Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei

“Parallel lines” are two never-crossing lines. In the world of music, the musical staff or “counterpoint”, a music technique widely used by Johann Sebastian Bach, are both based on parallel structure with corresponding melodies (simultaneously moving up, down, or in opposite directions), and the purpose is to pursue various changes in soundscape (pertaining to space and distance). Similarly, when these two lines are placed in the world of visual art, the “perspective” formed by the two is able to be turned into a main attraction. The two artist for this exhibition, Yannick and Darren, have moved from their usual performing stage to the experimental theater of MOCA Taipei, and by doing so, they hope to achieve self-confirmation while also offering to the audience a brand new experience; one that is based on the two artists’ interactions along the parallel lines and also relationships of diverse perspectives.

Before becoming a singer, Darren specialized in designing characters and illustrations. The “Mask” series, created with iPad’s digital painting software, is based on observations from the artist’s everyday life with different people. The style for “Mask” is dramatic and humorous, and is comprised of the artist’s personal depictions of the various faces he has encountered. The subjects in these paintings have also wittily referred to themselves as “victims” of the artist’s manipulations. Darren believes that life should be full of happiness, and through these portraits he intends to transmit to others vigorous meanings from life and positive energies from art. From this large scale exhibition of “diverse portraits” referencing to a form of social mechanism, the intent is to spur a dual effect via people’s observations of others and from which to progress to their own self-reflection. .

Yannick studied art in France with focus in sound, image, and installation art. The sound installation, “Listen”, on exhibit this time breaks conventional linear concept of time and proposes an alternative 0 to 360 degrees view, resulting in a continuous interactive relationship between people that embodies both sense and sensibility. The installation of “Listen” is comprised of a large water basin used as a ceremonial apparatus. Through the constant sounds from the ever-flowing water, ripples of light and sound are formed to imply effects that particular things and objects could cause to the society. Yannick pays close attention to the resonance between images and sounds, and through different experiments, he shows the production and restructuring between light and shadow and extends even to acts of destruction and elimination. He believes that as long as there is a sense of “warmth” possessed in the sound, it would be heard no matter how faint it may be.