Fever Genesis is an exhibition beyond the dimensions of the general history of humanity. The exhibition title invokes the metaphor of the biblical prophecy of Genesis — tracing the origin of “creation” — to represent human beings’ constant, passionate experimentation and pursuit of technology and artistic creation. It also questions whether humanity is prepared to bear the unknown consequences of their relentless quest for technological progress.
Taiwan, the island known as Formosa, has undergone its special fate since the Age of Discovery in the 16th century. From the perspective of the rise of Chinese imperialism and the expansion of American frontier in the modern era, Taiwan has been a special presence on the Western Pacific front between the two major powers. The “contemporary Genesis” incubated by such a peculiar context also finds expression in the works by the six outstanding Taiwanese artists. By virtue of the change in virtual production tools, LI Yi-Fan’s work howdoyouturnthison employs a “game engine” to develop his personal imaging tool capable of producing intuitive narrative images. HU Nung-Hsin’s work Touching the Rumble of Melting is a poetic 16mm film installation. It captures the light-shadow variation and the acoustic trembles of melting icebergs in the serene Arctic with the film, implying the fragile Arctic ecosystem in which a subtle change will affect everything else. LIN Tzu-Huan’s work Hypothesis Voyager is a ritualistic video work. The camera’s viewfinder becomes an important vehicle for time travel, guiding the viewers to leap into the time loop and liberate their consciousness. WU Chia-Yun’s work Islands of Disappearing offers an interesting observation on the bizarre streetscape in New York after Christmas. The artist collects the urban reality and moves it into the exhibition venue, rep- resenting the irreplaceable artificial scenery. Owing its inspiration to the prehistorical cave drawing found in Sulawesi, WU Chi-Yu’s work Hominins leads the viewers through the timeline of species evolution from the past to the present. CHANG Li-Ren’s art series Battle City is an animated feature film that took him 13 years. This series is a vivid portrayal of his utmost struggle for survival in the crevice of the city. Against the counterculture of “lying flat” prevailing among Asian societies, this series creates an awe-inspiring parallel universe with miniature politics and epitomizes the aesthetics of world-weariness in the era of consumerism.
This exhibition reflects many uncertain factors behind the international society in face of the contemporary expansion of consumerism and imperialism. The participating artists present the fruits of their sheer creativity in various forms such as installation, photography, and video art. Their works respond to contemporary Taiwanese creators’ passion for and understanding of “objects/creation,” demonstrating multifaceted creative styles. In addition to seeking the inspiration for collective creativity of human beings, these artists echo the relations among technology, art, and society in the past, present, and future since the beginning of the Anthropocene. With their works, these artists appeal to the governments and multinational corporations for ESG responsibility (Environmental, Social, Governance) and environmental sustainability, and meanwhile voice their misgivings about the revolutionary changes brought by technological expansion to human society. They also address several burning issues concerning the environment, survival, food crisis, and people’s fear of artificial intelligence.
Fever Genesis is much more than an art exhibition. It not only affords us an opportunity to ruminate on life, but also sets the visitors out on an intellectual journey of exploration, speculation, and imagination.
Curator｜
WU Dar-Kuen 吳達坤
Participating Artists｜
LI Yi-Fan 李亦凡
HU Nung-Hsin 胡農欣
LIN Tzu-Huan 林子桓
WU Chia-Yun 吳家昀
WU Chi-Yu 吳其育
CHANG Li-Ren 張立人
指導單位 Supervisor ｜Ministry of Culture (Taiwan), Taipei Cultural Center in New York
主辦單位 Organizer ｜C-LAB
合作單位 Collaborator｜Culture Lab LIC