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2020/03/14-2020/05/10
Artists
Tseng Yun-chieh
Chan Feng-Tsung
Lai I-Chern
Curators
Chen Cheng-Tao
Wu Hong-Fei
In historical records, humankind is skilled at exploring and understanding nature through the development of all kinds of knowledge to enhance the survival advantage of the race. For instance, western botany originated from herbalism, which studies the use of medical plants. In modern and contemporary societies, colonial empires lead the development of life sciences and related knowledge and techniques to continue this process of understanding nature. For example, the quality of crops can be improved through genetics, to optimize the nutrient intake. Or, one can analyze natural cycles and principles through computer science and statistics.
Rational scientific knowledge is often found in the discussion of the development of the relationship between human beings and nature. However, the expectation of the ideal matrix and the absolute classification are always challenging to put into practice, and even lead to disastrous results that one cannot control. Is there a “standard” description of the relationship between man and nature? This exhibition borrows the concept “liquid association (LA),” proposed by Prof. Ker-Chau Li, a distinguished Research Fellow of Academia Sinica, as a standpoint for pondering the contradictory relationship between humankind and nature. The liquid association is a statistical tool for biologists to identify a third gene Z that regulates the correlation of gene X and Y under different states of amino acids.
Extending this concept to the consideration of the issue of contradictory correlation between humankind and nature, perhaps the fundamental understanding we need is that nature does not necessarily operate as depicted by imperial knowledge. In addition to the controllable variables and the existing linear equations, we should go through the various liquid and escaping clues to find out the third variable, which connects liquid relationships, to establish the route to understand the essence of nature.
The title of the exhibition “///\\///” does not obtain any literal meaning. The linear image points out the abovementioned hidden factors, which serve as a medium and symbolizing the process of exploring the relationship between six artists and two curators. There is no fixed route, either physical or virtual, to read this exhibition. However, several clues along the way share a common intention to break the existing order. The viewers can freely construct liquid logic to understand the operation of the world. These clues can even show all the possible future shelters in the current chaotic world, which can also serve as a survival method to continue the human species.
