Press Release
The Tina Keng Gallery (Taipei) is delighted to present the latest of Wu Tien-Chang’s lens-based work in the exhibition Studio of Pseudo Photography (June 29 to August 4, opening reception on Saturday, June 29, 4:30pm). In Wu’s shift from photography to video, and returning to the latter’s incorporation into installations, we see vestiges of the complex world that he creates in each of his works. From the stories that he crafts, to the songs, costumes, and settings, the works are steeped in a nostalgia that alludes to a complex history and culture, as well as to a careful understanding and wielding of photography and film theories.
Viewers join in on Wu’s intricate staging, nostalgic reverie, and game of hide-and-seek, in the new installations, Unforgettable Lover (2013) and The One My Heart Beats For (2013), and also with his recent photographs and videos from the series Unforgettable Lover (2011–present) and Luan (2010–11). Throughout these works, Wu crafts and directs the passage of time, as it unfolds in his complex and shifting sequences. He expands on the tactics used in his installations of the 1990s, such as Dream of Past Era II (1995), and photographs of the 2000s, as in Work Side by Side (2001), crafting everything from the stage set to the costumes. The audience is directly involved in completing the works, from tacitly watching the risqué behavior of the Luan’s lenticular prints to activating the installations Unforgettable Lover and The One My Heart Beats For. Wu’s works demand that viewers observe closely, peeking into the boudoir or the photo studio as the main characters undergo changes throughout the single shot. The sailors, drifters, young boys, and other characters fashioned by Wu draw viewers into his illusionary worlds.
Wu Tien-Chang (b. 1956) lives and works in Taipei, Taiwan. He received a Bachelor in Fine Arts from Chinese Culture University (1980). His work has been shown internationally, including at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum (2013, 2012, 2011, 2009, 1990, 1987); the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (2011, 2010); the Soho Photo Gallery, New York (2010); the Hong Kong Art Centre, Hong Kong, China (2010); Eslite Gallery, Taipei (2010); Art Beijing, China (2009); Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei (2009); National Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, Taiwan (2009); the National Art Museum of China, Beijing (2009); the Taipei Cultural Center, New York (2008); and MOMA Contemporary, Fukuoka, Japan (1997).
The Tina Keng Gallery, established with specialist expertise in appreciation of modern classics, is also extensively involved in the current booming contemporary art scene. We seek to promote and present works of art of simple beauty with profound cultural heritage and reflect the vitality, complexity, and historical significance of Asian art of our generation in the 21st century. As always, we are delighted to serve as an enthusiastic supporter setting the stage where visionary artists are welcome to fully express themselves.
