ARCHIVE PROJECT GLOBAL CONTEMPORARY ARTIST ANALYSIS
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GLOBAL CONTEMPORARY ARTIST ANALYSIS ARCHIVE PROJECT KUEI-CHIH LEE: CONTEMPORARY TAIWANESE ARTIST JAMIE HIGHLANDER, BFA: GRAPHIC DESIGN, 2021 [Lee, Kuei-Chih, The Ripple Maze at Gaoshuang, 2020, Bamboo, 3000cm(L) x 3000cm(W) x 350cm(H), Gaoshuang Farmland, Pingzhen District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan, Ripple Series, accessed April 27, 2021, https://www.leekueichih.com/single-post/2020/08/30/the-ripple- maze-at-gaoshuang- %E9%AB%98%E9%9B%99%E9%99%82%E5%A1%98%E6%BC%A3%E6%BC%AA%E8%BF%B7%E 5%AE%AE] This short art analysis paper accompanies an original video presentation produced by UTC undergraduate students, dedicated to the work of a contemporary artist and developed as part of ART 4190r: Global Contemporary Art course in Spring 2021.
Born in 1979 in the county of Yunlin, Taiwan, Lee, Kuei-Chih is a Taiwanese
environmental artist that draws inspiration from natural elements around him. 1 He graduated in
2003 from the National Taiwan University of Arts as part of the Department of Fine Arts with a
concentration in mixed media arts and has been a part of 40 plus residencies since graduation. He
has also curated five projects along with various solo and group exhibitions, public art projects,
and has received multiple awards and grants for his artworks. 2 Lee was named one of Taiwan’s
Best Contemporary Artist on The Culture Trip for his outdoor installation that fits within the
landscapes causing the public to view the space in a different way.3 Even though he is most
known for his site-specific installations, he also works within multiple different medias from
print-making, painting, and video. Over the course of this paper we will discuss the environment
that allows Lee and other artists thrive in the Taiwanese culture and understand Lee’s
documentation process and relationship within site-specific artworks. Later, we will look in
detail at two of his artworks he created in 2020: The Ripple Maze at Gaoshuang and Transition.
Taiwan has many artists and Lee, Kuei-Chih is just one of them that work within the
public space. For sixteen years The Council of Cultural Affairs (CCA) has supervised Taiwan's
public art program. In 2007 they contacted twenty-seven art programs to revise the public art
ordinance that was currently in place. 4 The prior Cultural Art Regulation from 1992 instructed
1 Kuei-Chih Lee, Homepage, Lee, Kuei-Chih, accessed April 27, 2021, https://en.leekueichih.com/
2
Kuei-Chih Lee, CV, Lee, Kuei-Chih, accessed April 27, 2021, https://en.leekueichih.com/cv
3Ciaran McEneaney, Taiwan’s Best Contemporary Artists, Culture Trip, July 10, 2019, accessed April 27,
2021, https://theculturetrip.com/asia/taiwan/articles/taiwans-best-contemporary-artists/
4
Yu-wen Evelyn Tseng, Examining Current U.S. Public Art Trust Fund Programs for Applications in
Taiwan: Visions for Taiwan's New Public Art Trust Fund, Order No. 1454084, University of Southern
California, (2008): 1–2, https://proxy.lib.utc.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.proxy.lib.utc.edu/
dissertations-theses/examining-current-u-s-public-art-trust-fund/docview/193991161/se-2?
accountid=14767 .
every public construction project to contribute one percent of the total value of the project to the
Percent of Art fund. From this fund, there has been a total of seven hundred and fifteen public art
projects in Taiwan between 1999 to 2005. The Percent of Art fund assists many artists and
enables them with the tools they need to make a difference within living environments.5
Margaret Crawford defines everyday space in Everyday Urbanism of “the physical domain of
everyday public activity that exists between the defined and identifiable realms of the home, the
institution, and the workplace.” 6 Festivals are also a great space for temporary art projects that
are less restricted by media and materials and brings a different way of producing art installation
for the artist and the audience of what art in the public space can be. 7Art critic Lee Weng Choy
says, “Arts spaces are not just venues for the production and consumption of contemporary
culture, but, if they do their job well, they become sites where people gather together and feel
some sense of belonging. They become places where individuals, from artists to audiences, can
interact with each other in the shared space of a public.” 8 As the culture and government
continues to encourage public art spaces and thinking about how the public and art interacts, it
encourages artists to do the same. Lee does an excellent job thinking about his installations, his
process, and how they interact within the space.
