Beyond the Picture

作品賞析

Artist Chou Tai-Chun believes that if one wants to learn about history, one also needs to rely on self-study in addition to schoolwork, to supplement the information not recorded in textbooks. Starting from this point, he incorporated his own views into his creations, trying to take a third-party perspective while reflecting on the issue of land reclamation and the neglect of local residents in Taiwan’s history. In his work Beyond the Picture, Chou uses symbols from Qing dynasty maps to symbolize ruling authority and military force; the ochre blocks of color symbolize the flow of emotions of the residents of this land after migration. The composition uses misplaced canvases to enhance the visual discomfort, and combines contemporary visual elements, such as longitude and latitude lines cut by drawing software and studio props, etc., using these “out-of-place” images to pull the viewers’ emotions into the modern era, instead of letting them dwell on the past. The work reminds viewers to reflect on history beyond official history and to fill in the gaps with other people’s missing voices.