The exhibition Anthrozoology brings together works by five contemporary artists—Taiwanese artists Tsai Pou-Ching, Chen Sheng-Wen and Lin Kuan-Yin, Chinese artist Huang Qi-You, and Indonesian artist M. Irfan. Through diverse mediums such as painting, textiles, photography and video, these artists explore the multifaceted ways humans interact, influence, and coexist with the natural world.
Tsai Pou-Ching’s Specimen Photography examines the neglect and loss of post-war museum specimens in Taiwan. Through an unconventional and non-scientific approach, Tsai engages in a dialogue with these specimens, once part of imperial and scientific systems, allowing them to reclaim their voice and identity in the context of modernization. Suspended in ambiguity, his work reflects on how these biological specimens can rediscover their value and meaning beyond the confines of history.
Chen Sheng-Wen addresses environmental destruction and the impact of human actions on nature in his work Synthetic Immunity. Using stream water to dye fabrics, he illustrates the discoloration caused by pollution, symbolizing the entangled and conflicted relationship between humans and the natural world. His embroidered pieces are both a confrontation with the scars inflicted on the Earth and a silent act of mending, inviting a dialogue between contemporary ecological realities and nature's past.
Lin Guan-Yin examines the intersection of urban and natural environments through relief sculptures inspired by her observations of plants during the pandemic, particularly staghorn ferns commonly found on urban balconies. By employing relief techniques and repurposing old window frames, Lin creates compositions that serve as visual portals connecting interior and exterior spaces. Her works reflect a longing for nature within the constraints of urban life.
Huang Qi-You’s paintings depict desolate, solitary landscapes where mountains, barren trees, and cranes appear in isolation, creating a surreal interplay of time and space. His compositions resemble fragmented ruins and remnants from different eras, with incomplete elements carrying layers of memory and time. Through these incomplete forms, Huang evokes the fragility and beauty of the human-nature relationship amidst destruction and decay.
M. Irfan’s landscapes offer a tranquil, otherworldly vision. Using a monochromatic palette, he portrays the coexistence of humans and nature in both wild and domesticated contexts. The figures in his paintings are idealized yet realistic, blending human identity with natural settings to seek a harmonious vision of coexistence.
Through these diverse works, Anthrozoology invites viewers to reevaluate our relationship with nature, reflecting on our roles and responsibilities in the face of today’s global environmental challenges. Each work calls for a deeper understanding and respect for the natural world while inspiring contemplation on the possibilities of future coexistence.
