HUANG GUAN JIE SOLO EXHIBITION
2024.08.09 - 2024.08.28

MAISON ACME
No. 181-1, Sec. 3, Zhongshan N. Rd., Zhongshan Dist.,Taipei City 104, Taiwan

Tue. - Sun. 11:00 - 17:00 Monday Off

Free Entry

Exhibition Concept:
"Americano" Series (since 2020)

Since 2020, I've been working on the "Americano" series, capturing images across Taiwan that resemble scenes from Western countries. "Americano" is the Chinese transliteration of the word "Americano" (a type of coffee), which is made by diluting espresso with water. In this series, I extend its definition to symbolize the dilution and recreation of foreign cultures into a new culture. The degree of dilution might allow one to perceive the differences brought by cultural shifts, but we often rely solely on external visual forms as the means of identifying cultural characteristics. However, this method of recognition clearly has its limitations. Through a series of images, this series aims to create the illusion of being in a Western country, questioning what can be visually recognized as "Taiwanese culture." Although these images shot in Taiwan may not appear to have any "local flavor," the question remains whether they can ultimately be accepted as part of Taiwan's photographic history, contributing a piece to the puzzle of constructing that history.

Continuing from my 2023 solo exhibition "Greetings from Americano" at Carp Gallery, this new exhibition at MAISON ACME's Yuanshan Residence presents color works from the series, categorized by geographic regions and thematic features. For example, in the first-floor section titled "Americano Series Images," a wooden wall placed in the center of the exhibition space displays images I captured in Taichung, my birthplace, and Taipei, where I currently reside. These images are classified by geographic location, categorizing them into Americano’s "Midwest" and "Northwest" regions, respectively. Further down, an old CRT television plays "A Roadtrip to Americano," a black-and-white film edited from images in the series, resembling a silent film from the 1920s. In the glass house, five handcrafted paper model cars are displayed on five pedestals. These retro Jaguar sedans have been modified to serve as carriers for the "Americano" series postcard booklets, connecting with the road trip imagery in the series, as if the vehicles are carrying the travel memories of Americano.

On the second floor's study room, "Lil Jeff’s Daily Life in Americano" imagines the daily life of a six-year-old boy named Jeff living in Americano. Through the images in these photo albums, depicting various outdoor activities like basketball and swimming pools, I project my imagination of living an Americanized life in Taiwan, influenced by American education and culture.

Furthermore, in June this year, I had the privilege of setting foot on American soil for a work presentation and academic exchange. During my 20-day stay in New York City, I created two works on the second floor of the residence: "American Life" and "Brooklyn Express," the only two pieces in this exhibition that were produced in the United States. "American Life" serves as a real-world verification of the "imagined America" in the series and includes several books about finding Taiwan-like scenes in America, such as "Factories in Changlifornia" and "Little Taipei." "Brooklyn Express" involves taking the Americano postcards to the U.S., mailing them back to Taiwan from Brooklyn, New York. The purpose is to make the viewers believe, through the combination of the postcard images and U.S. postal stamps and markings, that the images on the Americano postcards were indeed taken in the United States, even though in reality, Americano presents a different facet of Taiwan.

Curators:

Lai Yongxing, Yang Beichen, Jiang Mengxi