34｜Avant Garde Liberation: WU Mali, WU Tien-Chang, PENG Hung-Chih
HUANG Mingchuan
2003
Documentary film | 26’06”; 26’11”; 25’53”｜Courtesy of Taiwan Public Television
During the 1990s, Taiwan underwent a gradual liberation from authoritarian rule and endured a state of helpless anxiety caused by the transition. However, this phenomenon has also undoubtedly reflected a new sense of liveliness, a psychological projection caused by the obscurity of the past, unease toward the present, and uncertainty about the future. This contemporary current is especially noticeable in Taiwan’s avant-garde art world. The thoughts and expressions of these pathfinders were different from conventional artists, and they created works in styles that embodied an adventurous spirit toward the future and contemplative reflection toward the past. Huang Ming-Chuan spent the entire 90s investigating the art scene and artists in Taiwan, and through his works, the artist presents viewers with the most unforgettable series of art videos that were awarded the Visual Arts Award of Taishin Arts Award in 2003.
Huang Minghcuan
Huang Minghcuan (b. 1955) was born in Chiayi. After receiving his LL.B. from National Taiwan University, he left for New York and Los Angeles, where he studied lithography, fine arts, and photography. In 1984, he opened his own commercial photography studio in New York. He moved back to Taiwan in 1988. One year later, in 1989, he completed his first independent film production, The Man from Island West, and subsequently, his two feature films, Bodo and Flat Tyre, the latter of which won the 36th Golden Horse Awards for Special Jury Award. Huang is devoted to the making of art documentaries, and has created numerous works, including The Portrait of Hundred Occupations made for the Public Television Video Production of the Broadcasting Development Foundation (now Public Television Service); a documentary series featuring Taiwanese writers; Avant Garde Liberation, documentaries featuring Taiwanese avant-garde artists of the 90s; 100 Taiwanese Poets, etc. In 2014, he launched the Chiayi International Art Doc Film Festival, the first of its kind in Asia, for his hometown, Chiayi. He is an artist, art critic, curator, and film director.
The 1st Taishin Arts Award - Visual Arts Award｜Avant Grade Liberation：The Huang Mingchuan Image Collection of the1990s