My residency at the ISCP in 2021 was research-oriented. By interviewing curators and visiting as well as browsing museums and exhibitions, I looked into the concept which work in concert with my two topics:
1.How does the concept of linear chronology affect the exhibition or compilation of art history in Taiwan?
2.How indigenous art history is presented and written in the U.S?

Because of COVID-19, my five-month residency at ISCP was cut into two parts. From March to the end of April, I participated ISCP online. Then on April 30th, I flew to New York to attend the residency on-site until the end of July. ISCP’s massive network and connections in the field has supported me substantially throughout my residency. I joined the spring Open Studio during the online residency to share my research focuses. And one of the board members was interested in my topic who introduced me to several critical persons, including the previous director of curatorial, the educational programs at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, the director of Grey Art Gallery at New York University, and the scholar of German expressionism Diana Bush. We had discussions in-depth on my research topics.

After arriving in New York, ISCP arranged monthly curator visits to resident artists. Among these curators, I met the independent art historian and curator Monika Fabijansk. She shared her personal experience and philosophy in curating and further responded to my research topic on challenging the chronological approach. Aside from curator visits, there were critic visits twice every month. It has helped me shape my research more solid and encouraged me to think further through conversations with the critics, which also sharpened my abilities on my own work promotion and my communication skills improvement. Furthermore, I interviewed the new curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Denise Murrell, the first-ever African-American curator at the institute who curates 19th-and 20th-Century Art through ISCP's networking.

The ISCP also organized field trips every month. Together with other resident artists, I visited galleries in Chelsea and Tribeca, the independent and community spaces near China Town such as “Wing On Wo & Co.”, the Queens Museum, and NADA House Exhibitions on Governors Island, etc. These were the most exciting experiences during the residency.

The summer Open Studio in July was ISCP’s public physical event after COVID-19. I presented the video work of Taiwanese artist So Yo-Hen’s The Prophet (2016) and Plaster Gong (2017), including several books about art history, modernity, and temporality, and the notes from my interviews with scholars, curators, and artists during my residency program. Some guests who came to my Open Studio, including the director and the secretary of the Taipei Cultural Center in New York; New York-based Taiwanese artists, and curators and owners from various art institutions in New York. The Open Studio event offered me an excellent opportunity on cultural exchange and networking.

During my residency at ISCP, I met a lot of active international artists and curators. I believe that the connections and the research materials I have accumulated will be a good base for my further residency development.


Author: Chou Yu-Ling
Edited: Brix