Preface to

　　A Spectacle of The Ordinary

　　May 2010, Taiwan will be participating in the 'Reshaping History' exhibition where more than 290 artists from both sides of the strait will converge. This should become a reference for future history, and whether art can escape from the framework of political consciousness and stay pure, will also be revealed after this event.

　　'Reshaping History Chinart from 2000 to 2009' was originally initiated by artists from the Institutions of Chinart in Chengdu. It tried to describe the activities of artists from China during the frst decade of the new 21st between 2000 and 2009.The exhibition title of 'Reshaping History' is not a default establishment of historical viewpoint, but a platform for the young generation of artists and the world they live in to enter the global art arena by showcasing the contemporary Chinese art in its totality. The art evolution it connects to is a retrospective one, with the ongoing new look in art that began between 2000 and 2009 as its main object of integration.

　　As to the participation of the Taiwan Pavilion, it began in mid-October of 2009.Under the knowledge of non-proft participation of private organizations, My Humble House Art Gallery invited Taiwan's new artists to take part in this exhibition of Chinese contemporary art. For this reason, a positive consensus was reached: the Taiwan Pavilion will be themed 'A Spectacle of the Ordinary' and presented as a stand-alone block that showcases the works of new generation artists born after 1970, and the presentation of 30 years of contemporary art in Taiwan will be shown in a complete and dedicated book. Such an open, respectful, and non-commercial premise is the reason for my personal participation in the Taiwan Pavilion.

　　Organizers originally planned to include other Chinese communities outside Mainland China. But due to limited time and manpower, Taiwan became the only exhibitor to participate by place name. In addition, because of the extremely large artist line-up from the Mainland, works completed in the 21st century by artists born between 1950 and 1960 were included in the Taiwan Pavilion in March 2010 as precondition and transition for the exhibition. In the selection of work, due to incomplete information gathered on works as well as consideration of artists’ personal factors, in addition to representative artists, close to 100 pieces of work from 28 participating artists were chosen. Some were new pieces from the artists, while others came from private collections and art galleries. Basically, this exhibition is completed through active participation of private capacities and breaks the rank consciousness of the Taiwan government and the fear under political ideology. Although the resources are limited, the exhibition strives to showcase the pieces in an 'art museum' type of space.

　　With cross-strait cultural similarity and experience of historical separation, the true signifcance of Taiwan's participation in this exhibition lies in allowing the largest Chinese population to thoroughly read and understand its development in art discourse and visual evolution. In an exhibition of such a scale, not only will Taiwan be put under a spot light with others for dialogue and comparison, it is also an opportunity to showcase this young group of artists to the international arts community due to Beijing’s status as an international city. The intention of the Taiwan Pavilion in Beijing is a good and pure one. Can art transform historical consciousness, or can art be transformed by historical consciousness? Let us stay around for another ten years for the answer.

　　Curator: Kao Chienhui

【编辑：张瑜】