A Hatched Dream 鷹生犬
2023, November 15- December 24
Curator｜TSAI Ping-Ju, LI Kuei-Pi
Artists｜Center of Contemporary Art-Tbilisi, Lim Sokchanlina, Mukaddas Mijit, Uisenma Borchu, CHEN Chun-Yu, LU Wei
Administrative Cooperation｜LIN Shu-Syuan
Technical Crew｜HUNG Hao-Ming、Jimmy LAN
Woodworkers｜Jimmy LAN
Graphic Design｜Rajnish Chhanesh, WEI Wen-Ru、CHEN Yen-Ru
Translation Editor｜Alex HUANG, Lily LYU
Supporting Partner｜Hong Foundation, Panasonic Taiwan
Organizer｜Absolute Space for the Arts
Co-Organizer｜Center of Contemporary Art-Tbilisi
Sponsor｜National Culture and Arts Foundation, Department of Cultural
Affairs, Taipei City Government
Special Thanks｜Foison Art Studio, Artemas LIU
Curator｜TSAI Ping-Ju, LI Kuei-Pi
Artists｜Center of Contemporary Art-Tbilisi, Lim Sokchanlina, Mukaddas Mijit, Uisenma Borchu, CHEN Chun-Yu, LU Wei
Administrative Cooperation｜LIN Shu-Syuan
Technical Crew｜HUNG Hao-Ming、Jimmy LAN
Woodworkers｜Jimmy LAN
Graphic Design｜Rajnish Chhanesh, WEI Wen-Ru、CHEN Yen-Ru
Translation Editor｜Alex HUANG, Lily LYU
Supporting Partner｜Hong Foundation, Panasonic Taiwan
Organizer｜Absolute Space for the Arts
Co-Organizer｜Center of Contemporary Art-Tbilisi
Sponsor｜National Culture and Arts Foundation, Department of Cultural
Affairs, Taipei City Government
Special Thanks｜Foison Art Studio, Artemas LIU
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The exhibition title, A Hatched Dream, refers to the “eagle-backed dog” (鷹背狗) mentioned in “Division of Beasts．Order of Domestic Animal．Dog” of Compendium of Material Medica (本草綱目．獸部．畜類．狗), it is stated that “in Liaodong Peninsula, there is a kind of animal, named Yingbeigou (dog with a goshawk’s back). This is one of the three young of one brood of the goshawk mother, one is a goshawk, another is a golden eagle, the other is a dog such as this. According to this, an animal can be fed by a fowl. This is something unheard of before.” Born from the eagle’s egg, “this dog is similar to ordinary dogs, but there are a few feathers on the back and tail. It follows the shadow of its mother eagle when it flies and preys on anything it encounters.” The “Division of Birds．Order of Woodland Birds．Hawk” of Compendium of Material Medica (本草綱目．禽部．林禽類．鵰) also quotes An Embassy to the West (西域記) by Liu Yu (劉郁), and states that “A black eagle can hatch three eggs. One dog will be hatched from one of the eggs. This dog is similar to ordinary dogs, but there are a few feathers on the back and tail. It follows the shadow of its mother eagle when it flies and preys on anything it encounters. Such an eagle is called Yingbeigou.” In “Annals of Emperor Muzong” (遼史．穆宗本紀) of History of Liao (遼史), it is recorded that the politician Yelv Talie (耶律撻烈) found a dog in an eagle’s nest, and presented the dog to Yelv Jing (耶律璟, Emperor Muzong) as a gift. In the past, the territory of the Liao dynasty (also known as the Khitan Empire) included the modern-day Mongolia and parts of China. The ancient Turkish text translated by Robert Dankoff, a professor and historian of the Ottoman Empire at the University of Chicago, mentions a canine breed called “Baraq”. Based on the text, it is stated that from the last two eggs laid by the vulture, one hatched a chick, and the other a dog.
According to the remaining archives from the 10th century to the present day, this mammal creature, which defies biology by its birth from an egg, is like a mythical creature that continues to appear in the fables (also allegories) of Central Asia and East Asia. The modern life model transplanted from the West, coupled with the development of local nationalism and the new world formed by globalized business networks, makes it possible to re-create the connection with the hometown and rebuild the local living space. Tradition means security and the past (comfortable) way of living, but this does not mean that people stop looking forward to returning to the past/tradition. People relocate for many reasons, with economic incentive being the main driving force behind their moving away from their homeland.
