Artists
Photo Credit: NIU Chun-Chiang
CHANG Yu-Chia
CHANG Yu-Chia
| Location | USA / Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Residency | Contemporary Arts International (CAI) |
| Year of the Grant | 2012 |
| Work | WOODY WOODY (solo exhibition) |
| Personal Website | CHANG Yu-Chia's Personal Website |
Artist Statement: WOODY WOODY:
WOODY WOODY originated from works created during my 6-month residency at Contemporary Arts International, Boston sponsored by the Taiwan Ministry of Culture in 2012. This series is different from my previous creations in Taiwan. My earlier works carry a cold and technological tonality. This tendency shifted during my residency at CAI and, influenced by the local environment and culture, I started on my new series. WOODY WOODY was inspired by the open natural environment and its theme was constructed by the living experiences and interpersonal relationships. I continued with this strand of thought still after returning to Taiwan.
The idea for the presentation of this series comes from a big wooden bookshelf that I made for myself in the CAI studio. Lumber materials were very accessible and of good quality there. I began using wood in my everyday making. Whenever there was new work being made, I would put it on the big wooden bookshelf. At first I thought it looked nice all together. Then I realized that my pieces were of similar scale as ordinary books. The bookshelf for displaying my work became almost like a stage on which my pieces became characters for performance of unlimited possibilities. A later project in Taiwan, Mythology in the Study Room, was inspired from this realization.
Through WOODY WOODY, I wanted to rekindle my audience’s affection for simplicity in candid materials as well as in the handmade process. I noticed the popularity of new media art and the detachment of modern day people’s lives from books and study rooms. Therefore, I hoped to bring warmth back to the hearts that have become cold from detachment and indifference in our urban life. This feeling of warmness was exactly what I wanted to bring back to Taiwan after my residency.
Luckily, I successfully made a new series during my residency in America. Perhaps the new work was only a small beginning to something else, but I was still happy about freeing myself of my old practices. I was completely clueless about what to do and make after my military service. Then, I did not pay much attention to how the environment shaped an artist either. After arriving in America, however, I found myself inspired by the climate, geography, and natural environment of the area in which I was living. My everyday experiences there changed the way I worked and became the new groundwork for my new series. Many new ideas even came from my time spent on public transportations. I believe that the ‘nutrients’ for my new work really came from the US, a refreshing country for my development due to its environment, its people, its culture, etc. that motivated my creativity. I found my energy and passion for making art once again through this residency.