Artists who grew up during the martial law era plunged themselves into the fray when the lifting of the press ban in 1987, the amendment of Article 100 of the Criminal Code, and the rise of street movements transformed the nation. Through their activism, they became prominent figures amidst social unrest and on the front lines of protests. During this pivotal era, art served as an invisible pillar of support for street movements and social transformation. CHEN Lai-Hsing repeatedly donated his works at fundraising banquets for CHEN Wan-Zhen, a blacklisted activist who had smuggled herself back to Taiwan. CHEN Lai-Hsing later co-founded the Taiwan Teachers' Union with LIN Shuang-Bu. Furthermore, during the commemorative exhibition of the May 20 Incident, he joined LIN Zhuo-Shui, WU Mali, and LI Ming-Sheng at the old Beitou Station, treating the "street" as the ultimate venue for showcasing their art.
In the 1990s, performance art expanded its confrontational power with society through its infiltration of public spaces and the promotion of "alternative art spaces." Wandering through ruined landscapes, YAO Jui-Chung used his camera to capture various forms of ruins across Taiwan, witnessing firsthand the transformation of industrial ruins into cultural and creative parks. For YAO, the tumultuous 1990s sparked his foundational theory on ruins: "Everything will eventually become the ruins of the future." Meanwhile, Leo LIU, who ran an underground radio station in the 1990s, later went on to establish the "Dogpig Art Cafe" in southern Taiwan, embedding his community energy and artistic activism into the shifting artistic landscape of Kaohsiung.
This forum invites CHEN Wen-Pin, director of the documentary on CHEN Lai-Hsing, alongside artists YAO Jui-Chung and Leo LIU, to collectively reflect on their firsthand experiences in street art movements and youthful rebellion. The discussion will delve into Taiwan’s evolution from the "demilitarization of space" (spatial liberalization) to contemporary cultural policies. Through the perspectives of these three speakers, we will re-examine that critical period of history and reflect on the core significance of "art as an social infrastructure."
Time：07/25 (Sat) 14:00-16:00
Venue：Multi-function Space
Speakers：CHEN Wen-Pin, YAO Jui-Chung, Leo LIU, WU Dar-Kuen ( Moderator )
▶ Free Admission via Online Registration
Speaker Bio
▌CHEN Wen-Pin
Professor, Department of Sports Science, National Changhua University of Education
Director of the 2026 documentary 《In Search of Chen Lai-Hsing》.(supported by the National Culture and Arts Foundation)
Related Artistic Creations and Chronology of Works:
2022: The screenplay《 Shenkang Tea House》 won the 44th Excellent Screenplay Award from the Ministry of Culture.
2023: The screenplay《 Yucheng, 1979》 received the Excellent Film Screenplay Development Grant from the Ministry of Culture.
2024: Directed and wrote the TV movie《 Singing for You》, which received 8 nominations at the 59th Golden Bell Awards, including Best TV Movie, Best Director, Best Leading Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Score, Best Lighting, and Best Editing. It was also nominated for Best Director, Best Feature Film, and Best Leading Actor at the 29th Asian Television Awards; Best Original Music at the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards; and Best Fiction TV Movie at the 22nd Catalonia International Audiovisual Content Festival (Zoom Festival) in Spain, making it the only Asian work nominated this year.
2025: Directed the Public Television Service documentary《Merchant Guilds of Lukang》. (Unreleased)
2026: Currently in production with a grant from the National Culture and Arts Foundation for the documentary 《In Search of Chen Lai-hsing》
▌YAO Jui-Chung
For many years, he has adopted a DNA-curve-like creative pattern, with several lines intertwining like braids, developing the themes of "body politics" and "spatial politics." Through photography, he examines the traces of power operations, forming the concept of "political geography" within a specific historical context, pointing to the idea that all ruins are products of failed power struggles. Recently, he has also explored the mystical spectacle of desire. he is currently an adjunct professor in the Department of Fine Arts at National Taipei University of the Arts.
▌Leo LIU
Leo LIU (b. 1962) was born in Pingtung, Taiwan. LIU graduated from the Department of Applied Arts at the Shih Chien Junior College (now Shih Chien University). His practice spans painting, archival work, and action-based projects, often engaging with local culture and social movements. From 1999 to 2014, he ran Dogpig Art Café in Yancheng District, Kaohsiung, an important gathering place for artists and alternative art activities in southern Taiwan. He usually combines his artistic practice with walking and landscape observations, as seen in his ongoing Watching the Mountains project, which reflects on the relationship between people and the land. His work has been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Chiayi Art Museum, Pingtung Art Museum, and the National Center of Photography and Images, among other venues.
▌WU Dar-Kuen
Curator, 2026 C-LAB Annual Exhibition, WE Are Becoming
Director of the Contemporary Art Platform, Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab
▶ Free Admission via Online Registration.
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