P006 → Factory

The "Factory" exhibition brings together my creations from the first half of 2020. During this time, the collapse of the environment and the world order as we knew it has created a sense of impending doom that is growing ever more intense. Around the end of 2019, Australia’s bushfires destroyed an area 2.3 times the size of Taiwan. On a friend’s Instagram, I could see the blood-red sky and watched in real time as he was forced to flee his home. Immediately after the fires, the global outbreak of the coronavirus seemingly stopped the whole world in its tracks.

"The world is going to be destroyed anyway, why should I keep making art?" This question kept popping up in the back of my mind. When the world began to swiftly spin out of control, in my tiny studio of about 80 square feet, I tried to find and establish an order and logic of my own. Sometimes, when I dive into the production process, working according to the rules I set, through continuous repetitive movements, it almost seems like a production line in a factory. Sometimes, during the construction of different elements, I experiment with the logic and possibilities of various different combinations. Although all pieces are made by my own two hands, I also strive to pursue the rationality and precision of industrial production, with fewer curves and more straight lines. However, human inaccuracy always makes "perfection" feel one step away. I imagine myself as a streamlined machine and, even though the fire and virus are spreading outside, I still try to keep the factory in my heart in operation.

「工廠」展覽集結我 2020 上半年的創作。這段時間，環境與世界秩序的崩毀，使末日感愈發強烈。2019年末，澳洲失控的森林大火，燃燒範圍大於2.3個台灣面積，我從友人社交平台限動上看到火紅的天空與他駕車逃亡的片刻; 緊接著肺炎病毒的全球爆發，世界的運轉似乎就此停擺。

「世界都要毀滅了，到底還要創作幹嘛？」心底很常冒出這樣的疑問。世界開始急速失序的時候，我轉而在兩坪大一點的工作室裡，嘗試找尋和建立各種秩序和邏輯。有時是在製作流程之中，依循自定的規則工作，透過不斷重複的動作，彷彿生產線運作起來；有時則是在作品的每個組件構成之間，實驗各種組合的邏輯和可能性。雖然全部用雙手製作，卻也盡力追求工業化生產的理性和精準，少一些曲線，多一點直線，但人為的誤差使距離「完美」總是有一段落差。我想像自己是一台上軌道的機器，即使外面大火和病毒正在蔓延，仍努力維持心裡工廠的運作。

Loop, ceramics, 27 × 27 × 4 cm, 2020

A4, ceramics, 28 × 20 × 4 cm, 2020

6 Boxes, bisque, found boxes, 35 × 24 × 8.5 cm, 2020

Neon Orange, White Sprinkles, Lemon, Clover Green, Downright White, Cobalt Blue Sprinkles, Cocoa, Yellow Sprinkles, Ocean Mist, Iced Mint, ceramics,
11 × 5.5 × 5.5 cm/each, 2020

Becoming a Circle, bisque, 45 × 18 × 6 cm, 2020

Pile, ceramics, 21 × 10 × 9 cm, 2020

Orange Basket, ceramics, 22 × 22 × 14.5 cm, 2020

Green Basket, ceramics, 35 × 17 × 10 cm, 2020

Black Cage, ceramics, 14 × 8.5 × 5.5 cm, 2020

Yellow Cage, ceramics, 10.5 × 10.5 × 10.5 cm, 2020

Orange Cage, ceramics, 14 × 5.5 × 5.5 cm, 2020

White Cage, ceramics, 18.5 × 5.5 × 7.5 cm, 2020

Light Blue Cage, 9.5 × 5.5 × 7.5 cm, 2020

Green Cage, ceramics, 10.5 × 10.5 × 5.5 cm, 2020

Construction, ceramics, 19 × 19 × 19 cm, 2020

Installation view, Pon Ding, Taipei, Taiwan, 2020. Photos by Pon Ding

Hsian Jung Chen

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