Behind the Mask: Rose of Modernity

DURATION: 2019-09-18 ~ 2019-11-18
OPENING: 2019-09-18
VENUE: Krasnoyarsk Museum Center
ADDRESS: Краевое государственное бюджетное учреждение культуры «Музейный центр «Площадь Мира». Площадь Мира, 1, Красноярск, Россия 660049
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Exhibit on Taiwanese photography, video art slated for Siberia In cooperation with the Taichung-based National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, a fine selection of 48 sets of brilliant works by 35 Taiwanese photographers and artists will be displayed at the Krasnoyarsk Museum Center (Ploshchad Mira) in Russia as part of the Russian museum`s 13th biennale from Sept. 18 through Nov. 18. "Behind the Mask: Rose of Modernity" will employ a two-pronged strategy devised by three guest curators — Andrey Martynov, Yunnia Yang, and Sergey Kovalevsky — to channel the Taichung museum`s photographic art collection and chart Taiwan`s social transformation since the 1960s, and draw on psychologist Erving Goffman`s dramaturgical theory to investigate interpersonal relationships, social interactions, and the interplay between everyday practice and theatrical gestures. The question as to how photographers become "mediators" in Goffman`s analysis will also be addressed by the exhibition. In terms of the entries selected by the three guest curators, "Behind the Mask: Rose of Modernity" is tantamount to a mirror of Taiwan`s modernization since the second half of the 20th century, which is marked by a pursuit of economic growth and materialistic wellbeing that have led people to deviate from their homespun philosophy of life. By way of comparison, budding photographers do not simply criticize or fire a warning shot across the bows, but also apply innovative methods to the commemoration of one’s halcyon days. Photographers are quoad hoc mediators between culture and society, past and future, nature and civilization, and individuals and the multitude. In short, they represent Taiwan`s society in all its manifestations on the photographic stage, unveiling the vicissitudes of life behind the scenes. The 48 featured sets, which translate to a total of 95 individual artworks, will be on display at Krasnoyarsk, Siberia through Nov. 18 as part of the XIII Krasnoyarsk Museum Biennale. More information is available at www.mira1.ru/event/827. Featured Artists Chang Chao-tang (張照堂) Chang Chien-chi (張乾琦) Chang Yung-chieh (張詠捷) Chen Chin-pao (陳敬寶) Chen Shun-chu (陳順築) Chen Wan-ling (陳宛伶) Chi Po-lin (齊柏林) Chien Yun-ping (簡永彬) Chiu Kuo-chun (邱國峻) Chou Ching-hui (周慶輝) Chuang Jung-che (莊榮哲) Han Yun-ching (韓筠青) Ho Ching- tai (何經泰) Isa Ho (何孟娟) Hou Tsung-hui (侯聰慧) Hsieh Chun-te (謝春德) Huang Chien-hua (黃建樺) Huang Ming-chuan (黃明川) Hung Cheng-jen (洪政任) Kao Chung-li (高重黎) Jonathan Kao (高志尊) Daniel Lee (李小鏡) Liang Cheng-chu (梁正居) Liu Chen-hsiang (劉振祥) Mei Dean-e (梅丁衍) Pan Hsiao-hsia (潘小俠) Sheng Chao-liang (沈昭良) Sheu Jer-yu (許哲瑜) Tsai Wen-hsiang (蔡文祥) Tseng Miin-shyong (曾敏雄) Wang Yu-pang (王有邦) Wu Cheng-chang (吳政璋) Wu Tien-chang (吳天章) Yao Jui-chung (姚瑞中) Yuan Goang-ming (袁廣鳴) Yunnia Yang`s Curatorial Concept for the exhibition "Behind the Mask: Rose of Modernity"~The photography art collection from National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (Premiere exhibition in Russia during 2019. 09.18-11.18) Considering the Influence of Modernity with the Enchantedness of Taiwanese Visual Art It is said that Formosa, the Island of Beauty, is so-named for the first impression Taiwan made upon Portuguese sailors in the 16th century. Taiwan has reason to be proud of this fame: the natural scenery in this small island is wonderfully diverse; quality of life is modern and highly convenient; local food is cheap, abundantly diverse and delicious, and, when overseas, Taiwanese miss it terribly. But perhaps the greatest beauty of Taiwan is the Taiwanese themselves. Taiwanese are polite, modest and friendly above all else, and their hospitality may be the most unforgettable souvenir for foreigners. Indeed, many foreign travelers settle in Taiwan, feeling something oddly familiar, a sense of finding home in another country. For certain, in the beginning, they may face simple misunderstandings and miscommunications – there are cultural differences, after all, but even these can be taken as something to experience and enjoy. After all, "when in Rome, do as the Romans do." There are always customs and living habits that only local people can truly understand, but it is in trying to understand them that the tourist or expat is able to explore the many layers of what makes up a foreign culture. In contrast with the viewpoint of cultural tourism, American social psychologist Erving Goffman puts forth the dramaturgical theory that, "all the world is a stage" (as Shakespeare himself once