C. J. Yeh 葉謹睿


The Great American Tour

Conceptual digital imaging, 2012

digital C-Print on Kodak Professional Endura Metallic paper (12 pieces in a set, 10.5 x 14 inches each)

大美國之旅

概念數位影像創作,2012

數位C-Print輸出於Kodak專業金屬相紙(一套十二張,每張26.7 x 35.5公分)

The Great American Tour is a symbolic visual journey of the artist’s learning and growth in the United States. Digital photographs of nine museums and three well-known artists’ neighborhoods in New York were “personalized” by strategically replacing the “@” symbol found in the image source code with the name of the artist, “C. J. Yeh.” As a result, two very antithetical ideas emerged from these altered images: one singularly egotistical and the other as openly universal; each is the outcome of imposing of the same strategy on the same images. One idea is that the artist successfully “leaves his mark” all over the American art scene. The other idea is how “glitching” serves to illustrate the coincidental and unpredictable nature of life itself.As previously defined, this process of intentionally inducing glitches into digital files is known as “databending.” It draws its inspirations from the practice of “circuit bending” and “glitch music,” a practice in which children’s toys or small digital synthesizers are deliberately short-circuited by customizing the circuit board to generate spontaneous and unpredictable sounds.  For The Great American Tour, the artist opened digital image files with a text editor and painstakingly searched through and altered computer codes, which were intended to be read by the computer, while remaining fundamentally incomprehensible to human beings. The results of this intervention are largely dependent upon chance, trial, and error, and they are impossible to predict. Instead of creating images utilizing image-editing programs such as Photoshop, C. J. Yeh purposefully sacrificed his traditional creative control and, in so doing, allowed this method of “imposed chance” to serve as the creative process itself. An old art concept, applied in a new way and new age, becomes a metaphor revealing aspects of his own condition as an artist trying to gain control of his destiny in a foreign land.

《大美國之旅》以十二張概念攝影作品為主體,分別以九個美術館以及三個紐約著名的當代藝術聚集區,來象徵作者在美國的成長以及學習過程。作者將每一張照片的原始檔案,以文字編輯軟體開啟之後,策略性地將程式原始碼中所找到的符號,用自己英文名字:“CJ Yeh”來替代。一方面,以塗鴉留名的方式,進行自瀆式的佔有權宣誓;另一方面,則企圖透過解構數位資訊時所造成的偶發效果,去擾亂科技的冰冷、理性的特性,以此來譬喻生命無法預期、不可抗力的本質。

這種對於數位檔案破壞性的創作手法,被稱之為是「資訊扭曲」(databending)。也有人將這種形態的創作,稱之為是Glitch Art(故障藝術),也就是一種以數位器械產生錯誤為靈感的藝術創作。與1990年代末期開始出現,刻意讓電子玩具和樂器短路,藉此來尋找「新聲音」的Glitch音樂有異曲同工之妙。

與利用影像編輯軟體Photoshop來做特殊效果相反,這種數位資訊扭曲過程所產生的視覺效果,其實是無法完全掌控的。創作者唯一能夠做的,就是耗時費工地不斷嘗試,並且在一次、一次、又一次的失敗之中,等待符合想像和期待的偶發結果。為了在概念上深層地映照出創作者對於生命的觀點,作者刻意放棄對於視覺的主宰權,擁抱不可預期,來為藝術家本人在他鄉異地的成長歷程下註解。同時以破壞為手段,將攝影從客觀的記錄,轉化成為一種主觀的自我表述。






Foldable Painting Series: Round Trip

Oil painting, 1998

Wood panels, oil paint, steel hinges


摺疊畫系列:環遊

油畫, 1998

松木板,油畫,不鏽鋼樞紐



Traditionally, the concept of space in painting focuses mostly on creating the illusion of three dimensional objects and spaces on a two dimensional surface. Beginning with Edouard Manet in the mid-1800s, the awareness of the flatness of the canvas become increasingly important. Eventually, a painting transformed from “a window to the crafted world of illusions” to a celebration of the reality of arrangement of lines, shapes, texture, and colors on a flat surface. 


Foldable Painting Series is C. J. Yeh’s attempt to take the discussion from “the space in painting” to “the space and painting.” For each piece in this series, he created unique modular painting surface systems that can be adjusted/customized according to any given exhibition space. In Round Trip, 162 triangular wood panels were linked together with stainless steel hinges, and arranged into 9 independent square modules. Each module has the same flexible physical structure and can all be set up differently. All the modules were designed to be displayed together in a circular formation which symbolize the artist’s journey of going back-and-forth between the city of New York and Taipei, where the artist was born. Each wood panel is tinted with sap green oil paint which created terrain-like patterns, and numerous paper airplanes in various sizes were painted in the classic trompe l'oeil style on the panels, which creates a circular visual rhythm leading the viewers going clock-wise through the painting.


