Title｜ Art Talk “Images / Words Coming to Life: The Cinematic Poetry of Gao Xingjian” by Austin M. H, Hsu and Sun Sung-jung
Speakers｜
Austin M. H, Hsu (Executive Editor-in-Chief, Film Appreciation Journal, Taiwan Film Institute)
Sun Sung-jung (Professor, Graduate Institute of Animation and Film Art, Tainan National University of the Arts)
An art talk concerning movies directed by Gao Xingjian, titled “Images / Words Coming to Life: The Cinematic Poetry of Gao Xingjian” will be held at 4:00PM on June 25, 2016 at Asia Art Center Taipei I. The speakers will be two former curators at Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, Austin M. H, Hsu (Executive Editor-in-Chief, Film Appreciation Journal, Taiwan Film Institute) and Sun Sung-jung (Professor, Graduate Institute of Animation and Film Art, Tainan National University of the Arts). An interdisciplinary scope to view Gao Xingjian’s movies and paintings is the issue to be discussed. Gao Xingjian, the Nobel Laureate for Literature, has the latest exhibition “Calling for a New Renaissance” at Asia Art Center to showcase recent paintings. The exhibition “Calling for a New Renaissance” not only focus on the artist’s ink paintings from 2016, but also includes his movies Silhouette / Shadow, After the Flood and Requiem for Beauty, which have only previously been shown publicly at major international events held at the National Palace Museum in Taiwan, the UK and Singapore. It is the very first time to hold movie screenings at Asia Art Center.
Silhouette and Shadow｜
Camera is the shadow of the director. If an art documentary is the depiction of the artist, then the images within are “silhouettes”. Also, the film was directed by Gao, therefore the entire film is the artist’s subjective vision (the shadow).
After the Flood｜
How does one dance with solely facial expression? The film focuses on global warming and spiritual dilemma, which excludes the literal language but focuses on how to combine the paintings with music, dance and photography.
Requiem for Beauty｜
The poet, Venus, wanderer and God?
Actors and actresses take up roles from mythologies and literature, such as “The Last Supper”, “The Birth of Venus”, “Don Quijote” and “Hamlet” to present a drastically different plot from the original classics and yet stirring more intersecting ideas and contemplation for audiences.
Supported by: Linking Publishing, UNITAS