The Psychedelic Spiritual Ceremony, 2023, wires, fluorescent pigment, ink graffiti, found and readymade objects, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist.
Li Jiun-Yang’s artistic practice mirrors his colorful life experiences and also encapsulates contemporary Taiwanese folk culture. Also known as Miao Gong Jiun Yang (Miao Gong is a homophone for a worker at the temple), Li began working in the arts in his twenties. His output ranges from experiments with graffiti ink painting, hand-painted movie posters, wood carving, wire sculpture, and modified readymade installations to live performance, puppet-making, and even temple building.
In the Taipei Biennial 2023, Li traces his artistic journey over the past few decades with The Psychedelic Spiritual Ceremony. In the center of the exhibition space is a tunnel illuminated with theatrical lighting and filled with bold colors and paintings depicting traditional folk imagery. Placed around the exhibition room outside this luminous tunnel are found objects that the artist collected over the years, as well as wire masks in various sizes that he created. Reflecting the many emotional states these masks have served as an emotional outlet for Li during the past two or three years, when he has felt powerless in the face of global political turmoil.
Li will occasionally make personal appearances at the exhibition during its four-month run, joining with friends in playing ready-made musical instruments that he has modified himself or sketching with ink. Rather than categorizing these objects or actions as “works” or “performances,” they can be interpreted as entry points to Li’s world and a means of mutual communication. The “Spiritual Ceremony” of the work’s title refers to Li Jiun-Yang’s interpretation of the “System of Rites and Music” of ancient China. He focuses less on the constraints on the individual in the feudal system and more on the nature of ritual. Li transforms voices, sounds, and music into a channel of communication between people and people, people and things, and people and divinity.
