Venue：Gallery 101
Opening： 2016.05.10 (Tue)  14:00–15:00
Artist Talks I：2016.05.10 (Tue)   15:00 – 17:00
Artist Talks II  ：2016.05.25 (Wed)  19:00 – 21:00

Ching-Hui CHOU’s solo exhibition, Animal Farm, which is held by Taipei 101 and Chini Gallery , originated from a five-year-long photography project that has required much manpower and resources. The artist based his creative inspiration on zoos and used them as his photography stages, simultaneously demonstrating the opulence and predicament of the life in modern civilization. In the zoos, the artist placed both fantastic theatric settings and realistic domestic spaces; and using a method of absurdity and displacement, he juxtaposed living human beings and animal specimens. Together, the two enacted a series of scenes that were visually stunning yet oppressively silent in an eerie context, reminding the audience both a home and a cage while connecting the urban indoor space and the natural outdoor environment.

The exhibition showcased portraits of actors in their costume and make-up and five epic photographs staged and taken in the zoos. The photographs were all shot with 8×10 inch color films. Combined with surrealistic scenes and atmosphere, the exquisitely elaborate images in saturated colors guided the audience to explore every element in the artworks and look for clues for interpreting the mysterious images as the images connect or resonate with the audience’s personal life and experience. Through these photos, Chou also delineated their existence in a contemporary social and cultural environment, which they could not escape and gradually became numbed as a result.