Cheng, TingTing

EDUCATION

2014MFA Fine Art, Goldsmiths College, London

2009MA Photographic Studies, University of Westminster, London

Solo exhibitions

2015

Post – Solo Exhibition by Ting-ting CHENG

2014

I know what you are trying to say II, Nomart Gallery, Osaka

2013

Seeing is not Believing, Luis Adelantado, Valencia

The observer, Identity Gallery, Hong Kong

Jo vull aprendre Mallorqui, SACMA, Manacor

Distance in Between, Galerie Grand Siècle, Taipei

2012

I know what you are trying to say, Rowan Arts, London

2011

Object Fantasy, Taipei Fine Art Museum, Taipei

Jo vull Aprendre Mallorqui, Addaya Art Centre, Mallorca

2010

Things We May Never Know, Kiállítás Előtt Galéria, Budapest

Selected group exhibitions, biennales and art fairs

2015

19th Contemporary Art Festival Sesc_Videobrasil: Southern Panoramas (coming)

paraflows .X DIGITAL MIGRATION, Künstlerhaus Wien, Vienna (coming)

DongGang International Photo Festival, South Korea (coming)

ARCO, Madrid

2014

Zona Maco, Mexico

You Are Here, Kingsgate Gallery with Camden Art Centre, London

Red Pill, Galeria H, Taipei

Goldsmiths MFA Fine Art Degree show, London

Art 14, London

2013

Art Stage, Singapore

No one river flows, KuanDu Museum, Taipei

Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architechture, Shenzen

Connecting in a strange place, Guest Spot, Baltimore

Inter-vision: A Contemporary Art Exhibition Across the Strait, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art, Taichung / National Art Museum of China, Beijing

Next Super Star, Cans Art, Taipei

Innovation and Recreation, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art, Taichung

2012

MIT Art Taipei, Taipei

Austronesian International Arts Award, Taitung Art Museum, Taitung (Taiwan)

PI (ᴨ), Art and Culture Laboratory, Krk (Croatia)

Classifieds, Sheffield Institute of Arts Gallery, Sheffield (UK)

III Moscow International Biennale for Young Art, Moscow

Tokyo Frontline, Tokyo

London Art Fair, London

Nord Art, Büdelsdorf (Germany)

2011

Taipei Art Award, Taipei Fine Art Museum, Taipei

Meta Communication, Taiwan Photo Museum, Taipei

Pingyiao International Photography Festival, Pingyiao (China)

XIII International Call for young artists, Gallery Luis Adelantado, Valencia

Home and Away, ISE Cultural Foundation, New York

The Chosen, Red Gallery, London

TBS love emergent Artists, Private Space Gallery, Barcelona

2010

Closer, Visionaris’10 Photography Festival, Fundacion Pilar y Joan Miro, Mallorca

FAB Fringe Art Bath, Bath

European Month of Art and Photography, Berlin

Home and Away, Castlefield Gallery, Manchester

Stratford Everyday, English Heritage Programme, Theatre Royal Stratford East, London

