<paper> Expanding the Art Historical Discourse

Paper accepted by National Chiayi University, presented by Chisai Fujita in Taiwanese Mandarin at the "2025 New Perspectives in Visual Arts Academic Conference" (May 14, 2025).

Expanding the Art Historical Discourse

Chisai Fujita (Independent researcher, Unaffiliated)

Abstract

As the 21st century has passed a quarter of a century, contemporary art has expanded its artists' activity domains and work themes beyond traditional national and cultural boundaries to an extent that can be called "stateless cuisine" or "multinational cuisine." However, existing art historical research, still confined to conventional frameworks divided by countries and regions, fails to fully capture the complete picture of such diverse art. Taiwanese artist Ting Chaong-Wen (born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 1979, currently residing in Tainan, Taiwan), in particular, works globally across Asia, Europe, North and South America, and his work themes frequently traverse multicultural domains such as ethnicity, region, and media. While artists engaging in such activities are no longer rare, the current art historical frameworks find it challenging to effectively capture the full scope of their practice and to study their works deeply within an appropriate historical context. This research takes the perspective of the author (a Japanese researcher) as an art observer as its starting point. Furthermore, it introduces the perspective of "Public History," integrating oral histories, document analysis, and cultural backgrounds, to examine Ting Chaong-Wen's works within a broader art historical context from the viewpoint of intercultural exchange. It specifically focuses on his works that address themes related to the Japanese colonial period.