Tu Wei-Cheng

Biography

Born in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan in 1969, Tu Wei-Cheng received his M.F.A from the Graduate Institute of Plastic Arts of Tainan National College of Arts in 2005. He won the 28th Taipei Art Prize of Taipei Fine Art Museum in 2003, the grant of plastic art of S-an Cultural Foundation in 2003, and the Jury's Special Award of the second Annual Taishin Arts Awards.

His important exhibitions include: Special Exhibition on the Bu nam Civilization Site in Prototype Art Gallery, Tainan  in 2001; Exhibition of Excavation Work at the Bu nam Civilization Site in Tainan National College of Arts; The Beauty and Mystery of Bu nam Civilization Revealed in MOCA, Taipei in 2003; Shanghai Biennale in 2006; and Shcomtemporary, Shanghai in 2007.

In his works, the artist plays the roles of an art-creator, a curator, and an art promoter/an art dealer, who motivate the circle of academy, commodity, and the media. While the artist makes up the Bu nam Civilization, excavates it, interprets it and demonstrates it, he also manufactures Bu nam Civilization products, sells Bu nam counterfeits, and collects them.

The massive work project irrationally commixes our stark experiences and memories of civilized relics, conventional artifacts with art as well as contemporary way of art display. Chronological orientation, too, is viewed in a disordered way. Meanwhile, the works dual elicit the concept of creation/curation/museum/collection system/viewing are simultaneously. The questions highlighted through the non-dualistic relationship between old/new, traditional/contemporary, authentic/counterfeit, virtual/real, creation/curation, individual/system, art/market in the work are clearly the motivation behind the creative process. It finally evokes an intricate visual and sensual experience, representing a very unique example in contemporary art.