Brief Exhibition Guide

The works shown in this exhibition are based on old photographs of life in Taiwan during the period of Japanese colonial rule and the Cold War. The speed with which the times changed in the past resulted in the destitution of many and local markets filled with images of the past. Looking through these photographic images taken by our ancestors I was surprised to discover the subtle relativist aesthetic language shared by political and photographic histories of Taiwan. With this in mind I used digital image processing techniques to reassemble historical memories, creating virtual scenarios to showcase the reality of colonial life and by so doing raise fundamental questions concerning the nature of Taiwanese identity.

Creative Philosophy

The English word "Cider" refers to an alcoholic drink made in the West from fermented apple juice since before the Middle Ages. The juice extracted from these not quite ripe apples has a slightly acidic taste because it is not subjected to a wide range of processes or additives, which also makes it highly nutritious and healthy. Cider is not the same thing as apple juice. Although the former retains the stimulating taste of the apple pulp, the unfiltered traditional drink with its misty appearance cannot be compared to the many different types of apple drink sold today.

Cider first appeared in Taiwan in the 1960's. In the post war period, Taiwan accepted economic assistance from the United States and apples were soon fashionable and fun. As a result, the apple cider imported by the US became a best selling soft drink though it was not real cider. Restrictions imposed by health and sanitations laws only allowed cider to be sold after filtration and sterilization, so real cider could only be experienced in the orchards of America where it was made by the orchard owner.

At this juncture it should be noted that 'Taiwan Cider" is not the name of a drink, but rather a cultural allusion or more specifically what amounts to habitual reflection on the part of the artist with regards Taiwanese "identity."


Taiwan Cider addresses the following issues:

1. Politics and History

The unique nature of Taiwanese history Taiwan is can be attested to by viewing the details of daily life. On this occasion I use old photographs of ordinary life from the Japanese colonial and early national government periods as my creative medium. The origin of most of these pictures is unknown, but they do share one similarity that led to so many being disposed of en masse, namely a series of rapid changes in political attitudes from the period of martial law to the present. All the recent slogans about changing the party in power are a reflection of the gradualist progress of history. Whether as an extension of the collective memory of the policy of Japanification undertaken by the Japanese colonial government or the identity crisis brought about by the movement of the national government to Taiwan, the anti-communist national salvation movement and the death of soldiers far away from their hometowns, everything in Taiwan has been distorted by politics. Moreover, a microcosm of life impacted by historical scars is essentially very similar to the myth of changing governments, the loss of social values leading to greater realism in the passage from one generation to the next.

When I focused on the expressions on the faces of the characters in these photographs, although I could occasionally see what Benjamin called the sense of tacit understanding and trust between photographer and subject, I was more shocked to discover the way in which the photographer subconsciously interprets an alternative colonial viewpoint. In this context, Benjamin's theory of "aura" is particularly effective when directed at scenarios involving colonial subjects from another country.

2. Virtual reality

Not many people owned cameras during the period of Japanese rule, so these photographs cannot be really called "life pictures." In most cases, photos were taken to record some ritual and so many most were taken in a photographic studios. The photographer copies the style of Japanese photo-portraits and group pictures so that the subjects all have the same facial expressions and posture. The intensity of these expressions also reveals the sense of boredom that pervades stereotypical life in earlier society. The formulaic group photographs are like a large collection of monuments to the public or statues of saints without their halos, almost as if one can hear the faint singling of an elegy.

3. Creative methodology

Using these photographs of anonymous individuals brings with it multiple layers of meaning:

a. These photographs are not from the distant past and it is entirely possible that some of the subjects are still alive, but the pictures have been disposed with, a fact that highlights the extent to which Taiwanese society still attaches little importance to historical memory or lacks a sense of history. In addition, this also amounts to a fissure between the values of different generations, one that means the younger generation has no interest in the lives of those that came before. On top of that, many of the figures in these photographs were around during the most desolate time in Taiwanese politics, so to some extent the disposal of memories involves the rejection of political melancholy. Although this vicious circle has led to the relatively easy unloading of historical burdens, it has also accelerated the lack of focus brought about after the compression of history and rapid collapse of values, ensuring there are no obstacles to the short term enjoyment of popular culture. I use these photographs not only to discuss the "veracity" of the pictures themselves, but also as a vehicle to explore the invisible collective conscious that lies behind this deliberate disposal of the truth. In that sense, my work should be viewed as a discourse on how to interpret reality. This concept does not relate to the arrangement of representation of scenarios in the photographs.

b. Looking at old photographs it is difficult to avoid a certain sense of nostalgia and an indescribable longing for home. When memories are deliberately suppressed or forgotten over a long period of time, the imaginary elements of home sickness are intensified and guessing and imagination map out the course of history. It is on this basis that I have made use of digital graphics software to edit different pictures, perhaps changing them completely or combining scenes and tools, to eliminate elements that are excessively real. In this way virtuality becomes the reality of home sickness. In addition, nostalgia for the artificial addition of color to the old photographs also heightens the exotic sentiment that surrounds colonial history and serves as an ironic counterpoint to the post colonialism of a modern world consumed by globalization.