An overseas residency exchange program organized by the Ministry of Culture supported two curators Hsu Shih-yu (徐詩雨) and Chou Yu-ling (周郁齡) to the ISCP International Art Studio in New York in April.
They participated in the "Summer Open House" event on July 28 with other 27 artists from 24 countries to release the result of residency in the village.
Hsu explored the relationship of the dinosaur on display and fossils among the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York, the National Museum of Natural Science, and the National Taiwan Museum (NTM) in Taiwan. While Chou visited New York’s important museums, curators and artists to explore the influence of modernity.
Hsu said that the theme of the research was about museums and dinosaurs on display. As AMNH has a rich collection of fossils including dinosaurs, and NTM used to display dinosaur fossils and electric dinosaurs in the past, she explored the reasons for the different media choices of dinosaur exhibition halls in Taiwan and America. The result presented the inseparable structures among scientific knowledge, power and capitalism.
In addition, the studio also displayed the work "Hypothesis Voyager (假想旅行者)" by the digital media artist Lin Tzu-huan (林子桓). This is a metaphor that technology reflects the relationship between personal perception and memory.
Chou stated that the core research idea during the residency period was to explore how curation or exhibition challenges the linear historical view of art history. In the event, she presented Su Yu-hsien's (蘇育賢) works "Prophet (先知)" in 2016 and "Plaster Gong (石膏鑼)" in 2017, as well as essays and notes from interviews with art and cultural institutions during her stay in the village in order to openly discuss the involvement of contemporary perspectives in the time view of exhibition.
Chang Hui-chun (張惠君), director of Taipei Cultural Center (TCC) in New York, said that ISCP has been a long-term and important partner of TICC. Since 2000, more than 60 artists or curators have resided for exchange in the village.