Chen Han-Sheng: After the Explosion, 1988
Exhibition Dates: August 5 to September 12, 2019
In 1988, two “man-made” explosions took place in Dashe, Kaohsiung. One was my birth, and the other the accident at the China Petrochemical Development Corporation’s Dashe Plant. “Man-made” explosions seem to have already become a rather common “natural phenomenon” today, and my hometown, Dashe, has served as the best example of such a phenomenon. On view in After the Explosion, 1988 is my work, entitled Symbiotic Seedlings, which aims to convey the daily scene in Dashe that I have perceived.
Symbiotic Seedlings was partly inspired by vegetable seedling trays and partly by the clunking noise made by machines operating daily in factories, which accompany the seedlings since they germinate. Although there exists no absolute “symbiotic” relationship between agriculture and industry, the growth and decline of both in modern industries have deeply influenced our living environment and rights of survival.
After the Explosion, 1988 echoes my 2019 solo exhibition, After the Explosion, and presents a tapestry interwoven with a sense of coldness, tranquility, crisis and daily life through the pastoral imagination.
Aritst / Chen Han-Sheng
Chen Han-Sheng was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 1988. He holds an MFA in New Media Art from Taipei National University of Arts, and specializes in experimental animation, fiber art and mechanical installation that explore agricultural and environmental issues. He has won numerous awards, among which are an Honorable Mention in Taipei Art Awards, the First Prize of Next Art Tainan, and the Second Prize of MATA. His works have been selected into the Taoyuan Contemporary Arts Award, the Digital Art Award Taipei, the 2016 National Art Exhibition, ROC, the Shenzhen Independent Animation Biennale, the 19th Biennal de Cerámica de Esplugues Angelina Alós in Spain, etc.
