Scheidegger & Spiess International New Titles Spring 2023

More documents

Recommendations

Info

6 6 7 22 23 GODS & IDOLS SURROUND THE BORDER, 1998 104 105 Chaofeng Temple, Mt. Dagang, Alian Dist., Kaohsiung City 44 WONDERFUL, 2007 45 HOME VIDEO PARTY 118 Haw Par Villa, Singapore REAL FICTIONS: THE ART OF Dr. Sophie McIntyre YAO JUI-CHUNG Born in Taipei in 1969, Yao Jui-chung ( 姚瑞中 ) emerged as an artist during a transformative period. Globalisation and the proliferation of new digital technologies were profoundly and irrevocably altering our understanding of the world, and sense of place within it. Signalling the end of totalitarianism and the Cold War, mass demonstrations calling for democratic reform spread across East Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. In Taiwan, martial law, enforced for 38 consecutive years, was terminated in July 1987. Restrictions on political opposition parties, the mass media, and travel between Taiwan and China were relaxed, and the island’s first Taiwan-born and popularly elected President, Lee Teng-hui, came to power. These events symbolised Taiwan’s transition from a Chinese authoritarian one-party state into a Taiwanese democratic and pluralistic society embracing freedom of expression, self-determination and individualism. For Yao and his generation, generally referred to as the ‘post-martial law generation’, globalisation and democratisation delivered a plethora of new opportunities as well as challenges. After the lifting of martial law, this generation had unprecedented access to information, resources and networks that were previously unavailable or censored. Opportunities to travel and exhibit overseas, including in China, increased rapidly with the global rise of contemporary Asian art and cross-Strait travel and exchange. Recognising that traditional forms and methods of visual expression were outmoded, Yao and his peers began searching for more innovative and pluralistic forms of expression that would more closely reflect and directly respond to the realities of life in this new era. I was first introduced to Yao Jui-chung and his work in Taipei when he was embarking on an artistic career while completing mandatory military service. We met in 1994 at IT Park gallery, the first alternative, artist-run space in Taiwan that focused on contemporary art, and where Yao held his first solo exhibition. Entitled Territory Takeover, the exhibition comprised a series of sepia-stained blackand-white photographs depicting the artist, fully naked, urinating on historically significant sites where successive foreign imperial powers had landed in Taiwan. The installation, which I discuss below, was bold, provocative and thought-provoking, and it was the first of a series of works the artist produced exploring what he describes as ‘the historical destiny of humanity… (and its) incurable absurdity’. 1 Yao Jui-chung’s art practice spans photography, painting, drawing, video, performance and installation art, and since we first met he has become internationally renowned. He has represented Taiwan in major biennials around the world, including in Venice, Yokohama, Shanghai, and his work has featured in several exhibitions I have curated that toured Australia and New Zealand. 2 Yet, despite his international standing, in-depth scholarship on Yao’s art practice is limited, especially in the English language. 3 Considering the vast body of work Yao has produced over these three decades, and constraints of ROAMING AROUND THE RUINS: made me both suspicious and curious about my own origins, of which I was completely ignorant. 19 1996, after restrictions on travel to China were lifted, Yao visited this country for the first time. He wanted to experience it first-hand and meet his step-siblings from his father’s first family. He discovered, however, that the mythical and nostalgic stories about the so-called ‘Motherland’ that his teachers and father had related to him as a child, did not correspond with China’s present-day realities. Reflecting on his visit, Yao remarks: When I go to China I find there is no connection – [it] is just based on memory. [In the 1990s] our economy was very strong and it was before China really opened up […] When we go to China, they think we are a rich man and they will rob you. Even if we speak the same language and have a similar lifestyle, you know, we are not really Chinese people […] I was a tourist. I never touched the land even though it’s the Motherland. I go everywhere, but I never land there. I don’t have too much feeling – even though my father came from China. I wanted to see Yao Jui-chung: one of Taiwan’s most internationally acclaimed contemporary artists REPUBLIC OF THE CYNIC: 1989, 2020 119
Edited and with an essay by Sophie McIntyre With a conversation between Yao Jui-chung and Hou Hanru Book design by Sabine Hahn Hardback approx. 208 pages, 191 color and 27 b/w illustrations 30 × 24 cm 978-3-03942-135-0 English sFr. 59.00 | € 58.00 | £ 55.00 | $ 65.00 The first comprehensive monograph on Taiwanese contemporary artist Yao Jui-chung published outside Taiwan Yao is one of Taiwan’s most internationally acclaimed, imaginative, and politically engaged contemporary artists Yao’s work reflects great political and social commitment and is characterized by its incisive and humorous critique of Taiwan’s history and identity APRIL 2023 (Europe) ISBN AUGUST 9783039421350 2023 (US) 9 783039 421350 Yao Jui-chung Taiwanese contemporary artist Yao Jui-chung has gained international renown for his imaginative, bold and incisive, and often humorous critiques of his country’s complex and contested identity and history. Born in 1969, Yao grew up during a tumultuous period, when Taiwan transformed from authoritarianism to democracy. His art, which comprises photography, video, installation, and painting, draws inspiration from history, politics, and society, and from China’s and Taiwan’s ancient artistic and religious traditions and mythical worlds. As well as being an artist, Yao also works as a curator and writer and has published several books on Taiwanese art. This monograph is the first-ever comprehensive study of Yao Jui-chung’s work in English, examining his practice over the past three decades. Featuring more than 200 images, it offers an essay by scholar, curator and Taiwan art specialist Sophie McIntyre and an in-depth interview with the artist by Hou Hanru, the artistic director of Rome’s MAXXI. The book will appeal to specialists, collectors, and students of art, as well as scholars and students in Taiwan and China studies, politics, and history. Sophie McIntyre is an academic at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane and a curator and writer specializing in Asian art, especially from Taiwan. She has curated numerous international exhibitions and published extensively on Taiwanese art. Scheidegger & Spiess Spring 2023 13
Page 1 and 2: Scheidegger & Spiess Art I Photogra
Page 3 and 4: Edited by Fabienne Liptay in collab
Page 5 and 6: Edited by Alberto Venzago Book desi
Page 7 and 8: Edited by Ludovica Introini and Fra
Page 9 and 10: Edited by Susanne Thun Book design
Page 11: Edited by Beat Stutzer Book design
Page 15 and 16: Edited by Helen Hirsch Book design
Page 17 and 18: Edited and with an essay by Laurenc
Page 19 and 20: Edited by Meret Wandeler, Ulrich G
Page 21 and 22: Edited by Kunsthaus Zürich Book de
Page 23 and 24: Texts by Brigitte Moser, Janine Sch
Page 25 and 26: Edited by Helen Hirsch Book design
Page 27 and 28: Edited by David Lemaire and Antonia
Page 29 and 30: Edited by Francesca Benini and Aria
Page 31 and 32: The magic and fascination of Chines

Scheidegger & Spiess International New Titles Spring 2023

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?