TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's new media artist Luo Jr-shin (羅智信) has turned part of Taipei Fine Arts Museum's (TFAM) third floor into a nightclub for a solo show that runs for three months, until Nov. 28.
One of TFAM's annual featured artists, Luo's show is called, "Like a Urinal in a Nightclub," and features large-scale installations and paintings, using smashed snail shells as coloring materials. Through the spatial installations, the artist presents an immersive experience to the audience with sounds, smoke, and light.
The Taipei-based artist draws inspiration from daily objects and his practice of capturing the unstable, illusory, and delusional moments of daily life are on display. When losing track of time in the maze-like space, Luo attempts to lure the audience in and take a step forward.
The nightclub theme is a personal interest of Luo. "Nightclubs are the places where people and all sorts of materials are exchanged. There are a lot of metaphors hidden in the show," said Luo.
A 3D-print shows trash and cigarette-like objects, while Luo also tackles serious topics such as drug abuse and underground nightclub queer culture. Humorously, his life philosophy and jokes are written inside cigarette rolling papers.
In the work titled, "Water, Malt, Hop, Rice, Yeast," where the floor is sticky, he recreates a typical scene in nightclubs where party animals spill their drinks. It is his way of reminding people of a certain time in their lives.
"Feel free to hit on others," the artist jokes. "Don't forget to pick up the 'fags' on the ground and look inside. It may be a shock."
(Taiwan News, Lyla Liu photos)
