台北當代藝術館 官方網站 Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei

藝術事件之於租約到期的平行時空裡，兩者將於「呼吸容易換氣難！質感生活多簡單？」一展中首度碰頭，也是台北當代藝術館「街大歡囍」街區藝術節專案首次邀請館外策展人合作，協同引路，一同思考藝術，在走出美術館之後，究竟發生了什麼事？ 關係性？互動性？參與性？批判性？藝術走出美術館，時至今日，許多觀者對藝術或許依舊無感，而因為藝術「介入」而提高的租金，及其相伴而來的商業活動，才真的讓居民有感到「藝術」對生活的影響；天地有大美而不言，生活中的幸福和辛苦，同樣也是此中有真意，欲辯已忘言；藝術作為一種文化表徵時，在面對資本主義的不可逆以及休戚與共時，藝術將成為怎樣的調節閥？在質感生活的追求與嚮往之外，或許可以進一步地詢問「質感是如何被塑造與再現的？」 教育的功能？啟發的契機？新的可能性？不可否認的，面對當前的政治處境與生存現況，多數的策展人和藝術家對「作品」的期待，如同把握現世的老實念經，期待下一輩子會更好，而許多藝術評論或是創作自述，往往有著「天雨雖寬不潤無根之草，佛門雖廣難渡無緣之人」的無奈與被動，毫無疑問的，藝術很重要，但不是一切，藝術即使離開了美術館，還是有不可避免的「被動」。 或許，如何用藝術面對「以藝術之名」引發的現象，才是此屆「街大歡囍」的起點與初衷，此次展覽「作品」的類型，物件式的作品在上述思考脈絡下，比例大幅降低，並強調「引路」做為一種策展方法。「呼吸容易換氣難！質感生活多簡單？」一展雖然無法解決自身提出的問題，但也無法假裝天天美好，透過展覽，鼓起勇氣，看看用藝術換氣為何越來越困難？另外，也嘗試「享受」質感生活樣板化的趣味與挑戰。

Art events and the expiration of leases used to be unrelated; now Inhale! Exhale! What a Quality Life Really Entails is bringing the two things together. It is also the first time that MoCA’s Street Fun, Fun Street collaborates with an external curator to lead the way and guide the public to think about the reality of art outside the museum.


Relational? Interactive? Participatory? Critical? Art has stepped out of the museum for some time, yet many people still feel unconnected to art. On the other hand, rising rents due to the “intervention” of art, along with the ensuing commercial activities, have created real “artistic” impacts on people’s life. It is said that the real great beauty in nature cannot be described with words; equally, the genuine happiness and hardship in real life are also hard to express with words. What kind of a regulator can art be as a form of cultural representation when facing the irreversibility of capitalism as well as the goods and bads capitalism brings? When dreaming and pursuing a quality life, perhaps we should also take a step further and ask instead: “How is quality manufactured and represented?”


Educational? Inspirational? New possibilities? Undeniably, in light of current political and survival situations, many curators and artists have not expected much of “artworks,” as if they were only steadfastly praying for a better future or next life. Many art reviews and artist statements are filled with a sense of helplessness and passiveness, reminding us of the saying that “vastly it rains, but rootless grass will not be nourished; expansive is the Buddhist dharma, yet it cannot help those without affinity.” Without question, art is important, but it does not mean everything. When art is outside of museums, unavoidable “passivity” still follows closely.


Therefore, this year’s Street Fun, Fun Street aims to and starts with employing art to explore all the phenomena caused by what has been done “in the name of art.” In terms of “artworks” on view in this exhibition, the number of object-like artworks will decrease in accordance with the aforesaid thinking. Instead, the exhibition emphasizes on “leading the way” as a curatorial strategy. Inhale! Exhale! What a Quality Life Really Entails might not be able to provide solutions to the questions it raises, but it does not sugarcoat everything, either. With this exhibition, we encourage all to discover the truth why it is getting harder and harder to breathe fresh air in art. Moreover, we also try to “enjoy” the fun and challenge of a homogenizing quality life.