September 12, 2014 – January 4, 2015
Taipei Fine Arts Museum
Gallery D, 181 Zhonghshan N. Road
Sec. 3, Taipei
Taiwan
Taipei National University of the Arts
1 Shiueyuan Road
Peitou District
Taipei
Taiwan
Aesthetic Jam is a project curated by Hongjohn Lin and Henk Slager in close consultation with Nicolas Bourriaud, curator of the 2014 edition of the Taipei Biennial.
Aesthetic Jam intends to explore topical potentialities of an alternative and more strategic manner of dealing with artistic practices. Therefore, the project deliberately refers back to the concept of aesthetics. Since contemporary thinkers such as Badiou and Ranciere have initiated to redefine the aesthetic regime, aesthetics seems to point again to extra-territorial frameworks able to avoid the production of instrumentalizing concepts. Indeed, a topical understanding of aesthetics appears to be astoundingly compatible with what was once advocated by artistic research, i.e. the self-reflexive and self-critical capacities of artists engaging in configurations of understanding and signification.
A multitude of perspectives could be opened up—all attempting to avoid a disciplining will to knowledge. Could a novel concept of aesthetics reveal different forms of interests in and processes of artistic thinking? Could experimental aesthetics as an undisciplinary methodology distinctive from a theoretical and academic philosophy be in the forefront of artistic practices? Could the concept of aesthetics have the power to reframe the concept of artistic research?
To answer the above questions Hongjohn Lin and Henk Slager developed an experimental and dynamic format. On the ground floor of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum (Gallery D) they organized a workshop environment that will continually be redesigned and discussed by the participating artists. The starting point is a so-called zero degree situation in which a number of works will be exhibited that, according to the curators, offer a clear contribution to the debate on the position and situation of the concept of aesthetics.
After the opening, five artists will produce new work in the exhibition space for a period of three weeks. The production of these works will be facilitated by the TFAM (Taipei Fine Arts Museum) and TNUA (Taipei National University of the Arts). During the work process, the five artists will engage in the realization of a new display system based on their produced works plus a selection of works from the zero degree composition.
Prior to the opening of the exhibition, a public seminar will take place at which the participating artists will further discuss their works and the group presentation. This presentation will then be displayed for two weeks. Afterwards, a second and a third group of five artists will go through a similar process. At the opening of the third group’s presentation (December 13) the entire process will be evaluated and a publication will be launched.
Aesthetic Jam presentation plan:
Zero degree situation
Opening weekend: September 12–14
Artists: Lonnie van Brummelen & Siebren de Haan (Netherlands), and Kai Huang Chen (Taiwan)
Display 0: Episode of the Sea and Sea Route
Production Period 1
September 15–October 5
Artists: Tiong Ang (Netherlands), Chang Nai-Wen (Taiwan), Alejandro Ramirez (Colombia/Netherlands), and Wang Sheng-Hung (Taiwan)
Seminar 1: October 4, 4pm
Display 1: October 5–19
Production Period 2
October 20–November 9
Artists: Clodagh Emoe (Ireland), Fang Yen-Hsaing (Taiwan), Irene Kopelman (Argentina/Netherlands), Su Meng-hung (Taiwan), and Wu Shu-ann (Taiwan)
Seminar 2: November 8, 4pm
Display 2: November 9–23
Production Period 3
November 24–December 14
Artists: Andre Alves (Portugal/Finland), Gwen Wang (Taiwan), James T. Hong (USA/Taiwan), Huang Chien-Hung (Taiwan), and Mick Wilson (Sweden/Ireland)
Closing Seminar (+ book presentation: Experimental Aesthetics, Metropolis M Books): December 13, 4pm
Display 3: December 14, 2014–January 4, 2015
The project Aesthetic Jam is made possible by the support of Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei National University of the Arts, GradCAM Dublin, Finnish Academy of Fine Arts/University of the Arts Helsinki, Hongkong Chinese University, Taiwan University of the Arts, Valand Academy of the Arts/Gothenburg University, HKU University of the Arts Utrecht, and Mondriaan Fund Amsterdam.
