Avant-garde Meets Contemporary Art: NMCA Exhibits Cross-Century Works from 15 Countries

By MOOK Scenic Spots Travel Life Network, Reported by Li Xinyi

In 2012, NMCA collaborated with France’s La Fondation d’art contemporain du Nord-Pas de Calais for the first time to present the exhibition *Destroy Design: The Modern Life of Objects*. Curated by the foundation’s director, Hilde TEERLINCK, the show features 66 works by 54 artists, designers, architects, and design teams from 15 countries, created between the 1960s and today, spanning half a century. The exhibition’s theme explores the relationship between us and everyday or artistic objects—as well as their impact on our lives—through the “encounter” of avant-garde design and contemporary art.

The exhibition will run from tomorrow (the 14th) on the third floor of NMCA until September 9. Hilde TEERLINCK curated the exhibition *Destroy Design* in 2010, where the word “Destroy” implies dismantling, rebelling against established values, and rethinking existing systems. The exhibition toured Denmark, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Belgium. This Taipei iteration not only continues the curatorial concept of *Destroy Design* but also adds the new theme *Modern Living*, presenting the works and overall planning in a fresh way to explore the uniqueness of art and the functionality of design objects.

Though the exhibition title suggests a design-focused showcase, it closely follows 20th-century Western modern art trends—from Duchamp’s “readymades” and Pop Art to Arte Povera and other avant-garde themes, extending into cross-disciplinary thinking in the new century. Most participating artists use humor, critique, destruction, reinterpretation, or transformation to engage with iconic design objects, highlighting the differing perspectives of design and art on the concept of “objects.” In some works, the boundary between artistic creation and design is blurred or even completely overturned, challenging our conventional views on functional design items.

Destroy Design: The Modern Life of Objects Exhibition

Venue: Taipei Fine Arts Museum

Dates: July 14 – September 9, 2012

Website: www.tfam.museum

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