Very Fun Park 2001

DURATION: 2001-08-25 ~ 2001-09-30
VENUE: Zhongxiao x Dunnan x Citizen Avenue x Zhongxiao Lane 223
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Alley Aesthetics

Zhang Yuanqian/Written

Space and art have always had a close interdependence. Whether it is describing space, creating space, or distorting space, artists, theologians, and physicists have simultaneously written down people’s definitions of the universe for each era. The exhibition "Pink Lok Town" is based on this belief, allowing the artist to fulfill his long-cherished wish once again. Fenle Town is superimposed on the East District of Taipei, forming a new map. Every mark on the map is a new space. These new spaces do not attempt to destroy or change the old spaces. On the contrary, the artists complete the harmony with the original spaces and verify the possibility of the coexistence of dual spaces of spiritual matter.

Pink Town is an exhibition of young Taiwanese artists planned for the Hong Kong Arts Centre. Since the venue of the Hong Kong Arts Center is weird and weird, I decided to use "space" as the theme. The "town" clearly defines the exhibition venue as a community space. The artist creates based on the text of this space.

At that time, the space of the Hong Kong Arts Center had many new textures, such as stairwells, machine rooms, storage rooms, etc., which were given a new image due to the installation of works. Due to the great success of the exhibition, which further deepened my determination to manage the space, I once again transformed the Perth Center for Contemporary Art (PICA) in Australia in March 2001 into an artist's fantasy space. The use of lofts, back corridors, and corners made the audience While directly entering art creation, I also discovered the charm of PICA itself.

When the Fubon Art Foundation decided to return this exhibition to Taiwan for its last performance, I didn’t want it to become a dying thornbird that dies after making its last sound; on the contrary, this sound should be a sign of life. The beginning of another mile, not a bow before exiting the stage. Signs of life come from new space challenges. Unless a new meaning of "machi" is found, it will be like chewing a piece of gum without sugar.

The destiny of "Pink Town" is to find a new field and a new dialogue relationship. I decided to invite artists to give me a try. I often think of artists as Roland Barthes’ “lovers.” Roland Barthes described a lover:

"Like the mystics who lived in a ruled society in the past and were not tolerated, as a lover, I neither fight nor protest; I just do not dialogue, do not interact with the power structure, Have conversations with regulatory agencies, ideological circles, scientific and technological circles, etc.; I am not necessarily "apolitical". What's weird about me is that I'm not "provoked." Society, in turn, placed me under some open and strange control, without censorship or discipline; I was merely suspended by some meaningless, self-evident purpose, which made me seem isolated and isolated from the rest of the world. Away from the fireworks of the world, I cannot reach any level and am homeless. "

The challenge of Fenle Town this time is to drag the "artist lovers" into the fireworks of the world, mix them into the firewood, rice, oil and salt, and dance a tango with the power structure, management agencies, ideological circles, and technological circles. This scene is luxurious enough! Originally it was just Artists who talk about love without talking about politics, who only discuss lust without talking about social needs, now not only want to be lovers, but also have to disclose their love in a recognized language. We still don’t know why we have to do it, but we already know that once the love is made public, all society The test of the mechanism is inevitable; we are excited that the new art paradise is stacked on the East District, and its people are no longer lonely, but we are always worried that the new paradise does not exist at all. Because the East District itself is already a paradise for consumers, and they I don’t need and can’t see the new paradise. At most, I think that the consumption paradise has a few more eyes or a few more scoundrels. Once we decided to make this East District Fenle Town, my colleagues at the foundation and I all fell into a state of insomnia. In anxiety. Like pushing a lover to a wedding, the etiquette and rituals cannot be avoided, and the mother-in-law, daughter-in-law and aunts must take care of everything. When the host and the guest are having fun, the lovers seem to be reborn from the ashes. Either they plant the origin of future quarrels, or they make the lovers The touchstone for entering the stage of husband and wife. And what about me? I am just like the manager of the banquet, and I am excited all day long dreaming about the climax of a huge party of a century.

Fenle Town in the East District is such a game. I can’t help but wonder about Roland Barthes’ lovers’ whispers A few copies were sold in Eslite. Consumer information, advertising boards, mass psychology, and popular styles that were previously irrelevant to me have all become symbols of Fenle Town’s work diary, and no one has been missed. When we were working with Taiwan Mobile, ASE When talking about the cooperation plan with Mingqi Dentsu, they couldn't help but tout the gesture of art and deliberately did not talk about the ultimate value of art. But all the efforts are just to send these artists to the base, no longer sighing for the audience, but directly presenting the art to the audience. Send them into the crowd; no longer interfere with popular culture, sing the march directly with them. The marginal character of contemporary art must be solved in a brave way, while also bringing the mainstream audience into a secret lover experience, Taipei people On the way to find a lover, you may find that you are also a lover, and the lover will have the ultimate belief.

