Republic without People
Republic without People is an exhibition presented at the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts (referred as KMFA below) in April 2011. Co-curated by WU Dar-Kuen and VT Artsalon, the exhibition featured twenty-four groups of artists (twenty-six artists in total). The concept of the exhibition originated from British writer George Orwell’s novel, 1984, as well as observations of changes in cultural policies after the second alternation of the ruling party in Taiwan, and reflected on the symbolic meaning of celebrating the Republic of China’s centennial birthday in its relation to Taiwan’s history. Coincided with the shifting practice of public participation programs and related issues in the Taipei Biennial organized by Taipei Fine Arts Museum, the Asian Art Biennial organized by National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts and the Taiwan Art Biennial transformed from the Taiwan Provincial Fine Arts Exhibition, along with the flourishing development of local art communities and alternative spaces, such as the “Walking School” launched by Dogpig Art Café, the exhibition constructed its foundational idea amidst the new waves of resistance aesthetics and alternating generations after the lifting of martial law.
According to the exhibition introduction, “based on the word ‘republic,’ which carries multiple deep-rooted connotations, the exhibition explores the political consciousness in contemporary art of Taiwan. The term ‘without people’ in the exhibition title suggests the unknown future of the word ‘republic’ in the realm of politics, and it also predicts the future for the uncertain status quo of this island.” However, due to the exhibition’s political implications and the political milieu at the time, the preparation of the exhibition was met with difficulties from its inception, and after twists and turns, the venue was changed from Taipei to Kaohsiung. This made the exhibition one of the few instances, in which the northern art community directly chose an art institution in southern Taiwan to debut an exhibition of a project funded by the National Culture and Arts Foundation, causing doubts about “the lack of local artists.” On the other hand, because of the shift in cultural policies and the gradual completion of funding mechanisms, art communities also started thinking about ways of stirring and influencing the making of policies affecting the public sphere. Therefore, works showed in the exhibition were mostly charged with a critical consciousness, and the artists also tried to engage more art groups and create more connections outside the exhibition.
At the opening of “Republic without People,” a group of honor guards was invited to wave the national flag of the “Republic without People,” with the music of Mission Impossible playing in the background. The director of KMFA at the time, HSIEH Pei-Ni, wore a sash of “Acting President” and opened the exhibition with the republic’s “founding ministers” played by the artists. With the frivolous opening as well as artworks critiquing politics and contemplating on the colonial history, the “Republic without People” emerged in the exhibition as a utopia founded on culture and reflected people’s collective consciousness stemming from a lack of identity at the time and their feeling of uncertainty about the future. In 2012, the exhibition was awarded the Jury Award in the 10th Taishin Arts Award.
Reference
According to the exhibition introduction, “based on the word ‘republic,’ which carries multiple deep-rooted connotations, the exhibition explores the political consciousness in contemporary art of Taiwan. The term ‘without people’ in the exhibition title suggests the unknown future of the word ‘republic’ in the realm of politics, and it also predicts the future for the uncertain status quo of this island.” However, due to the exhibition’s political implications and the political milieu at the time, the preparation of the exhibition was met with difficulties from its inception, and after twists and turns, the venue was changed from Taipei to Kaohsiung. This made the exhibition one of the few instances, in which the northern art community directly chose an art institution in southern Taiwan to debut an exhibition of a project funded by the National Culture and Arts Foundation, causing doubts about “the lack of local artists.” On the other hand, because of the shift in cultural policies and the gradual completion of funding mechanisms, art communities also started thinking about ways of stirring and influencing the making of policies affecting the public sphere. Therefore, works showed in the exhibition were mostly charged with a critical consciousness, and the artists also tried to engage more art groups and create more connections outside the exhibition.
At the opening of “Republic without People,” a group of honor guards was invited to wave the national flag of the “Republic without People,” with the music of Mission Impossible playing in the background. The director of KMFA at the time, HSIEH Pei-Ni, wore a sash of “Acting President” and opened the exhibition with the republic’s “founding ministers” played by the artists. With the frivolous opening as well as artworks critiquing politics and contemplating on the colonial history, the “Republic without People” emerged in the exhibition as a utopia founded on culture and reflected people’s collective consciousness stemming from a lack of identity at the time and their feeling of uncertainty about the future. In 2012, the exhibition was awarded the Jury Award in the 10th Taishin Arts Award.
Reference
- WU Dar-Kuen. Republic without People. Garden City Publishing, 2011.
- CHEN Hung-Hsing. “‘Republic without People’ in Kaohsiung: ‘Republic without People’ in VT Artsalon.” Artco Monthly & Investment, iss. 225, June 2011, pp. 126-8.