Foldable Painting Series is the C. J. Yeh’s signature piece from the late 1990s.  Other painting from the same series including Aquarium, Vessels, Gone Fishing, and Prometheus’ Chain. Each contains one of the artist’s personal memory/story from that era.



常常在想,為什麼油畫總得像烏龜一樣,背著自己的空間跑?


十九世紀末期之前的西方繪畫,以描繪(illustration)與再現(representation)為主。當時,畫家以透視與精細的繪畫技巧,在平面上創造出立體的幻象(illusion)。試圖以視覺上的擬真,打破繪畫平面(picture plane),創造一個向內延展的虛擬空間。更利用畫框及構圖上所產生的自然框(nature frame),進一步將畫布內的空間與畫外的場域相區隔,讓畫面與外界隔離,成為一個供觀者神遊的窗口。二十世紀初期之後的現代繪畫,打破了創造視覺幻象的窠臼,將畫本身提升為一個獨立存在的物體(object),但並未曾跨越界線與場域交媾。在探究本質的過程裡,繪畫仍處於獨立(self-contained)的狀態。不論是狂放地潑灑或是優雅地勾勒,裝了框、上了牆,依舊是巧笑倩晰自顧自地美著,與所身處之展示空間貌合而神離。為什麼一幅畫不能像水,因應容器變化型態?為什麼一張圖不能像音樂,隨著音符之排列組合而改變調性?


帶著這樣子的疑惑,我從1998年開始,嚐試一系列與場域互動的裝置性繪畫作品。以中國折扇畫的結構為靈感,創造一個可因應需求而延展或收縮的繪畫平面,帶給畫作可變性(mutability),以達到與空間互動。再以模組化(modularity)的概念,將一幅畫解構成可重新排列組合的單位體,增加可因應場域而轉化的特質。以《環遊》(Round Trip)一作為例,162片切成正三角形的木板,以不鏽鋼樞紐連結成9個模組。每一個模組有著相同的基本架構,但可以透過摺疊方式的不同,轉化成為具獨立性的單位體。每一次的展出,在現場配合場域之狀態,將模組在地面上重新組結,形成一個環狀的迴路。162塊松木板,以草綠色油畫顏料染底,利用軟硬木料吸收油墨程度上的差異,讓木紋自然現形成為抽象的紋路。同時,在每一個模組上以超級寫實的手法,畫有無數個大小不同的白色紙飛機。當環狀的迴路形成之後,這些紙飛機像音符一般,譜成一個朝順時鐘方向運動的視覺旋律,引導觀者跟隨節奏繞著作品行進,藉以象徵我長時期來回於台北與紐約之旅行經驗。


這一系列與場域互動的裝置性繪畫,還包括有《魚缸》(Aquarium)、《血管》(Vessels)、《普米西修士之鎖鏈》(Prometheus’ Chain)等等。每一件作品的探討主題各有差異,但在結構上,都是屬於這種能因場域不同而變化的裝置性繪畫。打破一個懸掛之繪畫平面的標準模式,讓一幅畫成為一杯可以倒在不同式樣容器中的水,本質與主旨不更改,卻可以因容器而蛻變。


從牆上拿下來,進而與空間互動,這樣的繪畫還純不純粹?它該算是具有雕塑特質的繪畫、披著油畫表皮的雕塑、還是以圖像為主軸的裝置藝術作品?其實藝術創作本無疆界,只要適情適性,拿把琵琶彈彈藍調又何仿?從來也沒打算為繪畫立新、為藝術立命,倒是很希望自己能夠像野孩子一樣不受範疇的拘束,悠遊於媒材與型態之間,為自己的想法與感觸找到最適當的出口。


常常在想,其實油畫也可以像變色龍一樣,與場域產生更密切的連結。



___________


Associate Professor and Assistant Chairperson

Communication Design Department, FIT


Bio:

C. J. Yeh is a designer, artist, educator, and published author.  He has lectured and exhibited his creative work internationally, including USA, Italy, Taiwan, and Canada. Since 1998, C. J. Yeh has been exploring the area of new media art which he has integrated into his more traditional areas of study and expression. The juxtaposition and integration of digital and analog, virtual and actual, natural and cultural, articulates his point of view on the changing perception of identity and reality in the digital era. Yeh’s prolific exhibition schedule includes showings at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (Taiwan), the Queens Museum of Art (New York), MAXXI Museum (Rome), and the Museum of Contemporary Art (Taipei). His work has been introduced and reviewed by publications such as The New York Times, World Journal, NY Arts, and Brooklyn Rail. Mr. Yeh’s work can also be found in public art collections, such as the MAXXI Museum Net Art Archive and The Joan Flasch Net Art Collection.


