SuperGeneration@Taiwan
A Small, Shredded, Sparkling and Spaced-out Age

Duration: 2008/11/22 ~ 2009/01/18 

Curator: Chung-Hsien Yan

Venue: Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei

INTRODUCTION

Unlike older generations, the younger generation in Taiwan grew up in an environment without war and political persecution, with less poverty and full access to information. This generation feels free to abandon tradition and takes education and freedom for granted. In addition, all the information they want is, literally, at their fingertips. They refuse to carry the heavy burdens shouldered by the older generation, and have no interest in “bigness,” “greatness,” or anything “epochal.” No doctrine, no beliefs, no preaching and no slogans. Instead of pursuing eternity or developing universal values, they only care about shredded pieces of things that have minimal significance. If there’s something worth of their passion, that would be the sense of being and resonance; that is, “life” itself.

SuperGeneration@Taiwan, an exhibition to be held in the Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei from 22 November 2008, is in attempt to picture such a generation.

The first 2008 exhibition of MOCA was Infantization from Shanghai Art Museum, which specifically sampled the art and aesthetics of the new generation in China. Time soon transfers to the end of the year. MOCA will have a game played by the small, shredded, sparkling and spaced-out age to ring the cross-year bell of 2008-2009. Interestingly, after the curtain of SuperGeneration@Taiwan falls next January, the exhibition will then switch its space over to Shanghai Art Museum. When the Chinese Infantization meets the Taiwanese Super Generation, what kind of duel will be brought up across the Straits?

The title of the exhibition SuperGeneration@Taiwan contains four segments—Small, Shredded, Sparkling, Spaced-out-- that identify the lifestyle and thoughts model of the new generation:

“Small” reveals a comprehensive sense of hostility against bigness, grandness, heroism and immortality. Smallness reflects a commitment to rapid elimination and changes that are based on reality. Smallness constantly upgrades by challenging and overcoming difficulties. Smallness is the demonstration of an individual’s loyalty and unavoidable discontentment with the desire for being in the micro environment.

“Shredded,” an unshaped and unformed status, redefines and reincarnates the individual’s reluctance to reach adulthood. “Shredded” is an exclusive focus on sex, love, and relationships. “Shredded” is like installing a microprocessor in life and career planning, representing a revolutionary upgrade and necessary carefulness and deliberation.

“Sparkling” means someone who is highly skeptical, early developed, fun-seeking and very sophisticated. A sparkling person tends to discover amusement in building a unique life style and pursues joy through life-risking activities. A sparkling person favors extreme visual or non-visual fashions, consumption, and styles. A sparkling person is like a gamer who advances to the next level again and again to finish the game.

“Spaced-out” is a manifestation of revolution, seduction, rhetoric, illusion, anxiety, and an attitude of believing in individual attainment despite being tagged as “defeated” and “uncertain” by the older generation. “Spaced out” stands for a kind of revolt, peering, anticipatory dizziness, and a new virtue.

The exhibition is directed by the cross-discipline artist Chung-Hsien Yan, who invited more than ten artists living in the “SuperGeneration” to participate: Bruce Lee, Chiaying Chang, Chun-Ching Yeh, Chung-Han Yao, Chung-Kun Wang, Cola King, Geng-Zhen Wu, Lun-Mei Kwai, Lynch Kuo, Mr. Red, Shiah Shiah, Tai-Hsuan Lin, Tang-Wei Hsu, Yi-Chieh Chen, Yi-Li Yeh and three group creators City Yeast, POETRYNOW and TRAINING LOVING ROOM. Participants also include renowned art critics Amy Cheng and Ching-Wen Chang, and famous writer Ying-Shu Cheng, who express their personal experiences and observations of the blog culture. Something to be noted is that several artists here have never or rarely show up in contemporary art exhibition.

The forms of the exhibits are so various, as if a greedy monster who wants to swallow up everything and anything belongs to this generation. The diverse works include painting, illustration, sculpture, video-recording, photography, audio-recording, architecture, video game, design, music, movie, literature, and sub-cultural citations, such as wrestler, internet café, Tarot, SM, Blog, etc. All these materials altogether weave out a cloth filled with the life experiences, environment, interests, and aesthetics of the generation.

SuperGeneration@Taiwan proclaims that the newer generation must be aggressive to occupy a new field, a demonstration of youth in which standards and even the self are criticized, a criticism of the hidden vulgarity, originality, duplication and even discriminatory statements.

Therefore, the super generation prefers using “Blog” and “Alter-creativity Market” to outline itself, exerting its influence in a broad s?s?s?s fashion and developing the aesthetics that originates in the Super while Small, Shredded yet Sparkling era. This exhibition, though indulging in the game of confusion, ponders “the art that belongs to this new generation.”

OPENING ACTIVITIES

To come along with the formative exhibition of SuperGeneration@Taiwan, MOCA plans some special activities for its opening. In the evening of 21 November, we will have wrestlers from Taiwan Wrestling Taipei to compete Bruce Lee’s Wrestlers. On the other hand, Yi-Li Yeh will bring her senseless behavior art “Pink Bubble” to surprise everyone onsite.

22 November, the curator’s “Alter-creativity Market” idea will no more merely be an imagination. It will be carried out into reality inside the museum. All the audience will have chance to experience the idea for real. Moreover, the host of Virtual Shop, Tang-Wei Hsu, will paint a map for the Market. Everyone who visits the museum holding the map will then immediately transform into a RPG figure. MOCA is just the best place for gaming!

MORE ACTIVITIES

During the exhibition, the curator and the artists are invited to bring a series of educational activities on Saturdays and Sundays, such as “Face-to-face with the Artists”, “Tour Guided by the Artists” and “Weekend Workshop”.

One of the most important focuses of MOCA is to get the community involved in the world of contemporary art. In 20 December, MOCA will hold an Artistic Christmas Parade. The main purpose of the parade is to present the result of the cooperation between MOCA and Jan-Cheng Junior High School. Anyone who loves dressing up is welcomed to join!