Kinetic, mechanical and humanly robotic: these are the key words to decode the works by Taiwanese artist Kao Chung-Li and to define his blend of craftsmanship and technology.
Born in Taipei in 1958, Kao completed his education at the National Taiwan Academy of Arts in 1979. A pioneer of experimental imagery in Taiwan, he is also a founding member of the avant-garde exhibition "Xirang" during the 1980s.
Early on in his career, Kao was active in photography: drawing inspiration from Western image history, he dedicated himself to studying the principles of imaging and even invented his own handmade tools for image production. His main aim then was to introduce Marxist materialism into visual arts and spark discussions about the development of our own image-machine culture and thinking. From then on, Kao focused on themes such as media archaeology and dialectical reasoning, analyzing them with the support of audio-visual technology.
An exhibition currently on at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum in Taiwan, examines his creative trajectory: "Re-Present" spans more than four decades and invites visitors to explore the essence of photography and image machines.
Curated by Lee Wei-I, the exhibition combines crafts with technology since it features a selection of Kao's hand-drawn animation scripts, sculptures, photographs, experimental films, and audiovisual machines and explores themes such as photography, cinematography and animation.
While there are seven large-scale kinetic installations created specifically for this exhibition, the event includes a wide range of his pieces, some of them from his iconic series including "Aspects & Visions", "Photochemical-Mechanical Live Image Projection Device", "Slideshow Cinema" and "Camera Lucida Cinema". Besides, "Re-Present" also allows visitors to rediscover the machines from his very first solo exhibition at the American Cultural Center in Taipei in 1983 ("ASA to the Power of N", "Mosquito Repellent Incense", and "Hands, or a Photo").
This first exhibition marked the beginning of Kao's exploration into the nature of photography. Through his contemplation of image optics, he created several works that challenged the viewer's subjectivity.
One of his early works, called "Grooming," was a video installation and sculpture, and the exhibition starts with a new version of this piece. This updated edition of "Grooming" uses modern technology, such as a webcam, a depth camera, and a monitor, to create a thought-provoking and immersive experience for viewers who will be questioning the concept of subjectivity when confronted by their deferred mirror-images on the monitor.
Kao's work is focused on the relationships between "objects," "object images," and "image objects" and the exhibition is centred around this interplay.
According to the artist, his objects are the beings that exist under the sun, while the object images are the visible opposite of an object in the real world, something that is created when the light reflected or emitted by an object forms an image on a plane (concepts s directly taken from Plato's allegory of the cave). Kao also creates artifacts that are given meanings according to optical theory, which he calls "image objects."
Quite often Kao's images are related to time, politics, and history and "Re-Present" includes a recording of his father’s life experience ("Home Movie") and "My Mentor, Chen Yingzhen", a fusion of multiple image techniques (diary film, home movie, and hand-drawn animation) based on personal memories and history, a tribute to writer Chen Yingzhen.
One vital aspect of Kao's practice remains the creation of handmade mechanical image machines, as proved by the series "Photochemical-Mechanical Live Image Projection Device" that combines 8mm film projectors, hand-drawn animation, and photography and addresses issues debated in Western pictorial art.
His standout piece, "Anti．mei．ology 002", draws instead inspiration from the surrealist work "La Clairvoyance" (1936) by Belgian artist René Magritte. Kao moves from the notion that "seeing is not always believing" by replacing the original elements with images of a bomber, a cross, and a fighter plane. Representing in this way his resistance against the domination of Western hegemony and visual culture.
Kao is also an educator and, to explore this aspect, the exhibition includes his "Cinemas in Suitcases" that he employs as teaching aids. Through the "Palm-sized Physical Mobile Imaging Device", a sort of Phenakistoscope, and the "3D Moving Image Display", similar to a pair of glasses, the artist illustrates the principles of imaging that make static hand-drawn pictures come to life.
Both devices require the viewer's hands and eyes to work together. When the images are spun rapidly, they create a smooth illusion of continuous movement, making static images appear three-dimensional through the principle of parallax.
Another intriguing piece is the "Coin-operated Binocular Visual Machine", which is a repurposed arcade cabinet. Viewers can pull the cord to change the images and become in this way more aware of their binocular vision, produced by the intersection of the lines of vision of both eyes.
Among the new works, "Data Cowboy / Loin de l'Ukraine" and "Sans Soleil" push the boundaries of artistic expression drawing from contemporary history: the former depicts a Wild West duel between two humanoid robots inspired by Star Trek's "Data" android. Connected to a video game, the two figures assume the roles of villainous cowboys in the Wild West.
"Sans Soleil" features instead prosthetic legs employed by Japanese soldiers during the Second World War used to create an eerie yet captivating shadow animation.
In conclusion, Kao Chung-Li's work is a unique blend of technology, craft, and artistic expression. His handmade audiovisual devices demonstrate his commitment to exploring the relationship between objects and their emotional and aesthetic implications and, through them, he challenges the traditional models of production and connects with his audience in a way that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally engaging. His work is a testament to the power of creativity and the boundless possibilities of the audiovisual industry.
Image credits for this post
All images in this post courtesy of the artist and Taipei Fine Arts Museum.
"Re-Present: Kao Chung-Li", Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan.
Kao Chung-Li, Grooming, 1983-2023, 75-inch monitor, webcam, depth camera, dimensions variable.
Kao Chung-Li, Data Cowboy / Loin de l’Ukraine, 2023, expanded polyethylene foam (EPE), mechanical installation, polycarbonate plastic sheet, light, dimensions variable.
Kao Chung-Li, Anti‧mei‧ology 002, 1999, photochemical-mechanical live image projection device, 68x68x115 cm.
Kao Chung-Li, Mary Had A Little Lamb, 2023, industrial temporal objects/phonograph, vinyl, model installation, 50x30 cm.
Kao Chung-Li, Coin-operated Binocular Machine View-Master, 2023,view-master slide, Japanese coin-operated machine, 31.5x26x50 cm.
Kao Chung-Li, Installation view of Cinemas in Suitcases Series, 2006-2015.
Kao Chung-Li, 3D Live Image Display,2008, digital output, freehand drawing, stereoscopic photography, acrylic, 21x12x20 cm.
Kao Chung-Li, Talking Heads, 2023, episcope, fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP), kinetic installation, 120x93.8x 127.5 cm.
Kao Chung-Li, Hiroshima Mon Amour, 2023, audio slide projector, film, computer program, dimensions variable.
Kao Chung-Li, Sans Soleil, 2023, industrial temporal objects, kinetic installation, dimensions variable.
Kao Chung-Li, Installation view of My Mentor, Chen Yingzhen,2010, Single-channel video, 22mins 27secs.
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