Memory Palace in Ruins

Memory Palace in Ruins
June 9–August 13, 2023

As the annual exhibition of Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-LAB) for 2023, Memory Palace in Ruins explores the enduring presence of historical memories in our contemporary lives. Two main aspects at the core of this discussion involve the textualization and the materialization of historical memories. Much like our complex, chaotic contemporary lives, the works showcased in this exhibition exude a sense of anachronism. They imply that not only are we the products of history, but we also resemble parchments enriched with cultural and nurturing influences as we continuously envision ourselves amidst the living breaths of history.

While it seemingly elicits a certain nostalgia, the exhibition is not exclusively concerned with past happenings. Rather, it extends its interest to the query “what ensues?” following the historical events. Viewers are anticipated to identify notable historical instances in the exhibition, including recent disasters and demonstrations, as well as extraordinary cultural happenings characteristic of particular eras, such as renowned pop singers and chart-topping songs. Unbound from being tied to the past timeline, these events are transformed, at a later time, into monuments, memorials, script adaptations, or cinematic tributes.

Here, history is not simply an object to be observed and handled. Certain aspects of history are turned into stylized texts, open to new interpretations offered by artists through various treatments and acts. Some artists select segments of historical styles and magnify, repeat, displace, or modify them in iterations, calling to mind the patterns in popular culture that once captivated us; other artists engage with “historicity” in a self-reflective or meta fashion, fabricating contents of events— through the intentional adoption of an antiquated or retro aesthetics—that seem to have occurred in the past yet do not conform to our memories. With minimal hesitation, artists willingly unveil their dual roles within cultural institutions as both creators and spectators.

Upon entering the exhibition space, visitors are likely to encounter manufactured ancient artifacts, images evoking a sense of déjà vu, a bewildering monument overlooked after its apex, amateur cultural homage, a Parthenon temple featuring tilted columns, two versions of sunsets, and an array of pirated DVDs. From time to time, ghost-like sounds of pop music can be heard in the air, accompanied by artworks in obsolete yet deeply meaningful mediums. Their surfaces carry the marks of history, as they remain subject to decay in the physical world, much like Cheng Tsun-Shing’s eloquent portrayal in “The Anxiety of Silver Halides”—a palace of memories is destined to crumble into ruins.

Participating artists in the exhibition include Yu Araki, Andrés Baron, Slater Bradley, Jack Burton, Rutherford Chang, Che Onejoon, Jeremy Deller & Nicholas Abrahams, Hsieh Yung-Cheng, Hsu Chih-Yu, Hsu Che-Yu, AKI INOMATA, Shingo Kanagawa, Polina Kanis, Kuo Che-Hsi, Lee Yung-Chih, Lee Tek-Khean, Lee Kan Kyo, Liao Xuan-Zhen & Huang I-Chieh, Simon Liu, Toshio Matsumoto, Babeth Mondini-Vanloo, dj sniff, Shimpei Takeda, Su-Mei Tse And Andrew Norman Wilson. Their works are presented across four venues of C-LAB, with a large-scale architectural installation project set up in the outdoor area. The exhibition is curated by Yu Wei, the curator of C-LAB.