Pei-Chi Kuo | Salute to A Palm Tree

Curatorial Statement by Venus Lau

Kuo’s series of work during her residency at the 18th Street Arts Center intertwines the soft and warm memories of a family trip in her childhood to the masculinity of territorial identities and global mobilities. Her works are inspired by the cultural diversities and histories of the west coast, bringing her to further investigate the symbols of palm trees, beyond the impressions of the ever-smiling sun and beaches seen in vacational cliches. 

The series of work begins with her repeated encounter with the American flags and palm trees, with her refreshing lens to this land. Her series of work is centered with her multiple layers of critical reflections towards these symbols.

The choices of found materials, mediums and ways of expressions provoke us to rethink the everyday perceptions and narrations that are silently embedded in the culture. Some of these traces are subtle, like the hand-stitching by the artist is casting a contrast to the massive and mechanical production of the flags as iconic goods.

Kuo also invites us to her memories, when her father, who served as a navy years ago, brought the whole family to California for a military mission. Their personal memories, though sweet and innocent, were entangled with the grand stage of power relations and identity politics. With the passage of time, the artist has another careful look, and responds to these spaces and boundaries through a documentation of moving images, with emotional and performative touches. 

Words by the artist

When I came to California, the local scene and life experience influenced the way I created, I observed that the American economy was closely related to the way of consumption. I obtained the materials needed for creation in the thrift stores everywhere in the United States. When a well-preserved American flag circulates in the thrift market and was bought by me, the reverence for the flag in the United States also symbolizes a spiritual transfer. The palm tree symbolizes victory and peace that is also the most famous in California. I sewed a palm tree on the flag, and hung it on the wall. Let’s salute a palm tree!

創作論述 《向一棵棕櫚樹敬禮》

當我來到美國加州，當地的景象與生活經驗，影響我的創作方式，我觀察到美國經濟與消費方式息息相關，我在美國隨處可見的舊貨市集與商店，取得創作所需的材料，當一個保存完善的美國國旗流通於舊貨市集，再被我買回家，在美國對於國旗的敬畏同時也象徵著一種精神的轉移，而棕櫚樹象徵著勝利與和平，也是加州最著名的景觀，我在旗幟上縫上一棵棕櫚樹，高掛於牆面上，向一棵棕櫚樹敬禮。