The Museum of Contemporary Art--Bringing Art to the Masses

This February, internationally renowned Chinese avant-garde artist Zhang Huan held a solo exhibition here. Zhang made his name as a performance artist, with his most iconic early work was the controversial 12m2, for which he covered his naked body with honey and sat for an hour on a public toilet as flies crawled over him, before "washing off" in a nearby pool full of human waste and garbage; this was simultaneously a challenge to the artist himself and a commentary on the state of the environment.

Another well-known work by Zhang is Peace 2, a sculpture with a large cast-iron hanging bell and a cast-iron striker in the shape of a naked man. This elicited complaints from the public, some of whom felt the striker looked like a hanged man, looking shocking under the nighttime streetlights and scaring innocent passersby.

The hanging bell in Peace 2, Zhang says, was designed like a traditional Chinese temple bell, with the hammer a cast bronze sculpture of Zhang himself. On the bell are engraved the names of people Zhang has met since childhood, and ringing the bell symbolizes childhood memory and hopes for peace around the world. Zhang considers it a piece rich with joyful meaning.

The MOCA has added a number of public art pieces to the streets near Zhongshan Metro Station; at the top left of the facing page, we see Hsu Tangwei's Welcome to Galaxy Railway Station, at the center of the facing page, Li Yixun's Legend of Taipei, and below, Li Mingdao's Music Robot BIGPOW.

Transforming history

Since opening in 2001, the MOCA-Taiwan's first museum working to promote modern art-has been frequently on the lips of the public. Even the museum building itself embodies the fundamental concepts of modern art, those of deconstruction and reconstruction.

On Chang'an West Road in Taipei, the MOCA building is a two-story edifice of red brick and gray tile constructed in 1921. The entrances, one at either end, open onto gabled corridors, connecting to form a U-shaped space. During the Japanese occupation, it was home to Kensei Elementary, a school for Japanese children, and after World War 2 it served as the Taipei City Hall for almost 50 years, until the city government relocated to the Xinyi District in 1994.

It was made a municipal historic site in 1996, and soon after it was decided as part of city plans to reinvigorate historic sites that the main halls-covering almost 1000 square meters over two floors-would be made into a contemporary art museum, with the two wings serving as classrooms for the neighboring Jiancheng Junior High School. This created a rare juxtaposition of art gallery and school.

Operationally speaking, the MOCA began as Taiwan's first joint public-private art gallery, with the Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs seeking sponsorship from the private sector, and five big-name companies-the Minsheng Daily newspaper, Acer, TSMC, Quanta, and Microsoft Taiwan-forming a foundation to provide 51%, with the remainder covered by the Department of Cultural Affairs.

Since the expiration of the contract between the foundation and the department in 2007, the department has partnered with the Taipei Culture Foundation to cover the operating costs. They also hired art critic and former curator of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum and the Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, Shih Jui-jen, to be the MOCA's curator.

In the almost 10 years since its opening, the MOCA has become a leader in the promotion of contemporary art, putting on a number of much-discussed exhibitions and being embraced by the youth of Taiwan. On the facing page (top left) we see David LaChapelle's Death by Hamburger, and below, 12m2 and Peace 2 by Zhang Huan.

Moving artworks

After taking the reins, Shih's catch-cry was "get art moving!" He set out to make not only the plaza in front of the museum and the walls and windows of the place into spaces for the creation and promotion of art, but also to make the underground mall connected to Zhongshan Metro Station into a kind of supplementary gallery.

Lin Yu-chieh, the MOCA's deputy director and chief curator, tells the story of the museum's first efforts to get into the station mall. First off, she had to go and talk to the people in charge of the mall, the main one of whom was a large, brawny man who looked for all the world like a gangster. At first, upon hearing that the museum wanted to rent space to use for exhibitions, he was completely uninterested. When he looked at the store nearest the station exit, though, which went for a high rent but was about to be vacated, he decided that rather than have to leave it empty, he would give the MOCA the site on the condition that they had an exhibition ready to go in four days.

