2012年4月7日至4月29日將於耿畫廊｜台北｜展出姚瑞中最新個展「萬歲/山水」。姚瑞中的作品涉獵層面相當廣泛，除了平面繪畫之外，攝影與錄像同樣是他次此個展的重點。「萬歲/山水」將展出四十四件新作，在耿畫廊偌大的一樓挑高空間展出「山水」平面繪畫系列，其中不乏多達十九連拼的最新力作「萬歲山水」；在TKG+ 地下樓空間則展出「萬歲」影像作品，將展至5月20日。姚瑞中試圖以兩種完全不同的形式探討「正統性」問題，包括傳統美學上的筆墨正統以及意識形態上的政治法統，以詼諧幽默的手法，顛覆這些被荒謬處境所建構出來的價值觀與認同感。

「山水」作品雖說是水墨臨摹，但有別於古畫畫作，以「針筆」(硬筆)對應於傳統水墨畫的「毛筆」(軟筆)，線條堆疊在粗糙紙材表面，產生濃淡的變化，造成繁瑣而近乎神經質的線條刻畫，在視覺上形成扁平化的錯覺，大量身體勞動所形構的「偽山水」，頗有「春蠶到死絲方盡」的悲壯；另敷以金箔填補留白之處，具有如同佛龕壁畫般的特殊魅力；此外，姚瑞中不落款、不用壓角章、不用宣紙、不落苔點、不做傳統裝楨、不使傳統椿法、不用水染...等刻意使用的材質與手法，都是回應這個偉大美學傳統的隱性反叛，透過改寫與挪用中國美術史的經典畫作，再將其轉化成個人日常生活樣貌，這種看似可用傳統美學進行辨識、卻又無法驗明正身的變異混搭風格，似與姚瑞中過去的攝影或行為作品無所關聯，但其實是呼應了長期以來竄改歷史文本以顛覆正統性的創作軸線。

「萬歲」系列則以冷戰前線的金門為切入點，充滿著肅殺氛圍的古寧頭三角堡地雷滿佈，蕞爾小島下的地底隧道綿密交織，全球最大的北山心戰播音塔不斷地朝中國大陸發出「萬歲！」之聲；穿透喇叭，只見陽明山中山樓(曾召開國民大會會議)旁廢棄的青邸營區介壽堂內，獨裁者(姚瑞中扮演)不斷地對著空無一人的禮堂高喊著「萬歲！」，平板的低沉嗓聲迴盪在滿目瘡痍的空間內，昔日歌功頌德的標語掉落滿地；隨著高舉的手臂與不絕於耳的萬歲聲，鏡頭逐漸拉遠，場景慢慢地轉換到廢棄的金門金沙電影院內，電影螢光幕上正播映著這場荒謬的獨白劇，在夕陽餘暉的照射下，空蕩的電影院只留下飄盪著灰塵的觀眾席，萬壽無疆的口號，似乎已成為歷史宿命的永劫輪迴...。

姚瑞中1969年 出生於台北，1994年畢業於國立藝術學院(現國立台北藝術大學)美術系，目前任教於國立台北藝術大學美術系及國立臺灣師範大學美術系。作品曾被台北市立美術館、高雄市立美術館、國立台灣美術館、澳洲昆士蘭美術館、美國康乃爾大學美術館、法國國家圖書館以及許多國內外私人單位典藏。曾代表台灣參加1997年威尼斯雙年展、2005年橫濱三年展、2009年亞太三年展、2010年台北雙年展聯動計劃及2012年上海雙年展，海內外聯展百餘次，也曾從事過小劇場、電影、美術史教學、藝術評論、策展等工作。近年個展包括：MOT Arts「甜蜜蜜」(2011)、倫敦葛豪士畫廊「如夢令」(2010)、香港漢雅軒「甜蜜蜜」(2010)、台南加力「恨纏綿」(2009) 以及新苑藝術「歷史幽魂」(2008)等。

The Tina Keng Gallery (Taipei) is proud to present Long Live/Landscape, a two-part solo exhibition of Yao Jui-chung’s recent work (opening reception: April 7, 4:30-7:00pm). Landscape will be on view on the first and second level of the Tina Keng Gallery from April 7 to 29, and will include an expansive display of landscapes resembling traditional Chinese ink paintings. Long Live, on view from April 7 to May 20, will theatrically transform the TKG+ B1 level into a site reminiscent of Taiwan’s haunting authoritarian past.

For his landscape paintings, Yao deliberately ignores the rules and formats of traditional Chinese ink painting. Instead, he embeds himself and his family into the scenery of tall mountains and flowing water that resemble those of Chinese paintings from the Song to Qing dynasties, in an attempt to lessen the distance between himself and tradition. Yao rebelliously masks himself with the façade of Chinese ink paintings in order to lend the works a false authenticity, and alludes to a greater disconnect (“vacancy” as he terms it) between his living experiences and the tradition of Chinese ink painting.

Having lived through Taiwan’s recent turbulent political and social changes, Yao offers a discerning perspective when considering the marginalization of Taiwan’s political status and the ambiguity of a collective subjective consciousness. He culls from these experiences in his new video Long Live (2011-2012), building upon the historic phrase “Long Live (wansui),” which holds political and cultural significance in addressing a leader and wishing for his long life and reign. In light of the Republic of China’s centennial, Yao is critical of the national spirit of Taiwan, as he contemplates whether the island has moved beyond its past, or if it remains haunted by the ghost of history—only to continue and repeat itself.

Yao Jui-chung was born in Taipei, Taiwan (1969), and received a Bachelor of Arts in Art Theory at the National Institute of the Arts (now Taipei National University of the Arts) in 1994. He currently serves as an associate professor at the Taipei National University of the Arts and the Department of Fine Arts of the National Taiwan Normal University. His work has been collected by Taiwanese museums, including the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, as well as international collections, such as the Queensland Art Gallery (Australia), the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art (USA), the Bibliothèque nationale de France. He has represented Taiwan in the Venice Biennale (1997), participated in the Yokohoma Triennale (2005), the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (2009), YES TAIWAN: 2010 Taiwan Biennial (2010), and Shanghai Biennale (2012). Most recently, his works have been on view in the solo exhibitions Honeymoon at MOT Arts, Taipei, Taiwan (2011); Dreamy at Goedhuis Contemporary, London, United Kingdom (2010), and Honeymoon, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong, China (2010); as well as in group shows, including Dual Senses and Dynamic Views—Contemporary Art Exhibition across the Taiwan Strait of 2011 at the National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China (2011) and will be on view in Ink: The New Ink Art from China at the Saatchi Gallery in London, United Kingdom in June, 2012.