taiwan are always a must be seen at event on the Taipei social circuit. For 2015 it was the turn of Chang Huei- Ming to present his latest works under the collective title of Tough Town, taken from the name of the film work he completed at Glenfiddich over the summer.
http://issuu.com/itpark/docs/glenfiddich_2015
Along with the two digital animations ( ‘Barrel’ & ‘Raven’) created in residence Huei Ming was able to re present Tough Town with additional photographic portraits of the dancers and drummer who had participated in the filming back in June. There were two other new works again coming out of his time at Glenfiddich, ‘Waterfall ‘ acted as a perfect companion piece to ‘Raven’ Where as ‘The Last Wolf’ stood appropriately alone providing a main focus the collection of works.
With one of Taipei’s top DJ’s providing a soundtrack the rooftop of IT Park was converted into a super cool bar area surrounding by massive backdrops depicting scenes from Tough Town itself. With good company and the warm night air mixing with the music and laughter what better situation could there be to enjoy a Glenfiddich or two!
With Huei Ming becoming the eleventh artist to join the Glenfiddich programme from Taiwan visits there are always a busy round of trying to see everyone in a few short days. By good chance almost each and every one of our former residents was exhibiting in Taipei at the time. First visit was to the Double Square gallery for his newest collection of paintings entitled ‘Idealised Fiction’. Comprising of his trademark colour lines and symbol series the works produced over the past two years take his practice to the next level.
http://www.doublesquare.com.tw/en/exhibition/idealized-fiction-wu-tung-lung-solo-exhibition
Such a re-defining of practice is also evident in the latest works by Agi Chen currently exhibiting alongside Joyce Ho as part of Alice’s Rabbit Hole a group show exploring the comprehensible and incomprehensible aspects of everyday life at Taipei Fine Art Museum.
http://www.tfam.museum/Event/Event_page.aspx?id=2401&ddlLang=en-us
Currently showing at the same venue is’ Night of Sodom’ the latest offering to be conceived by the mind of new media genius Wang Jun Jieh. A fully immersive orgy of hi tech seduction typical of the cutting edge work currently being produced in Taiwan.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2015/10/26/2003630934
Quite how far ahead of the game Taiwnses artists have been for the past generation is evident in ‘Rewind’ a retrospective of Taiwanese new media currenly showing at the Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts. Of course show this features early – but still very fresh - works by not only Wang Jun Jieh but also Yuan Goang Ming including his timless ‘Fish on a Dish’
At the Taipei Artists village – a residency and exhibition space currently directed by bother of Wu Tung Lung, Dar Kuen, IT Park director and the first Taiwanese artist to come to the Glenfiddich residency Chen Hui Chiao has one of her trademark installations included in the group show ‘Considerate Creations’ Where working in collaboration with Wang Te Yu, a soft billowing space has been created from an air blown construction of light white fabric. Nestled inside this cloud of dreams is Chiao’s work, a simple bedstead and mattress, festooned with ping pong balls and pearls.
Following on with his series of ‘Wonderful’ drawings first conceived at Glenfiddich Yao Jie Chung has also taken his work into a new place not only through the use of German ink replacing in some works the more customary gold leaf but the sheer scale of each work. With some of these new drawing shown in ‘BrainDead Travelogue’ exceeding seven meters in length . Yao is now producing works of monumental stature which look very much at home in the cavernous space of the Tina Keng Gallery.
http://www.tinakenggallery.com/en/index.php?REQUEST_ID=bW9kPWV4
Although I did have the opportunity to see some older work by Wu Chi Tsung as part of a group collection also on show at the Taipei Fine Art Museum it was s studio visit that provided the great privilege of seeing his latest works. Given the artist has been working on a new direction almost diametrically opposed to his more usual minimalistic clear cut installations for the past two years in almost complete secrecy it would be unfair to steal his thunder with any preview here. However I am sure once unveiled to public view they will come as a great surprise to many who think they know this artists work ! With only works by Mia Liu Wen Husan and Shiau Peng Chen escaping my view on this visit it was an enriching and inspiring few days which as is now the tradition came to a conclusion with a dinner party that brought as many of the former residents as possible round the same table once again.
They say home is where the heart is but each time I visit Taipei and spend time with this warm hearted group of people I know a little bit more of my heart stays there each time