4th May, 2015 was the official opening of 68th Cannes Film Festival. As one of the most influential film festivals, every year the number of visitors triples in the city, more than 21,000 people and 4,500 journalists attended to witness the glamour of celebrities.
This year’s festival is especially significant for Taiwanese art scene. The Assassin (Chinese:聶隱娘) directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien is one of the 19 “In Competition” films, it is also the first nomination of Taiwanese film after 6 years. On the other hand, artist Li Chen was also invited to exhibit three works: Floating Heavenly Palace (2007), “Float to Sukhavati” (2002), and “Snow Wonderland” (2007) are currently on display outdoor at the Majestic Beach and indoor at the lounge of luxury Hôtel Majestic Barrière until the end of festival.
Artist Li Chen began to receive his first interview on the deck of Majestic Beach since morning of 14th. Many reporters still recall his outdoor exhibition at the Place Vendôme in Paris back in 2013. Despite the rush and excitement surrounding this event, the sculptures can always bring peace to mind; such transcendental experience is not by coincident, but the very proof of artist’s purity and sincerity reflected on his work. The power and energy was felt and transformed to a beautiful choreography by Karine Plantadit, a dancer from New York and Tony Award nominee, who vividly and touchingly portrayed the spiritual liberation with movement.
During the festival, Cannes is a sunny beach by day, and dazzling celebration by night. Visitors dressed in extravagance beauty on the street, engage themselves from one party to another. The sculptures also reveal several faces: happiness, careless, or meditation, providing a contract to the environment. Here everyone is holding a dream, whether it’s in the palace upheld by the Floating Heavenly Palace? Or carrying asleep to the Sukhavati?
