In his solo exhibition Impermanent Marks, Peng Yihsuan (b. 1990) samples images of the catastrophes through the years since he was born, outlining their visage with the ephemeral characteristic of whiteboard markers. As the woven images remain in a transient state of ambivalence, these fragments have converged to form a personal history of images, and embedded to become collective experience of every individual.
The whiteboard was popularized in the 90s, its foundation can resume back to emptiness when needed, and possesses the unique quality to bear any images and texts; just as the virtual canvas of a calculator, and they are the digital language unique to this generation. Whiteboards have been adopted as a transitory tool to deliver mountains of temporary information, it bears an uncanny resemblance to the decentralizing governance of contemporary images. As the production of media images becomes readily accessible, anyone can cite and arrange images as they please. Experiences are often established in a fragmentary or abrupt manner, and the intent of these images become ephemeral as messages continue to layer and transform. In the narrative structure of news, repeating scenes of catastrophic events particularly assaults public awareness, agitating society’s collective consciousness. The artist positions himself within the whiteboard and watches these images that did not emerge from his own experiences, recounting past scenes of calamity and proceed to shift, seeking an entry point to cast personal experiences. While the vulnerability of an island country aches sorely through the incessant images, the fleeting quality of the medium eases an ever present anxiety. The disembodied images are eventually projected onto a whiteboard as the act of recording replaces a painterly arrangement, now behind the isolated images remain only an intricate web of lines. Through a commentative performance process, Peng Yihsuan has transformed convoluted memories into an arrangement intimate to the public experiences.
About the artist
Peng Yihsuan was born in 1990 in Chungli, Taiwan. He graduated from Taipei National University of the Arts in 2011. Currently studies at the Graduate Institute of Plastic Arts, Tainan National University of the Arts. He currently works and lives in Tainan. His solo exhibitions include: Impermanent Marks (A+ Contemporary, Shanghai , 2016), CANVAS (Xiang Er Art Space, Chungli , 2015),Youxian de xu xu (HOWL Space, Tainan, 2014) , The Image of Hope(Tainan National University of the Arts, Tainan, 2013), The Thousand of Pedestal (Taipei National University of the Arts Nan-Bei Gallery, Taipei, 2011) His group exhibitions include: Taipei Arts Awards (Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, 2015), Nice life?(Kunsthochschule Kassel, Kassel, Germany, 2015)，Kaohsiung Awards (Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung, 2015)，Centrifuge (Polymer , Taipei, 2014), Transcoding: The Geography of Digital Images (Taiwan Digital Art and Information Center, Taipei, 2014), Make place for… (INART Space, Tainan, 2013) He was shortlisted for Kaohsiung Awards, Taipei Arts Awards and the 3rd Huayu Youth Award in 2015.
About the exhibition
Duration: May 21 – July 4, 2016
Venue: A+ Contemporary
Courtesy of the artist and A+ Contemporary, for further information please visit http://apluscontemporary.org.