On his artist website, Lee gives us detailed description and information showing his
process. An excerpt from Lee’s overall artist statement states: “With his own relationship with
5 Tseng, Examining Current, 5-6
6
Crawford, Margaret, and Michael Speaks. Everyday Urbanism. Vol. 1, Michigan Debate on Urbanism.
Michigan: The Regents of the University of Michigan, 2005: 18.
7 Tseng, Examining Current, 21
8
Michelle Antoinette and Francis Maravillas. Positioning Contemporary Art Worlds and Art Publics in
Southeast Asia. World art (Abingdon, U.K.) 10, no. 2-3 (2020): 172.
nature, physical labor and his view of the organic world, he connect and communicate with
natural elements, to become aware of the inner soul and consciousness and interpret the
philosophy of nature…. His natural sculpture connects the material world with the immaterial
universe between Motion and Stillness and the inner and outer state of mind, and communicates
and co-exists with the surrounding environment, and then explores the relationship between the
essence of creation and human, nature and environment.” 9 Lee process documentation within his
video and photography work helps provide context to his overall statement of “We sculpted
ourselves while sculpting time” within himself and his team as they work together. Stuart Hall’s
Culture Identity and Diaspora says, “…we should think, instead of identity as a ‘production’,
which is never complete, always in process, and always constituted within, not outside,
representation.”10 We see Lee use the idea of an identity continuing to involve over time
producing his art installations with his team and himself processing their own lives, spirituality,
the actual space, and materials they are using. In the next two paragraphs we will discuss the
structure and ideas surrounding two of his installations: The Ripple Maze at Gaoshuang and
Transition.
One of the two installations we will look at is The Ripple Maze at Gaoshuang (Figure A)
which was created for the 2020 Taoyuan Land Art. This art installation is made from bamboo and
is located within the rice fields of Taoyuan City. The 2020 Taoyuan Land Art Festival took place
from September 18th to October 4th with the theme of creative cityscaping. This festival hopes
to bring light to a city’s future and incorporate it along with the relations between both the urban
9 Kuei-Chih Lee, Homepage.
10
Hall, Stuart. Cultural Identity and Diaspora from Williams, Patrick and Laura Chrisman. Colonial
discourse and post-colonial theory: a reader, (London: Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1994), 222and rural areas. 11 Even though traveling was not very common in 2020, CNN still produced a list of best travel photos within the year 2020. A photograph of this art installation was named 56th on CNN’s list. 12 Lee expresses that memory played a part in producing this installation and represents his childhood of being surrounded by rice fields and how ripples in the fields appear along with the work of the laborer farming. He uses the image of water as his creative thinking catalyst and combined the ripples with the concept of a maze. He states: “The maze has the nature of a game, and it also means the process of finding a way out. Humans and nature coexist and grow together, and our lives grow in the process of constant search.” The material Lee uses comes back to this coexisting together by using bamboo, which is used daily by most Asian cultures and is a common material found in Asia. 13 Bamboo is one of the oldest structural materials used by humans and is used for housing properties, furniture, household utilities, textiles, paper, musical instruments and other elements integrating this material throughout a larger span of the human environment.14 Lee hopes this installation brings concern for the environment thorough the ripples of the pattern and reshape our thoughts within the elements of the rice field. The colors of the bamboo within the rice field blends together and has a red base for it to sit on. The relationship with the tans, red, browns and greens make a beautiful site from 11About.2020 Taoyuan Land Art Festival, Accessed April 27, 2021, https://www.taoyuanlandart.com.tw/ en/about/ 12 Natalie Yubas, Maureen O’Hare and Forrest Brown, Virtual vacation: Amazing travel photos from 2020, CNN, December 31, 2020, accessed April 27, 2021, https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/best-travel- photos-2020/?gallery=55 Kuei-Chih Lee, The Ripple Maze at Gaoshuang, Lee, Kuei-Chih, accessed April 27, 2021, https:// 13 www.leekueichih.com/single-post/2020/08/30/the-ripple-maze-at-gaoshuang- %E9%AB%98%E9%9B%99%E9%99%82%E5%A1%98%E6%BC%A3%E6%BC%AA%E8%BF%B7 %E5%AE%AE 14 Esther Titilayo Akinlabi, Kwame. Anane-Fenin, and Damenortey Richard, Akwada, Bamboo The Multipurpose Plant 1st ed. 2017, (Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2017).
above as well as the well calculated circles making up this maze. The weaving of the bamboo
from afar starts to look as if it was a hatch pattern used to shade within a drawing, but when you
get close up you are able to see the beauty of the intertwining of the delicate strips of bamboo
(Figure B).
