Solidarity in Interesting Times-Hong Kong and Taiwan at the 58th Venice Biennale (original) (raw)
Curated by Ralph Rugoff, The 58th Venice International Art Exhibition is titled May You Live In Interesting Times. It is named after a phrase that has been invoked in speeches by Western politicians for over a hundred years as an ‘ancient Chinese curse’, even though such a curse never actually existed. While seemingly a blessing, it annotates ironically that peace and harmony are better for the human well-being yet seem too stable and ‘uninteresting’ when compare to ‘interesting’ one, which usually refer to disorder and conflict from historical perspective. Interesting time – disorder, conflict, disturbance – is ignited by aggressive differentiation of ‘we’ and ‘they; an exclusionary manner of existence. However, foreignness – the ‘they’ – is an imperative component of every community. From exclusion to inclusion is exigency in the modern world. Exhibitions of Hong Kong and Taiwan in Venice propound negotiations between exclusion and inclusion from propositions of female and queer artists. Both exhibitions are said to be their first female artists solos in Venice. Shirley Tse and Shu Lea Cheang represent Hong Kong and Taiwan respectively. In this context, both exhibitions could easily fall into the loop of delineating the oppressed in literal and exclusive manners; representing the gender and sexual inequalities in the voice of suppressed. While calling for solidarity usually refers to unity and harmony of the group of sameness; members in a group share same belief, suffering, ethnical background, and sexual preference. Tse and Cheang, however, turn the exhibitions in Venice into an inclusionary site by liberating themselves from conventional expectation to female artists. The two exhibitions, artistically translate voices of the suppressed into humanity by regarding the ‘they’ – feminine and sexual minority – as imperative of humanity. The two exhibitions denote negotiation with and embrace of differences.
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