Under the strong influence of popular culture, the phrase "I See You" most frequently brings to mind the 2009 movie "Avatar" or actor Takeshi Kaneshiro from his extremely popular Eva Air commercial in 2013. The Taichung-based Art Bank Taiwan seeks to create a different dialogue by holding its annual showcase of new purchases under the theme "I See You," bringing together 55 diverse works from 50 artists from December through February.
The Taichung showcase will be held at two locations — the Art Bank Taiwan headquarters and the newly renovated Taichung Shiyakusho (台中市役所), which once served as a municipal office during the Japanese colonial era. The Art Bank exhibition will be on display from Dec. 6, 2019 until Feb. 28, 2020, while the Taichung Shiyakusho exhibition will be on display from Dec. 20, 2019 until Feb. 2, 2020.
Exhibition curator Su Cheng-pu (蘇承璞) remarked that a fraction of contemporary artists has turned away from the pursuit of pure beauty, moving instead towards challenging popular cultural norms. This curiosity of wanting to know how artists view the world is the reason why he curated the showcase for the general public to "see" contemporary art.
Art Bank’s exhibition area will be a salon-style display to invoke a gathering of art portraits from different corners of a city in an attempt to guide viewers to slowly stroll through each contemporary artwork.
As a historic building, Taichung Shiyakusho will use its display of contemporary artworks to create a dialogue between the old and the new, hoping to help visitors develop an appreciation for these modern works and encourage young art creators.
The exhibition is called "I See You," because not only are the exhibition-goers coming to see the art pieces, the featured artworks are also meeting their audiences. This process of exploring and encountering new eye-catching works of art, as well as finding out the story behind each piece of artwork, is one of the most intriguing parts of the exhibition.
‘I See You’ – Art Bank Taiwan leg
Date: Dec. 6, 2019 – Feb. 28, 2020
Location: Art Bank Taiwan
Hours: 9am – 5pm (Closed on Saturdays and Sundays)
Address: No. 150 Ziyou Rd. Sec. 1, West Dist., Taichung City, Taiwan (ROC)
‘I See You’ – Taichung Shiyakusho leg
Date: Dec. 20, 2019 – Feb. 2, 2020
Location: Taichung Shiyakusho
Hours: 11am – 5pm (Closed during Lunar New Year holidays)
Address: No. 97 Minquan Rd., West Dist., Taichung City, Taiwan (ROC)