Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture

◌ Date│2026.6.29 -7.31（9 am – 7 pm, Mon - Fri）

◌ Venue│1F Lobby of TS Holding

▌Artwork Introduction

Image © tien faˊ

Sugarcane once served as a crucial tropical economic crop and military resource during the colonial era. Through global trade networks, sugar production and its widespread popularity became so essential that sugar became an indispensable, even addictive, staple and source of calories in society.

In the series Carbohydrate Fueling Cycle, LO Yi-Chun creates large-scale sculptures from sugarcane fiber and tobacco, using the molecular structure of “carbohydrates,” which are vital fuels for fitness and exercise, to develop a set of home fitness equipment. Notably, the muscle groups engaged during workouts closely resemble those used by farmers in agricultural tasks. Yet, in essence, they symbolize two vastly different cultural meanings: “leisure exercise” versus “productive labor.”

The artist explores themes ranging from sugarcane and sugar to carbohydrate molecules, using a gym setting to examine power dynamics and the flow of tropical economic crops through global trade systems. The work also addresses the addictive aspects of contemporary information-driven lifestyles. By situating the topic in a historical context, it reconsiders the dual nature of sugar and addictive substances, the shift in physical energy between labor and exercise, and the cultural trend of fitness within consumer society.

▌About the Artist｜LO Yi-Chun

Born in Taipei in 1985, LO Yi-Chun received her MFA from the Department of Fine Arts at National Taiwan University of Arts in 2010. She uses natural materials as her medium, focusing on the historical contexts of Taiwan’s economic crops. Since 2013, she has collected banana peels, tobacco, and sugarcane bagasse to create objects and spatial installations that explore the relationships between agriculture and politics and reflect on the movement of commodities and migrants in a globalized context.