Hell+

The Hell + series is a recent photographic project of Yao Jui-Chung. Yao takes a long time to visit temples around Taiwan and investigates Taiwan’s traditional beliefs. The artist tries to “make heaven like hell and hell like heaven” through his lens. For this project, Yao has been to temples or parks that feature scenes from a Taoist or Buddhist-Taoist hell with animatronic dioramas, hellish murals and images of people suffering. He photographed statues and animatronics found in these dioramas. Instead of presenting the traditional aesthetics of classical sculptures, these statues and animatronics embody an eerie beauty and quirky loveliness of Taiwan’s particular aesthetics.

Throughout Taiwan, Yao has visited the following temples and venues: Jingang Temple in Shimen District and Baogong Temple in Linkou District, New Taipei City, Nantian Temple in Changhua, Madou Daitian Temple in Tainan, Whiteman Toothpaste Tourism Factory in Shuishang Township, Chiayi, Dagangshan Chaofeng Temple in Alian District and the Spring and Autumn Pavilions of Chi Ming Palace in Zuoying District, Kaohsiung. The Haw Par Villa in Singapore is also included in this project. Yao interprets the aesthetic of Han Chinese folk culture with his field-research-like artistic approach and a detached way of viewing. Yao took the photographs with a wide-angle Polaroid with effects such as flash and out-of-focus effect, chemical stains, instantly-developing, uneven coloring, blurring, tilted horizons, and light leak effect, creating a testimony of “Guan-luo-ying” (séance). This project highlights how folk culture and beliefs shape and interpret the image of hell.

Kṣitigarbha, a bodhisattva revered in East Asian Buddhism, once made a vow not to attain Buddhahood until the hell is emptied. Yao takes “Hell +” as the title of his work since the five poisonous qualities, attachment, anger, ignorance, pride and jealousy are difficult to eradicate. If one falls into eternal reincarnation, it is because their karmic hindrance hasn’t been removed. When one is overly attached to the external appearance or obsessed with the physical body and misses one’s buddha nature, they will never get rid of falling into hell. Therefore, Kṣitigarbha will never achieve Buddhahood. If one could behold his buddha-nature with an enlightened mind, one will come to understand the ultimate voidness. Just like a clear mirror reflects the dust; however, the dust does not fall into the mirror. Whether it’s blissful heaven or infernal hell, all conditions are only shaped by a single thought.

Peony

We examine things we don’t know or ignore and the significant consequences this might have. The one-sided media and people’s beliefs may – on one hand – simplify our understanding, but on the other – especially in this information explosion era – that which we do not know is growing alarmingly.

We are now living in a time when we can no longer rely on experience and common sense. This is a new age above and beyond our understanding and a time in which we will constantly reconfirm our ignorance. Predictions will be difficult to make based on the past and furthermore we do not understand that “we actually know nothing”.

The video piece “Peony” is an adaptation of the song “HATE” by the girl group 4-Minute. The K-Pop dancer performs the choreography used in “HATE”, but slowed down. The Kun Opera dancer uses traditional Kun Opera choreography to mirror the movements and to show the link between the past and the present.

Apocalypse axis

It is obscure and extravagant imagery has led to a wide variety of sensory interpretations,believe that Revelation axis describes future events with the seven cognitions growing
into the psyche or believers throughout the age and a reemergence or continuous rule ofa World to Spiritual flesh system with contemporary capabilities described by us in ways
familiar to myself, meanwhile, symbolic interpretations consider that Apocalypse axis doesnot refer to actual people or events but is an allegory of the spiritual path and the ongoing struggle between good and evil.

What The Buddha Taught

In this exhibition, I try to share the past life fragments and the new learning at this stage with audiences in Berlin. I also want to talk about how contemporary artists inject positive energy into life and culture through extraordinary life experiences.

I named it “ What The Buddha Taught (中譯: 菩薩教會我們的事情)”, in order to echo the Buddhist philosophy, Taiwan mythology, Fengshui of temples, classical music, etc. things I was studying recently. To me, I believe that “ Art is religion”. As a result, I  plan to turn the Fabvision space into a temple of contemporary art, for blessing and purification. Visitors can experience sound installations, art instructions, performance art, agarwood, stoves, spells, fantasy literature, pop culture, ready-made objects with scriptures, and cloud sketches.