Discordant Harmony: examining the fissures and connections in Asian relations

For the exhibition Discordant Harmony, which opens on July 22 at the Taipei National University of the Arts Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, curators Sungjung Kim of Korea, Chien-Hung Huang of Taiwan, Carol Yinghua Lu of China, and Yukie Kamiya of Japan have been invited on behalf of the Goethe Institut to elaborate on concepts previously discussed and jointly proposed in Seoul that will focus on a reexamination and understanding of Asia today through artistic endeavors.

The exhibition plans for Discordant Harmony attempt to address historical developments and relationships between neighboring Asian nations; specifically ideological fragmentation in the aftermath of the Cold War which have seemingly become significant prerequisites to understanding the power disputes and jostling among these East Asian nations (i.e. China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan) that are in urgent need of clarification. The exhibition includes works by 19 artists from countries around Northeast Asia, each bearing their own cultural backgrounds, fields of vision, and social concerns. Through a diversity of creative media and unique expressive methods, the artists transform cultural, political or historical issues into creative works and contexts, so that through this exhibition, the viewer gains a glimpse into the invested power and interpretive angle of each artist as they confront issues of contemporary development in their respective countries.

With a blueprint that spans two years and four countries, Discordant Harmony continues to dialogue across shifting geographical terrain – beginning with the Cold War as an exhibition subtitle at the Art Sonje Centre in Seoul in 2015, followed by a sound off from Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, subtitled to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing at the end of 2015. The exhibition moves to Taipei’s Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts in July 2016 with a focus on individual subjectivity and systemic relationships to examine social conditions in the contemporary Asian city through the perspectives of the artists, conveying the artists’ points of view and interpretation through their works.

A series of educational activities have been planned in conjunction with the opening of the Discordant Harmony exhibition. Through performances and screenings by the artists, and in-depth panel discussions between the artists and curators, artists are invited to share their process of developing and presenting creative methods in order to convey creative concepts and extended contexts. The intricacies of
developments in history and society are analyzed in-depth through an artistic perspective.

Participating Artists Chang Wen-Hsuan (TW), Chen Chieh-Jen (TW), Chiba Masaya (JP), Ham Yang Ah (KR), Hao Jingban (CN), siren eun young jung (KR), Kim Sora (KR), Koo Jeong A (KR), Kwon Byung Jun (KR), Lee Kit (HK), Leung Chi Wo (HK), Liu Ding (CN), Pak Sheung Chuen (HK), Tadasu Takamine (JP), Tanaka Koki (JP), Teng Chao-Ming (TW), Wu Tsang (US), Yang Jun (AT), Yoneda Tomoko (JP)