Tradition in Near Future: Ritual Corporeality in Contemporary Taiwanese Arts, the latest exhibition of Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles, will show the Taiwanese parade (Zhen Tou) and ritual ceremony from July 21st to September 22nd by using the documentary, contemporary video works, as well as photos. The STC Foundation will be also invited to have live performances to demonstrate the vibrant traditional dance both in the opening and related workshop.
Taiwanese temple fairs feature colorful parades and captivating performances that reflect and elongate the Taiwanese cultural heritage. Contemporary Taiwanese artists are often inspired by “Zhen Tou, one of the most prevailing local temple fair traditions, in their pursuit of unique creations, which include visual elements and live performances. The synergy of tradition and invention is the major focus in these contemporary Taiwanese arts. As performance theorist Diana Taylor has pointed out: répertoire transmits embodied actions and expands the traditional archive. Through imitating, repeating, and rehearsing cultural identities, those embodied knowledge store both verbal and nonverbal cultural practices. Thus, tradition can be passed on through continuous new bodily creations.
The exhibition introduces a significant documentary, The Boat-Burning Festival, made by Chang Chao-Tang during the 1970s. It also includes photos that documented the work of Chio Tian Folk Drums & Art Troupe as its members ran an international marathon carrying the 10-kg costumes of San Tai Zi deity in the Sahara Desert; Sacrifice to Welcome the Gods by the popular Taiwanese band The Chairman as well as video works from contemporary choreographers. Cheng Tsung-Lung successfully turned a fascinating story into the full-length work 13 Tongues, transforming Taoist rites and bustling street life into a fantasy world, connecting the past and the present, the real and the surreal. Ho Hsiao-Mei's dance work New Paradise of Silent Island creates a golden ukiyo-e from the hybridization of the sense of Taiwan and the foreign, presenting a metaphor of modern society where gaudiness and loneliness are juxtaposed with the puppet aesthetics of Barbie dolls. Mirrors of Life from Lin Lee-Chen was inspired by Taoist, folk rituals and religious ceremonies. The End of the Rainbow from Lin I-Chin investigates the dying tradition of Taiwanese funeral ritual and transforms it into an internalized spirit as well as the “body” unique to one’s native culture.
The exhibition focuses on three levels of interpretation of the contemporary Taiwanese art: “Folk Ritual Tradition”, “Invention in the Near Future”, and “Contemporary Taiwanese Corporeality.” The representations of ritual traditions displayed in these artworks are classical yet modern, reflecting both Western and Eastern influences. These artists explore the possibility of combining tradition and creation, and in the process transform rich local cultural traditions into the contemporary international art world.
Collaborating with the Fowler Museum, Taiwan Academy will hold a workshop on August 5th. Family members are free to participate in the live performance and face painting during the afternoon. Besides, there will be a film screening“Din Tao: Leader of the Parade”, based on the real story of Zhen Tou’s family as the closing event of the exhibition.
Opening Reception: July 21st, 2018, 14:00-16:30
(Live Performance from STC Foundation & Panel Discussion)
Related Events:
1.“Experiencing Taiwanese Iconic Temple Tradition” Workshop: August 5th, 2018, 14:00-16:00 at Fowler Museum Courtyard (Live Performance from STC Foundation & family activities)
2.Film Screening: “Din Tao: Leader of the Parade”
September 21st ,2018, 19:00-21:00 at Taiwan Academy