Daily Labor
The beginning of my final project was because I didn’t want to do a final project, is it really necessary to use this so call “Final Project” to guarantee that I have the ability to graduate? And when I saw all my schoolmates worked so hard in the workshop, there was some sort of sadness appeared that I understood no matter how diligent you work, people will not know it, unless you show them on purpose. Because this is what art about right? We judge a piece by what we been showed and we are unable to reach the story behind art. Suddenly, I have a mean idea at that moment, if the story behind won’t be discover, why not fabricate a deception, use it as my final project and satire how shallow art is that we only judge by reaching the surface of a
creation.
P1 Shortcut
Diligent on creating seems to be a stereotype of artist, since people can’t see behind the curtain, why not take a shortcut? I call this form of art “Shortcut Art”. This form of art must be done in a quicker and easier way but need to be identify as a hard- working and time-costing pieces. Yet the most important part is the truth must not be dig out by the audience, using this way to guise oneself then able to suit the stereotype of artist.
P2 HOW?
Thanks to the obese and researched of Automatism in my junior year, I developed some kind of skill that will make art pieces automatically by using ice, China ink and fabric. First, soak the fabric in the liquid mixed by water and China ink, then roll it in
to a ball shape and freeze it. After that, hang this black ice ball on a paper, the distance have been calculated that the fabric will just reach the paper after it unfold. Through the ice melt slowly and drop on the paper, after that the fabric unfold and reach the completely wet paper, the ink which stuck on the fabric touch the wet paper then they run out freely and make an unpredictable image! By this method, my project grew up like plants and I am like a farmer, sowing in the morning, reaping at night and the product do look like hard-working and time-costing pieces. Day after day, I have accumulated 413 pieces and experimental records, and it only took me 6 months.
P3 EXHITBITION
To reach the effect of ridicule, I need to display my production process during open house, but how to build the atmosphere of being lied and sudden realize has became a huge problem. Fortunately, I’ve been distributed several small room, so I made an experiment in first room which just like other 413 pieces but this one was huge, however, when the exhibition open, the experiment was already over so audience will just regarded it as a huge Installation art. After that it was 11 mounted chosen pieces, because it was mounted so they thought it just some normal pieces. In the end, the last room, video about production process, 413 fabrics with date and number, the concept of creation and every things about the deception. In this exhibition, I showed audience that I am not a hard-working artist but more like an art entrepreneur. Through this, I received lots of responses and thoughts from audience, but the funny thing was, the truth I provided in this exhibition, was not even close to
the real truth.
P4 THE TRUTH
Have you ever think, perhaps the “One Year Performance1980-1981(punch)” made by Taiwan artist TehChing Hsieh, is actually not himself, maybe he hired a makeup artist and an actor, helped him finished this project that he actually took a vacation to Hawaii. Or British graffiti artist Banksy, may not be a person but a group who separate their idea by making a virtual idol which now he become a God. Meanwhile, how could you be so sure that all the evidence I offered equal truth? During my final evaluation after the open house, I admit the truth to everyone. The truth is, making 413 pieces by 413 experiments in 6 months, I need to do at least 3 experiments a day and each of them takes hours. It will be far away from shortcut if I really did. In fact, a month before the open house I only got 20 pieces, then how did 413 experiment records came from? The truth was 413 experiment records was actually fake, yes those fabrics were soak and freeze but then air-dry immediately next day, they never been used in experiments, after they dry they been given fake date and fake number, I can make 80 fake pieces a day, 413 pieces only took 5 days, and I choose 11 pieces because I only got 11 pieces, if all the time I spend on final project put together, it only took me 20 days, and all these true, this deception have never been found, judge or curious, that this art serious is actually built on a lie.
P5 Daily Labor
The name of this project seems particular satire after we know the truth, like I said, we only judge by the surface of a creation. In this project, I became the one media between the truth and audience, due to the stereotype of artist made by people and artist themselves (if they didn’t lie) for centuries, all fake information I released have become true and prove that how shallow we are in this part, Daily labor is not only image, it also content my personal behavior, and I wish trough this project, people can be more curious, more suspect about art, just like if you didn’t read these words, Daily labor will just be another normal flat painting. For me, art is trustless, through this project to reconsider the meaning and purpose of creation, simultaneously satire how shallow art is that the truth behind never important.