The Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts (KMFA) collects both works of art and stories about art. As visible stories created by artists, artworks are the prototypes of stories which KMFA endeavors to acquire. In addition, KMFA also gathers things involved in these prototypes, such as creative thoughts, notes on the acquisitions, and interpretations/analyses of the works, all of which are not only narratives derived directly or indirectly from the works, but also approachable stories about art. Words are silent yet imbued with power to warm the soul. Through words, stories are told to touch the emotion; through stories, we attempt to highlight the works and demonstrate the friendly charm of art. Furthermore, we expect to make it easier for the public to know art and understand the works beyond their intuitive feelings, thus stimulating interest in art and motivation to explore.
 
Entitled “A Kaleidoscope of Stories: Narrating the KMFA’s Collections,” the exhibition features the artists’ iconic works selected from the museum’s collections. The exhibition comprises four sections: Realism/Abstraction: Reflections of the Mind; Signs/Totems: Symbols of Ideas; Performance/Survey: Time-based Representations; and Local Identity/Indigenous Origin: Land and Sea. Through sharing stories about the classic works on view, the exhibition presents the artists’ creative concepts, notes on the museum’s acquisitions, and art researchers’ interpretations and analyses. The exhibition offers a friendly introduction of the works’ stories, leading viewers to appreciate and perceive the museum’s selected collections from diverse perspectives. The reading of stories enables viewers to enjoy appreciating the works, encourages them to get close to the museum’s collections and approach art, and shares with them the rich artistic creations and precious collections.
 

Section Introductions
 

1. Realism/Abstraction: Reflections of the Mind

 
Art making is the artist’s inner monologue, reflecting his/her thoughts and sentiments.
 
The title of this section, "Realism/Abstraction: Reflections of the Mind," pays tribute to the rise of art associations and the introduction of Western art trends since the post-war 1950s in Taiwan, which led to the development of Taiwanese modern art movements, the growing trends of abstract expression and material experimentation, and the abstract art practices based on modern art concepts. In the 1980s, artists of southern Taiwan also represented diverse characteristics of southern abstract art through the exploration of their artistic vocabulary with the use of materials. Additionally, Hyperrealism (Photorealism) also affected Taiwan in the 1970s. By projecting or simulating images from slides or photographs, artists masterfully use realistic techniques to depict the visual effects like photographs, profoundly conveying realistic images of what the mind desires.
 
Art making mirrors the soul and reflects the mind. Both realism and abstraction are unique, and each of them is still widely used by artists as a creative form to express their emotions. This section displays different important realistic and abstract collections, leading viewers to appreciate fascinating classics.
 
 

2. Signs/Totems: Symbols of Ideas

 
Only through objective, external “images,” can subjective, inner “ideas” be visualized.
 
In real life, many concrete things can be endowed with metaphysical symbolic meanings. Beyond concrete imagery, artists can employ painted patterns to create signs or totems, through which new interpretations are expressed. Even having been given certain meanings, signs or totems used in artistic creations can transcend their original symbolic meanings to be redefined and thus have new implications for recognition and interpretation. 
 
Titled “Signs/Totems: Symbols of Ideas,” this section showcases works which use signs and totems to symbolize philosophical thoughts and feelings about life. With unique visual attraction, signs and totems convey to viewers mysterious beauty, wide imagination, and deep thoughts. These works utilize artistic elements such as dots, lines, colors, and ready-mades as metaphors, which, through compositions, translate and represent creative concepts. The images of the works are constructed based on visible imagery, yet also resonating with the inner mindscape.
 
 

3. Performance/Survey: Time-based Representations

 
The trends that influenced the development of modern art in Taiwan also stimulated artists to focus on “the place,” express concepts through self-identification and self-positioning, consider humanistic issues, care about reginal changes, and practice art through body performance.
 
Under the title of “Performance/Survey: Time-based Representations,” this section presents the development and transformation of the concepts of landscape in artistic practices, demonstrating how the representation of landscape has shifted from plein air painting to the incorporation of reflective and compatible views of the land. In addition, this section reveals the resistance in the form of artistic action in Taiwan after the lifting of martial law, constructing a genealogy of southern performance art in the 1980s, which continuously interpret and respond to the real life in the south through maximal performances or eccentric actions.
 
The works featured in this section also show the cultural landscape concept which expands from topographic survey to dialogue with the place, as well as the use of performance to express personal beliefs, ideas of resistance, and thoughts to activate social issues. These works created through the accumulation of time also build a prosperous scene of social participation for Taiwanese art.
 
 

4. Local Identity/Indigenous Origin: Land and Sea

 
In the 1980s, as Taiwanese local consciousness grew stronger, artists began to identify with the everyday life and aesthetic practices of common people. By adopting local ordinary elements as creative motifs, they created works imbued with rich Taiwanese flavor, which became well-known embodiment of local energy.
 
The Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts (KMFA) and Austronesian artists reside in the non-mainstream southern region, and, geographically, we have experienced together the real situations of the south. For this reason, KMFA became the first art museum in Taiwan to pay attention to Austronesian art.
 
This section, titled “Local Identity/Indigenous Origin: Land and Sea,” presents works which draw themes from common people’s life and aesthetics and demonstrate quotidian charms. The section also includes the fundamental Austronesian artworks acquired under the museum’s “Austronesian Contemporary Art Development Project,” which are rooted in this island, while also connecting the sea and multiple contexts to transcend boundaries. These works express southern characteristics and artistic metaphors in different cultural backgrounds, create the possibility of dialogue between artistic translations and cultural traditions, and manifest the artistic practice of “South Plus” to embrace multiplicity.
 


Artists
Lin Yuan
Tseng Pei-yao
Liu Sheng-jung
Richard Lin Show Yu
Hsiao Chin
Huang Run-se
Tu Wen-hsi
Lee Chau-chin
Kao Tsan-hsing
Daniel Lee
Yeh Chu-sheng
Hung Ken-shen
Tsong Pu
Yang Chi-hung
Yang Cheng-yuan
Szeto Keung
Kuo Jen-chang
Yang Shih-chih
Lu Ming-te
Y. J. Cho
Hsieh Teh-Ching
Chu Teh-i
Chen Jung-fa
Bo-liang Lin
Huang Ming-chang
Huang Chin Ho
Lee Jiun-shyan
Chien Fu-chuan
Wu Mali
Lee Ming-tse
Lu Hsien-ming
Leigh Li-Yun Wen
Yen Ding-sen
Kuo Wei-Kuo
Lin Hong-wen
Rahic Talif
Leo Liu
Chen Shun-chu
Etan Pavavalung
Jin-hua Shi
Huang Wen-yung
Michael Lin
Lee kuen-lin
Li Jiun-yang
Lin Chun-yung
Chang En-Man
A-min
Tapiwulan Kulele
Huang Chih-wei
Chen Po-i
Kao Jun-Honn
Yuki Kihara    
Idas Losin
Chung Shun-wen
Chen Yi-chang
Tseng Shu-fen
Wang Guo-ren
Hsu Chia-hung


Supervisor｜Bureau of Cultural Affairs Kaohsiung City Government
Organizer｜Kaohsiung museum of Fine Arts
Appointed De-formaldehyde Coating Sponsor | HOPAX
Curatorial Team｜Collection Department
Exhibition Executives｜Lin Yang-hsiu, Cheng Ya-Ping, Lai Yi-yun
Graphic Designer｜Lica Ting-ting Chen
Exhibition Designer｜Fengju Kuo
Exhibition Lighting Designer｜Mad B Ltd.
Exhibition Installation｜Crown Van Lines Co., Ltd