With the monopoly of capital, the state uses resources more efficiently and accelerates the transformation of labor force to obtain profits. A new form of nationalist discourse will also be born from this process: a system in which labor value and individuals become more closely connected becomes a tool to consolidate the stable development of the regime. In 2018, the "Human Community of Destiny" was officially incorporated into the Chinese Constitution. China has also cited this concept extensively in the transnational economic cooperation projects they lead, such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). However, with the implementation of a huge number of infrastructure projects, various doubts have also been raised, which has triggered intensive discussions in recent years.
In fact, we cannot easily terminate or break away from the capitalist structure, nor can we stop the collusion between capitalism and the regime that move forward hand in hand. The law of supply and demand in economics means that the opportunity cost of crony capitalism is likely to be much lower than insisting on pursuing certain strategies or rashly joining an unfamiliar market. The integration of democracy and capitalism is not easy. On the contrary, the combination of authoritarian regimes and capitalism can seemingly maximize the utility of labor and production processes. This will be a multiple-choice question that the current world must deal with, if it is not a yes-or-no question.
The exhibition is constructed by curators and artists with extensive on-the-ground field research, as well as many artists and groups inhabiting regions that are now deeply affected by BRI projects. Borrowing the story of the eagled-born dog as the title, this exhibition as an allegory regenerates the imaginative relics from past empires which are collectively woven by ethnic groups still moving between hallucinations. This process re-condenses and amplifies the noise caused by the displacement of these regional plates due to the progress of the BRI that collides with the world system.
[1] “The Turks claim that when the vulture grows old it lays two eggs and then hatches them. From one emerges this dog, called Baraq — it is the swiftest of running dogs and the most reliable in the hunt; from the other emerges a chick, the last of its chicks”. Baraq and Buràq. by Robert Dankoff. Vol.15, No. 2 (1971). P.102-117.
According to the remaining archives from the 10th century to the present day, this mammal creature, which defies biology by its birth from an egg, is like a mythical creature that continues to appear in the fables (also allegories) of Central Asia and East Asia. The modern life model transplanted from the West, coupled with the development of local nationalism and the new world formed by globalized business networks, makes it possible to re-create the connection with the hometown and rebuild the local living space. Tradition means security and the past (comfortable) way of living, but this does not mean that people stop looking forward to returning to the past/tradition. People relocate for many reasons, with economic incentive being the main driving force behind their moving away from their homeland.
With the monopoly of capital, the state uses resources more efficiently and accelerates the transformation of labor force to obtain profits. A new form of nationalist discourse will also be born from this process: a system in which labor value and individuals become more closely connected becomes a tool to consolidate the stable development of the regime. In 2018, the "Human Community of Destiny" was officially incorporated into the Chinese Constitution. China has also cited this concept extensively in the transnational economic cooperation projects they lead, such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). However, with the implementation of a huge number of infrastructure projects, various doubts have also been raised, which has triggered intensive discussions in recent years.
In fact, we cannot easily terminate or break away from the capitalist structure, nor can we stop the collusion between capitalism and the regime that move forward hand in hand. The law of supply and demand in economics means that the opportunity cost of crony capitalism is likely to be much lower than insisting on pursuing certain strategies or rashly joining an unfamiliar market. The integration of democracy and capitalism is not easy. On the contrary, the combination of authoritarian regimes and capitalism can seemingly maximize the utility of labor and production processes. This will be a multiple-choice question that the current world must deal with, if it is not a yes-or-no question.
The exhibition is constructed by curators and artists with extensive on-the-ground field research, as well as many artists and groups inhabiting regions that are now deeply affected by BRI projects. Borrowing the story of the eagled-born dog as the title, this exhibition as an allegory regenerates the imaginative relics from past empires which are collectively woven by ethnic groups still moving between hallucinations. This process re-condenses and amplifies the noise caused by the displacement of these regional plates due to the progress of the BRI that collides with the world system.
[1] “The Turks claim that when the vulture grows old it lays two eggs and then hatches them. From one emerges this dog, called Baraq — it is the swiftest of running dogs and the most reliable in the hunt; from the other emerges a chick, the last of its chicks”. Baraq and Buràq. by Robert Dankoff. Vol.15, No. 2 (1971). P.102-117.