Haikus by Kuang-Yu Tsui — Video art selection from 2002 to 2006 :: December 4-5, 2008 :: Le FRUC, 3biz rue Labbé, 34 000 Montpellier, France.

The Shortcut to the Systematic Life: Superficial Life (Single Channel Video, 09’ 00” loop, 2002): Extending from the series of Eighteen Copper Guardians in Shao-Lin Temple and Penetration, the artist transforms the idea of the biological term of “mimicry” into a systematic adaptation and measurement of various life circumstances in this work. To change one’s outfit according to the outside environment is like a chameleon-like camouflage, and it is also a shortcut to penetrate different circles in the society. The work connotes and reflects the absurdity of reality, mocking the schizophrenia caused by changes in the living environment.

The Shortcut to the Systematic Life: City Spirits (Single Channel Video, 07’ 50” loop, 2005): This work explores the social dynamics of urban spaces through a series of actions that test and subvert the invisible norms governing our use of public spaces. The series of action serve to re-discover and re-present the city from a different perspective, one that absurdly challenges the use of spaces and provokes us to examine the ways we deal with them.

Invisible City: Sealevel Leaker (Single Channel Video, 4’ 40” loop, 2006): This work is part of an ongoing action project containing video documentations of the artist’s actions taken place in Taipei, London, Liverpool and Amsterdam from 2002 to 2006. Identifying himself as a foreigner in the situated circumstance, the artist attempts to respond or reveal potentialities in different environments through actions that will continue engaging other cities later on. TSUI tries to expose an invisible reality that governs our ordinary life. Projecting the time track of the past onto the reality of Amsterdam is the fantasy of “Invisible City.” So to speak, the work is an attempt to pin down the vacuumed hyper urban vibe in order for it to be paralleled again with the real watermark on earth.

Invisible City : Amstel 88 III (Single Channel Vidéo – 1’ 46” loop – 2006) and Invisible City : Liverpool Top 9 (Video Project, 14’03” loop, 2006): In the process of Liverpool urban transformation, we can find in the old urban plan a lot of spaces and facilities that are vaguely defined and planned. These weird spaces are like mysteries scattered over the city, waiting to be disclosed or changed at an appropriate time. This project continues the core concept of City Spirit – through observation and behavioural interposition, the possibilities of the co-existence of city and surroundings are brought forward.

Also, on the premise that no changes to the present surroundings will be made, through a form of urban tour, an interpretation is made of these locations from the artist’s point of view. Through these interpretations that rationalize the embarrassing urban spaces, the link between functions and meanings is removed to readdress the relationship between people and life spaces. Also through ridiculous scenes, an attempt is to be made to search for an overlap of life experiences.

L’artiste vidéo taiwannais Kuang-Yu TSUI représentait Taiwan à la Biennale de Venise 2005. Tsui s’autofilme dans des actions absurdes et dérisoires. L’évidence et la simplicité plastique de ces séquences associée à une interrogation profonde de notre être au monde contemporain en font de véritables haïkus. Cette démarche n’est pas sans rappeler les performances Fluxus.