The Future Is in Our Hands -8

Text and photos by Chen Chi-Hsiang. XLVIII AICA International Congress, London 2015. I spent the entire morning visiting Ai Weiwei’s solo exhibition as a Chinese artist. Above all, I had ample time to meet and chat with Henry, former president of British AICA. Starting from his newly established China Art Criticism Award in Shanghai, he affirmed Ai’s actions and dedication. He strongly recommended China’s membership in AICA (though no proposal was made this year), while I expressed Taiwan’s position. China’s eventual admission is inevitable; there is no need to worry. Under globalization, Taiwan should have the courage to shoulder its responsibilities and mission. As envisioned by Tsai Jui-lin, Taiwanese art critics can engage in cultural exchanges and enhance friendship with neighboring countries through regional mutual visit mechanisms, paving the way toward peace.

Jean-Marc Poinsot, member of the AICA Art Criticism Documentation and Publishing Group, also joined us for a chat. He edits Critique d’art, an international review of contemporary art criticism affiliated with the University of Rennes II in southeastern France. This university houses archives of all art criticism materials from the International Association of Art Critics since 1948. He hopes the international journal will expand its reach, expressing expectations for Eastern contemporary art criticism. I told them that I possess a rich database of global contemporary art, particularly exhibition records from Paris over the past thirty years. I hold substantial image files on Taiwanese contemporary art and proposed to Jean-Marc Poinsot voluntarily contributing relevant data on Taiwanese contemporary art and criticism to help construct a dedicated archive within their university’s database. My goal is to increase the visibility and clarity of research on Taiwanese contemporary art and criticism, enabling reference and development by international critics and scholars, thereby promoting the dissemination of Taiwanese contemporary art. He was optimistic about this proposal.

The London annual meeting concluded successfully, fostering friendships with critics from around the world. In this era of globalization, Taiwan plays a part as a member of the world. I believe the Taiwan Art Critics Association should proactively promote itself, exchanging and sharing Taiwan’s most vibrant contemporary art with international critics globally. This is the role the association should play. Let us work together to cultivate Taiwan. The future is in our hands.