文 / Frankie Su
For years, CHEN Hui-chiao has, through her artwork, been repeatedly telling mythic stories in a romanticist fashion. Her own special interests in astrology and mythology have led to her frequent application of the mythic symbols in her work. Therefore, it is not surprising that as the sole female artist amongst the participants of ”TAT@MOCA2006,” Chen seeks to build up 'heterotopias' from a mythic-romanticist perspective, and to do so in quest for the heterogeneity, subversion, transformation and representation of space. In the meanwhile, she also continues to express implicit yet soaring emotions through her unique artistic language.
In a 1967 lecture, Michel Foucault (1926-1984) coined the term ‘heterotopias' to signal ‘other spaces,' suggesting that such 'other spaces' are descriptive and not real. Heterotopias provide our society with the possibility of an alternative model. More specifically, in contrast to a pyramid structure, it establishes a counter-society in an ecological form. In other words, it can be
understood as an intangible under-world. Heterotopias may take place in any form of thoughts, manifesting themselves in varied forms of creative practices or actions. It can be suggested that any form of sub-cultures that has ever been considered was more or less influenced by an aspiration to heterotopias. But at the end, the very existence of heterotopias still relies heavily on the ways in which human relationships are established.
In light of such conception of 'heterotopias,' CHEN, in her exhibition entitled 'Here and Now,' once again employs elements such as mythological symbols totems, flowers, beds, needles, and ping-pong balls in her construction of a heterotopic space - one which is located on the ground floor of the east wing of Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei. As CHEN herself has noted,
"Every story was once a feeling in the guts, a sense of 'ethereal nothingness,' and a wholeness that comes into existence as part of countless individual situations mixed together. Perhaps these inner feelings are themselves the product if some magical process of distillation inside the body, so that the
more you strive to analyze its constituent elements, the harder it becomes to grasp something taken entirely for granted. In other words, one comes increasingly to realize or feel that something never really took place, except in the imagination. Maybe this is just a story and story only; but 'Here and Now' the only remaining truth is the story."
Everyone harbors in the heart a secret garden, in which the reality of everyday life can be temporarily forgotten. In the exhibit space of the work Ancient Feeling, the thistle is proportionally enlarged, creating an illusion that the viewer's own body has been relatively reduced. The gallery hence seems to be turned into a magnificent garden. As the viewer shuttles across the field of thistles, s/he may feel a sense of liberation, yet at the same time still unable to ignore the thorns on the stems. This would generate tension in both the visual and tactual senses. Interestingly, the Scottish national flower, thistle, is a plant with healing properties. It is beautiful yet dangerous, just like any form of healing which would entail a painful process before it finally takes effects.
Similarly, the other two pieces, Bubbles of Perception - In the end is the beginning and Wings of Senses II, are visually soft and comforting, as the images of the soft mattress and the king-size bed create a dream-like environment, inviting the viewer to indulge in a relaxing sleep and sweet dreams. Nonetheless, just like all other dreams, they may first appear real and pleasant, but in the end the viewer would still be discomforted by the needles/prick and the ping-pong/froth embedded in the mattress, and ultimately wake up and come back to earth. They test, directly yet implicitly, the viewer's tolerance over conflicts.
As to Inside of Memories, columns of poetic texts shinning upon the waterfront, effectively demonstrating the sophistication of the artist. Surrounding the lake is The Silver Dust, which features stars twinkling on the ground, as if the world has been reversed, with the sky turning into the earth, and the viewer being hung up-side-down. As the lake water appears to popple silently and slowly on the sky Signs of the Pictish Wolf, Serpent and Z-Rod on the surrounding walls continually invite the viewer to the world of occultism. Just like scholars who have been captivated by occultism since Antiquity, they persistently inscribe those mythologies which had been circulating in an ancient world. Quite often, this simply echoes the artist's desire to decode her inner creative impulses; it's as if there's still another truth of life to be explored, and another activity to be going on.
I am not certain whether or not the viewer may find healing power from the mythic heterotopias that Chen has created through her works. However, with the Pictish Wolf, Serpent and Z-Rod quietly shining in the sky, the mystery message seems to consist of unexplained energy to guide our life. There’s no simply coincident encounter. She comments: whether we could receive the message or not depends on how we see or interpret these encounters happening in our life. This realization is the key to the continuously occurring mystery chance and wise in human life. This could well be the 'other place' in the east wing of Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei, a temporarily heterotopic garden in which both the artist and the viewer, whether in search for indulgence or in search for escape, can find redemption for their conscious minds.
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