Lin was amazed and overjoyed, and turned for help to National Taiwan University of Arts professor and artist Wang Sen, who got together three interactive projected films ready to exhibit. Neither expected, though, that the aforementioned brawny boss would take one look at the snowy scenes in the films and frostily respond, "Are you trying to freeze out all our business?"

Thinking on her feet, Lin quickly came up with a name for the exhibition punning on the word "shopping" in English and the word "snow" in Chinese, which won over the store owners, and in October 2008, this exhibition served as the MOCA's first in the mall area. Thanks to the novelty of snowy scenes in Taipei, the piece also added a little of the dream world to the shopping area.

This first exhibition was followed by "DoGoD," by award-winning visual artist Peng Hung-chih. Ten screens were set up in a black-painted space, each screen showing a dog licking a wall, its tongue writing quotes from holy works from different religions and in 11 languages. The aim was to illustrate the cognitive clash between "animalistic" and "human" and where mankind fits in the continuum between God and Dog.

Not only did the dogs become something of a lucky charm for the shops in the mall, every day they would draw more and more children, who would stand, transfixed by the dogs. This fact was noticed not only by passersby, storeholders, and the Metro's operating authority, but also by a canny businessman who set up a children's bookstore nearby.

Now occupying three former stores-an area of about 100 m2-the exhibition space, now known as MOCA Studio, has begun offering space to up-and-coming Taiwanese artists free of charge, with exhibitions changing each month. Since its opening, it has been host to 17 exhibitions, and has so far provided exposure for over 100 artists a year.

On the way from Zhongshan Station to the MOCA is a park that potential visitors must pass through after exiting the station. Originally strewn with transformers and the like, this once-uninteresting park finished its transformation in February this year thanks to the work of the museum and the Department of Cultural Affairs, and is now home to several pieces of public art. From statues of cute, anthropomorphized animals to a "music robot" which can be plugged into your MP3 player to serve as speakers, the park is now sure to put a smile on the faces and in the hearts of visitors, providing a surprising avenue for art in everyday life.

Lin Yu-chieh says she is often asked exactly what "contemporary art" is. Part of her efforts to answer this is her seizing on every opportunity to get art into public spaces, exposing the public to contemporary art's breaking of rules and shattering of preconceptions, and educating by taking art out of its ivory tower.

In keeping with the motto "Get art moving!" MOCA deputy director and chief curator Lin Yu-chieh aims to shatter preconceptions and make art a part of everyday life.

Redefining the art gallery

In recent years, through exhibitions like last year's "Animamix Biennial-Visual Attract and Attack," the MOCA has begun exploring how to take the aesthetic of animation from subculture to culture, and the links between image, thought, and modern society.

Last August, the MOCA hosted the exhibition "The Simple Art of Parody," which through its collection of works from artists domestic and foreign which cast an askance look at our world, served as a sort of therapy for the modern consciousness.

The museum's series of well-received avant-garde exhibitions has not only created a new audience for contemporary art, but also given the museum itself a huge boost in recognition. But Lin notes that as the MOCA's exhibitions continue to set new high-water marks, some may suspect that the whole thing was just the result of base pandering to the public. Lin remains steadfast, though, in her determination that the museum continue to not only promote art, but also educate, and thus rather than being subject to the whims of the public, the MOCA will continue to lead the public through the myriad possibilities of contemporary art according to their own plans.

Lin also explains that the museum's physical space is limited, and since they keep no permanent collection, even when artists offer to donate their works to the museum, the museum must unfortunately turn them down.

In this Internet age, an online presence is vital, and the MOCA is at present the most focused on and invested in an online presence of all of Taiwan's exhibition venues. It is also one of the best examples of the results this can bring.