wrote in Hamlet). And it is true: everyday life is intrinsically steeped in theatrical ritual: everybody plays multiple roles in society. Human relations and social interactions may be regarded as a series of performances, adjusted depending on different viewers and situations. Just like wearing a mask, our true self is gradually replaced by the roles that we try our best to play. The acquired characters we become are our second natures, dimensions of our personalities. Treating visitors kindly is therefore an act of hospitality, but also our true temperament. In his writings, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, Goffman expresses the idea that we are always on stage in one lives, constantly staging a tragicomedy of everyday life. Our "Front stage`` is that individual performance which is able to define situations for observers in a universal and fixable way. Our "Back stage" is where all artifice is abandoned, the actor steps out of role, our true self. Similarly, documentary photography also presents a means to see through the realities of contemporary life. The photographers interested in evolutionary humanism have embarked on long-term projects on the subject. In their works, shallow first impressions of sight are dissolved by time as their unique aesthetic language highlights internal truth. In the spirit of Baudelaire`s "Flâneur", they observe the depths of urban culture or dive into the countryside, meeting locals with the aim of quasi-ethnographic field research. It is the photographers` sympathy that realizes the life experience of others in such moving and revealing documentary photography. Photographers are able to travel back and forth between people`s "Front stages" and "Back stages". Goffman called such people "Mediators", which implies kindness and skill in handling the hidden secrets of the "Back stages" in order to maintain the masked images of the "Front stages." Chang Chien-Chi, the only member of Magnum in Taiwan, has long paid great attention to the society of overseas Chinese in New York. In the ritual parade of China Town, he captures from a low viewpoint the image of a man holding a billiken-like mask gazing at the camera. Chang leads us to see the "Back Stage," a man unveiling his sense of responsibility, consolidating the collective consciousness of overseas Chinese by taking part in traditional rituals. From the early documentary photography taken by Chang Chao-Tang, Liang Cheng-Chu, and Chien Yun-Ping, we remember that the Taiwanese kept themselves of a content mind and pure spirit even when Taiwan had not been fully modernized yet. Although the material life was hard, human relationships were closer and the spiritual life richer at that time. Children`s imaginations were unlimited and went beyond the overwhelming visual effects of mass media. Chou Ching-Hui`s Wild Aspirations shows how the children from rural Yellow Sheep River imagine a computer to be (an object they have never seen). His staged photography is rather theatrical, but nevertheless reveals the true dreams of a child. Her body gesture is slightly awkward and her clothes of rough material. We can see the gap between her dream and reality, but only her dream can change her reality. In the second half of the 20th century, Taiwan created an economic miracle and was listed in the so-called "Four Asian Dragons" along with Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea. Taiwan enjoys a rich and convenient life thanks to its outstanding achievements in the process of modernization. However, social value has changed drastically in the recent decades: everything must now be done efficiently; and an attitude longing for the material over the spiritual has only deepened the estrangement of human relations. In addition, the repressions during the period of martial law has added tension to society. The strong awareness of our existence and a rebellious sense of the body are reflected in the surrealistic photographs of Chang Chao-Tang, Kao Chung-Li, and Hsieh Chun-Te. Our heart is stopped by the images of the alienated corpse. Huang Ming-Chuan expresses the idea that Taiwan is consumed by material desires, that we sacrifice the best of our youth, by means of his design approach and symbolic language.The artists use more dramatic ways to create or find unusual images in daily life, for they cannot find the appropriate images in reality. Rather, they reconstruct reality according to their own sharp and sensible insight to the secrets of the "Back Stage." Taiwanese embrace this land with love, showing their identity with courage, not just in support of some higher goal, but also to nurture the unique and diverse Taiwanese folk culture and life customs. They have curiosity about other cultures and generosity to new immigrants. The cultural impressions upon Taiwan