It Takes Four Sorts: A Cross-Strait Four-Regions Artistic Exchange Project 2012 promotes youth art with four thematic exhibitions

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TEXT：Sue Wang DATE： 2012.9.10

00 Poster of It Takes Four Sorts A Cross-Strait Four-Regions Artistic Exchange Project

For “It Takes Four Sorts: A Cross-Strait Four-Regions Artistic Exchange Project (2012)”, five curators of contemporary art from Taipei, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Macau have each selected three to four active young artists from a geographic region, not the curators own, to create separate exhibition units. Working from their own geographic and experiential specialities, the five curators made their selection and compromises with the concept of exchange as a starting point to create a four-unit exhibition representing the four regions that comprise of the 2012 “Cross-Strait Four Region Artistic Exchange Project”. This marks the third year for the project which began in 2008 with “Departure”, followed by “Butterfly Effect” in 2009, and “1+1” in 2010.

The artistic exchange project continues in 2012 with the Chinese title “Chimera” exhibition which will be held at the four art spaces. The chimera refers to Père David's Deer. Known as milu in Chinese, the beast is also known by its nickname sibuxiang-- literally “unlike any of the four”— referring to milu’s appearance of having the antlers of a deer but not being a deer, the face of a horse but not a horse, the tail of a donkey but not a donkey, and the hooves of a cow but not a cow. This is an apt metaphor for this exhibition of works from four regions across the China Strait, each with their own geopolitical differences as well as cultural and artistic context. The chimera becomes a concept for in-depth exchange, where five curators each observe the other in their geographical and contemporary artistic context. The understanding and friction that the exchange inevitably produces creates an opportunity for us to observe the ambiguities and differences that exist across the Strait and in the four regions.

“It Takes Four Sorts” consists of four thematic exhibitions with participants from Shenzhen, Macau, Taipei and Hong Kong.

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Theme: When, Who, Where

Curator: James Chu (Macau)

Participating artists: Jun-Liang Lin, Niu Chun-Chiang, Cheng-Ta Yu

Theme: Suspending Mirage

Curator: Lin Fan (Shenzhen)

Participating artists: Chan Ka Keong, Lai Sio Kit, Ng Fong Chao Noah

Theme: Plan B

Curator: Chang Ching-Wen (Taipei)

Participating artists: Chen Sushan, Lee Chun-Fung, Lo Chi Kit, Joe Yiu

Theme: Hello! Stranger