Artist in Residency

2014

Beatrice Tate School, London

2012

Zero Station, Ho Chi Minh City

GlogauAIR, Berin

2011

Addaya Centre d'Art Contemporani, Mallorca

2009

Ben-Uri Gallery, London

Selected Grant and Prize

2015

Asian Creative Award, Asian Exchange Award, Japan

2014

Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs Art Grant, Taiwan

2012

Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs Art Grant, Taiwan

National Culture and Arts Foundation Art Grant, Taiwan

Ministry of Culture Art Grant, Taiwan

Asian Pioneer Photographer (Silver), China

Islington Exhibits Artist Award, UK

40 under 40 by Perspective, Hong Kong

Austronesian International Arts Award (short listed), Taiwan

2011

Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs Art Grant, Taiwan

Council for Cultural Affairs Art Grant, Taiwan

Phoenix Hope Education Foundation, Taiwan

10Gales Art Prize (short listed), UK

Taipei Arts Award (short listed), Taiwan

2010

Artificial Image Award (Edition), Germany

Emengent El Pati de la Llotja, Spain

Art Idol 2010 (short listed), UK

2009

Signature Photography Award, Degree art, UK

Artist without studio Prize, Ben-Uri Gallery, UK

You see what I see

“控制媒體以及影像的人，控制文化”  – Allen Ginsberg

敘事、關係和遮蓋的行為

1953年，Robert Rauschenberg用橡皮擦擦去了藝術家Willem de Kooning在一張紙上的素描，並將該白紙命名為 “Erase de Kooning Drawing”。藝評人Peter Ed Muir如此描述該移除的行為(the action of erasure) – “當已存在的感知上的資訊從原先的表面被移除的時，該“移除”的行為可以被解釋為，試圖轉移觀者的焦點從資訊到該資訊的框架(framing)、到更廣泛的美學格式以及它們在其規定範疇內的互動、到該行為與敘事之間的關係、到觀者和機構式的論述。”

在You see what I see當中，我藉由遮蓋所選擇的內容，試圖轉移讀者的焦點從被視為理所當然的影像，到該圖片的標註文字（框架）、到文字上方的空白、到這個特定脈絡背景（圖書館 – 機構式的系統）中的消失以及摧毀，試圖引起讀者的對於這個遮蓋行為背後原因的好奇心，發掘日常生活中資訊的（不）可及性。而“遮蔽”，而非“移除”的行為，不管在實體上（圖書館）或最後展出的作品中，皆製造了作者、影像、觀者之間的互動以及敘事。在這個互動行為中，我扮演主詞的角色，遮蔽了內容，為了要避免你（受詞）看到。而You see what I see 和Rauschenberg的Erased de Kooning不同的是，我選擇了“遮蔽”，而不是“移除”，暗示著該內容還是存在在相同的位置，我知道那是什麼，只是“你”看不到，它被隱藏住了，但這只針對你—這個當下脈絡中的觀者。

權力來源與機構式系統

這裡所使用的書都是從公立圖書館所借，而非我自己所擁有的—這個事實也扮演著一個重要的角色。就好像Erased de Kooning Drawing，被擦除的必須要是de Kooning（一個知名藝術家）的作品，才能讓觀者忍不住發出“awww”的嘆息，一個建立在原有作品價值所製造出來的效果。而You see what I see中，這個awww factor並不是由所遮蔽內容的藝術或經濟價值所製造，而是圖書館身為一個機構本身所帶有的權力來源(authority)所製造的。藉由篡改這些書籍，我成為了權力來源本身，意圖要挑戰原有的權力來源。

視覺光譜上武斷(arbitrary)又虛幻的顏色

這個作品的標題You see what I see是從BBC的紀錄片Do you see what I see? (2011)引申而來，而該紀錄片的片名又是從同名的兒童遊戲 所啓發。該節目探討顏色身為幻象的概念，並藉由數個社會實驗，來指出人類由於不同的文化、語言，會在面對同樣色票時會看到不同的顏色。顏色本身是不同的波長的光，透過眼睛將光波轉化為訊號傳送到大腦，接著大腦將該訊號轉譯成顏色的概念。所以，顏色並不“存在”，至少不是“物理上”存在。蘋果並不是紅的，它只是反射某一波長的光使我們的大腦解讀其光波為紅色。而該過程比我們所想像地要來的更武斷許多。例如，在非洲納米比亞北方的Himba原住民只有五個名詞來區分顏色，而這些名詞區分的標準並非根據我們所熟悉的系統，而是利用顏色的深淺來分類。所以對Himba當地人來說，他們可以輕易地分辨我們無法分辨，十分細微地不同深淺的綠色，但是卻無法分辨，對我們而言相對簡單，相同深淺的藍色跟綠色。這並不是因為身體構造上的差異，是語言和文化影響我們如何解讀訊息。顏色並不是一個自然的現象，而是一個文化的概念。