in the 21st century have been both diverse and complicated, and it is possible to glimpse the theatricality of the cultural mask created by the collective Taiwanese consciousness. Roland Bathes believed that "Studium" created meaning, and that photography only included the details of "Punctum" by chance. This concept suggests that images always go beyond cultural universality. They allow a viewer to have a dialogue with the images according to their own personal perceptions. Just like a photographer, a viewer may travel secretly between "Front stage" and "Back stage." It is a bitter truth that modernity is driving us away from the simple and innocent essence of a true self, making us forget how to live slowly. All manner of hegemony and mass media conspire with each other to stimulate the public`s consuming desire and cement the value of entertainment. Yet, modernity is like a rose with thorns. Its beauty and fragrance are so attractive to human beings that they can`t help but to pick it, to possess it, but they pay the price of being stung. Behind that sweet and happy modern life there is unspeakable trauma and lostness. Longing for the progress of technology and an improved living situation, we thought that our homeland would be more comfortable to live in. However, with the continuous exploitation of the Earth, our ignorance to water and soil conservation, the ecology of Taiwan is badly endangered. In the aerial photography of Chi Po-Lin, we find Formosa has been tainted and it is now impossible to regain its beauty as it used to be. In his Vision of Taiwan, Wu Cheng-Chang criticizes in an ironic tone the ignorance of our living situation, stuck as we are in an apocalyptic situation. Driftwood everywhere after a typhoon, or an advertising billboard standing in a rice field: these images warn us about the dangerous unbalance between modern life and nature. Chen Shun-Chu`s Flower Ritual overlooks the life and death of mankind from a God`s perspective: in front of a family tomb, the images of plastic flowers are placed to worship ancestors. The introspection between them shows us the absurdity and unbearableness between permanent artificial objects and ephemeral beingness, and the nostalgia attached to relatives. It seems that Taiwanese still have an emotional attachment to this land, changed as it is due to the necessity of modernization: its natural beauty and local culture still comfort our spirit.Following Martin Heidegger`s notion of poetic dwelling, Yuan Goang-Ming shows us how hard it is to live in this world poetically in an age of uncertainty, as if our tranquil and peaceful living conditions could be destroyed at any moment. Even in such an uncomfortable situation, this is how Taiwanese could live at ease. Hung Cheng-Jen presents us with the phenomenon of damaged ruins, accusing the hardship of the living conditions. His expressive collage of textures shows us the emotions between ourselves and nature, and evoke in us a consciousness to the coming future disasters. The development of democratic freedom and equal human rights in Taiwan is highly praised by international society. This road we go through is not easy. Taiwan was not released from Japanese occupation until 1945. In 1949, Chiang Kai-Shek implemented martial law as soon as his government was relocated to Taiwan. The society that prevailed did so with a deeply tense atmosphere. In 1987, we enjoyed freedom of speech rights after the end of martial law. People could show their different political positions and individual identities. Artistic creations showed conceptional criticism and multiple aesthetics. Mei Dean-E deconstructs this identity awareness of the Taiwanese. He created a puzzle of the facial images of Sun Yet-Sen and Mao Zedong. The former is the founder of the Republic of China and the latter is the founder of the People`s Republic of China. The new face is seen harmoniously. Chiang`s government was based in Taiwan with the plan to counterattack the Mainland and unite China. Such a paradox of rulership confused the identity of the Taiwanese: it is indeed a puzzle-like mystery. The portraits of the two great men are just an empty code. The slogan "The Three Principles Reunite China" is also a kind of collective political obedience, rather than the real expectation of all Taiwanese.In his Consolidation, Wu Tien-Chang takes a mise-en-scène image to create uncanny allegorical stills. The twin brothers suffering from down syndrome are riding a tandem bicycle. Their smiles are too mannered and stiff, and their outfits are also like a variety theatre troupe, even a kitsch-style portrait of the deceased. The sin of the past life should be compensated with the mercy of the next. The falsely vulgar beauty of Taiwanese Redneck Culture is mostly caused by the mentality of "Being a Guest``: