New Media

2017

Length:32.6 x Width:23.9 x Height:6 (cm)

單頻道錄像裝置9分20秒,盒:32.6x23.9x6

Hsu Chia-Wei (b. 1983, Taichung) holds a master’s degree from the Graduate Institute of Plastic Arts at National Taiwan University of Arts. He specializes in video art, using the medium to explore unique historical and cultural episodes across Asia. His works often occupy a space between narrative and documentary. From 2011 to 2013, Hsu served as the director of Open Contemporary Art Center in Taipei. He has participated in numerous international artist residencies, including Kunstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin (2014) and Le Fresnoy-Studio national des arts contemporains in France (2014-2016).
Takasago responds to Taiwan’s industrial development during the Japanese colonial era. The video documents the scarce surviving records of the “Industrial Research Institute of the Governor-General of Taiwan.” The term “Takasago” was originally the title of a classical Noh play about the enduring love of a couple transformed into ancient pine trees. “Takasago” was also a historical Japanese name for Taiwan. In the 1920s, a Japanese fragrance company of the same name was founded in Hiratsuka, and in 1937, it moved its headquarters to Taipei, using raw materials sourced from Taiwan. After World War II, the company relocated back to Japan, where it continues to operate as the nation’s largest fragrance company today. In the video, a performance of the Noh play Takasago is staged inside the Takasago Company’s factory. Through the shared name, Hsu weaves together layers of meaning between a centuries-old theatrical narrative and the modern history of colonial industry.

Accession number:20190100060