Dean-E Mei’s art has consistently engaged in the politically driven exploration of identity, cultural orientation and national status. His ongoing questioning of identity in all its dimensions is not only an artistic commitment, but also a political rumination and a political act expressed through an artistic language: it makes the problem of identity incite controversy, and even transforms it into an interrogative concept. A second-generation immigrant from China, Mei addresses Taiwan’s post-1949 era of dictatorship, its international predicament, the complex cross-strait relationship and the major historical events in the process of democratization and globalization, responding to these topics in an artistic language. Frequently employing satire and symbolism, he transcends the limitations of his own era and historical experiences, transforming identity into an issue open to reappraisal and doubt. As a member of Mei’s generation with similar growing-up experiences, I attempt to examine his art to uncover some of its political and psychological aspects. (Kuo Li-Hsin)

The Quest for Identity, and Questioning Identity: Dean-E Mei’s Career in Politically Probing Art

Kuo Li-Hsin / Commentator

Date:2014/06/07,14: 30－16: 30

Venue:BF TFAM Auditorium

Given in Chinese, for more information, please refer to the Chinese version.