The artist Li Chen is to be exhibited at MOCA, Taipei. In “Being: In/Voluntary Drift ─ Li Chen Solo Exhibition”, more than 50 pieces of his art created since the late 1990s will be exhibited until August 27th, 2017, including the series “The Immortality of Fate: Living Soul” and “Ordinary People”, together with his other popular and classic artwork. This is Li Chen’s first exhibition in Taiwan that formally presents his art that shows the imperfection of humanity and doubt, featuring one of his brand-new pieces “Innerve．Artificial Heavens”. We cordially invite you to attend the opening reception, which will be held on June 30th, 2017 at MOCA, Taipei.
Text/ Wu Hong-Liang
As the curator of the Li Chen solo exhibition that opens on July 1st, 2017 at MOCA, Taipei, I hope this exhibition showcases different facets of Li Chen, to show the reality of his art to viewers, especially people in art and academic circles. The exhibition encompasses the evolution and the context of Li Chen’s thought and the values of his art philosophy.
Studying the context of Li Chen’s works, I decided to center this exhibition around the concept of “Being”. The Chinese title of the exhibition includes the character “世 (shi)”, which has a variety of meanings including time, such as the Chinese term for century, “世紀 (shi ji)”, and generations, “世世代代 (shi shi dai dai)”; the word can also refer to space, in such terms as world “世界 (shi jie)” and can extend to other meanings, such as distancing from and engaging in society, “出世 (chu shi)” and “入世 (ru shi)”, respectively. The English title “Being” also induces the concepts of existence, life, essence, and character. With origins in eastern consciousness and Buddhist philosophy, the works of Li Chen include the vast linear character of history while containing acute contemplations of modern intuition, forming the temperament of multiplicity and pioneering quality of Li’s works. The subhead “In/Voluntary Drift” is inspired by Li Chen’s own words: “Life is as it’s always been.” Just like the exploration between the objective and subjective, the collision between history and reality, and the drift between the voluntary and involuntary, each is a journey of exile and wandering. This exhibition is separated into four sections: Arriving, Leaving, Entering, and Exiting, each allowing the viewer to experience the realm of drifting constructed by a variety of different elements.
About The Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei
The construction of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Taipei was completed and the museum inaugurated in 1921. Originally, the building was known as “Kensei Shogakko”, or Jian Cheng Elementary School, and was used for educating Japanese children during the period of Japanese rule. Since 1945, when Taiwan came under the rule of the government of the Republic of China, the building of the former elementary school was appointed the office building of the Taipei City Government. It remained so until the government moved into its new quarters in Xinyi District in 1994.
For the first seven years after its inauguration in 2001, the museum was managed and operated by the Contemporary Art Foundation, a civil organization founded by entrepreneurs and commissioned by the government. The unifying dedication and collaboration of the board of directors of the Foundation as well as the museum directors and staff resulted in numerous outstanding contemporary art exhibitions. In addition to facilitating dialogue between Taiwan and the international art scene, they greatly expanded the aesthetic tastes and cultural vision of the general public. On January 1, 2008, the Foundation’s contract ended, and the Taipei Cultural Foundation took on the task of managing and operating the museum. The new managerial team has maintained the operational ideal and direction of its predecessor while making further efforts to engage domestic and international audiences and incorporate limited official resources and the private sector’s support to create a platform for diverse culture and interdisciplinary creativity. In addition to playing an important role in organizing international contemporary art exhibitions and serving as a window to the Taiwan contemporary art scene, the museum has always hoped to achieve the following three goals: 1. to promote diverse artistic creation and exhibitions; 2. to enable new perspectives and thinking among the general public; and 3. to serve as a wellspring of the unflagging creativity and energy of contemporary urban areas.
About the Curator
Wu Hong-Liang, born in 1973, graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1996 with a degree in art history. He is a renowned curator, the vice-director and secretary-general of the Curatorial Committee, China Artists Association, the executive director of the Chinese Sculpture Institute, and the current director of the Art Museum of Beijing Fine Art Academy and Qi Baishi Memorial Museum.
In recent years, he has been devoted to the study of modern art history and of art in the 20th century, and a keen observer of the development of contemporary art and discoverer of emerging artists. In 2002, he participated in the planning of the Beijing Sculpture Art Exhibition and the construction of the Beijing International Sculpture Park; in 2003, he participated in the planning of the Qi Baishi special exhibition as part of the Beijing International Art Biennale; in 2007, he presided over the planning of the opening exhibition “Wonderful Here” at the National Centre For the Performing Arts and took office as the director of the Art Museum of Beijing Fine Art Academy; in 2008, he participated in the planning of the project “100 Olympic Sculptures” for the Beijing Olympic Games, with artworks exhibited at the Olympic Forest Park and Central Zone; and since 2007, he has presided over the planning of more than 30 exhibitions under the Qi Baishi Series and 20th Century Chinese Art Series and was a member of their research and publication teams. He has garnered several awards from the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China; in 2011, the Art Museum of Beijing Fine Art Academy, where he served as director, was named by the Ministry of Culture of People’s Republic of China as the “National Key Art Museum”; in 2017, the exhibition “Being: In/Voluntary Drift ─ Li Chen Solo Exhibition” at MOCA, Taipei, which he curated, is to be exhibited.
About the Artist
Li Chen was born in 1963 in Yunlin, Taiwan. He graduated from Dajia Senior High School in 1981. He currently lives and works in Taichung. His selected solo exhibitions include: Being: In/Voluntary Drift ─ Li Chen Solo Exhibition (Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei, 2017), Journey of Solitary Existence: Li Chen Ordinary People Debut Exhibition (Asia Art Center, Beijing, 2014), Chineseness – A Documentary Exhibition on Li Chen (Asia Art Center, Taipei, 2013), Li Chen 2013 Place Vendôme Premiere Solo Exhibition in Paris (Place Vendôme, Paris, 2013), Li Chen: Eternity and Commoner (Frye Art Museum, Seattle, 2012), Greatness of Spirit: Li Chen Premiere Sculpture Exhibition in Taiwan (National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei, 2011), Li Chen: Mind．Body．Spirit (Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, 2009), Soul Guardians – In an Age of Disasters and Calamities (Asia Art Center, Beijing, 2008), In Search of Spiritual Space (National Art Museum of China, Beijing, 2008), Energy of Emptiness (Telecom Italia Future Centre, 52nd International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, 2007). His selected group exhibitions include: The Return of Elegancy – Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition (Shenzhen Art Museum, Shenzhen, 2016), Metamorphosis – Biennale China-Italia (Manet Art Gallery, Beijing, 2016), Rest on Water and Gargle with Stone – Chinese Contemporary Literati Arts (Asia Art Center, Beijing, 2015), Culture．Mind．Becoming (Palazzo Mora, 55th International Art Exhibition – 2003 La Biennale di Venezia, 2013), China Onward: Chinese Contemporary Art, 1966-2006 (The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen; Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 2007), OPENASIA, 10th International Exhibition of Sculptures and Installations (Venice, 2007), Fiction Love – Ultra New Vision in Contemporary Art (Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei, 2004), OPENASIA, 7th International Exhibition of Sculptures and Installations (Venice, 2004), China Without Borders (Sotheby’s New York, New York, 2001). His artworks were collected in: Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts (Kaohsiung) and Olenska Foundation (Geneva).
