李正祜
David JH Li
簡歷年表 Biography
相關專文 Essays


Reflecting on 12 Years of Artistic Achievement
中文
 
text by David JH Li


When I first heard about the Glenfiddich Artist in Residence (AIR) Program in 2007, my reaction was to ask why a Scottish whisky maker had launched a project for artists and how it benefited the company? The answer I received was forthright and sincere: “It’s something we can do, so why not?” On reflection, that outlook sums up the business philosophy of the Grant family – the owners of Glenfiddich. William Grant established the company in 1886 and it has remained a family run enterprise ever since, a business model that is relatively rare in the world of Scotch industry. In discussions with members of the family I was told that the strength of a family business is that it is not beholden to shareholders, which makes it easier to focus on the long term interests of the company. This is probably why the Grant family often supports activities with no direct connection to their commercial interests, one of which was the Artist in Residency program.

Most business groups cooperate with artists in an effort to bolster their image, but such projects invariably return to discussions of investment profitability. In contrast, the Artist in Residency program sponsored by Glenfiddich amazingly asked only one thing of the artists involved in the program and that was that they leave one of their works as part of the distillery’s collection or for exhibition purposes. Project curator Andy Fairgrieve said that from the very beginning “Glenfiddich” wanted to turn the Artists’ residency into the most popular such program in the world. “Our main promotional power is to provide artists with a space in which they have the freedom to produce rich and wonderfully creative art. To that end the company does its best to be hospitable and make resident artists feel as though it is a home away from home.”

Of course that sounded great.

I became a member of the Glenfiddich family in 2007, which also marked the first time I was involved in the Artist in Residency program. Over the past 12 years, a total of 12 Taiwanese artists have taken part in the AIR program and I have been honored to be part of the process, selecting participants, planning activities for exhibition openings and even enjoying the night-day upside down life of artists at the Glenfiddich distillery. However, the most invaluable experience for me has been getting to know Taiwanese artists who see the world very differently from me. Indeed, I have always been amazed at their ability to laugh and joke one moment and then suddenly launch into a serious debate about the politics of art. At the same time, my encounters with these talented individuals opened a window into a completely new world – broadening my understanding and interest in contemporary Taiwanese art, while giving me a greater appreciation of their hard work and the difficulties they face in Taiwan.

As someone who does not belong to the art community I asked myself what I could do for these artists and the assistance I could offer seemed limited. However, I came to feel that perhaps my role was to help foster a relationship between Taiwan and Scotland. Nearly a decade later, I am proud of the fact that in addition to being good at my job I have also made a small contribution to the promotion of Taiwanese art and culture.

Twelve years is an interesting number as many scotch brands tacitly agree that is the perfect age for high end classic products, making every effort to imbue their bottles with the distinctive character and stories of the distilleries that make the whisky. Today, we are celebrating 12 years of Taiwanese artists’ involvement with the Glenfiddich Artist in Residency program which is the perfect time to look back at everything we have achieved in that period. I would like to thank Ms. Chen Hui-chiao for her determination and drive, character traits that made her the perfect choice as the first Taiwanese artist to take up residency in Scotland. She has done an amazing job of keeping in touch with all the artists who have attended the artists’ village and Glenfiddich’s partners in Taiwan and thanks to all her hard work we can now enjoy Springs Eternal: Glenfiddich Artists in Residence - 12 Years from Taiwan.

We very much hope that visitors enjoy the amazing works of art produced by 12 contemporary Taiwanese artists in Scotland over the past 12 years and look forward to our continued cooperation and success.


David Li
Director of Marketing
William Grant & Sons
 
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