temporary policy and provisional facilities cannot allow Taiwanese culture to take root. Their youth has gone away, but they keep their smiles and pretend to maintain a mask of beauty. It is exactly this complexity that our society was filled with before the lifting of martial law. Deconstructing authority is a keen issue for Taiwanese artists: the idea that authority is not limited to the political aspect, but includes the medical institutions who stigmatized certain sicknesses resulting in misunderstanding, discrimination, and isolation of those patients, endangering their given human rights. Chou Ching-Hui spent a long time with leprosy patients and witnessed their life experiences. In his works, Chou shows their dignity and tenacity with an attitude of respect for life. The monetary game of capitalism has caused the uneven distribution of property, forming the M-shaped social structure. In such unfavorable economic conditions, the poor wander around the marginal zones of urban space and merely survive. Ho Ching-Tai is concerned about the reality of their everyday lives, but he never takes side shots to glimpse at their tough lives: rather, he befriends them. In front of the camera, they express their true selves in such chaotic circumstances. Their undisturbed gaze shows that they aren`t cowed by their bad living conditions. Encouraging the voice from multiethnic groups and reconstructing their cultural and maternal languages became the cultural policy of the new government after the lifting of martial law. Wang Yu-Pang and Chang Yung-Chieh went to the aboriginal tribes to take pictures of the aboriginal elders, showing their sincere gaze. The audience is moved by their dignity and confidence. Pan Hsiao-Hsia spent 25 years taking photographs of the aboriginal tribe Dawu on Orchid Island living in harmony with nature, expressing their uninhibited true temperaments. All these excellent documentary photographs prove Goffman`s conception that everyone presents his own way in his own manner, and it is a kind of performance.From the perspective of psychology, human nature masks bestiality. If we want to survive in the urban jungle of modern society, we have to play multiple roles corresponding to a complicated and ever-changing lifestyle. It is hard to tell which is the true self. American Chinese artist Daniel Lee employs the hybrid metamorphosis of human beings and beast to interpret Manimals with the many forms of memory of the 21st century, unveiling explicitly internal libidos by means of digital technology. The artist integrates the cultural thinking of East and West to create this postmodern "mask" of true human nature. The younger generations are encouraged by mass culture to express themselves freely, especially in the subculture of cosplay. With the assistance of role-playing, they release the characters that they identify with in manga, animation or virtual reality video games. Meanwhile, they devote their efforts into creativity, creating costumes and settings for their new interpretations. Jonathan Kao shows the high self-confidence and unique personality of these young people among the atmosphere of the cosplay`s carnival. The influence of mass media can, clearly, be positive or negative.An attractive and dynamic pop dance can also present the performance of new women who have much greater bodily confidence. Isa Ho has explored the similarities and differences between the gestures of traditional Kunqu opera`s love stories and the lyrics and choreography of contemporary K-POP. In Kunqu, suggestive eye contacts and hand gestures express love and charm euphemistically; K-POP is influenced by Western pop music and the dazzling choreography of the MV. The love stories of daily life are put into theatrical practice through the medium of this sexual yet charming choreography. As we observe carefully the traditional and modern body movements, we will find many unique connections between them. The bodily aesthetics have already been fused into an oneness. Women at the age of liberation dare to chase after and enjoy the rights of physical autonomy. Yet, how is female physical autonomy not controlled by consumerism? Certainly, it is very hard for special service occupations or betel nut beauties. Some women are forced to change due to their current living difficulties, and other teenagers simply can`t resist the temptations of commodities, working as betel nut beauties for a short time. Chen Chin-Pao doesn`t want to take their images at the angles of desired objects, but to show the image of a true self under the sexual uniform. In Taiwan there is limited space, and it is always full of people. Be it a noisy metropolitan avenue or nature away from the noise, the crowd can be seen everywhere. Rarely is there any empty deserted scenery, but factors such