The
opportunity for cross-national exchange between the two museums is a result of
the friendship brought about by the
plight of the COVID-19 pandemic. But perhaps the more important cause
contributing to the successful organizing of the exhibition is the similarity
between Lithuania and Taiwan's historical and international situation, as well
as the shared belief in humanitarianism. In face of the tension created by the
current war between Russia and Ukraine, Lithuania, which had struggled to
emerge from the Soviet Union's Iron Curtain, has declared a state of emergency and condemned Russia through various
diplomatic initiatives in support of Ukraine. The street of the Russian Embassy
in Lithuania is even renamed as “Ukrainian Heroes' Street” to serve as an
expression of their unshakable belief in freedom and peace, and as a tribute to
the heroes who have resisted violence of the Russian authoritarian regime.
Under this context, to present “Uncoverings: the Search
for Identity in Lithuanian Photography” curated by the LNDM is now of
great significance; it entails a profound scrutiny of the world's current
changes in the light of historical images. The theme of the exhibition revolves
around the search for the Lithuanian
identity and related cultural issues. 87 works by 21 artists are featured,
presenting a chronological account of the historical progress and development
of photography in Lithuania from the 1950s to the present day. The exhibition
highlights the transformation of Lithuanian photography from realism to
conceptual expressionism; it spans the repression and resistance of the
gloomy and metaphorical photographic ideologies of the Soviet era, the rise of
political movements, the pursuit of liberal consciousness and emerging themes,
and the conceptual exploration of photography in a free and open atmosphere.
The three main themes traverse historical contexts and time, presenting the
development of photography across three generations. The exhibition mainly features the
museum's photography collection and will provide and enrich the audience's understanding not only of
Lithuanian photography but also of
its culture and history.
In response to the collection of artworks and curatorial focus of “Uncoverings:
the Search of Identity in Lithuanian Photography”, in-house curator Jay
Chun-Chieh LAI at the NTMoFA curated “Covered Reality: Archival Orientation and
Identity in Taiwanese Contemporary Photography" which also features mainly
the collection of photography of the NTMoFA and the National Center of
Photography and Images (NCPI). The exhibition invites 15 artists with artistic
practice echoing the theme to exhibit their photography and mixed media
works. The artworks on view are
important works of contemporary Taiwanese art photography since the 1990s. It
explores multiple and complex issues of cultural identity through
“(un-)covering” image archives, exhibiting artworks such as Chen Chieh-Jen’s
early digitally-edited works, Wu Tien-Chang's mixed media installations, and
Mei Dean-E's digital print compiled using old photographs. Together with
the diverse perspectives of the younger generation of artists confronting the
theme of “identity”, this is a dialogue on the history of modern to
contemporary photography in Lithuania, in the light of the current situation of
contemporary photography in Taiwan.
“Uncoverings: the Search for Identity in Lithuanian
Photography" and “Covered Reality: Archival Orientation and
Identity in Taiwanese Contemporary Photography" at the NTMoFA will run
until 3 July 2022, and will tour to the NCPI, Taipei, in
September this year. The NTMoFA hopes that the interactions and exchanges
explored through the two museums' collections and curatorial perspectives can
establish a deeper and long-term artistic and cultural connection and conceive
more possibilities for future exchanges as long-term partners.
For
information on the exhibition and promotional activities, please refer to the
official website of the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts at http://www.ntmofa.gov.tw .