Overview｜摘要
The Zhongshan Public Art Project is an initiative executed by Association of the Visual Arts in Taiwan (AVAT) since 2012. Under the theme of " Wonder Wander," meaning "exploration" and "searching," six invited artists keenly observe the cultural, spatial, and lifestyle features of the area. They embark on a quest to discover intriguing elements, inviting people to partake in the "Wonder Wander" experience. Participants' perspectives and creations become integral parts of the artworks, and they are collectively acknowledged in the project descriptions, fostering a sense of belonging as co-creators. This emotional connection enhances the public's willingness and confidence to engage in public art.
As the Zhongshan Public Art Project enters the next decade, it aspires to explore the essence of "public" in public art. The project endeavors to extend the notion of public art beyond merely viewing art pieces, encouraging active involvement in co-creating, sharing perspectives, and participating in "art activities" alongside the public. Through this collaborative and creative endeavor, the hope is to unfold the public nature of public art, not solely confined to the artworks, but also emerging from the shared experience of co-creation and sharing with the public.
Curatorial Reflection｜策展思考
During the initial planning stage of the project, our conversations with artists, market vendors, neighborhood chiefs, libraries, and other local organizations revealed that the Zhongshan Public Art Project had already achieved considerable recognition. Some people could even recall the curatorial themes from previous years and were aware that the event regularly attracted audiences interested in contemporary art. This demonstrated that the project had become a recognized contemporary art initiative in the area surrounding Qingguang Market.
Over the years, the project has collaborated with key local stakeholders, including the chief of Heng’an Neighborhood, the Qingguang Market Self-Governing Association, and Tatung University. These partners have invited residents and students to participate in collaborative projects or provided their premises as sites for artworks. Building upon these well-established relationships, we once again secured the participation of several important local partners this year, further strengthening the project as a whole.
For Wonder Wander, we collaborated with faculty members at Tatung University. Through discussions between the artists and teachers during the development of the teaching plans, they explored ways of integrating artistic thinking into education and encouraging students to observe their everyday surroundings. The experience of taking part in the workshops—and even contributing to the final exhibition—offered the students something truly unique. The participation of an educational institution also allowed art-based learning to foster students’ imagination, creativity, and critical thinking.
One of the project’s most distinctive and significant experiments was to organize a neighborhood art festival composed entirely of participatory projects and collectively created works. The six participating artists—TSAI Hui-Ying, WEI Hsinyen, CHEN Yi-Hui, SONG Wen-Hsin, KAO Deng-Huei, and LO Yu-Chi—are all experienced in participatory and collaborative practices. They proposed projects involving different forms and degrees of participation, ranging from collective creation and gathering materials to walking. The participants’ perspectives and creative contributions became integral parts of the artworks, and their names were included alongside the artists in the artwork descriptions.
The resulting sense that “I, too, am a creator” can strengthen people’s willingness and confidence to participate in public art. It also creates an important opportunity to offer new perspectives on the questions: What does “public” mean, and what constitutes “art”?
During the three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, opportunities for face-to-face interaction declined dramatically. In terms of physical presence and hands-on experience, remote activities could never fully replace activities conducted in person. As the pandemic subsided, this participatory project encouraged people to return to the neighborhood and respond to their need for social interaction through collaborative creation.
Through Wonder Wander: Zhongshan Public Art Project 2023, audiences returned to the neighborhood to experience art. Familiar scenes from everyday life may have appeared unexpectedly unfamiliar, prompting people to observe their surroundings with renewed curiosity. Such encounters can offer a meaningful departure from daily routines while also becoming a source of artistic inspiration.
Exhibition Essay | 策展論述
Wonder Wander conveys the ideas of looking around, wandering, and searching. The six invited artists each attended to the cultural, spatial, and everyday characteristics of the neighborhood, seeking out intriguing details through their own perspectives. They also developed participatory activities that invited people to enter the world of Wonder Wander, contributing new observations and bringing multiple viewpoints together.
Through this process, the project sought to expand the public dimension of public art beyond what can be encountered in an “artwork.” Instead, publicness could emerge through art as a shared activity—a process in which people create together, exchange perspectives, and contribute to the formation of the work.
In the area surrounding Qingguang Market in Zhongshan District, everyone was invited to wander at ease, open their senses to their surroundings, and actively seek out the beauty hidden within the neighborhood.
the community around Qingguang Market in Zhongshan District, Taipei City
2023/10/24-10/29
Curator | LAI Pei-Chun
Artists | TSAI Hui-Ying, WEI Hsinyen, CHEN Yi-Hui, SONG Wen-Hsin, KAO Deng-Huei, LO Yu-Chi
Advisor | Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government
Organizer | Association of the Visual Arts in Taiwan (AVAT)