Tsai Shih-Hung | exhibition

Tsai Shih-Hung
September 6 – 26, 2014
Curator’s Lounge

Reception: September 6, 6 – 9pm
RSVP encouraged: http://reception6sept2014.eventbrite.com

Presented in conjunction with a three-month residency supported by the Ministry of Culture Taiwan and Taiwan Academy Los Angeles, TSAI Shih-Hung exhibits an installation of recent paintings completed while in residence in the Curator’s Lounge.

In Tsai Shih-Hung’s eyes, human life is being destroyed by technology and the digital world. He uses the canvas as a screen, evoking smart phones and computers, to show the world his ironic observations. Tsai’s working process begins with a Google image search, based on a keyword such as “war.” He collages several found images by hand, drawing them into different parts of a painting so as to question what is “real” and what is “virtual.” In works such as his Lab series, he addresses topical issues such as the fear of “mad cow disease” that has affected the importing of American beef into Taiwan. Despite the sometimes harsh images of war scenes and ruins in Tsai’s work, one can also find colorful shooting stars, which express a hopeful appreciation of the possibilities that digital technologies still hold for improving people’s lives.

Tsai Shih-Hung earned an MFA from the Taipei National University of the Arts in 2006. He has also won several awards including ART TAIPEI MIT and Art Tainan in 2013, and a Kaohsiung Award in 2012.

This exhibition receives generous support from the Taiwan Academy and the Ministry of Culture Taiwan. 18th Street Arts Center has collaborated with these notable partners since 1999, fostering cultural exchange by hosting two visiting artists from Taiwan each year.