The Tina Keng Gallery (Taipei) is proud to present Long Live/Landscape, a two-part solo exhibition of Yao Jui-chung’s recent work (opening reception: April 7, 4:30-7:00pm). Landscape will be on view on the first and second level of the Tina Keng Gallery from April 7 to 29, and will include an expansive display of landscapes resembling traditional Chinese ink paintings. Long Live, on view from April 7 to May 20, will theatrically transform the TKG+ B1 level into a site reminiscent of Taiwan’s haunting authoritarian past.
For his landscape paintings, Yao deliberately ignores the rules and formats of traditional Chinese ink painting. Instead, he embeds himself and his family into the scenery of tall mountains and flowing water that resemble those of Chinese paintings from the Song to Qing dynasties, in an attempt to lessen the distance between himself and tradition. Yao rebelliously masks himself with the façade of Chinese ink paintings in order to lend the works a false authenticity, and alludes to a greater disconnect (“vacancy” as he terms it) between his living experiences and the tradition of Chinese ink painting.
Having lived through Taiwan’s recent turbulent political and social changes, Yao offers a discerning perspective when considering the marginalization of Taiwan’s political status and the ambiguity of a collective subjective consciousness. He culls from these experiences in his new video Long Live (2011-2012), building upon the historic phrase “Long Live (wansui),” which holds political and cultural significance in addressing a leader and wishing for his long life and reign. In light of the Republic of China’s centennial, Yao is critical of the national spirit of Taiwan, as he contemplates whether the island has moved beyond its past, or if it remains haunted by the ghost of history—only to continue and repeat itself.
Yao Jui-chung
Born in Taipei, Taiwan (1969), and received a Bachelor of Arts in Art Theory at the National Institute of the Arts (now Taipei National University of the Arts) in 1994. He currently serves as an associate professor at the Taipei National University of the Arts and the Department of Fine Arts of the National Taiwan Normal University. His work has been collected by Taiwanese museums, including the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, as well as international collections, such as the Queensland Art Gallery (Australia), the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art (USA), and the Bibliothèque nationale de France. He has represented Taiwan in the Venice Biennale (1997), participated in the Yokohoma Triennale (2005), the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (2009), YES TAIWAN: 2010 Taiwan Biennial (2010), and the Shanghai Biennale (2012). Most recently, his works have been on view in the solo exhibitions Dreamy at Goedhuis Contemporary, London, United Kingdom (2010) and Honeymoon, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong, China (2010); as well as in group shows, including Dual Senses and Dynamic Views—Contemporary Art Exhibition across the Taiwan Strait of 2011 at the National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China (2011) and will be on view in Ink: The New Ink Art from China at the Saatchi Gallery in London, United Kingdom in June, 2012.