在這個作品中，我利用色紙作成的色塊來取代/遮蔽原有的影像。這個幻覺般的光波被反射，發送訊號從你的眼睛到你的大腦，形成不同的敘事來隱藏原有的內容。我們利用我們的經驗來解讀顏色，就好像我們利用標註文字在大腦裡建構影像。如果我們回到Peter Ed Muir的評論—“當已存在感知上的資訊…”如果這裡的“資訊”並沒有被“接收”（就好像這裡被遮蓋的影像），它還存在嗎？存在的意義為何？這裡的資訊是否就和顏色的概念一樣，其實並不存在？你真的有看到我所看到的嗎？

這個系列探討分類這個行為本身武斷並主觀的本質，以及機構式系統下，以圖書館為例，資訊的審查以及機構本身所帶有的權力來源的意涵。這裡的文字是影像的替代品，設計用來對建構的真實製造想像。在History, 909.82中，原始的內容有可能是一張地圖、亦或是繪畫、又還是照片？它描述了什麼？為什麼第一次世界大戰是分隔線？如果我們拿近來巴黎的查理日報攻擊(2015)為例，我們是否有看到媒體針對同時期發生、造成超過兩千人死亡的奈吉利亞Baga大屠殺(2015)，相同版面的報導？你對於非洲在第一次世界大戰之前想像為何？而在Art, 709.04中，我試圖挑戰人對於顏色的感知，藉由將黑色的方塊換成紅色的方塊，來實驗文字描述及視覺描述之間的關係，就好像其內文所說的—“就算他將所有對於已知世界的參考都移除，觀者的大腦還是會試圖合理化所看到的影像，一個試圖尋找意義的行為”(Will Gompertz 2012, 171) ，在Religion, 297和Philosophy, REL 193裡，我試圖提供一個不同於媒體所製造出來的刻板印象的可能性。而在Science, 530.11中，一個曾經被相信的理論，Ptolemy’s Model，被一個綠色方塊所“審查”了，我試圖質疑在日常生活中被毫無懷疑地接受的“常識”。而War & Defence, 355.825, Music, 782.421和Gender, Gay & Lesbian Studies, 306.766則討論大眾媒體上的政治資訊以及不停變化的審查機制。

這個系列討論政治、文化、歷史及社會對於資訊的控制，（不）能見度以及（不）可及性，什麼被看到而什麼沒有，試圖質疑我們習以為常、看似客觀的知識以及資訊。

  1.“Whoever controls the media, the images, controls the culture.”

  2.“When the pre-existing perceptual data is removed from its original surface of display, the connotative gesture of that erasure can be     interpreted as shifting the focus of the beholder’s attention towards the devices of its framing, towards the wider aesthetic forms and their  interaction within disciplinary fields, to the relationship with narrative, towards institutional discourse and the spectator.” (Peter Ed Muir, 2006, 267-268)

3.一個在場景中尋找特定物件的遊戲，如https://www.scholastic.com/canyouseewhatisee/games.htm

4. …even though he had removed all reference to the known world, the viewer’s brain would attempt to rationalize the painting: to attempt to find meaning.

“Whoever controls the media, the images, controls the culture.”

– Allen Ginsberg

Narrative, relationship and the action of covering

In 1953, Robert Rauschenberg obtained a drawing from the artist Willem de Kooning. He erased the image, and then titled the blank paper “Erased de Kooning Drawing”. Peter Ed Muir described the action or erasure – “When the pre-existing perceptual data is removed from its original surface of display, the connotative gesture of that erasure can be interpreted as shifting the focus of the beholder’s attention towards the devices of its framing, towards the wider aesthetic forms and their interaction within disciplinary fields, to the relationship with narrative, towards institutional discourse and the spectator.” (Peter Ed Muir, 2006, 267-268)

In the works featured in this bibliography, by covering the selected contents, I intend to shift the reader’s attention from the taken-for-granted images towards the captioned texts (the framing), the void above, the disappearance or the ruin within this particular context (institutional system), triggering readers’ curiosities towards the reason of the covering, exploring the (in)accessibility of information in our daily lives.

The action of not erasure, but ‘covering’, created an interaction and a narrative between myself (as the author), the image, and the spectators (readers), in both physical reality (actual libraries) as well as the bibliography. Here, – I, as a subject, covered the content, in order to prevent you, from seeing. And the difference between the project here and Rauschenberg’s Erased de Kooning Drawing is that, instead of ‘erasing’, I’ve chosen to ‘cover’ it, which implies that the contents are still there, and I know what it is, just that YOU cannot see. It’s hidden, from YOU, the spectator in the context here and now.