- Archive of Taishin Arts Award.
- HUNG Ju-Pei. “Dialogue with Stars. Nation-building with Art: A Curatorial Concept Based on a Nation within a Nation—An Interview with Curator WU Dar-Kuen.” Arts Observer Field Archive (AOFA), April 24, 2011.
後民國(Republic without People)
「後民國:沒人共和國」(Republic without People)是2011年4月發表於高雄市立美術館(以下簡稱高美館)的展覽,由吳達坤與非常廟藝文空間共同策畫,該展邀請了24組(總計26位)藝術家參與。展覽構想始自於英國作家喬治‧歐威爾(George Orwell)的作品《一九八四》,與對於臺灣第二次政黨輪替後文化政策改變的觀察,思考民國一百年歡慶活動相對於臺灣歷史的象徵性意義。恰逢臺北市立美術館所舉辦的「台北雙年展」與國立臺灣美術館所舉辦的「亞洲藝術雙年展」與自「臺灣省全省美術展覽會」轉型的「台灣美術雙年展」在公眾參與項目及議題轉向的實踐,與地方藝術社群、替代空間的蓬勃發展,如豆皮咖啡館的「行走的學校」等,在新一波抵抗美學的風潮及解嚴後的世代交替當中建構出展覽的基調。
展覽簡介中提及:「他的主軸是以『民國』這個多重意涵的概念,爬梳台灣當代藝術中所具有的政治意識;『後』除了象徵著在政治學上『民國』這一詞的前途未卜甚至百年將至的況味,同時也帶有一種對於這個島嶼懸置現狀的外來預言觀照。」,但也因為展覽自身的政治意涵及當下的政治環境,使該展在尋找場地之初即遇到困難,幾經波折後自臺北轉移到高雄展出,也是國家文化藝術基金會補助下少數北部藝術社群直接以南部場館作為首次展演發表的例子,並引起「未有在地藝術家參與」的疑慮。另一方面,文化政策的轉變與補助機制的逐漸完備,也使藝術社群開始思索如何擾動、影響公共領域的政策的擬定,參與本展的藝術家作品多帶有批判意識,並在展覽之外,也試圖進行藝術團體的串聯。
「後民國:沒人共和國」開幕時邀請儀隊高舉「後民國」的開國大旗,以《不可能的任務》作為背景音樂開場,由時任高美館館長的謝佩霓身披「臨時大總統」彩帶,與飾演開國大臣的藝術家們開場。戲謔式的演出與現場作品對於政治的批判、殖民歷史的反思,「後民國」在展覽當中以文化立國的烏托邦現身,並反映了當時社會大眾因為缺乏身份認同的集體意識與對於未來的徬徨,2012年獲得了第十屆台新藝術獎評審團特別獎。
參考文獻
展覽簡介中提及:「他的主軸是以『民國』這個多重意涵的概念,爬梳台灣當代藝術中所具有的政治意識;『後』除了象徵著在政治學上『民國』這一詞的前途未卜甚至百年將至的況味,同時也帶有一種對於這個島嶼懸置現狀的外來預言觀照。」,但也因為展覽自身的政治意涵及當下的政治環境,使該展在尋找場地之初即遇到困難,幾經波折後自臺北轉移到高雄展出,也是國家文化藝術基金會補助下少數北部藝術社群直接以南部場館作為首次展演發表的例子,並引起「未有在地藝術家參與」的疑慮。另一方面,文化政策的轉變與補助機制的逐漸完備,也使藝術社群開始思索如何擾動、影響公共領域的政策的擬定,參與本展的藝術家作品多帶有批判意識,並在展覽之外,也試圖進行藝術團體的串聯。
「後民國:沒人共和國」開幕時邀請儀隊高舉「後民國」的開國大旗,以《不可能的任務》作為背景音樂開場,由時任高美館館長的謝佩霓身披「臨時大總統」彩帶,與飾演開國大臣的藝術家們開場。戲謔式的演出與現場作品對於政治的批判、殖民歷史的反思,「後民國」在展覽當中以文化立國的烏托邦現身,並反映了當時社會大眾因為缺乏身份認同的集體意識與對於未來的徬徨,2012年獲得了第十屆台新藝術獎評審團特別獎。
參考文獻
- 吳達坤,《後民國:沒人共和國》,田園城市,2011。
- 陳宏星,〈在高雄的「後民國」:非常妙(廟)的「無人共和國」〉,典藏今藝術,225期,頁126-128,2011.6。
- 台新藝術獎文獻
- 洪如珮採訪整理,〈星叢對話_藝術建國:國中國的策展理念—專訪策展人吳達坤〉,觀察者藝文田野檔案庫,2011.4.24。