姚瑞中 JUI-CHUNG YAO
1969年生於台灣台北，1994年國立台北藝術大學美術系畢業，曾受邀參展威尼斯、橫濱、亞太、上海、亞洲、深圳、首爾、曼徹斯特、雪梨…等地藝術雙/三年展，台北攝影新人獎、香港「集群藝術獎」、新加坡「亞太藝術獎公眾獎」及台灣「台新獎」得主。作品涉獵廣泛，主要探討人類某種荒謬處境，早期作品以幽默手法對「正統性」進行顛覆。也透過攝影裝置手法，呈現台灣特有的一種虛假、疏離的「冷現實」。並整理過去在台灣各處踏查拍攝的廢墟照片，呈現台灣全球化潮流與特殊歷史背後所隱藏著的龐大意識形態黑洞，延續「人類歷史的命運，具有某種無可救藥的荒謬性！」創作主軸。近年改寫並挪用中國美術史經典畫作，將其轉化成個人生活或真實故事，試圖將宏大史詩文本轉化為私微自傳敘事，以「偽山水」策略對所謂的正統性進行篡位。2010年至2019年帶領「失落社會檔案室」返鄉進行反思閒置空間現象的《海市蜃樓》拍攝計劃，以「微型文化行動」概念提引起社會高度關注，2016至2017完成全台巨大神像地毯式拍攝計畫《巨神連線》與全台地獄造景的《地獄空》。其「幻影堂工作室」藏有1990年代至今五萬餘份紙本藝術展覽DM，並推動並贊助台灣攝影訪談輯的出版。目前為國立臺灣師範大學美術系兼任副教授、國家藝術基金會董事。
Yao Jui-Chung was born in 1969. Lives and works in Taipei. He graduated from The National Institute of The Arts (Taipei National University of the Arts) with a degree in Art Theory. His works has been widely exhibited in numerous international exhibitions. In 1997, he represented Taiwan in “Facing Faces-Taiwan” at the Venice Biennale. After that, he took part in the International Triennale of Contemporary Art Yokohama, APT6, Shanghai Biennale, Beijing Photo Biennale, Shenzhen Sculpture Biennale, Venice Architecture Biennale, Media City Seoul Biennale, Asia Triennial Manchester, Asia Biennale and Sydney Biennale. Yao is the winner of The Multitude Art Prize in 2013 and 2014 Asia pacific Art Prize. We can also find him is also widely involved in the fields of theaterre and films.
Yao specializes in photography, installation, and painting. The themes of his works are varied, but most importantly they all examine the absurdity of the human condition. Representative works include Action Series. We can find the clue He explores the question of Taiwan’s identity in Military take over, subverts modern Chinese political myths in Recovering Mainland China, and examines post-colonialism in The World is for All as well as Long March-Shifting the Universe. In recent years, he has created photo installations combining the style of “gold and green landscape” with the superstitions that permeate Taiwanese folklore, expressing a false and alienated “cold reality” that is specific to Taiwan. Representative works include the series of Celestial Barbarians, Savage Paradise and Heaven. Another photo installation series Libido of Death and Hill tries to probes into the eternal issue of body and soul. Recently, Yao Jui-Chung has assembled all the black-and-white photos of ruins he took in the past 15fifteen years, grouped under the themes of industry, religious idols, architecture, and military bases. They reveal the enormous ideological black hole in Taiwan hidden behind the trends of globalization and Taiwan’s specific historical background as a continuation of the main theme of his work: the absurdity of the historical destiny of humanity. Since 2007, Yao has started to create a series of works including Wonderful, Dust in the Wind, Dreamy, Romance and Honeymoon. He appropriates masterpieces from Chinese art history and recreates them in his own way, transforming them into his personal history or real stories in an attempt to turn grand narratives into the trivial affairs of his individual life. Yao intends to usurp the so- called orthodoxy with his recreated landscapes. Since 2010, Yao grouped his students into a team of photography workshop called “"Lost Society Document” "(LSD). He encouraged them to photograph and survey in their hometowns. Through the way of field surveys, they have attempt attemped to draw the outline of “mosquito houses” which have been widely criticized, published five books named “"Mirage: Disused Public Property in Taiwan",” and practice looked into the possibility of observing the society by through the meaning of art.
His essays have been published in many art journals. He has also published several books, including Installation Art in Taiwan Since 1991-2001, The New Wave of Contemporary Taiwan Photography Since 1999, Roam The Ruins of Taiwan, Performance Art in Taiwan 1978-~2004, A Walk in the Contemporary Art : Roaming the Rebellious Streets, Ruined Islands, Yao Jui-Chung, Beyond Humanity (2008), Nebulous Light, and Biennial-Hop, "Mirage: Disused Public Property in TaiwanⅠⅡⅢⅣ V . His works have been collected by lots of public museum and many other private collectors. Now, Yao Jui-Chung is currently workings as an artist and teacher at the National Taiwan Normal University Department of Fine Arts.