Artists
Photo Credit: NIU Chun-Chiang
WU Jam
WU Jam
| Location | France / Paris |
|---|---|
| Residency | Cité Internationale des Arts |
| Year of the Grant | 2010 |
| Work | Water Light, Between, For Republic of China (Taiwan) Centenary, etc. |
| Personal Website | WU Jam's Personal Website |
Artist Statement:
I experienced temporary memory loss during travel: the ticket that fell out of a notebook, the half-buttered toast, the heated drama next door, the tinted light, the conversation layered with echos, and the language I did not understand. All I could do was translate the decibels of the actor[J1] , dissecting each motion made. I knew he[J2] was acting for me as if this moment was the first snow I’d ever seen in my entire life. It was a moment like a young girl’s[J3] yearning, a moment that was both foreign and exotic. The snow covered my eyelashes bit by bit. I could not make out the makeup, headdress[J4] , or body of my companion. The snow kept falling. The gray color faded and there were only bits of yellow now, feeling lucky in the dark.
Cité Internationale des Arts has maintained a relatively grand structure and history. Hundreds of artists have come through here every year. The exhibitions and presentations are all individually run; there is no intervening assistance from institutions. As a result of this freedom, artists need to be self-motivated to achieve goals. Naturally, there are both pros and cons to this system. Different artists have different residency experiences. A six month residency was the longest of the Council for Cultural Affairs’ residency projects. I was able to visit cities in other countries when I was in Europe. It was a lovely experience. I learned a lot from living in this old city of Paris. What I learned slowly grew inside of me and later influenced my continuing work. Although it was not an instant reflection that would give immediate feedback, it was a wonderful resource for a Taiwanese artist like myself.
It was relatively difficult to find local galleries or museums to present my final work in such short notice, but there were still opportunities waiting to be discovered over time, even without the assistance of the Centre Cultural de Taiwan a Paris (CCTP). With the resources available, an artist can only do his or her best to make the work as complete as possible at the end of a residency and to honor the residency program. My exhibition opened in Taiwan in 2012. I was able to showcase works made during my residency in Paris with audiences and arts groups in my home country.
When in Paris, I felt strongly that I did not understand myself nearly enough. I did not understand my land, my history, or my culture. This lack of knowing made me ashamed of myself. I wanted to go back to Taiwan and really get to know myself and to take a good look at Asia, our way of living, and our way of working. This was the most powerful reflection made during this residency experience.