Catalogue > At random

I deploy the technique of 3D scanning on the body of the first conjoined twins in Taiwan and use it as materials to reenact their memory from the youth. In this work, I explore the layer of biopolitics and the demonstration of one’s memory. The first conjoined twins underwent the separation surgery in 1979 and the whole surgeon process was broadcast on TV. In that period, Taiwan was under martial law. Therefore, this surgery was often interpreted as a metaphor for the relationship between Taiwan and China. Forty years later, I revisit the iconic figures and reconstruct the narration of their memory within personal and public experiences. Back in 1979, in order to rehearse for the separation surgery, the hospital invited an artist to make a cast of the conjoined twins. However, because it was difficult to control the babies during the molding process, the attempt to make a cast was unsuccessful. In this project Single Copy, I have re-casted the body of the now 43-year old Chang Chung-I, and also use 3D scanning technology to archive his body. The data from the archive are then used as sources for capturing memories from Chang’s earlier life.

Hsu Che-Yu was born in Taipei in 1985. Earning his master’s degree from the Graduate Institute of Plastic Arts, Tainan National University of the Arts. From 2019 to 2020, he began to join the post-academic research programme HISK (Higher Insititute for Fine Art). Hsu Che-Yu works as an artist who primarily creates animations, videos and installations that feature the relations between media and memories. What matters to the artist is not simply the history of events traceable through media, but also the construction and visualization of memories, be they private or collective. The exhibitions he once participated include: 2020“International Film Festival Rotterdam”(Rotterdam), 2019 “HUGO BOSS ASIA ART” (Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai), “Pre-biennale screening program- Seoul Mediacity Biennale 2020” (Seoul Cinema, Seoul), 2018 “Shanghai Biennale: Proregress” (Power Station of Art, Shanghai), “London Design Biennale: Emotional States” (Somerset House, London), “Osmosis Audiovisual Media festival” (CCI Fabrika, Moscow), 2017 “Asian Art Biennial: Negotiating the Future”(National Taiwan Museum, Taiwan), “EXiS, Experimental Film And Video Festiva” (Sonje Art Center , Seoul), “ifva Festival” (Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong), 2016“Public Spirits” (Center for Contempoary Art Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw), “Time Test: International Video Art Research Exhibition” (CAFA Art Museum, Beijing)