Yeh’s research interests include practices, theories, and the history of digital art. Since 1999, Yeh’s essays on art and technology have been featured in Art and Collection Magazine, ArtNow Magazine, Art Today Magazine, and Artists Magazine, amongst others. He has also written research articles for the Taipei Museum of Contemporary Art, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, and the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. C.J. Yeh has published seven books to date, and several of these texts have been adopted by universities in Taiwan as textbooks including The History and Development of Digital Art (2005) and The Principles of Interaction Design (2010). 


C. J. Yeh is currently teaching full-time at the Communication Design Department.  Yeh has won several teaching award to date including the FIT Excellence Award, the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Adobe Educator’s Choice Award.




SOLO EXHIBITIONS:

2014    ESC: New Media Artworks by C. J. Yeh

    Museum at FIT, NY, USA

2013    RESET

    East Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan

2012    PrePurpose, RePurpose, DePurpose

    Taipei Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei, Taiwan

2012    The Great American Tour

    Art Taipei 2012, Taipei World Trade Center, Taipei, Taiwan

2011    Über Low-Tech Summing Up 10 Years of My Artistic and Intellectual Life

    Arts Center at National Tsing Hua University, Shin Chu City, Taiwan

2006    Equals

    VertexList Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, USA

2003    Liquid_Mondrian

    VertexList Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, USA

2001    The Forgotten Present

    Zao Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1999    C. J. Yeh - Recent Paintings

    Chinese American Arts Council, New York, NY, USA



SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS:


2014    Invisible Cities

    Gachon University, Gyeonggi-do, Korea

2014    New Views, John E. 

    Reeves Great Hall, FIT, New York, NY

2013    Making Places for...

    InArt Space, Tainan, Taiwan

2013    World Summit on Innovation

    Museum of Moving Image, NY, USA

2013    The Evolution of Characters

    Pier 2 Art Center, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

2013    Pairings

    Lynn and Carl Goldstein Gallery, NY, USA

2012    Body/Inter-Face - Digital Art Exhibition

    Taipei Digital Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan

2012    PROCESSED

    Center546, New York, NY, USA

2012    Art Tainan 2012

    The Landis, Tainan, Taiwan

2011    Play Station

    Postmaster Gallery, New York, NY, USA

2011    Data In, Data Out

    Walsh Gallery at Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ, USA

2011    Next Body - Digital Art Exhibition

    Hua Shan Culture and Creative Industry Center, Taipei, Taiwan

2011    Woodstock New Media Festival

    Woodstock, Vermont, USA

2010    Connectivity

    Museum at FIT, New York, NY, USA

2011    Body, Gender, Technology

    Taipei Digital Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan

2010    Made in Internet - ArtBoom Festival

    Krakow, Poland

2009    Transmediale 09’ - Festival for Art and Digital Culture

    Berlin, Germany

2008    Execution

    Museum at FIT, New York, NY, USA

2008    BITMAP - as good as new

    The Leonard Pearlstein Gallery, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

2008    sound.sight[interaction] 2.0

    Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD, USA

2008    8 Bits - Blip Festival 07

    VertexList Gallery, New York, NY, USA

2007    Art Basel

    Miami Beach, FL, USA

2007    Plug-and-Play 2.0

    DigiArk - National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Tai-Chung, Taiwan

2007    Taiwan-Australian New Media Arts Exhibition

    Kuando Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei, Taiwan

2007    Diverse Visions

    Walsh Gallery at Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ, USA

2006    Net Archives

    MAXXI Museum, Rome, Italy

2006    Duality

    Melvin Gallery, Florida Southern College, Lake Land, FL, USA

2006    You Are Here

    VertexList Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, USA

2005    Crossing Disciplines

    Schafler Gallery, Pratt Institute, New York, NY, USA

2005    Faculty Exhibition

    Schafler Gallery, Pratt Institute, New York, NY, USA

2004    NEXUS: Taiwan in Queens

    Queens Museum of Art, Queens, NY, USA

2004    Era of Contention

    Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

2002    Making It Home

    Ise Cultural Foundation, New York, NY, USA

2002    Unknown/Infinity

    Legion Arts/CSPS, Cedar Rapids, IA, USA

2001    Unknown/Infinity

    Taipei Information and Culture Center, New York, NY, USA

2001    Unknown/Infinity

    Stephen Gang Gallery, New York, NY, USA

2001    NurtureArt Reaches the Heights

    NYU Washington Square East Gallery, New York, NY, USA

2000    Beyond Ethnic Stereotypes

    Kennedy Museum of Arts, Athens, OH, USA

2000    Crossing the Line

    Legion Arts/CSPS, Cedar Rapids, IA, USA

2000    A Split Second of Eternity

    Telomere Studio, Brooklyn, NY, USA

2000    Techno

    Telomere Studio, Brooklyn, NY, USA

1999    7th Exhibition of Asian Artists

    Pace University, New York, NY, USA

1999    Crossing the Line

    Knickerbocker Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1999    Plan for Peace

