SECULAR MYTHS
JUNE 17 – 26, 2016
PON DING GALLERY, TAIPEI
The theme of this exhibition, “Secular Myths,” a double solo exhibition by Ghada Da, a Saudi Arabian artist and Ting Chaong-Wen, a Taiwanese artist interested in the composition of memory, explores metaphors and the effects of myths on society. The exhibition asks where secular myths come from; do they originate in the contradiction between personal anxiety, fear, the tragedy of life, wishes and reality? The material and substances that create myths always come from the experience of daily life, however, the material and spiritual are not separated. Every society needs to identify the phenomenon of God and to define the Secular. Adopting this idea, in particular in the field of performance and exhibition, requires us to present the complex roles of the mind through artistic expression, as well as through the relationship between the modern world of technology and the original myths of the symbolic world.
Ghada Da’s plan, prepared specifically for Pon Ding, concerns the dialogue between living space and the soul. This contains common human spiritual experience and is beyond language, race, gender, and social, cultural and political boundaries. Hence, she collected and reorganized numerous objects and sounds in Taipei that had symbolic meanings, and connected narrative spirit and ritualized movements together in order to interpret our complex body and soul.
Ting Chaong Wen’s installation is based on urban culture. Using materials as his media, he allows these materials and technology to respond to the history of our living space and urban culture. Pon Ding’s exhibition space will be treated as a separate field, but will further explore the intrinsic relationship with symbolic and cultural production systems to interrogate themes such as the meaning of differences, harmony and struggle.