as changes of political situation, transformations in society, and relocations of industry can cause empty spaces and ruins, and this shows that modernity didn`t fulfill the utopia that mankind expected, rather our lifestyles have been replaced with another. Artists leave the crowd far away to seek empty space, not only for the enjoyment of silent meditation space, but also for the observing of the absurd truths not to be seen in the "Front Stage." Yao Jui-Chung finds an escape from modern life in the ruins. He focuses on the projection of believers` great desires. He visited the temples around Taiwan to take photographs of the Gods` statues and an environment without images of humankind in order to show these mystic relations. The images of the abandoned and forgotten gods speak in a sad tone of the capriciousness of human desire. Shen Chao-Liang presents the images of the "transformer-style" traveling stage trucks that are often seen at Taiwanese Carnivals as gigantic and surrealistic stage monuments. Sunset lighting tones and the unmanned state before staging allow the artist to intrude into a moment of hyperspace, flashing images in front of the viewers that reveal how Taiwanese show their attitude to everyday life by means of a stage performance. Sheu Jer-Yu`s Being There implies implicitly how human traces exist in space. He takes photographs of the projection of texts and their related space, as Réne Magritte uses texts and images to create dialectics on the absurdity and impermanence of human civilization. Sheu creates an uncanny atmosphere between reality and fantasy. The image code generator can return to the original possible truth behind the mask. A still image can recall a viewer`s imagination, connecting his own experience within it, like a moving image with an endless story. The image coding of Huang Chien-Hua shows how an image of the digital age is not only served as a document witnessing its presence. Imagination is also able to create mise-en-scène of the unknown codes that only artists see, through the "Front Stage" and into and "Back Stage." With the juxtaposition of the two, viewers are surprised that the codes of the "Back Stage" have been already fused into the world of the "Front Stage. "The images of animals are the projection of human emotions and desire. They appear unexpectedly in familiar daily life. It is the allegory of a dystopia, the roles interchanging between mankind and animals. Lost traditional culture, the beautiful memories of the past, simple life essence: the artists of the new generation feel responsible to preserve and interpret these with innovative artistic practices and visual aesthetics. Chiu Kuo-Chun applies traditional embroideries to photographic art. In the carnival parade of daily life there comes unexpectedly Roland McDonald. The collage confuses us magically with the time and space of fantasy and reality. He mocks the contemporary phenomenon of idol worship in a humorous manner. Tattoo art belongs to a subculture. Chuang Jung-Che`s Life Drawing – Four Gentlemen combines the cultural cultivation of Chinese intelligentsia and contemporary popular culture. Taking the corpse as canvas, Chuang shows the idea that plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum symbolize the four gentlemen of the flowers in Chinese culture. This self-cultivation must be practiced with action. The bloody blossoms of wounds also symbolize the eternal vows. Han Yun-Ching expresses her intimate traumatic love by means of classical photographic process. Her poetic but sorrowful images tell us that the bounds of love always come from our voluntary sadomasochistic relations. Handmade photography is developed by time; the organic and accidental character cannot be achieved with contemporary digital images. Our nostalgia for old objects is for exactly the human touch and texture of memory that advanced technology lacks. We cannot return to the past, but they trigger a craving for the happiness of the past, that is to say, a kind of introspection and counterbalance to modernization. "Behind the mask: Rose of Modernity" selects 48 sets of visual artworks (a total of 95 pieces) from 35 Taiwanese artists based on the collection of National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. The public far from Siberia will observe the following: the Taiwan of an innocent age getting influenced by modernization; how the beauty of Formosa and the simplicity of the Taiwanese has changed; the identity of Taiwan in international politics; the repression and liberation before and after martial law, right up to today when we are confident about self-expression and role-play. Traditional culture is also added to with new language, the contemporary artists employing all manner of conceptual approaches to unveil the essence of modernity.