Article by MOOK Scenic Spots Travel Life Net, compiled and reported by Chen Guanxin
The 2013 Taoyuan County Land Art Festival had attracted over one million visitors to the venue as of yesterday (30th). Among the exhibited artworks, in addition to the widely acclaimed yellow duckling by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, Yayoi Kusama—one of the “200 greatest artists of the 20th century” listed by the British newspaper The Times—also loaned 15 of her works of various sizes titled “Footprints of Life” to the Taoyuan County Land Art Festival. Meanwhile, Choi Jeong-hwa, known as the father of Korean pop art, presented his piece “Breathing Flowers,” which uses mechanical opening and closing movements to convey the creative philosophy that “art should be an experience in every moment of life.” The simultaneous presence of these two artists’ works in Taiwan is a rare opportunity, allowing them to stand alongside the yellow duckling as three international masterpieces of the event.
When visiting the Taoyuan County Land Art Festival, don’t just focus on the yellow duckling and miss the masterpieces by internationally renowned artists Yayoi Kusama and Choi Jeong-hwa. (Image source / from the official website of the Taoyuan County Land Art Festival)
Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama is known for using high-contrast, vividly colored polka dots to cover the surfaces of various objects. For this event, her work “Footprints of Life” features multiple pink inflatable sculptures covered in black polka dots, arranged into bold and striking compositions that echo the abundant beauty of Xinyi’s rural landscape. The artworks are set to float in a pond teeming with aquatic plants, attracting visitors to pause and appreciate the unique imagery found in everyday scenes. An assistant to Yayoi Kusama from Japan explained that each floating piece has been carefully calculated for buoyancy to maintain balance, and each is spaced at a certain distance from the others. They rotate at different angles with the wind in Xinyi Pond, symbolizing the vibrant and dynamic force of life, showcasing the diverse footprints of existence.
Choi Jeong-hwa, a representative figure of contemporary Korean pop art, excels at creating large-scale works using brightly colored plastic readymades or inflatable objects. His first independent floral sculpture, “Super Flower,” debuted in 1995—a giant balloon-like tulip in a pot. Since then, Choi’s flower sculptures have been exhibited around the world. The use of quick and inexpensive materials often evokes associations with consumer culture or globalization, but what he is more concerned with is the pure visual beauty that remains after stripping away commentary. As such, his straightforward title states: “This is not a real flower,” alluding to the falsehoods and artifice in people’s lives.
The work he presented at this event, “Breathing Flowers,” was created using tarpaulin, motors, and stainless steel frames, resulting in lotus flowers of unimaginable size blooming in Xinyi Township, Taoyuan. Resembling enormous real lotuses and made lifelike through mechanical movements, the contrast between the natural and the artificial may seem jarring. However, Choi Jeong-hwa believes that everyone can have their own perspective and that everyone is an artist. What kind of art does one need in life? What kind of art is most meaningful to an individual? That is where the fun lies.
● Further Reading:
Three lines on the yellow duckling’s face? Hofman: I love how the duckling blends into Taoyuan’s local character
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