Memory Revival and Aesthetic Practice—Two Exhibitions in Taiwan

In this article, I discuss the two exhibitions I curated in my hometown, Changhua, Taiwan, on three dimensions.

First, from a psychoanalytical perspective, I explore the biased identification of daughters with their mothers within the patriarchal society in Taiwan. I examine how this bias results in a sense of alienation during the daughters’ efforts to comprehend their mothers’ life experiences.

Second, I employ a postcolonial critique to examine the collective alienation from local memories within the broader Taiwanese experience, shaped by the intersecting influences of Japan, the United States, and the Kuomintang regime.

Third, I investigate the possibilities of revisiting Taiwanese women’s experiences and the collective memories of the community through aesthetic practice.

Both exhibitions were held at a site significant to Taiwan’s democratic movement during the 1960s to the 1980s. The first exhibition (2019-2020) featured 300 doodle art pieces created by my mother, Huang Yu-Chu (1930-2020), during the last three years of her life. She received her education during the Japanese colonial period and was actively involved in the democratic movement in Changhua, Taiwan. The second exhibition (2022-2024) is an installation art project that combines old photographs of residents from my hometown community spanning from 1952 to 1994 with graffiti images inspired by my mother.

I analyze the two exhibitions from the viewpoint of aesthetic practice, highlighting the importance of local memory and the dignity of elderly individuals, particularly women, as we confront alienating living environments and an aging modern society.