Celebrating their tenth year together, members of the "Amoeba Art Design Club" recently opened its seventh joint exhibition in Taipei. The theme of the show was "Colloquial Expressions in the Chinese and Korean Languages." Through diversified media of expression--oils, murals, prints, photography, etc., the twelve artists displayed graphic conceptions of slang expressions in the two languages.

Serious as well as humorous treatments were seen at the exhibition. A flaming Chinese character, "wood", warned people not to play with fire. Five gods in traditional Chinese gowns descended from the heavens toward a swarm of high-rise buildings, denoting an old Chinese blessing, "Five forms of happiness are coming your way." The exhibition was live and bright.

In this, the club's first exhibition in two years, it has managed again to remodel its image. In fact, constantly changing images and directions is the club's goal.

The Amoeba Art Design Club was formed some 10 years ago by Ho Peng-cheng, Yang Kuo-tai, Chen Han-pong, Wu Chin-sheng and Hsieh Yi-chang, five friends from the class of '68 of the National Taiwan Academy of Art. In pursuit of independent careers after graduation, they were determined to maintain their creativity--to explore new art forms and experiment with new styles in spite of other employment. They decided to form a club where they could discuss new ideas.

They named themselves "Amoebas" in admiration of a symbolic effect of the single-celled animal. Ho Peng-cheng, club chairman, said, "Despite its being the most basic of living things, the amoeba is not confined to a specific form. It continually creates changing protrusions of its body to gain motion, and display infinite adaptivity to changing environments."

Among the club's twelve members, all in related but independent careers, is Ho Rong-ling, one of two female members, an art director; Yang Kuo-tai is in interior design; Ho Peng-cheng works for a television station. They hope to promote society's understanding of the impact of art-design in life.

Ho Peng-cheng says it this way, "You might not think about it, but the work of art-designers pervades living environment--traffic signs, door signs, commercial boards, etc., in all colors and shapes. We are so used to them that we rarely consider their form." And any little improvement in the designs of such items may actually make life more pleasant, he says.

The Amoebas initially concentrated on innovations in commercial design. In their first two exhibitions in the early 70's, they played with ideas for advertising. While emphasizing the concept of change, they pursued variations on old themes. A work named "Mona Lisa's Mustache" is often recalled.

After the initial years of attempted innovation, they went into a period of soul searching. The theme of the fourth exhibition was "Coordination of Emotions", and of the fifth, "Modern Nostalgia." Most representative of this period was probably a work by Yang Kuo-tai, titled "Home"; it portrays a poor shabby house warmed in the glow of the sun and moon.

From the late 70's on, the club turned to more lively projects, such as the gimmick designs of its sixth exhibition and the colloquial expressions of the seventh. Audiences witnessed an amoebic protrusion into brighter, bolder design and use of color, but shaped by a much-refined technique.

Critics of the club's works contend they are too commercialized, and that an excessive reliance on printing techniques makes the work look too structured to be true art. Club members are not disturbed. Said Ho Peng-cheng, "What we show are only phases of the amoeba; we pursue constant change toward more and improved diversities."

[Picture Caption]

1. "Young Lion" by Ho Peng-cheng, 1979. The juxtaposition of the stone lion and the child signifies the responsibility the younger generation must shoulder in carrying on Chinese traditions. 2. Members of the Amoeba Art Design Club. 3. A poster designed by Hsieh Yi-chang, titled after a Chinese proverb which goes: "It is hard to resume a frugal life once one is accustomed to luxury."

1. "The Door" by Ho Rong-ling, 1981. 2. "Once Upon a Time" by Liu Chou-seng, 1981. 3. Those Were the Days" by Yu Li-ren. The work shows traditional artifacts whose manufacturing techniques have been lost. 4. "Extra" by Wu Chang-huei, 1978. The word, "extra", has the same pronunciation as "fish" in Chinese, and is therefore often used as a New Year's greeting.

1. "Saloon, Poet, Chophouse" by Yang Kuo-tai, 1981. 2. Also entitled "Extra" by Tsai Ching-kuo.

Members of the Amoeba Art Design Club.

A poster designed by Hsieh Yi-chang, titled after a Chinese proverb which goes: "It is hard to resume a frugal life once one is accustomed to luxury.".

The Door" by Ho Rong-ling, 1981.

"Once Upon a Time" by Liu Chou-seng, 1981.

Those Were the Days" by Yu Li-ren. The work shows traditional artifacts whose manufacturing techniques have been lost.

"Extra" by Wu Chang-huei, 1978. The word, "extra", has the same pronunciation as "fish" in Chinese, and is therefore often used as a New Year's greeting.

"Saloon, Poet, Chophouse" by Yang Kuo-tai, 1981.

Also entitled "Extra" by Tsai Ching-kuo.