«My intention is to build up an installation as prose. A desire to communicate is hidden within it.»
Tzu-chun Ku’s words describe what is at the core of her artistic practice. Inspired by painting and its history, the installations of Tzu-chun Ku are compositions of discreet works juxtaposed next to each other, achieving a relationship with the space in which they are displayed. Among the constituent parts of Tzu-chun Ku’s installations are sculptures, objets trouvés, almost imperceptible changes with-in the display, photographs and videos. »
Compositional rules, colours and in particular, light conditions. According to the artist, all three are what draw her attention within the space of painting, providing her a vocabulary through which realise her installations. From this perspective, each element configuring the space with which Tzu-chun Ku interacts becomes part of her practice, subtly shifting the visitors’ attention toward otherwise overlooked details, and so revealing the conditions of display at the same time. By separating movable walls that are supposed to be connected, or taking away the countertop of a room, the artist shows how these items contribute to the construction of a space. This is combined with her interest in intervening within a three-dimensional space.
Light plays a key role in understanding Tzu-Chun’s practice. When traveling around the world, she takes picture of the lighting conditions of the museums that she visits. These shots become part of a diary, but at the same time, question the materiality of a picture and the intersection between an object, its display surround and our perception of it. Display is another key term in her subtle artistic practice. By positioning a transparent stand in front of a vase of roses and giving the work the title ‘Still Life’, Tzu-Chun taps into an art historical genre, revitalising it with a simple gesture. Despite claiming her interest in creating prose, the work is really a poetic one, generated by her sensibilities toward the space, the act of displaying and the works that come to live next to each other.
Stefano Collicelli Cago, ShowRoom ART-O-RAMA 2018’s curator.