Art of an era: a record of 37 Taiwanese artists
Through the Looking Glass: Life Experiences and Artistic Practices of 37 Taiwanese Contemporary Artists is by seasoned art critic, Sun Xiaotong. Featuring with articles she has published on the art magazine ARTITUDE, where she served as interview editor.
Sun observed that art review often starts with the point of view of the works itself but not the personal background of the artist. The split is a contradiction to what she had learned from art school and she thought it was incompatible of how she understood artworks. Therefore, Sun uses the artist as the center to see their creations. She was the interview editor at the time, so she had more freedom and flexibility in the content. The series last for 7 years with the collaboration with photographer Xiao Rong.
Most of the interviewed artists were born in the 1950s and 1960s and started as a rising star in the Taiwan art platform since the 1980s until today. However, back to a few years ago, when the article was written, this mid-generation was facing the reality that their fame and attention were less, compared to with their senior and the new generation. They grow up at the age of change, especially the performance of art became very diverse. Sun tried to recreate the image of that era by the stories and personal experiences of mid-generation artists to let someone like her who birth afterward, to understand the art and culture at that time. She said, ‘if I have faced that era, I would have my own opinion. The truth is I can get into the status easily as I never experience the time.’ She also is becoming a listener in the book.
Although the artists have similar ages, each of their life stories told different modernity of time. For example, Daniel Lee and Mei Dean-E both live and work in the states, but the former shared the tough experience of working in a foreign country, the latter told the culture shock and self-ideality. Of courses, the same as the artists staying in Taipei, they discover the city and art market in a different perceptive. This is not an encyclopedia of mid-generation artists but a book that recorded the period of transform.
Each of them gives Sun a profound and unique impression. Artist Hsu Yu-Jen’s ink wash painting carries a sense of euphemistic and poetic but his studio and outlook are wide and unruly. During the interview with Lin Ju, his dog has just passed away. Lin focuses on the dog in the whole interview. The dog seems to appear in the room even though it no longer exits. Works of Wu Tien-Chang are playful and fun, he is talkative and dramatic in person.
Through the Looking Glass: Life Experiences and Artistic Practices of 37 Taiwanese Contemporary Artists was published by the support of the Ministry of Culture. Sun said that this book was a precious record looking at how art diverse and blossomed at a time, it had historical value to herself and Taiwan contemporary art.
More infomation：www.yicollecta.com/en/categories/11/artworks/859
