Since the 1990s, Tsui Kuang-Yu has made documentary videos of himself performing in particular environments, which typically consist of the artist’s subjective reflections and perspective on a certain city. These short films question the stereotypes that derive from and pass between people and the places and communities where they live, to expose an invisible city. Tsui’s Invisible City: Taipari York highlights the signifiers of foreign cultural that are distributed throughout Taiwan including the Statue of Liberty, Arc de Triomphe, Le tour eiifel and the Brooklyn Bridge. The artist’s humorous vignette encourages viewers of all ages to consider why these monuments have been built recently in Taiwan. He has said: “I try to expose invisible truths that exist in daily life.” When the camera’s perspective gradually expands beyond an initially focused and tightly framed postcard-like scene to a tumultuous, wide-angle view of a street location in Taiwan, the visual irony causes one to chuckle. The work’s title also reflects the confused situation, raising questions regarding cultural influences between east and west.
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