    Time Square Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1999    Pier Show 7

    Brooklyn Waterfront Artists' Association, Brooklyn, NY, USA



ARTWORK IN PUBLIC COLLECTIONS:

MAXXI Museum, B. A. S. E. Net Art Archive

Joan Flasch Net Art Collection, Art Institute of Chicago

Pace University

University of Pennsylvania

Fu-Hsin Trade and Arts School



PUBLICATIONS:

2012    The History and Development of Digital Arts in Taiwan, Co-Authored

    Publisher: Artist Publishing, Taiwan

2010    The Principles of Interaction Design in the Post-Digital Age

    Publisher: Artist Publishing, Taiwan

2008    Digital Aesthetics

    Publisher: Artist Publishing, Taiwan

2005    The History and Development of Digital Art

    Publisher: Artist Publishing, Taiwan

2004    Art and the Empire City

    Publisher: Art and Collection Publishing, Taiwan

2003    Art in the Digital Age

    Publisher: Art and Collection Publishing, Taiwan



紐約州立大學時尚設計學院(Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY
大眾傳播設計系副教授暨副系主任


小傳:

葉謹睿出生於台灣台北,1993年離鄉遠行赴美求學,1999年以傑出視覺藝術家身分獲永久居留權後旅居美國。葉謹睿自幼習畫,有扎實的傳統藝術創作基礎,近二十年則專著於數位藝術之創作以及教育工作。作品曾經展出於紐約動態影像美術館、紐約時尚美術館、義大利 MAXXI 美術館、台北當代藝術館以及台灣國家美術館數位藝術方舟等地。


葉謹睿近期的創作經常以檢視科技對於認知的影響為主軸,藉此反映在數位與類比拉拔和衝撞之下,所產生的各種當代文化現況。作品曾多次被美國 The New York Times、美國 Brooklyn Rail 期刊、德國 Die Ziet 週報、義大利 Intelligence in Lifestyle 月刊等等國際媒體所介紹與討論。近幾年來廣受討論的作品,包括有2004年發表於紐約皇后美術館的《液態蒙德里安》;2006年收錄於義大利 MAXXI 美術館 Net Archives 的網路互動系列作品《Equal》;2009年發表於柏林 Transmediale 新媒體藝術節的《視軟1.0:神話三部曲》;以及2012年發表於臺北當代美術館的《全面否定》互動系列作品等等。


除了純藝術創作之外,葉謹睿在數位媒體方面的研究與著作,對於台灣數位藝術環境發展有相當的貢獻。從1999年開始,陸續在典藏今藝術以及藝術家等期刊,開闢專欄發表與數位藝術相關之論述。也曾經和北美館及國美館合作,為館刊撰寫討論科技藝術的專文。在2003年首度集結成冊,出版了台灣第一本介紹數位藝術的專書:《藝術語言@數位時代》。隨後於2005年出版的《數位藝術概論:電腦時代之美學、創作及藝術環境》以及2008年的《數位『美』學?電腦時代的藝術創作與文化潮流剖析》,對於台灣數位藝術教育的扎根和落實都有相當的影響。近期的最新著作《互動設計概論:後數位時代的網站、介面、產品、以及軟體設計的原則》,於2010年底由藝術家出版社出版。


葉謹睿目前專任於紐約時尚設計學院(FIT)、客座於紐約普拉特藝術學院(Pratt Institute),主要教授互動設計及網路藝術相關課程。 



個展:

2014    ESC: New Media Artworks by C. J. Yeh》紐約時尚美術館,紐約,美國

2013    《歸零》東之畫廊,台北,台灣

2012    Pre-Purpose, Re-Purpose, De-Purpose》台北當代美術館,台北,台灣

2012    《大美國之旅》台北國際藝術博覽會,台北世界貿易中心,台北,台灣

2011    《超級「低」科技》清華大學藝術中心,新竹,台灣

2006    EqualsVertexList 藝廊,紐約,美國

2003    Liquid_MondrianVertexList藝廊,紐約,美國

2001    The Forgotten PresentZao藝廊,紐約,美國

1999    C. J. Yeh - Recent Paintings》美華藝術中心456藝廊,紐約,美國



重要聯展:

