Foreword
An important annual art event in Taiwan, the Taipei Art Awards are unhindered by our museum’s current ongoing renovation, as the 2017 Taipei Art Awards take place at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei (MOCA Taipei) this year. The course of an art award
resembles a person’s journey in life, and the Taipei Art Awards have also undergone several phases throughout time, including the groundbreaking approach opted in 2001 to implement the competition without the restrictions of medium categorization, seeking to convey the message that art is free and should not be defined by any particular format or framework. Another big development took place in 2010 when the Taipei Art Awards became Taiwan’s public competition-based exhibition with the highest monetary prize. With only one first prize awarded each year, the winner is also provided with an opportunity to present a solo exhibition at the museum. The prominent reward is intended to spark greater impacts in Taiwan’s art community, with the objective of encouraging more artists with matured developments to take part in the competition. Results from the operation of the awards throughout the years have been apparent, opening up further considerations for the effects that this endeavor has evoked in the entire art network.
The innovative spirit of art has always been the Taipei Art Awards’ central focus. An opportunity has opened up in 2017 to collaborate with another museum due to Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM)’s temporary suspension for renovation this year, with the Taipei Art Awards venturing out to MOCA Taipei this year. This has thus sparked feelings that are different and new as we embark on this wonderful journey. This year’s artists have also demonstrated different approaches compared to the executions in the previous years at TFAM, with the 13 artworks ingeniously presented inside various rooms in MOCA Taipei, a site of rich cultural heritage history. Each space resembles that of a solo exhibition, with the great effort and uncompromised production executed by each artist clearly seen in each comprehensive display. Furthermore, due to MOCA Taipei’s cultural heritage history, compared to the space of a white box, its space seems to exude an enhanced sense of story, and the artists have also fully treated the space as a site beyond just a neutral exhibition backdrop or a display carrier. When TFAM welcomes the return of the Taipei Art Awards in 2018, we will also make adjustments to our exhibition space, seeking to make exhibition arrangements that will differ from the past, as we usher in the next phase of the Taipei Art Awards in our museum. We hope to offer something different and to present new challenges and experiences to the participating artists. Moreover, as MOCA Taipei is known for its unique admission ticket designs, the ticket this year also serves as a voting ballot for Audience’s Choice Award of this year, with the design intended to strengthen the audience’s sense of involvement and spark their thoughts as they experience the site-specific ambiance formed by the artworks presented. Marketing ploys in the digital era have the ability to transcend spatial and temporal limitations, with artist and artwork information able to be quickly distributed. Because contemporary art is always transforming and changing, innovative ideas are also incorporated in the curatorial approach and format of the Taipei Art Awards, with the intention of assertively propelling the emergence of new and different contemporary artworks in Taiwan.
A special thank is extended to MOCA Taipei for its generosity with sharing its space, facilitating the exhibition arrangements, and the tremendous help and support provided during the setup of the exhibition, which have resulted in this exciting and distinctive exhibition. Also, the dedication and wisdom of the jury committee showcased during the selection process have also made the 2017 Taipei Art Awards a success. Everyone’s hard work and enthusiasm are what drive the Taipei Art Awards forward in a strong and steady pace.
Ping Lin
Director of Taipei Fine Arts Museum
Contents
Foreword
007 Yung-Feng Chung /Commissioner, Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government
009 Ping Lin /Director of Taipei Fine Arts Museum
Juror’s Review
013 Afterthoughts of Second-Round Evaluation: Connections between Artworks by the New Generation /Chi-Ming Lin
020 Images as Island Observations on 2017 Taipei Art Awards’ Selected Artworks /Tzu-Chieh Jian
Grand Prize
026 Yu-Song Wang /Hualien White Lighthouse
Honourable Mention
034 Hsuan Hung /Gong Di Ju
042 Chung-Han Yao /DzDz + An Electronic Monster #2-Ceiling
050 Liang-Hsuan Chen /Hour Hour
058 Chi-Yu Wu /Nosedive
066 Pei-Mao Sun /Park Information
Judges Award
074 Kai-Chun Chiang /Passerby in the Third Person – II
082 Chi-Chuan Yang /Essays: A Platform
090 Shuai-Cheng Pu /Visual Oblation
098 Sih-Chin Wu /Australia
106 Chieh-Sen Chiu /No.39 Chang-An West Road
114 Cheng-Liang Li /The Wannian Station on the Road
122 Yi-Min Huang /Shan Jai