At the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2009, Tuvalu’s chief delegate Ian Fry made an emotional plea for a binding international agreement by world leaders to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Fry made the appeal to save low-lying island states at risk of being submerged by rising seas. “The fate of my country rests in your hands,” he said, choking up as he concluded his remarks.
Fry’s teary-eyed speech prompted wild applause from the crowded Copenhagen conference floor and touched the hearts of many people, including Taiwanese artist Vincent Huang (黃瑞芳). In 2010, Huang traveled to Tuvalu, a South Pacific nation and Republic of China (ROC) ally that rises only to about 4.5 meters above sea level at its highest point. Some climate science institutes predict it will be the first country to be wiped off the map by global warming.
“Tuvalu, with a population of just 12,000, is free of factories and has the smallest carbon footprint in the world, but it’s the island group destined to sink first due to climate change,” Huang says. “As an artist, I’d like to use my work to highlight this environmental injustice and the consequences of climate change in the hope that it can serve as a wake-up call for the international community to adopt proactive climate policies.”
In his first Tuvalu project, Dried Little Mermaid (2010), Huang created an imitation of The Little Mermaid statue in the Copenhagen harbor out of dried coconut flesh and shells, wires, bleached coral and seaweed. The Tuvalu mermaid had the appearance of being dried up completely due to global warming. It was also surrounded by “sharks” made from coconut shells—symbols of the powerful countries at the Copenhagen climate summit. The mermaid was eventually set afire and burned until its ashes dissolved into the sea. The entire project depicted the imminent threat posed to Tuvalu.
In Huang’s Tuvalutis (2010), a mixed media work on canvas, coral reefs surround the island nation as a metaphor for the natural environment, with a smattering of circuit board imagery added to symbolize technological civilization. The title, Huang explains, is based on the Greek philosopher Plato’s description of the lost city of Atlantis, which sank into the ocean in a single day and night, indicating that today’s development-above-all mindset may very well destroy human society.
In fact, Huang has been involved in eco art since the late 1990s, when he was studying at Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University in Scotland. “Initially, I used circuit boards as the main materials for my artistic creations as Taiwan was the world’s leading producer of personal computers at the time, and I liked to showcase its high-tech inventions,” he recalls. “But one of my professors suggested that I explore the other side of technological development, looking at its impact and the price that humans have to pay for their economic pursuits.”
Huang’s first Tuvalu project, Dried Little Mermaid (2010), seeks to illustrate the impending threat posed to the South Pacific island nation. (Photo courtesy of Vincent Huang)
Huang began to study the impact of technology on the environment and became increasingly interested in the subject. “Humans have consumed fossil fuels in the name of development since the Industrial Revolution began in the 18th century,” he says. “I use my artwork to challenge the excesses of consumerism and ask: ‘Is the development of contemporary civilization heading toward a brighter future or moving toward destruction?’”
Inspired by the idea of people living in harmony with nature espoused by ancient Chinese philosophers Laozi and Zhuangzi, Huang began to develop The Last Penguins series in 2008. He created a number of penguin sculptures practicing tai chi—a slow and gentle form of movement originating primarily from Chinese martial arts—in a portrayal of penguins trying to achieve the impossible by saving the planet from mankind’s unrestrained exploitation of natural resources.
Huang says he uses the images of penguins because they will be one of the first species to go extinct due to climate change. The artist also combines images of penguins with those of terracotta warriors buried in the mausoleum of ancient Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang (259–210 BC) to protect the emperor in his afterlife, implying that penguins will likewise become burial objects for modern civilization.
Huang’s work Last Enjoyment before Melting (2012) is a parody of an ancient Chinese painting that depicts a group of officials indulging themselves in drink and sensory pleasure to express their disappointment with political turmoil and helplessness to change the situation. In Huang’s work, penguins indulge themselves in like manner before the approach of doomsday.
In 2009 Huang continued his penguin theme with a trilogy project. In the first phase, Naked Truth, the artist staged two “naked” penguin sculptures on a street location. The birds were portrayed as having lost all their feathers because of the increase in temperatures and were distributing copies of a fake newspaper, Penguin Times, in a non-violent protest against global warming.
In the second phase, Suicide Penguins, two penguin models were seen hanging themselves from the Millennium Bridge in London to express their despair and loss of hope. The final piece had other species like polar bears joining the penguins to protest against human activities such as capitalism.