In recent years, Ximending has opened its arms to welcome the rebirth of pop culture. The East District was originally the birthplace of pop culture, and perhaps it can be bettered by the presence of lovers. Shi Fengqing, from then on the status of the urban lovers' area has stood firm. Professor Yukio Nishikawa, the Japanese community overall construction expert most highly regarded by Ms. Qiu Ruhua, CEO of the Leshan Cultural and Educational Foundation, stays at the Asia Pacific Hotel every time. He said that he feels that the East District is like Ginza. History Erased It cannot be lost, and the taste will always be there. Material and soul coexist. "Objects, any object, once touched emotionally, become part of the body, and lovers will become obsessed with it." The coexistence of spirit and substance. Space exists in this fetishistic mood, and Fenle Town is also completed in this physical planning process. In the curatorial copy, I wrote:

The first time I heard the word "fan" was when I lived abroad and returned to China to visit relatives. On a TV variety show, the artist learned to pronounce "very" in Hakka. Since I lived in Jiuzantou Hakka Village in Zhudong for a long time when I was a child, I found this pronunciation and subtitles very interesting and appropriate. Although I have been living in Taipei since then and rarely go back, my childhood living in a Hakka village has been transformed into such a profound sound experience, which has also been integrated into my local experience and has become an element of nostalgia when I go abroad. In the past year or two, the word "pin" has become very popular, and "pin is harsh", "pin is dazzling", "pin is delicious"... has become the authentic vocabulary of pop culture. This heartfelt and interesting statement has become a special common experience among Taiwanese people. When we were planning an exhibition on young people in Taiwan, this word came to mind, representing a very low-level voice and written experience unique to this region. "Funle Town" came into being.

This is an exhibition of creations by young Taiwanese contemporary artists. These works are stationed in the exhibition venue, making it a "very happy corner". Growing up in the 1980s and creating in the 1990s, young artists around the age of thirty have their own fortunes and misfortunes. Fortunately, in the social atmosphere of the 1990s, the originally opposing middle-class and bohemian spirits have merged, and being an artist is no longer considered an "anti-social" behavior. Coupled with the increasingly diverse and sophisticated creative equipment, the sources of aesthetic experience are also rich and diverse. Therefore, they can express themselves freely and create without hindrance. Unfortunately, in this global village, information channels extend in all directions, creating fast and cheap knowledge and information. However, the consumption behavior of these commodities has always been the natural enemy of art. How do these young people diligently create in the pace of globalization? The characteristics of their own works and revealing the "I" buried in the pile of information are exactly the challenges they face. "Pink Lok Town" is an exhibition planned for them. These young people who are constantly looking for "corners" exude their inner "me" in this corner of Fenle Town. Whether this "I" is a kind of muttering to oneself, or ridicule and venting of hatred, or involuntary indulgence, or the reappearance of the inner self, this process of creation and disclosure is my definition of "happiness" .

After this exhibition traveled from Hong Kong and Perth, Australia, it returned to its homeland. We decided to give it a different light once again, moving the scope of the "corner" to the East End, where the fashion wave is at the forefront. Art and the East District meet in different ways such as ensemble, overlap, complementation, mutual ridicule, contrast, etc. The East District is a confusing and fascinating area, with tea ceremony masters who stick to the ancient customs, and rebellious boys running wild on the streets. Adhering to a high-end and stable art career, there are also streets full of street vendors, constantly renovated storefronts, and old trees that have been preserved again and again. Some people cling to their memories for fear of fading away, while others create their own new life in counter-memory. This is a structural contradiction in the East District, but the contradiction is also like the source of strength in the East District. The more contradictory it is, the more energetic it becomes. It has so much energy that it can accommodate all kinds of creativity. Therefore, when artists face the East End, they must transcend reality and avoid kitsch, but at the same time they must respect the environment and coexist with their surroundings. This is a difficult challenge. Perhaps this is how young people in Taiwan have learned to face themselves, get rid of ideology, and yet be able to freely cope with the various consumption laws and absurd farces in reality, pursuing brilliant expressions that carry youthful energy.

Fenle Town is a paradise, but it is not a show. The park provides not only excitement, but also creativity. It does not deliberately resist popular culture, but it is not self-pitying or sarcastic. We hope that after watching, it will not only create sparks of excitement, but also seek gratitude. Watch.