Location Dai-Hsia Gallery Chinese Culture University School of Continuing Education No. 231, Sec. 2, Jianguo S. Rd., Taipei, Taiwan Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-9pm; Sun 9am-5pm
Activities 6/21(Sun) 2-3pm Opening Performance: American Portraits 3-5pm Opening Reception
6/28(Sun) 2-3pm Closing Performance: American Portraits 3-5pm Artist Talk—Guest Critic: Chang Nai-Wen (Artist and Assistant Professor, Taipei National University of the Arts)
*Visit during performance sessions if you wish to participate and be the subject of an “American portrait”.
Press Release Mong-jane Wu: Pseudo/Mixed Light (可道地Ke Dao Di) is Wu’s first solo exhibition in Taiwan. It will take place from June 21 to June 30 at Chinese Culture University’s Da Hsia Gallery (文化大學推廣教育部 大夏藝廊), with works including photography, installation, and two performances.
The meaning of Ke Dao Di—the Chinese title of Pseudo/Mixed Light—varies according to the tone in which it is spoken. When spoken as an inquiry, it asks whether something is authentic; with an affirmative tone, it means something is considered authentic, or that something describes a certain location. The pieces in the show not only negotiate the concept of “authenticity”, but also investigate the meaning of “Di”, which means: “ground”, “background”, or “location”.
The photographic work in Pseudo/Mixed Light portrays Americanized Chinese dishes gelatinized into the shape of the iconic white takeout container. While the food suggests a relocated Chinese culture, the shape refers to the context in which the culture forms a new look.
The exhibition will also host the debut of the American Portraits performance—a side project of Pseudo/Mixed Light—where the artist reconstructs a Lifetouch photo studio in the gallery and collaborate with the audience, as a former Lifetouch photographer, to create “American-style” portraits. Please visit during performance sessions if you wish to participate. (Lifetouch Inc. is a photography company in the US, which produces a large proportion of school and church portraits in America. As a result, the company’s studio standards and photo aesthetics have formed the familiar American portrait.)
About the artist Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Mong-jane Wu studied sociology and architectural history before she received an MFA at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She uses photography, installation, and performance to explore ideas of form and formalities, and how they constitute identities, stereotypes, and general impressions. Selected photographs in Pseudo/Mixed Light has been shown in Taiwan and the United States, including Photo National 2011 (2011), New England Photography Biennial (2012), and TIVAC Photo Awards Juror’s Choice (2014). The current exhibition is awarded a New Talent Grant from the Ministry of Culture in Taiwan.