The next art piece is Transition (Figure C) which is a site-specific art installation and is a
collaboration between Lee and artist Lua Rivera. This art installation was produced for the 2020
Taiwan East Coast Land Art Festival. The 2020 Taiwan East Coast Land Art Festival is an artist
residency program that creates five art installations that integrate the natural surroundings,
geographic landscapes, and spatial aesthetics. The 2020 theme was Mother Island “Gathering
Boundary” which involved the narrow strip of land mass situated between the coastal mountain
range and the Pacific Ocean. 15 This festival started in 2016 by the government and hopes to
bring various artists of eastern heritage into a larger audience base and encourage traveling to
these spaces.16 This art installation conveys the effects of greenhouse gas and climate change and
how it has both direct and indirect effects on both humans and the natural environment. This
piece is located on the border of the mountains and the sea. Transition is made from steel bars,
driftwood, bamboo, marine waste, and cloth rope. This pairing of natural objects and human
waste within the form of a typhoon brings attention to how climate change has affected both the
earth’s atmosphere and us as humans. 17 This typhoon like shape brings lots of texture within the
15
2019-2020 East Coast Land Arts Festival-Artist Residency Program Application. Taiwan East Coast
Land Arts Festival. Accessed April 27, 2021. https://www.teclandart.tw/en/artistrca/
Taiwan Tourism Bureau. Bringing Art to A Region of Beauty. Taiwan Business Topics. August 10, 2020.
16
Accessed April 27, 2021. https://topics.amcham.com.tw/2020/08/bringing-art-to-a-region-of-beauty/
17
Kuei-Chih Lee, Transition, Lee, Kuei-Chih, accessed April 27, 2021, https://www.leekueichih.com/
single-post/2020/03/28/transition-%E8%BD%89%E8%AE%8Apiece with spirals of the thin bamboo strips, leaf like texture brought from the rope netting used,
the driftwood and cotton comes together to invite the viewer to stay a while and reflect on each
element found in the installation (Figure D). The center is a sphere that has arms that spiral out
into the land creating an interesting form to look at from afar and also a path bringing you into
the center, which houses the human waste found in the area. The various blue cotton changes
colors within the light of green blue, purples, and lighter blue depending on where you are
looking at it. While you look at the piece seeing how both human and natural elements work
together there is an importance to see and reflect on our responsibility when it comes to
sustainability.
With the help of the Taiwan government’s cultural investment in the relationship between
the natural environment and humanity, Lee and other artists can continue to thrive by creating
these beautiful art installations that make us think. These large art installations are beautiful to
the eye and encourage the viewer to be up close and personal with the piece to fully understand
the piece and it's meaning. With festivals and residencies being able to encourage and assist
artists to give them the ability to think about environmental issues during a period of time which
also helps with the development and creation of these pieces. It is encouraging to see how the
Taiwanese and Asian cultures are involved in many ways and events with their environment. Lee
may be an emerging artist but believe he will continue to make a scene with his detailed and well
thought out work.Bibliography
1. 2019-2020 East Coast Land Arts Festival-Artist Residency Program Application. Taiwan
East Coast Land Arts Festival. Accessed April 27, 2021.
https://www.teclandart.tw/en/artistrca/
2. About. 2020 Taoyuan Land Art Festival. Accessed April 27, 2021.
https://www.taoyuanlandart.com.tw/en/about/
3. Antoinette, Michelle, and Francis Maravillas. Positioning Contemporary Art Worlds and Art
Publics in Southeast Asia. World art (Abingdon, U.K.) 10, no. 2-3 (2020): 161–189.
4. Akinlabi, Esther Titilayo., Kwame. Anane-Fenin, and Damenortey Richard. Akwada.
Bamboo The Multipurpose Plant 1st ed. 2017. Cham: Springer International Publishing,
2017.
5. Crawford, Margaret, and Michael Speaks. Everyday Urbanism. Vol. 1, Michigan Debate on
Urbanism. Michigan: The Regents of the University of Michigan, 2005.
