he Video, the Island and Difficulties of Re-Identity: Taiwan

DURATION: 2023-08-07 ~ 2023-09-06
OPENING: 0000-00-00 00:00-AM
VENUE: Stacion - Center for Contemporary Art Prishtina
ADDRESS: Mark Isaku 8, 10000 Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo
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Stacion – Center for Contemporary Art Prishtina and Summer School as School are pleased to present the exhibition “The Video, the Island and Difficulties of Re-Identity: Taiwan”, curated by Nobuo Takamori, featuring artists Yao Jui-Chung, Li Kuei-Pi, Wu Chi-Yu, Au Sow Yee, Ciwas Tahos, Lin Shu-Kai and screening The Difficulties of Re-Identity: video art and experimental moving images from Taiwan, followed by a presentation by Nobuo Takamori.

The exhibition and the screening program are art of the ongoing collaboration between Stacion – Center for Contemporary Art Prishtina and selected curators, art historians, artists and institutions in Taiwan. The Video, the Island and Difficulties of Re-Identity: Taiwan is the first iteration of the collaboration in Kosovo, focusing mainly on video art as a visual and audio medium in art.

Taiwan is one of the first countries in Asia to develop video art. Since the 1980s, video art has become one of the most common materials for Taiwanese artists. Moreover, the history of Taiwanese experimental film can be traced back to earlier times. In the 21st century, the boundary between Taiwanese video art and experimental film has gradually blurred, and “moving images / time-based images” have become an interdisciplinary form of artistic expression.

Taiwan's very existence is often seen as a problem. Taiwan's multicultural and complex history is based on the fundament of Austronesian culture. Yet it has experienced colonial rule by the Dutch East Company, Spain, the Manchurian Qing Empire, Japan, and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), creating a complex historical identity. This type of complexity entangles Taiwan's political status today while shaping Taiwan's cultural character. In addressing this difficulty of self-identity, artists have developed various narratives that deconstruct history. Whether it is the perspectives of indigenous artists, recalling the legacy of the Japanese colonial period, or reflecting on the experience of the “White Terror” era, artists intertwine images and narratives in their works through deconstruction, re-creation, symbolism, and poetic expression.

This thematic special exhibition, accompanied by the screening program The Difficulties of Re-Identity: Video Arts / Experimental Moving Images from Taiwan, at Summer School as School 2023 in Kosovo, curated by Taiwanese curator Nobuo Takamori, selects the works of 6 Taiwan-based artists. They come from different generations, genders, and ethnic groups, but their works are full of insights into Taiwan's past and present, and even extend the methodology experimented in Taiwan to Southeast Asia and other parts of Asia, developing a unique visual esthetic that emerges from Taiwan's identity dilemma.