2014    Invisible Cities》,嘉泉大學,仁川,韓國

2014    New Views》,紐約時尚藝術學院,紐約,美國

2013    《讓位》,台南,台灣

2013    World Summit on Innovation》,Museum of Moving Image,紐約,美國

2013    《字體繁殖》駁二藝術特區,高雄,台灣

2013    《Paring》,紐約時尚藝術學院,紐約,美國

2012    《身體 介面 - 數位藝術展》台北數位藝術中心,台北,台灣

2012    PROCESSED多媒體藝術展》Center548 藝廊,紐約,美國

2012    《府城藝術博覽會》台南大億麗緻酒店,台南,台灣

2011    Play StationPostmasters 藝廊,紐約,美國

2011    Data In, Data OutSeton Hall 大學 Walsh 藝廊,紐澤西,美國

2011    《台灣數位藝術脈流計畫 - Next Body》華山文創園區中4館,台北,台灣

2011    Woodstock新媒體藝術節》Little TheaterWoodstock,美國

2010    Connectivity》時尚美術館,紐約,美國

2010    《身體 性別 科技 - 數位藝術展》台北數位藝術中心,台北,台灣

2010    Made in Internet》波蘭ArtBoom藝術節,克拉科夫,波蘭

2009    Transmediale 09’》德國柏林新媒體藝術節,柏林,德國

2008    Execution》時尚美術館,紐約,美國

2008    BITMAP - as good as newDrexel 大學 Leonard Pearlstein 藝廊,費城,美國

2008    sound.sight[interaction]2.0Maryland 藝術大學,馬里蘭州,美國

2008    Blip Festival 07’2007 電子光藝術節,紐約,美國 

2007    Art Basel 藝廊博覽會》Miami Beach,佛羅里達,美國 

2007    Plug and Play 2.0》國美館數位藝術方舟,台中,台灣

2007    《臺澳新媒體藝術展》關渡美術館,台北,台灣

2007    Diverse VisionsSeton Hall 大學 Walsh 藝廊,紐澤西,美國 

2006    Net Archives》義大利羅馬國家美術館 MAXXI,羅馬,義大利

2006    Duality》南佛羅里達大學 Melvin 藝廊,佛羅里達,美國

2006    You Are HereVertexList 藝廊,紐約,美國

2005    Crossing DisciplinesPratt 大學 Schafler 藝廊,紐約,美國 

2005    Faculty ExhibitionPratt 大學 Schafler 藝廊,紐約,美國

2004    NEXUS: Taiwan in Queens》皇后美術館,紐約,美國

2004    Era of Contention》康乃爾大學 Herbert F. Johnson 美術館,紐約,美國 

2002    Making It HomeIse文化基金會,紐約,美國

2002    Unknown/Infinity》軍團藝術中心 Legion Arts/CSPS,愛荷華,美國

2001    Unknown/Infinity》紐約新聞文化辦事處台北藝廊,紐約,美國

2001    Unknown/InfinityStephen Gang 藝廊,紐約,美國

2001    NurtureArt Reaches the Heights》美國紐約大學 Washington Square East 藝廊

2000    Beyond Ethnic StereotypesKennedy 美術館,俄亥俄州,美國

2000    Crossing the Line》軍團藝術中心 Legion Arts/CSPS,愛荷華,美國

2000    A Split Second of EternityTelomere 藝廊,紐約,美國

2000    TechnoTelomere 藝廊,紐約,美國

1999    7th Exhibition of Asian ArtistsPace 大學,紐約,美國

1999    Crossing the LineKnickerbocker 藝廊,紐約,美國

1999    Plan for PeaceTime Square Gallery 藝廊,紐約,美國

1999    Pier Show 7》美國布魯克林藝術家協會,紐約,美國



作品收藏:

義大利羅馬國家美術館 MAXXI B. A. S. E. 研究中心

美國芝加哥藝術大學 Joan Flasch Net Art Collection

美國紐約沛司大學(Pace University

美國賓州大學(University of Pennsylvania

台灣復興商工



著作:

台灣數位藝術 e 檔案(合著-林佩純主編,2012,藝術家出版社)

互動設計概論(2010,藝術家出版社)

數位美學?(2008,藝術家出版社)

數位藝術概論(2006,藝術家出版社)

大蘋果英雄傳:紐約藝術導覽(2004,典藏出版社)

藝術語言@數位時代(2003,典藏出版社)