Last Enjoyment before Melting from 2012 is a parody of an ancient Chinese painting in which penguins indulge themselves in sensory pleasure before the approach of doomsday. (Photo courtesy of Vincent Huang)
These guerilla art shows and installations of penguins have appeared in Australia, Germany, Italy, mainland China, Taiwan, the Middle East and the United Kingdom, receiving coverage from major media outlets such as AOL, the BBC, Reuters, The Gulf Times and The Independent.
In 2012, the Tuvalu government appointed Huang as a delegate to UNFCCC COP18, which took place in Doha, Qatar, where he displayed Animal Delegates, with Mr. and Mrs. Antarctic Penguin, Mr. Arctic Polar Bear and Mr. Tuvalu Marine Turtle holding signs reading “Count Me In,” encouraging conference participants to pay greater heed to animals and countries endangered by climate change. Huang’s creations once again captured international media attention when the headline “Bald penguins used to highlight danger of climate change” appeared on the official COP18 website. He was also interviewed by a UN journalist, who noted that the artist’s use of black humor illustrates how the selfish struggle between nations caused the suspension of the UN protocol on climate crisis, thereby bringing about animal extinction and a survival crisis for Tuvalu.
Huang’s artistry also led the Tuvalu government to invite Huang to represent the country at the 55th International Art Exhibition of the 2013 Venice Biennale, marking the first time the island state had participated in the festival, and making Huang the first Taiwanese artist ever to represent an ROC diplomatic ally in a major international art event. The ROC and Tuvalu have maintained formal diplomatic relations since 1979.
The Tuvalu Pavilion theme at the 2013 Venice Biennale was Destiny•Intertwined, suggesting that all people, whether from developed or less-developed countries anywhere in the world, will end up victims of natural calamities caused by endless human greed and desire. The exhibition was curated by three Taiwanese academics, Pan An-yi (潘安儀), Li Szu-hsien (李思賢) and Shih Shu-ping (施淑萍).
Shih, director of the Arts Center at Hungkuang University in Taichung, central Taiwan, had curated exhibitions for Taiwanese artists at the Venice Biennale for more than 10 years. However, this was the first time she had ever been involved in a national pavilion. “Taiwanese artists rarely have opportunities to showcase their work on the international stage. It’s great that Huang could make such a breakthrough,” Shih says. “Huang’s participation in the Venice Biennale is significant because it not only helps increase the international presence of Tuvalu, but also that of Taiwan.”
In Naked Truth from 2009, the penguin is portrayed as having lost all its feathers due to global warming and is distributing copies of a fake newspaper, Penguin Times, to protest against global warming. (Photo courtesy of Vincent Huang)
Atlantis Sinking
It has been difficult for Taiwanese artists participating in the biennale to gain international media attention, Shih notes. But Huang was able to because his eco art has broad appeal and he had already gained a modicum of fame by launching art projects in several countries over the past years.
The 10 works of art by Huang displayed at the Tuvalu Pavilion used mixed media such as fiberglass and recycled materials. An oil pump installation piece, In the Name of Civilization (2013), for example, invites the audience to squeeze the trigger of a gas nozzle, thus activating the machine and resulting in New York’s iconic “Wall Street bull”—a symbol of capitalism—being hanged on one end and Tuvalu’s sea turtle waiting to be guillotined on the other. The work hints that neither the sea creatures of a small island nation like Tuvalu nor the capitalist economy of Wall Street can escape the ravages of rising sea levels or extreme weather patterns brought on by consumer excess.
Another exhibit was Modern Atlantis (2013), which uses an aquarium tank to house coral reefs growing on miniature sculptures of iconic landmarks of capitalist societies like Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, London’s Big Ben, mainland China’s Great Wall and Paris’ Eiffel Tower. As the coral reefs continue to grow, the resources in the tank diminish, finally leading to the bleaching of the reefs. The enclosed ecosystem represents the Earth’s limited natural resources.
Prisoner’s Dilemma (2013) portrays the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of the United States, a leader in the relentless pursuit of economic growth, kneeling in apparent shame or remorse before the portraits of terracotta-style penguin warriors. The work seems to signify that penguins have lost out in the ravages of human civilization. Huang named this work after the theory of the prisoner’s dilemma, with each party in a pair choosing to protect itself at the expense of the other party.
