September 22, 2016 – January 8, 2017
I was in Warsaw, Poland, represented lifepatch to do Public Spirits Exhibition at CCA Warsaw. Detail of the exhibition click here
opening of the exhibition: September 22 (Thursday) 2016 hours. 19.00
ARTISTS / ARTIST: Chen Shu Han (Taiwan), Teng Chao-Ming (Taiwan), Liu Ho Jang (Taiwan), Hsu Che Ju (Taiwan) Chia-Wei Hsu (Taiwan), Kwan Sheung Chi (Hong Kong), Chen- Yu Mao (China),Zhou Tao (China), Art Labor (Vietnam), Dinh Q. Lê (Vietnam), Uudam Tran Nguyen (Vietnam),Charles Lim (Singapore), Ho Rui An (Singapore), Agung Kurniawan (Indonesia), lifepatch(Indonesia), Vuth Lyno (Cambodia), Vandy Rattana (Cambodia), Sutthirat Supaparinya (Thailand),Orawan Arunrak (Thailand), Maung Day (Myanmar / Burma), Jen Liu (USA)
Curator: Meiya Cheng
Assistant curators: Karolina Marcinkowska After Shun Chuang
Coordination: Alexander Knychalska, Joanna Maneck
Center for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle Warsaw, Poland
Exhibition Spirits community / Public Spirits is an insight into the artistic response to the experience of globalization in the regions, which are now the scene of the clash of diverse, sometimes conflicting traditions, conflicting geopolitical interests and uncertain democratization of authoritarian regimes. This is the story about the activities of various communities, which may complement or counterproposals to the history of communities and nation states.
Lifepatch Installation “Bedil”
Artists from Southeast Asia, mainland China and Taiwan, use the force of poetic vision or political engagement, working memory and group activities that cause the spirits of lost communities (eg. As a result of modernization processes) or those that have not yet arrived. They give voice to groups overlooked in the political or historical narratives. They are often community based on real bonds, shared experience or history. Even if ephemeral – as a group of scooter forming a joint choreography on a busy street or community which originated from the inspiration metaphor dew – they are an alternative to the dominant economic and geopolitical forces.
Meiya Cheng
Exhibition Spirits community / Public Spirits is the result of a research project Taiwanese curator Meiya Cheng concerning artistic activities for the community and the communities of the countries of Southeast Asia, mainland China and Taiwan.
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Artists invited to participate in the exhibition proposes a critical revision of the history and cultural traditions of their countries. Unmask the mechanisms of power, look at narratives often marginalized minority communities turn to informal. They show a very different political background and social conditions of contemporary reality, the countries of Southeast Asia – Thailand is now the de facto monarchy ruled by a military junta, while Vietnam and Cambodia continues to struggle with its communist past and authoritarian historical discourse. Singapore is a city-state, which now celebrates fifty years of independence; from a poor fishing village it has become, despite the lack of natural resources, one of the richest countries in the world with democratic governments and far-sighted policy.
Bedil
A large population of social control and political pressure in public life make the issues of freedom of speech and religion, and social exclusion often come to the fore. Diversity of population and wealth gap between the traditional lifestyle of a metropolitan reality are enormous. Open public debate, developing a common vision of the future and the revision of the dominant historical narratives tend to be very difficult, if not impossible. Processes of modernization in many Asian countries were based on the rule of sanctioning the divisions ethnic, racial, linguistic and religious. They have become often the basis for the exclusion or expulsion of certain groups or even the use of systematic and institutionalized violence (eg. The bloody rule of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia). The rise and fall of authoritarian military regimes and monarchies in Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand are one of the topics covered in the exhibition.
Artist, Curator,Director : Friends!
Installations and video works Vandy Rattana and Vutha Lyno from Cambodia and Thai artist Sutthiraty Supaparinyi show the impact of government based on violence and the activities of national power devices from the point of view of individuals and informal groups. Interdisciplinary projects undertaken by artistic collectives Art Labor from Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) and lifepatch Yogyakarta (Indonesia) are based on long-term social surveys conducted among local communities. Cooperation with the population and take action together based mostly on personal relationships and aim to create a network of contacts and alternative power structures. With such a structure of national collectives, in which citizens may not always be admitted to the realm of politics, society political resolve, acting within the framework of grass-roots communities are created.
Meiya Cheng (b. 1975) is an independent curator, lives and works in Taipei. She was curator of exhibitions augmenting the World (6th Taipei Digital Art Festival, section International, 2011), Trading Futures (Pauline Yao, TCAC, 2012), 6th Queens International (from HitomiIwasaki, QueensMuseum, New York, 2013), The Great Ephemeral (with a team of New Museum, New York, 2015). Since 2009, she participated in the creation of the Centre of Contemporary Art in Taipei, was the president of the Association of the Centre for Contemporary Art in Taipei (2012-2014). Cheng is interested in the formation of grassroots networks and independent communities in the art world. Teamwork is the formula guiding constantly analyzed, an alternative to institutional ways of producing art.
Text curatorial Meiya Cheng download program of accompanying events integral part of the exhibition is also aprogram of special screenings . Guide to the exhibition for download in the organization of the exhibition involved volunteers: Barbara buckwheat, Marta Jackowska, Susanna Korszeń and Magdalena Sobolska. Honorary patronage: Ministry of Culture and National Heritage Sponsors of the exhibition: National Culture and Arts Foundation, RC Cultural and Arts Foundation and the Department of Culture Affairs, Taipei City Government
Text from Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle
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