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New Book Hell Plus


DURATION: 2021-08-22 ~ 2021-12-31
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The Hell + series is a recent photographic project of Yao Jui-Chung. Yao takes a long time to visit temples around Taiwan and investigates Taiwan's traditional beliefs. The artist tries to "make heaven like hell and hell like heaven" through his lens. For this project, Yao has been to temples or parks that feature scenes from a Taoist or Buddhist-Taoist hell with animatronic dioramas, hellish murals and images of people suffering. He photographed statues and animatronics found in these dioramas. Instead of presenting the traditional aesthetics of classical sculptures, these statues and animatronics embody an eerie beauty and quirky loveliness of Taiwan's particular aesthetics.


Throughout Taiwan, Yao has visited the following temples and venues: Jingang Temple in Shimen District and Baogong Temple in Linkou District, New Taipei City, Nantian Temple in Changhua, Madou Daitian Temple in Tainan, Whiteman Toothpaste Tourism Factory in Shuishang Township, Chiayi, Dagangshan Chaofeng Temple in Alian District and the Spring and Autumn Pavilions of Chi Ming Palace in Zuoying District, Kaohsiung. The Haw Par Villa in Singapore is also included in this project. Yao interprets the aesthetic of Han Chinese folk culture with his field-research-like artistic approach and a detached way of viewing. Yao took the photographs with a wide-angle Polaroid with effects such as flash and out-of-focus effect, chemical stains, instantly-developing, uneven coloring, blurring, tilted horizons, and light leak effect, creating a testimony of "Guan-luo-ying" (seance).
This project highlights how folk culture and beliefs shape and interpret the image of hell.

Ksitigarbha, a bodhisattva revered in East Asian Buddhism, once made a vow not to attain Buddhahood until the hell is emptied. Yao takes "Hell +" as the title of his work since the five poisonous qualities, attachment, anger, ignorance, pride and jealousy are difficult to eradicate. If one falls into eternal reincarnation, it is because their karmic hindrance hasn't been removed. When one is overly attached to the external appearance or obsessed with the physical body and misses one’s buddha nature, they will never get rid of falling into hell. Therefore, Ksitigarbha will never achieve Buddhahood.

If one could behold his buddha-nature with an enlightened mind, one will come to understand the ultimate voidness. Just like a clear mirror reflects the dust; however, the dust does not fall into the mirror. Whether it’s blissful heaven or infernal hell, all conditions are only shaped by a single thought.