In the underground mall by Zhongshan Metro Station, some of Taiwan's most cutting-edge artists have a space available to hold exhibitions for free. From left to right, these photos include Chen Wenrong's "Extreme Temple Fair," Wang Sen's "SnowWHY," Peng Hung-chih's "DoGoD," Wu Shang-lin's "Portrait of Cities-Project Hip-hop," and Hsu Sheng-yuan's "Girl Student."

The power of the Internet

The aftermath of the 2004 exhibition "Fiction Love-Ultra New Vision in Contemporary Art," featuring the works of Japanese contemporary pop artist Yoshitomo Nara, is an excellent illustration of the pitfalls of the MOCA's limited space. As part of the exhibition, the museum constructed an exact replica of Nara's studio and opened it up to inquiring eyes. Once the exhibition finished, however, the studio replica effectively vanished from the face of the Earth, leaving no signs it had ever even existed, much to the regret of many.

In the past, the museum made a habit of publishing books for their exhibitions, preserving the works in print. Since Shih Jui-jen's appointment as director, though, they have begun working on a "digital collection." Volunteers shoot interviews with artists, behind-the-scenes footage from exhibitions, and impressions of Taipei from foreign artists, editing them together and uploading them to the world's most popular video sharing site, YouTube. To date the MOCA channel has accumulated over 300 clips, offering them to free to the public, while also helping artists promote their works and themselves.

Lin says that not only has the museum itself actively been marketing online, she has also seen the impressive effects of online, visitor-driven viral marketing. In the past, the experience of visiting museums and art galleries has traditionally been a very staid affair, with photography forbidden, but the MOCA is bucking this trend. As long as you don't use a flash, you're free to take photos of anything at the museum.

Lin comments that in the age of the "citizen journalist," as long as the end product isn't being used for commercial purposes, people sharing both words and images online is the best kind of promotion of art and artists, and a great way to get people talking about both. For examples of how welcomed this idea is becoming, Lin points to the British Museum and Tate Modern in London, as well as the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York, all of which are similarly open to photography.

In the almost 10 years since its opening, the MOCA has become a leader in the promotion of contemporary art, putting on a number of much-discussed exhibitions and being embraced by the youth of Taiwan. On the facing page (top left) we see David LaChapelle's Death by Hamburger, and below, 12m2 and Peace 2 by Zhang Huan. (courtesy of MOCA)

Art or bread?

Until 2007-while the MOCA was still enjoying majority private-sector funding (valued at some NT$25 million a year)-finances were never a major problem for the museum. Since then, however, aside from basic operating costs being covered by the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Taipei Culture Foundation, the museum must seek corporate sponsorship for the four exhibitions held each year, which cost over NT$10 million annually.

Take, for instance Zhang Huan's exhibition. For that alone, because of the variety of pieces, from massive sculptures and installations to works created with leather, the MOCA needed more than a dozen shipping containers. But with Zhang's art not exactly being what you would call "user friendly," the exhibition was a hard sell, and the MOCA was still short of funds just two months out from the exhibition's opening. Then an arts magazine published an article on the urgent need for funds and the possibility of Zhang's exhibition being cancelled, which led to the exhibition being saved at the last minute by a NT$5 million sponsorship-covering the full remaining value-from JUT Land Development Corporation.

Lin laughs that when artists come to inspect the venue, they will often ask her if there's an upper limit to their budget, to which she replies confidently, "Don't worry." This generosity generally takes the artists by surprise, until after the inspection they realize what she meant was "Don't worry-everything has to start somewhere." While this may sound like cause for alarm, the point, Lin says, is that the museum will start by looking for the right sponsors for the kinds of pieces being shown, which is a crucial part of securing funding. This show of dedication on the part of the museum is much appreciated by the artists, and in turn the artists themselves are more willing to be flexible in the arrangement of their exhibitions, thus keeping both sides happy.

