<essays> Chisai in 2024 (4)
Hi everyone! Long time no see! 😉 Berlin trip aftermath: HUGE life event! Seriously! Let's dive into the story!
The Nature of Cities event in Berlin (you remember, from Chisai in 2024 (3) 😉) really sparked something new in me. It was like, "Hey, I do have something to say about art and environmental issues!" But then, my focus kind of shifted, you know? It wasn't really about global environmentalism anymore, but more about… Taiwan. Taiwan was calling to me!
Actually, this whole shift in consciousness started way back in fall 2023, when my paper got accepted for that competition which topic was "What is Japanese art history now?". And my paper basically questioned whether certain Taiwanese artworks – artworks using Japanese language, dealing with the Japanese colonial era, filmed and created in Japan, and exhibited in Japan – could even be considered "Japanese art history" in the first place! This paper, I thought I was applying to some research center in the US, but (surprise!) turned out it was sponsored by two universities in Israel! Their email popped up saying, "Please come to Israel to give your presentation. We’ll send details later”. When I got that email, the way it was written was so unfamiliar to me, I honestly didn't understand if it was good news or bad news! I forwarded it to my friends right away, saying, "I have no idea what this email means! Can you read this?!" And thank goodness for my friends – they were the ones who figured it out and told me, "Chisai, you passed! Congratulations!" That’s how I found out my paper had actually been accepted! What's up, my English is… well, let's just say "developing" 😉, but anyway my paper had passed and I thought "Israel? Where exactly is Israel?" I was literally looking it up on Google Maps when… BAM! War broke out.
So, obviously, Israel's was over. But I was determined! "Which country's competition should I apply to next?" I thought. Japan (in where I live)? Nope, no paper competitions like that in Japan. But then it hit me – Taiwan! I just happened to stumble upon some websites of universities in Taiwan… 💡
And that's how I decided to apply for the paper competition in Taiwan in April. Turns out, it wasn't even run by a university in Taiwan, but by the Tainan Art Museum! And get this – the theme was “現代中的傳統 Tradition in the Modern”. Now, you see the "現代" part, right? In Japanese, that means "now, contemporary." But in Chinese "現代" is more like "modern," like "a little while ago." And here I was, researching contemporary art! Not "modern" art from the past! 🤦♀️ Totally missed that detail because of my still-developing Chinese skills! Ha! 😅
Then, just before I left for Berlin, I got acceptance email from the Tainan Art Museum, yes, this one! It said, “Please send us a longer paper in two weeks.” Two weeks?! What was I going to be doing in Berlin for two weeks? Um, hello, festival! When was I supposed to write this paper?! 🤔 Easy answer: on the plane! 😂 I barely slept on that flight, just furiously writing in Chinese! ✍️
My paper title was “Representation of Scenery – Tradition as Taiwanese Artist's Consciousness.” Yeah, it sounds kind an old-fashioned, right? But in it, I actually talked about really contemporary Taiwanese art from a Japanese perspective. And I had this huge realization – it was like I was seeing Taiwanese art for the first time! Especially landscape art (and not just paintings, but all kinds of contemporary art!). It was like a whole new world opened up!
On the flight back from Berlin, I polished up my paper and sent it off to the Tainan Art Museum. They got back to me super quickly, saying, "We received your paper! Are you coming to give a presentation? Will it be in English or Japanese?" And without a second thought, I replied, "Chinese!".
Then, the real panic set in😅! I had to make a PPT presentation and train to give the presentation in Chinese. So, I asked my amazing Taiwanese language teacher (you know, the one I see every week) if she could help me practice my Chinese. She was so enthusiastic! We ended up having practice online sessions almost every day! And then, finally, July 5th arrived – presentation day!
As soon as I finished my presentation, Professor Liao Hsin-tien 廖新田, who gave me comments, just burst into applause and came right up to me! He said, "You are SO interesting! And, even more amazing, you gave the whole presentation in Chinese!" 👏
And that moment sparked another new idea in my head! 🤯 And then, Professor Liao invited me to join "the Taiwan Art History Association"! Whoa! I actually hesitated for a second. I mean, I'm not even a member of any art history groups in Japan! Plus, you know, some people in Japan haven't exactly been thrilled about my interest in Taiwanese art. So, I really thought about whether I should join this association. But, Professor Liao is, like, the executive director of it! I couldn't exactly say "No" to him! 😂 So, guess what? I became a member!
That's it for today! Or rather, Chisai found her next goals and started to research. I can't write that here yet, but this series <essays> Chisai in 2024 is finished. So, I think I will forget to write on the Substack again, Ha!!