Zih-Yan Ciou

born in 1985, Sanyi, Miaoli - lives and works in Miaoli and Yunlin

CIOU Zih-Yan was inspired by an old Japanese military site with bunkers and a staged airfield, originally built to confuse enemies during the period of Japanese colonial rule in Taiwan. The installation includes an airplane made of iron and cardboard, where visitors can watch a film on a monitor inside the cabin. The film reimagines a fictional aviation movie as a form of historical reenactment.
In his site-specific installation Fake Airfield, commissioned for the Taipei Biennial 2025, he reflects on how history is remembered, hidden, or rewritten. The project explores Taiwan’s complex identity and the artist’s own relationship with the island’s fragmented history and political landscape.
Through large-scale installations and video, CIOU explores how images and stories shape our understanding of history, drawing inspiration from his Hakka heritage in Miaoli, Taiwan

Fake Airfield, 2025, Film still, Replica of a Zero fighter plane with screen, film, and bunker-shaped sound chairs, 15 min, 1200 x 900 x 300 cm, 120 x 45 x 40 cm, Courtesy of the artist. Commissioned by Taipei Biennial 2025 and National Culture and Arts Foundation.

Fake Airfield, 2025, Film still, Replica of a Zero fighter plane with screen, film, and bunker-shaped sound chairs, 12 min, 1200 x 900 x 300 cm, 120 x 45 x 40 cm, Courtesy of the artist.