If you have ever entered the Nanshijiao MRT Station in Taipei and felt joy at the sight of the large, colourful floating forms hanging inside; if you have visited Kaohsiung International Airport and gasped at the vibrant, dreamy candy-coloured corridor; or if you have walked down the streets of London and seen a giant colourful flower blooming in post-pandemic London... then you have already encountered the works of Jun T. Lai. Lai’s public art pieces, including “South Melody” in Nanshijiao, “The Heart of Sea and Sky” at Kaohsiung International Airport, “Embracing the Future” in front of the College of Law at National Taiwan University, and “Telesthesia” in Kaohsiung District Court, bring a touch of lively colour to the rigid cityscape and cold institutions. While her works bloom in concrete structures, there is one place that serves as the creative spark—Taitung.
Since 1997, almost every year in Taiwan, a new public art piece by Lai has appeared in different counties and cities. Lai, who consistently integrates her art into urban spaces, has a keen sense of scale, allowing her works to merge into open spaces without losing their creative core due to the physical environment. In 2010, she moved from the cramped city to the vast expanses of Taitung. Did this change in environment affect the size of her works? Lai’s response, “The size of a piece should be appropriate; each work has its own character. Just because the space is large doesn’t mean I have to make it especially big. It’s about balancing the relationship between the work and its environment.”
Living in Dulan, facing the sea with mountains at her back, Lai’s eyes sparkle with spirit, even her greying hair shines beautifully. Upon meeting her, it’s clear where the fluidity and colour in her works come from. On the day of the interview, Lai wore bright yellow flip-flops and a soft cotton-linen top which she attached shiny colourful stickers to. Watching her walk ahead, one is reminded of a fairy godmother who could conjure a pumpkin carriage with a wave of her wand.
When asked how she, as an artist, plans her creative schedule, whether she disciplines herself to create for a certain number of hours each day, she humorously replied, “If I forced myself to work 16 hours a day, I’d be no different from a factory worker in the industrial age! That wouldn’t be the natural way of creation.” She continued to handcraft a transparent inflatable skirt she would wear in an upcoming performance art piece.
“Art is life, life is a process that grows organically. It’s not about doing it for someone or going somewhere specific, it’s about creating meaning.” This philosophy has deeply rooted itself in her 50 years of creation, life, and artistic practice.
Creating Life, Creating Art - “SOCA Dulan”
What does Taitung mean to Lai? “Picture Taitung as a ray of light, the freest and most energetic light.”
In 2000, she came to Taitung to see the first dawn of the new millennium. “Finally seeing the sunlight break through the clouds and spread across the ocean, that image has always stayed with me.” In the following years, Lai frequently visited Taitung. Seeing the sacred Mount Dulan, standing guard like a mother over the land, deeply moved her. Lai said, “During those years of creation and work, I was constantly active in Taitung. The vast blue sea along the way made me feel a kind of indescribable resonance with the colours and light of Taitung. This sea, this mountain range, this freedom, for me, is a manifestation of my inner world.”
Having studied in Tokyo, lived in New York, and travelled to many major cities with her works, Lai ultimately chose to establish her own world between the mountains and sea of Taitung. “The purity and spirituality of Taitung naturally give me a sense of connection.” Visiting Lai’s home, which also serves as her site of contemporary art “SOCA Dulan”, one is greeted by golden sunlight, bright green and well-manicured lawns, and gently rolling grass slopes. Standing beneath Mount Dulan, where the sun rises, at the foot of the mountain lies Lai’s work “Metaverse Field Force of Condensation,” settled between the mountain and the ocean, resembling the megalithic structures of ancient civilizations. Several important installations and sculptures from her life are also freely placed on the grassy field.
The work “Metaverse Field Force of Condensation” is composed of several massive steel steles arranged in a circle, reminiscent of a megalithic structure. This formation echoes the cross-temporal imagery of the “Qilin Culture,” a prehistoric civilization in Huatung, opening up mythological imaginations. On the grassy field, there is also the famous “Heart Series” work, one of which, “No Attachment,” is a small iron dragon bravely roaring forward. Another work, “Genuine Void and Subtle Possession,” is a bronze statue of Guanyin sitting peacefully beside a small pond, facing the studio’s main building with her back to the distant mountains. The pond’s reflection is clear, and the shimmering light reflects a soft and fluid play of reality and illusion. Lai says this work is about how many things transcend form; they are interpretations and flows of meaning. “Heart Sutra” reveals to her a worldview and the concept of crossing boundaries. “Form is emptiness, and emptiness is form. Emptiness does not mean nothingness. You must truly see things with your heart or view them from different angles.”