Li, another curator at the Venice Biennale and an art critic, says that most Taiwanese artists tend to focus on aesthetic theory and practice and are reluctant to touch on sensitive economic, political and social issues. Consequently, their works often appear too academic, abstruse and distant from people’s daily lives. Huang, on the other hand, has created a unique artistic style by addressing acute environmental problems caused by economic development, Li says.
A polar bear stands in the middle of the road to block the progress of petroleum tankers in Civilization, acrylic on canvas, from 2013. (Photo courtesy of Vincent Huang)
“Huang’s art is humorous and straightforward, while at the same time critical and satirical,” Li says. “It has received attention because its subject matter—climate change—has become a global concern and his expressive form has a metaphoric, thought-provoking quality.” The art critic adds that Huang’s works resonated with the local audience at the Venice Biennale because the low-lying city has suffered in recent years from flooding worsened by climate change.
Meanwhile, Li believes the elements drawn from Chinese culture in Huang’s creations, such as terracotta warriors, tai chi movements and traditional ink painting, should interest international audience members. “Huang is a creative and critical thinker who is unafraid to express his ideas and does so strategically through the use of instantly recognizable icons and symbols,” Li says. “For example, he features the species and countries most threatened by global warming—penguins and polar bears and Tuvalu—in a series of works that is both a visual and an international language.”
Climate Jeopardy
Huang’s studies in the United Kingdom, cooperation with the Tuvalu government and participation in artist-in-residence programs organized by the Artspace Sydney Visual Arts Center in Australia and the Arctic Circle Project launched by the New York-based Farm Foundation for the Arts and Sciences have cultivated his worldview and affected his artistic creations, Li says. The art critic hopes that Huang’s performances will encourage more Taiwanese artists to reflect on and provide feedback about problems in the environments in which they live so as to develop the social influence of art.
The artist’s much-praised efforts resulted in his winning the ROC’s Presidential Cultural Award in 2013 in recognition of his dedication to the environment, outstanding achievements and international influence.
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Taipei also exhibited 16 pieces of Huang’s work from December 2013 to February 2014, diverse items that included graphic art, interactive installations and sculptures. The exhibition, co-organized by MOCA and the Embassy of Tuvalu in Taipei, was a sequel to the Tuvalu Pavilion at the 2013 Venice Biennale.
Prisoner’s Dilemma from 2013 portrays the Statue of Liberty kneeling in remorse before the portraits of terracotta-style penguin warriors, implying that penguins have lost out in the ravages of human civilization. (Photo courtesy of Vincent Huang)
MOCA director Shih Jui-jen (石瑞仁) says his museum held an exhibition of Huang’s work because the artist’s chosen subject matter—environmental impact—is an important contemporary issue that the museum has long emphasized. Moreover, he thinks that Taiwanese audiences should have the opportunity to view a complete presentation of Huang’s creative artwork.
The MOCA director says he admires Huang for his long-term efforts to promote environmental awareness and justice, and for warning mankind of impending disasters through his art. “While most artists are concerned about expressing their emotions and personal style in their work, Huang differs by tackling public interest issues and calling attention to them,” Shih Jui-jen says. “I’m moved by what he has been doing for those animals and countries that are jeopardized by climate change. He tells us what contemporary art can do.”
Venice Biennale curator Pan, who is an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University in the United States, says that art has a social function when it features aspects of collective life, as opposed to one person’s point of view or experience. Huang is one of the few Taiwanese artists that use their work to perform such a function while also exploring global rather than just local issues.
The Cornell professor says he has become increasingly concerned about climate problems given that they are becoming more and more alarming worldwide. That trend has led him to a true appreciation for Huang’s eco art projects. He also admits to feeling both gratified and honored to have helped curate the exhibition of the artist’s work at the Venice Biennale.
“At this crucial juncture, artists should actively contribute to and influence the fight against global warming,” Pan opines. “Huang has set a good example by creating simple, visually stimulating images to illustrate the consequences of climate change so that they can be more easily understood by members of the public, and motivate them to develop environmentally friendly consumption habits.”
That is actually what Huang has been working toward. “As the climate changes, extreme weather has become more frequent and severe. How should art reflect and engage in this global crisis to make a difference? That’s the question that has been on my mind,” Huang says. “I hope that my art can draw worldwide attention to the impending danger faced by Tuvalu, penguins and polar bears, and to many other countries and animal species as well, since we all share the same destiny.”
Write to Kelly Her at kher@mofa.gov.tw