亞洲藝術中心：新生代藝術家廖堉安 睽違兩年個展《智慧失能》

略微關心台灣當代藝術發展的觀眾當然對廖堉安這個名字不會感到陌生。1979年出生於台北，2002年國立台北藝術大學美術系畢業，2003年當時仍是研究所一年級學生的他，即以三幅《鳥人》自畫像一鳴驚人奪得台北美術獎首獎，獲得學術界一致好評，不盲目跟隨裝置藝術的潮流持續以繪畫為創作手法的堅持早已宣示了他將開創一條和同世代藝術家不同的藝術道路。2005年畢業於國立台南藝術大學造型藝術研究所，在學期間已舉辦過數場個展：2003年的《自以為是…》於台北新樂園藝術空間，《失重狀態》於台南的原型藝術空間舉辦；2004年的《perplexity 不知所措》於高雄的新濱碼頭舉辦。畢業後仍持續創作不輟，2007年分別於台北的伊通公園舉辦《活殺自在之術？》與布查國際當代藝術空間舉辦《假寐》兩檔個展，而2008年於亞洲藝術中心舉辦的個展《不溫柔的愛撫》更建立其明確的創作軸線，並成為台灣首位登上國際雜誌ASIAN ART NEWS雜誌封面的新星藝術家，確立其在新生代藝術家中叫好又叫座的領先群地位。2011在北美館的大型個展《蹩腳症候群》的展覽主題延續廖堉安以往的創作，但更進一步展現了藝術家探索現代人在現今E世代的生活中，漫遊在網際網路、高科技產業、氾濫的傳媒等事物中的生活情境及內心空洞的強烈企圖心，同時別出心裁的展場布置，更展現出廖堉安駕馭大型展覽空間、營造廖堉安劇場氛圍的傑出才能。

歷經北美館大型個展的洗禮之後，廖堉安開始反思自己的創作模式，企圖在自己的創作過程中加入新的衝擊與元素，因為廖堉安的創作信仰認為不斷挑戰未知才是藝術的本質，而不守本分、勇於帶給藝術市場新鮮的視覺刺激正是新世代藝術家的職責。2013年廖堉安通過台北國際藝術村的甄選，參加紐西蘭亞洲基金會的交換計畫，展開為期三個月的威靈頓的藝術駐村生活，廖堉安自覺在創作上陷入的慣性思考，經過紐西蘭駐村計畫所帶來在視覺感官刺激和生活步調上與故鄉台北之間的絕對斷裂感而得到洗滌。

在美學呈現手法變化的同時，廖堉安的創作主題軸線未曾須臾遠離探討都會人群的生活型態與描摹現在人際關係的互動，不過從初期直接大膽地惡搞、尋求自我療癒、關注小我世界圖謀宣洩情緒，廖堉安不斷自我審視與挑戰，在本次系列作品中，視點進一步延伸轉化為希望激發觀者對於議題的深思研究，作品的呈現亦轉為內斂細緻。如果說廖堉安的早期作品是在對觀者吶喊嘶吼著一句標語，觀者只需三秒鐘就可以理解畫中意涵，本次個展所展出的系列作品則是在對觀者敘述鋪陳一段篇章，觀者需要停下腳步沉澱，細細思考廖堉安所要傳達給觀者的訊息。

隨著藝術家的年齡增長、北美館大型個展後眼界及發現問題能力的提升、國際藝術駐村的經驗，藝術家開始能夠以一種遊戲的心態來面對創作過程中的新挑戰與必需的轉變。此次個展可以說是檢視藝術家此一轉變階段成長經歷的成果發表會，同時也能夠讓我們更進一步了解藝術家風格發展的脈絡軌跡。

來自學術界及藝術市場的肯定並未使新星藝術家廖堉安因而迷失自我定位或應該前進的方向，反而仍以謙遜的反省態度不斷檢視精進自己的美學表現，並保持著敏感尖銳的藝術家之眼來觀察批判現代社會，作品帶有強烈的社會學關懷。廖堉安活躍地將藝術創作與自身環境及社會觀察貫通連結的特點，使得他成為令人期待的新生代藝術家，並值得我們持續關注。

邀請您至「智慧失能－廖堉安個展」現場體會廖堉安以青春的觀察之眼，深刻描繪現代都會百態的作品魅力。 8月底前，請至亞洲藝術中心位於大直的台北二館(中山區樂群二路93號)。

展覽資訊

Acclaimed Emerging Contemporary Artist’s Premiere Solo Exhibition in 2 Years
Intellectual Numbness – Liao Yu-An Solo Exhibition

