Notes & Thoughts

“Banana Taiwan Japan Philippines” a part of “South Plus: Constructing Historical Pluralism Ⅲ ─ Ocean in Us: Southern Visions of Women Artists” at Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts “Banana Taiwan Japan Philippines” is an installation composed of air-dried banana peels that resembles the glorious banana market in Taiwanese during 1950~1970. It is the first banana work I created during my residency at the BankArt Studio NYK, Yokohama in Japan in 2013.  I am interested in the topic of bananas because it is one of the most popular and most imported fruits in Japan. In the early years, Japan had imported bananas from Taiwan, but after the 1970s,...

“Bagasse Missiles” a part of “Fāng Wù — Asian Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition” at Tainan Art Museum Taiwan, situated in the subtropical region, once had sugarcane as its primary export commodity. Lo Yi-Chun ingeniously employs bagasse to create a series of interactive missiles: as viewers grip the handle and open and close their arms in a chest exercise motion, the suspended missiles are released and fall back down. This clever juxtaposition of weapon and exercise equipment echoes how sugar, once a coveted tropical resource that provoked wars and colonisation, has now become a calorie source that people eagerly try to burn off through exercise....

“Deer Rug” a part of “VOC, Sea Monsters, Artillery Fire, and Them: 400 Years of Fort Zeelandia” at Tainan Art Museum “Deer Rug” is an animal hide composed of air-dried banana peels that resembles the Taiwanese Sika deer. I created it at the same time as my “Tropical Collection” (2016) during my residency at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum. Deerskin is one of the earliest Taiwanese exports and reflects the life, production, and trade patterns of various ethnic groups in and around Formosa Island during the Maritime age.  During the 17th century, Formosa had an abundance of deerskins. The aboriginal people were excellent hunters and traded the deerskins...

A new work inspired by the recent research trip to the Caribbean “The Great Dark Fleet” is an artwork created using dried banana peels that symbolize capitalism, particularly the business practices of the American multinational fruit companies of the 20th century that operated between Central America, the Caribbean, and the United States. The title of the work is a nod to the “Great White Fleet” that transported bulk of the produce in the region.  The work was first introduced at Art Taipei 2023 and now presented at Art Basel in Hong Kong 2024 by Mind Set Art Center.  Photos by Mind Set Art Center   Back to Notes