At the entrance of her studio, there is a spectacular mirror-like colourful metal wall. Lai used special paint to create light spots that resemble sugar-water coloured glass paper and gems. The work can reflect the image of the viewer, as if reflecting their inner self. She says that the continuity between her home and the exhibition space gives her more time to converse with her works. The pieces created in Taitung naturally reflect her state of mind and environment. “The Birth of an Island” is one such work, and her new work “The First Light of Dawn,” displayed at the Dawu 9420 Coastal Park since the South Link Arts Festival in August, is another. “The First Light of Dawn” is a metal ring structure, where the circular shape symbolizes continuity, commitment, and protection. The first dawn of the new year will rise from the centre of the ring. Travelers along the South Link Highway will look out at the Pacific Ocean through this work, deepening the connection between people and their environment.
Experiencing Freedom Through Immersion in Art and Place
Lai’s life in Taitung has entered its second decade. Over these 20 years, she has done many things. She has used her space to host international exchange exhibitions, bringing global perspectives into Taitung’s life and art network, while also gathering the practices of local creators and helping to build community awareness in Dulan.
As the founding Chair of the Taiwan Women’s Art Association (TWAA), which has a 25-year history, Lai brought together the works of more than 70 female creators from across Taiwan in 2022. This culminated in the 2022 World Women’s Art Festival with the theme “Love and Hope,” which connected Taitung Art Museum, National Taitung Living Art Center, the National Museum of Prehistory, and over a dozen surrounding spaces. Lai hopes that everyone can experience the understanding of their life state through creative expression. “Artistic creation doesn’t have to be something only artists can do, nor does it need validation from others. Through creative expression, you can understand yourself, become yourself, and grow yourself.” Some artists from the TWAA are from Taitung and have begun practicing their own expressions on this land. By combining exhibitions in Taitung’s various independent and public spaces, crossing the boundaries of traditional art museum curating, the “World Women’s Art Festival” has elevated to a public expression movement.
“It’s not about presenting a specific kind of work, it’s just freely expressing that’s all.” In 2019, Lai curated the “Boundary Dulan: Imagination and Practice” group exhibition at Taitung Art Museum, which distilled the unique artistic energy of the Dulan community. This was followed by the large-scale artistic movement of the TWAA and, this year, the founding of “SOCA Dulan” and the Jun T. Lai Art and Culture Foundation. Lai continues to push the boundaries of space and herself through practice, enabling more artists in Taitung to realize their extended imagination and freely pursue expression.
Lai’s Vision for Taitung’s Artistic Future
Within this context, “SOCA Dulan” is set to become an experimental field responding to issues, connecting internationally with the East Coast’s art and cultural ecology in the future. It wasn’t a “deliberate design” that fell into place, but rather the result of a decade of cultivation and free growth, returning to the name of the site, SOCA which stands for “Site of Contemporary Art.” This site encompasses interdisciplinary art and holds expectations for even more possibilities in art.
“Experimentation is the most important aspect of art,” says Lai.
This summer, Lai has not stopped, continuing her annual cross-disciplinary practice. This year’s art project is the “Alice in Wonderland —Performance and Public Participation Project,” where Lai herself transforms into a real-life Alice, leading guests on an immersive experience in the wonderland of “SOCA Dulan.” The show began in mid-August and will run until early September, continuing a summer artistic experience that blends creation and life, reality and fantasy.
In classic literature, Alice in “Alice in Wonderland” is always leaping through her dream adventures, forever encountering surprises. Much like the wonderland crafted by Lai, “SOCA Dulan” serves as a contemporary art space allowing the imagination of the future and the artistic experiments of future Taitung to radiate with the brilliance of possibilities.
Postscript: “The Most Healing Thing is to Forget Yourself”
Many people say that art has the power to heal. “Art doesn’t always need to be understood,” Lai said with a hearty laugh, “The most healing thing is to forget yourself, forget your ego, forget your place in the world, and forget where you are when you encounter art!”
(Interview and writing by Hazel T. C. Chou; Photos provided by Jun T. Lai Art and Culture Foundation)
About Jun T. Lai
Jun T. Lai is an important Taiwanese artist who has participated in numerous public art projects and has won awards such as the First Prize at the Exhibition of Contemporary Chinese Sculpture Competition, the Taipei Biennial of Contemporary Art Award, and the Best Creativity Award at the first Public Art Awards in Taipei.
Her artistic journey began in the 1970s with vibrant two-dimensional artworks. By the 1980s, her work shifted towards a more introspective and philosophical approach, influenced by the Minimal Art movement. Her art continued to evolve, and in each period, Lai has placed life and emotion at the heart of her creations.
In 2007, she relocated to Taitung, and the construction of “SOCA Dulan” officially began. In early 2024, the Jun T. Lai Art and Culture Foundation was established, continuing the experimental and creative spirit of the SOCA Modern Art Studio founded in 1986. The “SOCA Dulan” in Dulan, Taitung is dedicated to sharing, international exchange, academic exploration, local networking, and innovative experimentation.
Lai’s 40-year artistic journey has now come full circle, connecting the foundation’s establishment and the opening of the contemporary art space into a cohesive narrative. It’s both a reflection and a continuation of her work. She is deeply grateful to the many friends and supporters who have accompanied her on her artistic journey and hopes to continue moving forward together in the pursuit of art.
“SOCA Dulan” visits by Appointment Only
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