Humankind migrate like seeds, swaying with the winds, drifting along the ocean waves, and settling where they can. A contemporary arts exhibition exploring themes relating to historic and modern migration and displacement will take place at the Taitung-based National Museum of Prehistory from July 13 to Oct. 14.
The theme of this exhibition will be different from those previously curated by the museum. From the perspective of contemporary artists, "Wandering Seeds: Moving and Migration ― Stories From a Place to Other" allows for more imaginative and deeper insight into anthropology and natural history through the works by local and foreign artists, lectures, and workshops.
Historic artifacts will also be displayed to outline research on migration theories, including traditional baby carriers used by different cultural groups, the South Pacific stamp collection bestowed to the museum by the late Japanese anthropologist Yoshichika Iwasa, and phylogeography research on the origins of the Austronesian peoples.
The exhibition will also be accompanied by an ongoing program comprising local artists Lin Shuen-long (林舜龍), Eleng Luluan (安聖惠), Labay Eyong (林介文), and Chen Ko-ting (陳科廷) and foreign artists Aliansyah Cania (Indonesia), Gwenola Wagon (France), Shiro Masuyama (Japan), Tommaso Muzzi (Italy), Na Hyun (S. Korea), and Yoon Soojung (S. Korea).
The 2018-19 "Moving and Migration — Stories from a Place to Other" program, which is named after the exhibition title, will bring the aforementioned artists together to share their perspectives regarding interregional movement and migration involving countries neighboring their respective nations.
Curator Chang Chih-shan (張至善) explained that the exhibition combines anthropology and contemporary arts to broaden viewers' spectrum of knowledge and interest, and that the titular "wandering seeds" theme stands for both how plants disperse their young and how migration will drive future global development.
"Wandering Seeds: Moving and Migration ― Stories From a Place to Other" is the first Taitung-based project to be sponsored by the National Cultural and Arts Foundation in 14 years. After its debut in Taiwan, the exhibition will travel to the Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Arts in South Korea.
‘Wandering Seeds: Moving and Migration ― Stories From a Place to Other’