In Taiwan, following the lifting of martial law, the performative developed into a significant art form by the 1990s. Re:Play at Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab, Taipei, claims this moment as one which pushed questions of every day experience through the body. In this context, the exhibiting of Kao Jun Honn’s late 1990s and early 2000s work imagines a dystopian mode of living. Yet, how do we capture the moment of his performance? Here, video replaces the physicality of performance, and the gaze of the viewer is manipulated by the director or cameraman.
Re:Play attempts to ground the many layers of the performative. The exhibition is divided into three sections: Display on Live, Performance Process and Archive on Live, an exploration of 1990s performance art and theatre in Taiwan. Contemporary artworks such as Chang Wen Hsuan‘s When Did the Merlion Become Extinct?, explore the dystopian themes present in the works of their predecessors. Archival material also provides an art history of the genre. The juxtaposition of the archive and artworks is not an unusual curatorial technique, and a connection between the works requires a well thought out curatorial statement.
The archival space becomes distant from the norms of contemporary curation in the white cube that isolates the viewer from context. It still resides in the white space, yet the works are displayed as historic documents attempting to depict a moment an art work was made. The only moment in which an artwork existed in its purest form. In its new home, it instead is seen by us as a notebook, film or sketch. A concept. Is curating the performative truly possible?
Yet, we become immersed in Honn’s works. He pushed the boundaries of the performative and theatre in order to explore the role of the physical body within art and aesthetics. For example, a video work in which the artist uses his head as a paintbrush maintains this moment that redefines established laws of art production and the body. The viewer has a moment of confusion at this unusual sight, and that is precisely what gives the work meaning. The viewer puts on headphones and is immersed in this wild performative moment. Suddenly the 1990s becomes the now, and the concept of physical presence becomes blurred.
With the ongoing prominence of performative art in the West and Taiwan, the curatorial method for exhibiting it is still changing and growing. Performers are unable to constantly remain in a space for months on end. For now, video is a sufficient methodology. However, it still places us at a distance from the moment.
Maybe reenactments are the way. Visitors should be expected to be present for performances. The archive should be an essential element for context. Performance artists should continue to maintain records of their works. Performance art has historically pushed the boundaries of art and in exhibiting it, curators should continue to question accepted forms of curating, in order to sufficiently give performance the space it requires.
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