Those familiar with Taiwan’s contemporary arts scene will no doubt be familiar with the name of Liao Yu-An. Born in Taipei in 1979, he graduated from the School of Fine Arts of Taipei National University of the Arts in 2002, and earned the First Prize at the Taipei Arts Awards in 2003 while still a first year graduate student for his remarkable trio of works entitled “Duckman”, earning accolades from academia, for his unwillingness to blindly follow contemporary installation arts trends preferring to remain faithful to his creative techniques in painting to establish his own unique path in the arts scene. In 2005 he graduated from the Graduate Institute of Plastic Arts of Tainan National University of the Arts, where he had already completed several solo exhibitions during his studies: in 2003 he displayed his “I think what I am…” at the SLY Art Space in Taipei, and the “State of Weightlessness” exhibition at Tainan’s Prototype Art; in 2004 he displayed “Perplexity” at Kaohsiung’s SinPink Pier. After graduating he has continued to create new works, and in 2007 at Taipei’s IT Park displayed “Death Pretentious..?” along with a second solo exhibit entitled “Drowse” at the Butchart International Contemporary Art Space, and a solo exhibit at the Asia Arts Center in 2008 entitled “Fondle Without Tenderness” which clearly demonstrated his creative direction, appearing as Taiwan’s first cover on the international magazine Asian Art News as a newly emerging artistic superstar, confirming his leading position among the new generation of contemporary artists. In 2011 he displayed a large exhibition at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum entitled “Lame Syndrome” which continued the themes of Liao Yu-An’s prior creations, while advancing the centrality of the e-generation to his artistic exploration, with surfing the net, high tech industry, and the proliferation of media, which clutter modern life while revealing the empty heart’s ambitions, through an ingenious exhibition layout, revealing Liao Yu-An’s deft control of large exhibition space revealing his outstanding talent for creating a theatrical ambiance.   

After his baptism into the arts scene with his large exhibition at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Liao Yu-An started rethinking his creative modalities, imagining how to incorporate new challenges and elements to his works, because his creative vision considers continually facing challenges of the unknown as the essence of artistic exploration, rather than remaining complacent, he strives to be bold in bringing new visual stimulation to the arts market in fulfillment of his duty as a contemporary artist. In 2013 Liao Yu-An was selected for participation by the Taipei Artist Village in the Asia New Zealand Foundation exchange program, enjoying three months as an Artist in Residence in Wellington, which as a result of the stimulation and lifestyle differences from his hometown Taipei helped remove any vestiges of artistic inertia.  

While exploring changes in his aesthetic rendering techniques, Liao Yu-An’s creative axis never steered away from exploring the urban crowd lifestyle and portraying the state of interpersonal interactions now, but from the initially directly bold spoofing, to seeking self-healing, through attention to small plots to vent one’s emotions, Liao Yu-An engages in continuous self-examination and challenges, in this series of works, with the viewpoint further extended in the hope of inspiring the viewer to ponder issues, as the works evince a meticulous introversion. If Liao Yu-An’s early works scream a slogan at the viewer, and one need just three seconds to understand the meanings of his paintings, with this solo exhibition, a series of works are on display which elaborate a narrative which requires the viewer pause and imbibe, carefully thinking about the message which Liao Yu-An seeks to convey to the viewer.

As an artist matures, through the success of his large solo exhibition at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum evincing his ability to discover issues, and with the experience of serving as an international Artist in Residence, the artist began to playfully regard the creative process and its new challenges and requisite transformations. This exhibition reveals the artist’s transformations and the results of the phase of his artistic development, while also allowing to better appreciate the artist’s style in its latest creative incarnations.

The accolades of academia and recognition by the arts market have not caused this emerging artist Liao Yu-An to lose himself or his sense of where he needs to be moving, on the contrary his humility has permitted him to continuously engage in a meaningful aesthetic reevaluation, while also maintaining a sensitive artistic eye to observe and critically evaluate contemporary society, with works that profoundly embrace the around us. Liao Yu-An has managed to creatively capture artistic innovation with one’s own environment and social milieu in a holistic critique, affording him to emerge as a renowned contemporary artist with great expectations, worthy of our continuing attention.

You are invited to visit the “Intellectual Numbness – Liao Yu-An Solo Exhibition” to view the youthful vision of Liao Yu-An, with appealing works profoundly describing contemporary urban living. The exhibition runs through the end of August, at the Asia Art Center Taipei II in Dazhi, Taipei (No. 93, Lequn 2nd Road).