This May, the influential Richard Sandell, head of the School of Museum Studies at the UK's University of Leicester, made a trip to Taiwan and was impressed and surprised by the MOCA's exhibition planning and the atmosphere of its surrounds. And in addition to his copious praise for the museum, Sandell also stated his plans to hold an international conference on the "MOCA experience" in the future, which left the museum staff overwhelmed and proud.

Last year, director of Paris' Centre Pompidou Alain Seban said that the centre's next plan was to take art into the commercial space. Similarly, New York's MOMA used digital prints of photographic pieces to "wallpaper" a subway station, while Tate Modern in London has also announced plans to get into the public space, inviting the artists themselves to serve as tour guides.

And so Taiwan's Museum of Contemporary Art, despite being on the other side of the world from these other leaders, is not only keeping pace with the pioneering museums around the world, but has also become an indelible brushstroke on the cultural canvas of Taipei.

In the underground mall by Zhongshan Metro Station, some of Taiwan's most cutting-edge artists have a space available to hold exhibitions for free. From left to right, these photos include Chen Wenrong's "Extreme Temple Fair," Wang Sen's "SnowWHY," Peng Hung-chih's "DoGoD," Wu Shang-lin's "Portrait of Cities-Project Hip-hop," and Hsu Sheng-yuan's "Girl Student."

The MOCA has added a number of public art pieces to the streets near Zhongshan Metro Station; at the top left of the facing page, we see Hsu Tangwei's Welcome to Galaxy Railway Station, at the center of the facing page, Li Yixun's Legend of Taipei, and below, Li Mingdao's Music Robot BIGPOW.

The MOCA has added a number of public art pieces to the streets near Zhongshan Metro Station; at the top left of the facing page, we see Hsu Tangwei's Welcome to Galaxy Railway Station, at the center of the facing page, Li Yixun's Legend of Taipei, and below, Li Mingdao's Music Robot BIGPOW.

In the almost 10 years since its opening, the MOCA has become a leader in the promotion of contemporary art, putting on a number of much-discussed exhibitions and being embraced by the youth of Taiwan. On the facing page (top left) we see David LaChapelle's Death by Hamburger, and below, 12m2 and Peace 2 by Zhang Huan.

In the underground mall by Zhongshan Metro Station, some of Taiwan's most cutting-edge artists have a space available to hold exhibitions for free. From left to right, these photos include Chen Wenrong's "Extreme Temple Fair," Wang Sen's "SnowWHY," Peng Hung-chih's "DoGoD," Wu Shang-lin's "Portrait of Cities-Project Hip-hop," and Hsu Sheng-yuan's "Girl Student."

In the underground mall by Zhongshan Metro Station, some of Taiwan's most cutting-edge artists have a space available to hold exhibitions for free. From left to right, these photos include Chen Wenrong's "Extreme Temple Fair," Wang Sen's "SnowWHY," Peng Hung-chih's "DoGoD," Wu Shang-lin's "Portrait of Cities-Project Hip-hop," and Hsu Sheng-yuan's "Girl Student."

In the almost 10 years since its opening, the MOCA has become a leader in the promotion of contemporary art, putting on a number of much-discussed exhibitions and being embraced by the youth of Taiwan. On the facing page (top left) we see David LaChapelle's Death by Hamburger, and below, 12m2 and Peace 2 by Zhang Huan.

Situated on Taipei City's Chang'an West Rd., the Museum of Contemporary Art is housed in a building almost 90 years old that began life as an elementary school during the Japanese occupation. After World War 2, it became Taipei City Hall before once again transforming, and today it is a shining example of the reuse of historic sites.

In the underground mall by Zhongshan Metro Station, some of Taiwan's most cutting-edge artists have a space available to hold exhibitions for free. From left to right, these photos include Chen Wenrong's "Extreme Temple Fair," Wang Sen's "SnowWHY," Peng Hung-chih's "DoGoD," Wu Shang-lin's "Portrait of Cities-Project Hip-hop," and Hsu Sheng-yuan's "Girl Student."