6. Hall, Stuart. Cultural Identity and Diaspora from Williams, Patrick and Laura Chrisman.
Colonial discourse and post-colonial theory: a reader. London: Harvester Wheatsheaf,
1994.
7. Lee, Kuei-Chih. Homepage. Lee, Kuei-Chih. Accessed April 27, 2021.
https://en.leekueichih.com/
8. Lee, Kuei-Chih. CV. Lee, Kuei-Chih. Accessed April 27, 2021. https://en.leekueichih.com/cv
9. Lee, Kuei-Chih. The Ripple Maze at Gaoshuang. Lee, Kuei-Chih. Accessed April 27, 2021.https://www.leekueichih.com/single-post/2020/08/30/the-ripple-maze-at-gaoshuang-
%E9%AB%98%E9%9B%99%E9%99%82%E5%A1%98%E6%BC%A3%E6%BC%AA
%E8%BF%B7%E5%AE%AE
10. Lee, Kuei-Chih. Transition. Lee, Kuei-Chih. Accessed April 27, 2021.
https://www.leekueichih.com/single-post/2020/03/28/transition-
%E8%BD%89%E8%AE%8A
11. McEneaney, Ciaran. Taiwan’s Best Contemporary Artists. Culture Trip. July 10, 2019.
Accessed April 27, 2021. https://theculturetrip.com/asia/taiwan/articles/taiwans-best-
contemporary-artists/
12. Taiwan Tourism Bureau. Bringing Art to A Region of Beauty. Taiwan Business Topics.
August 10, 2020. Accessed April 27, 2021. https://topics.amcham.com.tw/2020/08/
bringing-art-to-a-region-of-beauty/
13. Tseng, Yu-wen Evelyn. Examining Current U.S. Public Art Trust Fund Programs for
Applications in Taiwan: Visions for Taiwan's New Public Art Trust Fund. Order No.
1454084, University of Southern California, 2008. https://proxy.lib.utc.edu/login?
url=https://www-proquest-com.proxy.lib.utc.edu/dissertations-theses/examining-current-
u-s-public-art-trust-fund/docview/193991161/se-2?accountid=14767.
14. Yubas, Natalie, Maureen O’Hare and Forrest Brown. Virtual vacation: Amazing travel
photos from 2020. CNN. December 31, 2020. Accessed April 27, 2021. https://
www.cnn.com/travel/article/best-travel-photos-2020/?gallery=55Images: Figure A: Lee, Kuei-Chih, The Ripple Maze at Gaoshuang, 2020, Bamboo, 3000cm(L) x 3000cm(W) x 350cm(H), Gaoshuang Farmland, Pingzhen District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan, Ripple Series, accessed April 27, 2021, https://www.leekueichih.com/single-post/2020/08/30/the-ripple- maze-at-gaoshuang- %E9%AB%98%E9%9B%99%E9%99%82%E5%A1%98%E6%BC%A3%E6%BC%AA%E8% BF%B7%E5%AE%AE
Figure B: Lee, Kuei-Chih, The Ripple Maze at Gaoshuang, 2020, Bamboo, 3000cm(L) x 3000cm(W) x 350cm(H), Gaoshuang Farmland, Pingzhen District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan, Ripple Series, accessed April 27, 2021, https://www.leekueichih.com/single-post/2020/08/30/the-ripple- maze-at-gaoshuang- %E9%AB%98%E9%9B%99%E9%99%82%E5%A1%98%E6%BC%A3%E6%BC%AA%E8% BF%B7%E5%AE%AE
Figure C: Lee, Kuei-Chih, Transition, 2020, steel bar, driftwood, bamboo, marine waste, cloth rope, 30m(L) x 16m(W) x 4m(H), Duli Visitor Center, Taitung County, Taiwan, Habitat Series, accessed April 27, 2021, https://www.leekueichih.com/single-post/2020/03/28/transition- %E8%BD%89%E8%AE%8A
Figure D: Lee, Kuei-Chih, Transition, 2020, steel bar, driftwood, bamboo, marine waste, cloth rope, 30m(L) x 16m(W) x 4m(H), Duli Visitor Center, Taitung County, Taiwan, Habitat Series, accessed April 27, 2021, https://www.leekueichih.com/single-post/2020/03/28/transition- %E8%BD%89%E8%AE%8A
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