text by Kao Jun-Honn
The 2023 Dàng: Wu Mali at the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts (KMFA) gathers the major projects and works of Taiwan environmental artist and cultural action representative Wu Mali. The curatorial team, led by Huang Hai-Ming, focused on the introduction, deconstruction, and localization of avant-garde knowledge, the establishment of feminist awareness and “feminine” thinking, and the sustainability of the environment and ecology. The three themes resemble concentric circles and represent the progression of Wu’s art concepts, but they also align with the intellectual changes in Taiwan's contemporary art. This article hopes to first clarify this knowledge-based transformation and further discuss the relationship between knowledge-based creative works and the curatorial practices of the art museum.
As an introducer and interpreter of colossal amounts of knowledge on Western art, Wu’s influence impacted an entire generation of Taiwanese creative back when the mechanism of transmitting art and online file constructions were not as sophisticated. Apart from introducing the knowledge at a time when avant-garde art in Taiwan was on the fence about whether to step into the realm of interdisciplinary art, Wu had long dedicated herself to related cultural actions and actively contributed to the sustainable development of environmental art and the ecology; therefore, it can be said that she is an art activist whose works embodied feminist and environmental holism early on. In fact, a central theme prevails in Wu’s works, which is the underlying hegemony in art systems, including the hegemony in artist epistemology. Here, we can take a step further and delve into the issue of artist epistemology. Lucy Cotter mentioned the contemporary motive for intellectual artworks is largely rooted in the concept of “knowledge economy.” If art is to engage in dialogue with contemporary society and culture, political economy, and even technological development, it should assume that it embodies the function of the knowledge economy. Cotter’s analysis is mostly based on the rise of research-based art. However, her “artistic epistemology” does not refer to the hegemonic knowledge in art history, as in Noel Carroll’s idea that all art histories are canonical histories and knowledge of masters and geniuses; therefore, they are histories of “masterpieces.” In order for artist epistemology to become “economical,” especially in terms of the economy of the general public, it must be able to circulate. Therefore, contemporary art’s process of excavating the knowledge of the few, local context, and inspirational conversation, are processes of producing “knowledge.”
I remember attending the “Three Public Curatorial Lectures: Sustainable Home – A Systematic Study of Ecology and Environment” meeting at the KMFA in 2020. The event was hosted by Huang Hai-Ming, and participants proposed ideas on issues that they were concerned with and on the future solo exhibition of Wu Mali. One of the central ideas was how an art museum (or solo exhibition) becomes a space for connecting and producing knowledge. This, of course, is something that Wu has been doing for a long time. Looking back, the “knowledge” in her works is not single-directional instillments of content, nor do they consist of difficult terminology, as Carroll’s aforementioned “knowledge of masters and geniuses,” but instead grew gradually from extended conversations, communication, coordination, and understanding with locals. Therefore, the ideal form of artist epistemology transcends a singular and restrictive theoretical approach but instead is a form of local knowledge shaped by different dialogues and connections. In some cases, local knowledge entails “wisdom” that we cannot help but admire. A rep airman who fixes household appliances doesn't always have to know the workings of the entire machine to provide solutions. They may use their own expertise to fix the problem, such as using a hair dryer to blow the circuit board or a rubber eraser to improve the connection between a memory card and the card reader. This approach often leads to an easy solution for the problem. For environmental art, art actions play an important role in producing local knowledge. For instance, a local meal gathering or a walk may encourage conversation, which in turn inspires the transmission of knowledge. From this perspective, Wu’s works can be viewed as a consistent feature of knowledge production in Taiwan’s contemporary art, a major example of translating foreign art knowledge to engage in exchanges with local knowledge.
How can art actions be presented in alternative art spaces after the actions have ended? This has long been an enormous challenge. The Dàng: Wu Mali integrates document displays, architectural thinking, and moving interactive installations, an interesting and rich case of presentation. In particular, various sensations, such as physical and visual sensations and sense of taste, integrate into a bold experiment. In addition, for Wu’s artistic training and background, this creative action contains the “anti-art” and “anti-matter” qualities of avant-garde art. Therefore, a still exhibition may be seen as a step further for an art action, re-contemplating “space” as an arena for knowledge production. Throughout this exhibition, presented in the Taiwan Buffalo platform in the library area on the 2nd floor are books that Wu translated during her time as the editor-in-chief of the art books series of Yuan-Liou Publishing, as well as publications on environmental art actions, such as the Plum Tree Creek and Tropic of Cancer, forming a square with different types of manifestations, echoing the previously-mentioned concept of “art knowledge” as a dialogue technique and connection methods, a shared understanding, and a physical and mental exchange and response. In other words, rather than being “Explicit Knowledge” that seems unapproachable, this approach is closer to Michael Polanyi’s “Tacit Knowledge.”
“Hidden behind all environmental issues are cultural issues,” a statement displayed in the exhibition space and one proposed during the By the River, On the River, Of the River(2006), has been lingering in my mind. When this idea was proposed over 20 years ago, the water of the Tamsui River was as dark as ink. Two decades later, we see that the environment has improved, and there has been overall advancement in civic consciousness. Although these were all made possible due to general structural changes, environmental art was the major, long-term, and invisible change that cannot be overlooked. However, on the whole, the Earth inhabited by humans is gradually approaching its demise, and environmental problems have escalated into competition in nationalism, geopolitics, and the free-market economy amid globalization; in the process, the environment has become a silent sacrifice. Helen Mayer Harrison and Newton Harrison, the US environmental art duo, mentioned the “Ennobling Problem,” raising the question of whether art is capable of addressing the vast challenges and inquiries of human survival. This leads to an even more fundamental question: apart from how art responds to these questions, we should re-contemplate the essence of art.
Looking back on when I was first introduced to avant-garde art in the 90s, I recall the impact of the first group of senior artists who studied in the US or Europe, as well as the books from Yuan-Liou Publishing's art series, which I read repeatedly and accompanied me as I navigated various classrooms. Years later, my artistic practice shifted focus toward local matters, and I recognize the limitations of Western modern and contemporary art. Yet, the "eye-opening " experience endures, and the inspiration derived from foreign knowledge has largely evolved into elements that foster deeper engagement with the local landscape. These rich perspectives propel contemporary artists forward, and we largely owe this to the guidance and contributions of our mentor and senior, Wu Mali.
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Dàng: Wu Mali Solo Exhibition
2023.03.11 - 2023.07.02
Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts Room 104-105
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