- Date 2002-11-22
- Venue National Cultural Association
The Museum Betel-nuts Stand
Gong Shy
Comments on the Finalist
Betel-Nuts Stands with their salesgirls represent the most attractive and vernacular aesthetic ideas among the subcultures of Taiwan, which realizes itself vividly in this work of Shy’s with its live-art ambush against official exhibitions.
It succeeds commercially as well in marketing its teamwork creation and astounding aesthetics.
Via its itinerant demonstrations of selling betel-nut tea, this work validates itself in making art inseparable from life instead of using art as a preaching tool.
As a rarity among domestic artistic creations, it shows playful ingenuity and eliminates the gulf between art and life.
Artwork Introduction
The Museum Betel-nuts Stand, the presentation of this artwork has made a perfect and vivid elaboration of the Taiwanese Betel Nut Beauty's culture and aesthetics through the diversities of forms of installation art, action art, presentation art, art sales and video recordings. Moreover, it also presents a whole new creative type of art sales through this distinguishing feature of the local culture Betel Nut Beauty.
About the Artist
Gong Shy is a Chinese architect raised in America. Upon returning to Taiwan, he was initially overwhelmed by the instability as well as the vivacity of the society; thus drawn, he began his series of artistic creations on the subject of national beliefs. Shy Gong excels at observing and presenting the intricate changes of social spirits in varied times and spaces, and converting these phenomena into installation and action art forms, sensitively manifesting the ambiguity of Taiwan's historical position and the society's conflicts. His works are permeated with religious air, often containing the form of a temple and including a series of religious rituals. Heis works include Taiwan Fude Temple, Taipei Shihlin Night Market, Spatial Aesthetics Following I.M.P. (How much is this space a pound?) , God Serial No. 228, The Sky Is Not the Limit -Pupa Is Coming, Museum Betel-nuts Stand.
Production Team
Artist & Director： Shy Gong
Cameraman and Video Producer： Chen Hong Bin
Photographer： Lu Ji Da, Anna Zhang, Zoe Huang, Liu Xiu Yao
Betel Nut Stand Design and Administrator： Anna Zhang, Zoe Huang, Liu Xiu Yao, Bruce Zhao, Huang Ka Qin
Costume Design： Jiang Wen Zi, Betel Nut Beauties
Music： The Wall Tigers / Betelnut Beauty
Actors： Bao, Bruce Zhao, Lorraine, Ya Li, Wan Tin, etc.
