Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture

Jury’s Comments for the Jury's Special Award

After long discussion it was decided to select Tsui Kuang-Yu’s “The Shortcut of Systematic Life – Superficial Circumstance” for the Special Jury Award. It was felt that this award should be made in recognition of emerging talent across all art forms.

Adopting the metaphor of the 18 Copper Guardsmen” – the last test in martial arts and spiritual training at the Shaolin Temple- the artists’ videos and performances can be seen as a form of collective ordeal which the artist must undergo to establish his “spirit path.” The banality of these actions is a comment on contemporary culture and values and the artist’s humous approach reveals a sharp edge.

Comments on the Finalist

Series of performances in action capture the spectators' full attention and highlight their powerful communication rarely seen among contemporary artistic works. Rather in the fashion of Jacques Tati, the artist's seemingly mechanical comic movements are dexterously designed.

They embody a breakthrough of the next generation in live-art creation in their deconstruction of logical reasoning.

Art represents here a physical resistance of socialization rather than an exploitation of new forms or feelings.

Artwork Introduction

Generally, this was the first time Tsui have his art presented in video collection, containing several video records of his action art from 1995 to 2002.

The Subject "The Shortcut of Systematic Life" was the spell in those images to call forth such many adaptive strategies we've worked for life and consciousness. Newly conducted collections "Superficial Circumstatnces," and "The 18 Copper Guards-Permeation" (five pieces overall) presented as the central part of the project. Both of them arranged side by side in the middle of site on the 3rd floor, the whole project effected an interesting contrast among images, documents, and installations, between concept and physical creation, and formed sort of contextual reference to the works on the 2nd floor.

Speaking in viewer's aspect, the juxtaposition of all the collections completed during different period of time in a united space allowed us to browse, or to read his works like sort of open "Documents". Of course, here Tsui should not be deemed this innocent as we credited him. If it's not too censorious, have we found "agency" of the absent "author" everywhere in the whole work? All the supportive installation, such as the device carrying images—a spring TV set which rocked when video is played, figure-silhouetted plywood, properties seen in the video, or enlarged copy of a manuscript, are intended to direct viewers and readers in a subtle way.

About the Artist

Born in 1974, graduated from th National Institute of the Arts in Taiwan. Since 1995, he peresent his first work in It Park Gallery & Photo Studio. He is continuing to creat new ideas and works, not only the solo exhibitions: While Chien. Kuang. Hwuei Taking a Short Cut, The Shortcut of Systematic Life- Superficial Circumstance, but also present by the P8 Series Projects. His works conbine a lot of different materials, breaking the traditional concepts of images and performing arts, to creat a new style of Next Generation in Tawain.