Huang Po-Chih - Blue Elephant

Huang Po-Chih (* 1980 in Taoyuan) belongs to a generation of artists socialized in a time of democratic reform and rapid economic growth in Taiwan. Huang’s multidisciplinary practice, which encompasses various artistic media as well as literature, agribusiness, textile manufacturing, and social entrepreneurship, reflects Taiwan’s changing identity discourse over the past decades: from an inward-looking narrative governed by Japanese occupation, the role in the Cold War, and claims of sovereignty from the People’s Republic of China to a transnational vision that takes local, East Asian, and global perspectives into account.

Huang’s presentation at mumok is centered around the multi-part work series Production Line – Made in China & Made in Taiwan (2014–20). Based on his essay Blue Skin: Mama’s Story (2011–13), in which he recounts his mother’s eventful working life, Huang’s series addresses the rise and fall of Taiwanese textile production and its incremental outsourcing to Shenzhen, China.

Curated by Heike Eipeldauer