Human Desire: The YANG ARTS Collection | Exhibition Information

In the Financial Times, British historian Adam Tooze used the word “polycrisis” to describe the environmental, geopolitical, and economic crises faced in 2022, and it seems also an appropriate term to describe the situation in early 2023. The Russo-Ukrainian War, inflation, the Seoul Halloween stampede, and many other social crises show that humans are greedy and lost, and cannot find balance with nature. In the “Human Desire” exhibition, 12 notable artists share their views about how art reflects human’s current situation and intuits people’s inner desire. 30 paintings and 1 installation from the YANG ARTS Collection are selected to respond and expand the curatorial concept of the exhibition.

The artists connect their individual experiences and cultural context to the external world. Art is not just related to the artist, but also clearly reflects their perception of the changing world. For example, Ulala Imai, uses soft cream tones in still lifes to depict everyday food during the Covid-19 pandemic. Izumi Kato has thrown himself into the creation of huge textile installations since 2018. In Untitled (2019), we see how the artist ingeniously uses found objects to create human figures and explore the playfulness of painting and the interdependence between humans and everything. Tseng Chien-Ying uses Oriental elements and grey tones to depict the weird and dark atmosphere of contemporary society.

There are also artists who focus on inner feelings and painting what they sincerely feel, capturing the emotion of the moment and evoke memories. Aki Kondo uses a variety of tools, such as paintbrushes, palette knives, and sprays, and art techniques like smearing, dripping, or sprinkling. She draws expressive textures of human faces and a swan with thick acrylic brushstrokes to produce a vigorous effect. Sadaharu Horio of the Gutai Group can create from his subconscious mind in a flash, and uses pastels and paper collages to show the mental image. Toshiyuki Konishi focuses on human behaviour and emotions, using overlapping wavy lines to create ghost-like individual and family portraits.

This is the first exhibition in Taiwan to present the pieces from each stage of Tomoo Gokita’s paintings. From the semi-abstract, semi-figurative Don’t Tear Down What Took so Long to Build (2009) of Blue Age, which deconstructs human bodies with velvety smudged strokes, to Only Mama Knows (2017) and Changing Room (2020) in a more gentle tone and style, visitors have full view of his pursuit of “shape”.

The exhibition connects art with nature, daily life, the body, and human behaviour. Artists show the multiple dimensions of human desire in each of their unique ways. Visitors are invited to explore the multiple layers of humanity and rethink the existence of human.

Artists

加藤愛 Ai ☆ Madonna

近藤亜樹 Aki Kondo

六角彩子 Ayako Rokkaku

加藤泉 Izumi Kato

今津景 Kei Imazu

堀尾貞治 Sadaharu Horio

長井朋子 Tomoko Nagai

五木田智央 Tomoo Gokita

小西紀行 Toshiyuki Konishi

曾建穎 Tseng Chien-Ying

今井麗 Ulala Imai

梅津庸一 Yoichi Umetsu

Exhibition Details

-Human Desire: The YANG ARTS Collection

• Date: February 18 - March 18, 2023
• Venue: YANG ARTS
• Address: No. 310-3, Section 4, Renai Road, Daan District, Taipei City

Appointment Details

• Reservations are required for the exhibition
• Appointment method: Go to the official website of YANG ARTS Yang Art Space [Appointment Zone] (https://yang-arts.com/appointment/) to make a private viewing appointment

Information Source: YANG ARTS 洋藝術空間 | Facebook