“In I-DEN-TI-TY, Mei parodies the fragility of Taiwan’s diplomatic ties: black, red and yellow cloths embroidered with ‘shame,’ ‘disgrace,’ or ‘ungrateful’ cover the golden ceremonial plates of fifteen countries that have broken relations with Taiwan, providing a humorous and satirical reading of Taiwan’s diplomacy.”
“During the Cold War there were a lot of intensive military, economic, and political exchanges between southern countries and Taiwan. But this hasn’t been incorporated into history or the memories of everyday people. So for most people who live in Taiwan, this kind of history remains a secret, and reminds them of secrets. The secret in the title is not only about what wasn’t exhibited before, but what wasn’t really discussed in textbooks, or covered by Taiwan’s educational systems.”
“Heightened intimacy with plants exemplifies the radical ideas around the drive to use art as a vehicle to decolonize nature.”
Review of 2018 Taipei Biennial and Manifesta 12, Southerly Journal
“My father believes the earth is flat. My mother stands on a temporary planet and rests assured there are palaces built in heaven for her and her loved ones. The super-rich build luxury bunkers to save themselves from natural disasters or civil war, while Indigenous communities in Taiwan leverage ancestral knowledge enabling them to live on the planet without destroying it ... We may all live on the same planet, but there have always been divergent interpretations of our stations within it.”
Review of 2020 Taipei Biennial at Taipei Fine Art Museum, 4A Papers
“In 18th-century Britain and Europe, the beloved would be presented with a delicate, jewel-like painting of their beau’s eyes, and often these pearl-encrusted, gold-bound eyes rested on clavicles or were placed close to the wearer’s heart.”
Press Release, “A Thousand Lovers’ Eyes,” Lorraine Loots
“The markings and line work are reminiscent of microscopic single-cell diatoms floating in a primordial stew, or patterns found in Batik printmaking. Upon closer inspection, we can see the shapes of wombs and rounded bellies … In one painting, we glimpse genitalia, in another, the outlines of prehistoric Venus figurines. A ghostly girl’s lips are outstretched–to consume or to kiss?”
Press Release, “Paintings in Ochre: Girl on the Shore” Amy Keevy Studio
“So many approaches toward ecology have been along the lines of “we” should all unify to save the “house” that belongs to “us.” But “we” are not unified by ecology–there are actually many divisions.”
Interview with Martin Guinard, Yishu Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art
“Multiple symbiotic relationships have already been established. ‘This dynamic mix is more true to the story of how art is happening now.”
Review of Taipei Dangdai 2020, Design Anthology
“There's lots of different currents and crossing points in terms of what we do and our interactions between commercial and non-commercial work, and how people experience art.”
Interview with Magnus Renfrew and Robin Peckham, Design Anthology
“Encircling this scene were concentric rings of curlicued words, sculpted from red hair, that allude to female sexuality, such as “hymen,” “virginity,” and “vulva.”
Review of "Shaping Geographies: Art, Women, Southeast Asia" at Gajah Gallery, ArtAsiaPacific
“The white streaks and fine, black and brown strokes suggest an element of control, hinting more at the brushwork of traditional Chinese ink painting, perhaps, than Abstract Expressionism. Looking carefully at the canvas, one can make out a scene of a lightning storm looming over ruined terrain.”
Review of “The Herstory of Abstraction in East Asia” at Taipei Fine Arts Museum, ArtAsiaPacific
“The rounded heads of citizens at the top of one still seamlessly merge with the unruly bodies in the image above, creating a pillar of protestors.”
Review of "Ritual of Synthesis" at Gallery Exit, ArtAsiaPacific
“Their posturing references mainstream pornography in lieu of true intimacy, their youthful bodies belied by matured faces. One’s finger reaches towards the other’s pubis, while the broken necklace with dripping pearls suggests not their passion, but rather the violence of the viewer’s appetite.”
Review of "Singing The Body Electric" at David Zwirner, ArtAsiaPacific
“When you go to an exhibition you may think it is beautiful, or interesting, and then, afterwards, you forget everything you saw. Through encounters with the environment and the work of NGOs, you can better understand the real world.”
Interview with Mali Wu, Yishu Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art
“Membranes between private and public wear thin, and become permeable. Lovers embrace on park benches. Space is a luxury. Migrant workers congregate in large picnic-style gatherings around churches and train stations as they are afforded no communal spaces”.
Report on Taipei and the Tactics of Everyday Life, The Newslens International
“The scene recalls Chekhov’s Gun in its theatrical arrangement–the artillery part of an ex machina plot that is bound to play out regardless of our involvement or consent.”
Review of Tatzu Nishi at JUT Museum, The Newslens International
“Vignette # 44: Garbage trucks that trail clouds of garlic and “Für Elise”. Vignette # 5: Three young men on scooters in sharp suits, white shirts, long shoes. A phone tucked in between cheek and helmet. One cleaning his nails, the other talking hard, the third staring absently at the traffic lights.”
Report on the Long Poem of Walking Taipei, The Newslens International