ART BASEL IN BASEL

Established in 1970, Art Basel in Basel, Switzerland, has been one of the world’s most influential art fairs. Now,Taiwan has finally reached a milestone this year. With years of proactive international strategies, Tina KengGallery has been selected for the first time to be part of the Galleries sector, as the very first gallery fromTaiwan to have accomplished this. Wu Tien-Chang, one of the pioneers in Taiwanese contemporary art andone of Tina Keng Gallery’s artists, will also present his iconic piece Farewell, Spring and Autumn Pavilions atthe Unlimited sector, a special curated platform for large-scale installation projects at the fair.

Tina Keng Gallery (Booth E14):Foregrounding Taiwanese Contemporary Art Through an Asian Lens

Tina Keng Gallery presents a meticulously curated project that spans Chinese modern and contemporary art,from early 20th-century modernist pioneer Yun Gee to contemporary master Su Xiaobai. This project is also atribute to East Asian aesthetics encapsulated by the work of Cambodian artist Sopheap Pich. Exploring thespirit of the times, material experimentation, and different thematic focuses across a century, the projectreveals the core of Eastern aesthetics, which emphasises materiality, spiritual introspection, and the constructof “imagery beyond representation.” This presentation highlights a multilayered Asian cultural identity that TinaKeng Gallery has endeavoured to cultivate and promote, offering Western audiences a more nuancedunderstanding of Eastern aesthetic philosophy and contemporary artistic thought.

Zhuangzi’s Dream of the Butterfly: An Extramundane Manifestation of Asian Aesthetics

As a pioneering figure in overseas Chinese artists, modernist painter Yun Gee (1906–1963) immersed himselfin various avant-garde Western art theories in the early 20th century, while infusing his own experiences withEastern philosophy. By merging the compositional elements of traditional Chinese painting with the literatiqualities that accentuate poetic imagery, Yun Gee ultimately refined his painting expression into a multifacetedprism, reflecting spiritual narratives and underlying emotions. This gave rise to his theory of Diamondism,which combines form, colour, and inner perception, establishing a significant trajectory in Chinese modern art.

The Düsseldorf-based abstract artist Su Xiaobai (b. 1949) creates a visual vocabulary with traditional mediums— oil paint, lacquer, and linen — which embody Eastern history, tinged with wabi-sabi aesthetics. His workemanates a sense of time, with the texture of lacquer exuding a warm luster. The sensuous and roundededges, the weathered and cracked surfaces, all speak of a unity of humanity and nature, transforming thedialogue between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary art into a transcultural experience.

For Cambodian artist Sopheap Pich (b. 1971), nature and memory serve as profound sources of creativeinspiration, allowing him to deepen his connection with traditional culture. Through the use of natural materialsfrom Cambodian everyday life, from bamboo, rattan, burlap, mineral pigments, to metals, rendered withtraditional weaving techniques, he imbues concrete forms with solidity and ethereal qualities within an abstractcomposition. A sultry atmosphere of the tropical forest permeates his sculptures, transporting the viewer to anancient terrain of cultural memory, where whispers of bamboo and rattan echo and linger.

Through the diverse works of these three artists, Tina Keng Gallery’s presentation at Art Basel in Basel pivotson the famous thought experiment “Zhuangzi’s Dream of the Butterfly,” from Zhuangzi’s philosophical classic”On the Equality of Things.” His idea explores the relationship between dream and reality, leading tophilosophical inquiries that span cognitive deconstruction and the transformation between self and the externalworld through phenomenological contemplation. The Zhuangzi-inspired project unveils the core of Easternaesthetics, which revolves around materiality, spiritual introspection, and the construct of “imagery beyondrepresentation” through an artistic language that bridges spirituality, cultural experience, and memory.

Unlimited:Wu Tien-Chang presents Farewell, Spring and Autumn Pavilions in Basel, Switzerland

This year, Taiwanese contemporary artist Wu Tien-Chang (b. 1956) has been selected for this sector with hisiconic work Farewell, Spring and Autumn Pavilions (2015). Drawing on Taiwan’s complex history, blended witha singular style of playful melancholy, Wu’s work brings a distinct Taiwanese flair amidst a constellation ofinternational artists, challenging and expanding the narrative of contemporary art.

Previously on view at the Taiwan Pavilion for the 2015 Venice Biennale, large-scale video installation Farewell,Spring and Autumn Pavilions concatenates into one theatrical spectacle varying elements of Taiwanese history, black comedy, and gaudy decorations commonly seen in Taiwanese folk ceremonies, aided by opticalillusions, special effects, and props.

In the video, the protagonist — in a latex mask and plastic, glitzy sailor suit — carries a guitar, and stepsforward briskly to the tune of Goodbye! Harbor by Taiwanese singer Wen Hsia (1928–2022), who sangwistfully about parting and yearning. Against a backdrop of rotating scenes referring to Taiwan’s colonial days,the protagonist magically changes costumes and props on stage, unknowingly haunted by specters of a paststeeped in eerie nostalgia. This will also be the first to feature the “A.R.T. High-Fidelity ART Display Screen”developed by the leading display brand AUO Corporation, using their internationally recognised “AdvancedReflectionless Technology”.

At Art Basel in Basel, a platform connecting blue-chip galleries, esteemed institutions, and leading artists, TinaKeng Gallery’s presentation encapsulates the unique perspective of Taiwanese contemporary art, allowingEastern humanistic thought, history, and philosophy to coalesce into a perceptive journey through multipledimensions of contemporary art.

Directed by Wu, this illusory narrative not only resonates with the current global geopolitical climate, but limnsAsia’s shared memory, where love and death, self and others, identity and nation remain an integral part of thehuman condition.