Romantic Geography: A field research and exhibition practice on distribution of urban space: Curated by Zoe Chia-Jung Yeh
Co-curator: Oko Goto
Landscape, hydrology, climate, and all the factors that compose the known meaning of geography, allows people to grow. However, what structures modern life is mainly the human behavior. Through artistic approaches, the exhibition tries to decode the drama in contemporary society and provide an alternative experience to the metropolitan framework. The works reflect the human relationships to the city, ranging from individual, community, and environment.
Kobayashi Fumiko reconsiders the connection of body to artificial surroundings, providing new description to the functions in the city. Nishizawa Satoshi compares the living of young generation in both Tokyo and Taipei, trying to observe the sceneries composed of layered time and things in their urbanite ways of living.. Chien-Hao Wang questions the imagination of “ideal living” and indicates the influence from mass media and consumerism. Starting from personal experiences, some works also react to the society. With the aging of population and shift of housing needs, Kitazawa Jun suggests the new approach to housing complex and build up the neighborhood identity. Another factor that influence the structure of population are immigrants, Cooking at the Frontline visits harbor city Yokohama, interviews immigrants from all over the world and collect the recipes from them, each cuisine reflects a big journey of life. For those who are overflowed by the city, Jyun-yang Wun focuses on the minority in the city and reference the living style of homeless people to create a new kind of hotel. In Chia-jong Hsu’s work, she discusses the migration of trees in the city depending on human’s behavior and tries to raise people’s conscious to trees in city environment.
Despite of the cultural differences in Japan and Taiwan, urban landscape becomes the subject in artists’ research. With the continuing of exhibition, each project grows to present an organic process according to its focusing cities. The exhibition hopes to cause more attention to distribution of urban spaces.
Sponsors: NCAF-Visual Art Curatorial Project, Spring Foundation, F.C.H Investment Corp, TKG+ Projects
