Lin Kun-Ying's creative concept directly addresses ideas of Utopia. Observations of daily life are consolidated and analyzed on multiple levels into simplified logic, and then transformed into a comprehensive sensation of serenity through an unfettered use of media and techniques. The philosophical characteristics in his work are quite powerful, and often reveal an overture that is enveloped in prosaic frustrations.
The "Perfectly Strange" series is a quintessential comprehensive work that idealizes scenes of life in days of old into a illusionary scene constructed through painting and projection. In this work, a house stands stationary while ambient light, and shadows are in constant flow. Gradually, the time and space of human lives are crystallized onto one canvas. This media simultaneously presents two characteristics: the painting represents a concrete and unique existence, while the projection represents a simulated motion that can be replicated. When the two are combined, they distinctly announce an abstract concept of space and time.
Artist Statement
The moment that the unfamiliar descends is unexpectedly peaceful. A proclivity for contemplation can make everything become familiar. The rare intrusion of something unknown is mesmerizing to me.
When confronted with a familiar scene, I always seek out the strange and revel in the unfamiliar, because this imparts a sensation of reality. In that instant, unfamiliarity induces a moment of honesty that belongs to the self. Someone may have once occupied this very space, but there is not a trace of life, only created objects here. A space that should be humanly occupied becomes an illusionary memory that is difficult to authenticate. This unexpected advent of the uncanny often occurs in a momentary glimpse in the middle of a journey. I imagine myself living in that place for several years, or picture the dailiness of growing old and dying there; the place itself becomes lost in my thoughts. I appreciate that moment of beauty more than I do the contemplation of its subjective background. In our current state, where everything is defined for us - that which remains unknown seems precious, and often opens up ever-expansive experiences. As the brain searches frantically for reality, so that it may rapidly return me to that which is quantifiable, what else might I project the self upon, to escape the cacophony?
Too much contemplation means everything becomes familiar. The rare intrusion of something unknown is mesmerizing to me. Yet, the moment that the unfamiliar descends is unexpectedly peaceful and enduring.
The video installation in this exhibition is a composite of painting and projection. The painted scenes come from the life experiences of several individuals, and the projections depict the routines of one day at this location. In these two flattening processes, space becomes abstract, while time becomes figurative. I attempted to provide as neutral an environment as possible to enable fantasies of the self in its midst; while the concept of time that accompanies light always provides an unmistakable foil for this contemplative action.
Text / Lin Kun-Ying
Technological description: scenes from life in days of old are first depicted through painting, and then reconstructed using computerized 3D technology into spatial models. The changes in light throughout an entire day for this scene are calculated and projected in precise position back onto the canvas.
About the exhibition
Duration: 21 Dec 2013 - 18 Jan 2014
Venue: IT PARK
Opening Reception: 21 Dec 2013 Sat 19:00
Gallery Opening Hours: 13:00-22:00 (Tue - Sat)
Tel: 886-4-24633239
Add: 41, 2fl YiTong St. Tapei, Taiwan
Courtesy of the artist and IT PARK, for further information please visit www.itpark.com.tw.