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2008 Taipei Biennial Lecture

The 6th Taipei Biennial, like our lives, is uncertain, fragmented and fragile. The project does not have a single theme, but a constellation of correlated themes, most of which address the chaotic states of things in this time of globalization. The exhibition engages with the city of Taipei in various ways. It does not only take place in the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, but also exists in a range of urban spaces. There will be performative works and interventions in the city, some of which will be documented and reconfigured in the exhibition venues. These venues will include the Beer Brewery, a site that has been through an extended process of transformation from its inauguration as Taiwan's first beer factory (a production and distribution site built during the Japanese occupation), to a state monopoly that involved privatization and re-branding and finally to its relocation outside of the city center. While the factory's history can be read as a classic example of shifting states of use in any post-industrialized city in the world, the exhibition is interested in seeking the nuances and specificities found within the general. The brewery's daily operation will continue during the exhibition run, and its space will be utilized as a real place rather than an insular exhibition zone. In addition, the curators plan to employ a number of advertising boards in the city, spreading the biennial throughout different neighborhoods and bringing the project into view when least expected.