Artwork Appreciation
YOU Meng-Shu’s Cocacolonization III borrows and transforms American pop culture merchandise to provide a presentation of how American political, economic, and cultural forces have influenced Taiwanese culture. Classical blue-and-white porcelain in the shape of glass coke bottles and soda cans printed with the Chinese characters of Coca Cola are arranged in neat rows, representing the infiltration of American culture into the Taiwanese way of life through business and trade while conveying the chaotic situations of melding of eastern and western cultural elements. YOU Meng-Shu uses the concept of Coca-Colonization to reflect upon how Neo-Imperialism has affected Taiwanese culture.