(de)phallocentrism: Chuang Wei-Tzu

(de)phallocentrism

TKG+ Projects is pleased to present (de)phallocentrism, a group exhibition curated by Chuang Wei-Tzu. Aiming to reconfigure notions of queer desire through image, visual narrative, sound performance, and folktales, this exhibition comprises works of artists Chang Yun-Han, Yang Yu-Chiao, Chang Wen-Hsuan, Liao Hai-Ting, Fan Yang-Tsung, Lu Hao-Yuan, Jian Yi-Hong, Huang Meng-Wen, Luo Jr-Shin, as well as three researchers from Cultime Co.: Tsai Yu-Chen, Chen Wei-Chen, and Chen Pei-Jean, to examine the fluid nature and hidden narratives of queer eroticism.

The theoretical framework of this exhibition lies in the psychoanalysis and social construction of sexuality. The exhibition’s Chinese title — which translates to “turning your back to the sun” — not only evokes the clandestine nature of queer eroticism, but is further linked to concepts of the phallus and phallocentrism in psychoanalytic theory. Conceptualized as a cognitive process, de(phallocentrism) is an attempt to explore states of queer desire, and how such desires can escape or bypass the dominant, masculine-centric order and re-establish a narrative of fluidity and heterogeneity. This exhibition contemplates, challenges, and deconstructs the erotic qualities denoted by symbolic order, ultimately presenting a multifaceted view of queer eroticism.

de(phallocentrism) interprets the ambient flow of eroticism and its clandestine nature from three perspectives. The first section consists of paintings and illustrations that explore how eroticism is embedded in and conveyed through certain images and symbolic referents. In Swimming Pool Series – Dark Tiles (2019), Fan Yang-Tsung depicts a male figure seated at the edge of a public pool with his back turned, delicately embodying the inescapable gaze and lust for the male body. Lu Hao-Yuan captures the spirit of eroticism through still life in his works Ducks (2020), Octopus (2017), and Barnacles (2015). In each painting, the artist renders a symbolically-charged object in a bold and refined manner, underscoring tensions between the flow of eroticism and unspeakable taboos. Jian Yi-Hong’s A Book: What Is Love? (2022)collects sketches of intimate moments that are difficult to capture in a single frame. The small scale of these emotionally-charged illustrations requires the viewer to read them closely, drawing the viewer into an intimate one-on-one dialogue with the artist. Sink, Sunk, Suck I-III (2022), Luo Jr-Shin’s latest piece and the only three-dimensional work in this exhibition, evokes a surreal space constructed with desire and imagination through his experimental approach to objects and mediums.

The second section of the exhibition turns to sound, image, and narrative. Beginning with the human voice and incorporating text, music, and sound, The F Story (2022) by Chang Wen-Hsuan and Liao Hai-Ting explores the relationship between the materiality of sound, the construction of the subject, and layered meaning, ultimately configuring a non-binary understanding of sexual desire. Chang Yun-Han and Yang Yu-Chiao’s collaborative work Vestigials (2022) is inspired by the unique narrative structure of folktales, and it examines the reenactment and re-telling of stories as a means of circulating and disseminating queer erotic narratives. Huang Meng-Wen’s Wandering (2022) is part of an ongoing project in which she investigates notions of gender and the body in modern Taiwanese history. In this new work, the artist presents a curated selection of photographs and historical documents — including excerpts of the Police Violation Punishment Laws that banned “exotic clothing” and “loitering” during the martial law era — to explore how queer bodily expression was stigmatized throughout the oppressive regime, while showcasing how queer identities were covertly expressed in a conservative patriarchal society.

The final section of the exhibition consists of an audio-visual installation and documentary work titled Lesbian Trio (2022) by Chen Wei-Chen, Chen Pei-Jean, and Tsai Yu-Chen from Cultime Co. This work is an extension of the group’s other research projects in recent years, including “Representation, Resistance, Reconciliation: Tracing the History of Tongzhi (LGBT) Stigma in Taiwan” and “Lesbian Culture Archives.” In addition to excavating the archives of the queer culture and identity movement in the 1990s, the researchers integrate the experience of memory with the archival sounds, allowing text and sound to interact, pondering the relationship between archives and individual experience.

Through the curated presentation of these works, de(phallocentrism) endeavors to explore the potential of erotic flow and its covert manifestations as a means to challenge the gender binary construct. The exhibition further demonstrates the capacity for contemporary art to convey and command the flow of eroticism, providing the viewer with an alternative perspective on the queer community and its erotic landscape.

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