Examining Taiwan’s agricultural landscapes

Wei Tseng, Ming-Hao Hsieh, Redistribution of temperature in the fishing port – Bath of wasted heat, 2023, paper, wood, poly, 114 x 58 x 52 cm. Courtesy of National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art

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The mockups of the exhibits made their debut. Photo by Yu-Quan Lin; courtesy of National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art

Curatorial keyword: Negotiator. “Workers’ shelters and the piers in the oyster farm turn into social spaces during recess. Oyster farmers’ instruments in the field further shape the transitions between the land and the ocean. This interplay between work and social behaviors reveals a negotiation mechanism that regulates the interweaving of fixation and mobility.” Courtesy of National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art

Curatorial keyword: Domesticity. “The tectonic thinking of net houses and winder houses in the countryside also yields new categories that engage with the dialogue between human labor and the environment. For example, where net houses are not feasible, farmers construct moving sunscreens in work areas to fend off the fierce sunlight. This interiority also creates domesticity in the landscape.” Courtesy of National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art

Curatorial keyword: Filter. “The orchard in the mountainous area combines human scale with the need for the growth of plants. The mountainous tea farms also cover the plants with shade nets. The wilting process that increases the fragrance of tea leaves during the tea harvesting season also protects the building with shade nets to regulate the intensity of sunlight.” Courtesy of National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art

Curatorial keyword: Prosthesis. “The infrastructures that carry the transportation and irrigation channels are prosthetics of the land, acting as a double-edged sword that assists the production and exchange of farm products while directing the relationships between the field from the outside world.” Courtesy of National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art

Curatorial keyword: Intermediary. “The drying processes of farm products create gaps and spaces in between. For example, the scaffolding for drying citruses leaves unique patterns of shadows that serve as social spaces. The drying of orange daylily flowers occupies the rooftop, which will be turned into a working venue and a productive element.” Courtesy of National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art

Curatorial keyword: Duality. “The simple shelters made of recycled bamboo from oyster farms become recreational venues for the farmers. During the harvest season, they serve as cooking areas for visitors. Modified motor tricycles adapt to the tidal beach of the flood plain. The unique landscape of the moving machine is a part of the productive system and recreational vehicles serving the visitors.” Courtesy of National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art