Authority and institutional system

The fact that the books were borrowed from public libraries instead of purchased as my own property also plays an important role here. What is essential to the Erased de Kooning Drawing is that De Kooning, is a well-known artist. Had the drawing been made by a lesser known artist, the ‘awww factor’ would have been diminished. It was generated by the value of the original, now erased, drawing. In You see what I see, (2015), the awww factor is not caused by artistic or financial value, but the authority represented by the libraries as institutions. By altering the books, I intend to challenge the concept of authority, by becoming the authority myself.

The Arbitrary and illusional colours in the visible spectrum

The title of this work is derived from the BBC documentary “Do you see what I see?” (2011), which itself was inspired by the children’s game of the same name.  The programme explored the concept of ‘colour as an illusion’ and how people view colours differently by a series of scientific experiments. Colours are light with different wavelengths. Human eyes send the signals into the brain, and the latter translates the signals into the concept of colours. So in a way, that colour doesn’t exist, at least literally. The apple is not red. It just reflects light with the wavelength telling our brains that it is red. The process is more arbitrary than we generally believe. For example, the Himba indigenous people in north Namibia have only five words to describe colours. These categorize colours by their shades instead of the colour systems we inhabit in the English-speaking world. So the Himba could easily spot different shades of greens, which might be difficult for us, but find it hard to spot blue among all greens, which could be considered easy for people here in Europe. It’s not because of any biological difference, it’s the languages and the cultural influence on how we interpret things. Colour is not a natural phenomenon, but a cultural concept that we apply.

In this work I have used coloured paper to replace / cover the original images. The illusional light is reflected, sending signals from your eyes to your brain, forming new narratives to hide the original content. We interpret colours through our experiences, in the same way as we construct images based on the captioned texts. And back to Peter Ed

Muir’s statement, “When the pre-existing perceptual data...” If the data isnot perceived (like the original images here), does it still exist? What is the definition of existence? Is the information here the same as the concept of colours, that they don’t really exist in a way? Do you really see what I see?

The project explores the arbitrary nature of categorizing and the censorship of information in the context of library and institutional systems, as well as the authoritative connotation embedded therein. As a replacement of the images, the texts here are designed to create imagination towards the constructed reality.

In History, 909.82, the original content could be a map, a painting, or a photograph. What could it depict? And why is First World War the division? If we take the recent Charlie Hebdo attack (2015) in Paris as the example, did we see equal media coverage of the Baga massacre (2015) in Nigeria which happened around the same time, with over 2000 deaths?

What is your imagination of Africa before the First World War? In Art, 709.04, I intend to challenge people’s perception of colour, exploring the relation between textual and visual description by swapping Black Square into a red square. As the texts explained, “...even though he had removed all reference to the known world, the viewer’s brain would attempt to rationalize the painting: to attempt to find meaning.” (Will Gompertz 2012, 171)  In Religion, 297 and Philosophy, REL 193, I try to offer the imagination of alternative images against the media constructed stereotypes. In Science, 530.11, the once believed theory, Ptolemy’s Model, was ‘censored’ by a green block, which was designed to question the ‘common sense’ we take in unconditionally nowadays. War & Defence, 355.825, Music, 782.421 and Gender, Gay & Lesbian Studies, 306.766aim to discuss the influence of politics on mass media and the changing regulation of censorships.

With the subject areas covered, taken from the contents of the bibliography, the project explores the political, cultural, historical and sociological control of information, the (in)visibility and the (in)accessibility, what is being seen and what is not, questioning the seemingly objective knowledge and information that we take for granted.

Ting-Ting Cheng

London, 2015

1.Peter Ed Muir, 2006: ‘Act of Erasure: October and the Index’,

2.  Will Gompertz, 2012: What are you looking at? 150 years of Modern Art, England: Viking

3.  …even though he had removed all reference to the known world, the viewer’s brain would attempt to rationalize the painting: to attempt to find meaning.