Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles is pleased to present an exhibition of works by Taiwanese artist Chin-Chih Yang, titled “Rejuvenate x Illuminate,” in honor of Earth Day and to raise environmental awareness through art. Yang’s meticulously weaved “trashion” pieces, as well as his mesmerizing light sculptures, all made from recycled materials, will be on display from April 21 to June 16 at Taiwan Academy’s gallery located in the Westwood Village. The RSVP only opening reception will be held on April 21.
Aside from exhibiting a total of eight installations accompanied by a video reel that documents his works, Yang is also scheduled to present his interactive performance piece titled “The Trash Man” in the Earth Day LA 2017 event on April 19, hosted at Grand Park by LADWP, and at Polliwog Park on April 22, hosted by the City of Manhattan Beach.
Based in New York, Yang is a multidisciplinary artist who has received international attention and critical acclaim for his dedication to environmental activism through provocative artistic practices. Through combining found materials and using his own body, Yang often makes art in bustling urban spaces, to intervene the flow of urban life in a guerilla manner and voices his protests against the negative environmental impact caused by modern consumerism.
The exhibition is divided into two related groups of works; Rejuvenated Fashion, featuring a series of alternative fashion pieces weaved from discarded aluminum cans, and Light of Life, a series of light installations constructed from a variety of disposed materials. Yang transforms excess waste into drastically new forms; by combining them with other salvaged parts such as wires and electronics, he creates not only installations with distinct textures and meanings, but wearable pieces he utilizes for his other disciplines.
In his interactive performances, Yang often employs bizarre body language and outlandish physical presence to convey humor and irony, to wittily dissipate the fog of preconceptions that hinders the individual. With his unusual approach, Yang paves an unique path that allows him to address contemporary cultural phenomena related to topics such as pollution, isolation and intolerance, and formulate aesthetically striking responses to the anxiety and entrancement he sees the modern world suffering from.
Yang deeply values opportunities to share his art with people who do not ordinarily encounter art. From his own unique life experiences, Yang believes that art should exist in the lives of the general public, therefore most of his works involve great effort in interacting and engaging with the public.