馬來貘 - 畫布三幅 Malayan Tapir on Canvas Tri-Set

In the seventeenth century, European countries expanded their maritime trade and economic path to Asia. In addition to the flow of merchandise, the development of knowledge systems such as biology and science was also linked with the growing trade expansion. From Macao, Natural History Drawings, which were used to record the ecology of animals and plants, were introduced to China. The first commander of the British East India Company, Mr William Farquhar, who was sent to Malacca, hired a Chinese painter to record the flora and fauna of the Peninsula of Malaysia. This collection of natural history has become a valuable resource for understanding the ecology and history of this time.

Today the Natural History Drawings of the colonial period are an essential basis for understanding the life forms of the past. Many animals and plants were also included in a scientific system and named according to their characteristics. These Natural History Drawings were closely linked to science and art, and the advancement of art techniques led to the further development of science. As we can see in this collection, the close connection of science, art, commerce, and politics in the colonial era is akin to today's "Internet of Things", which connects various events or individuals together.

With modern technology, the artist uses the narrative of Natural History Drawings, combining various images, technology products, software backgrounds and Natural History Drawings using the collage technique.

十七世紀歐洲國家拓展海上貿易與經濟的路徑來到亞洲，除了商品貨物的流動，也連動著生物學、科學等知識系統建立的發展。當時用來記錄動植物生態的自然歷史繪畫從澳門傳入中國。英國東印度公司派任麻六甲的第一任司令威廉・法夸爾（William Farquhar） 則曾經雇用中國畫師，繪製馬來西亞半島的動植物，這一系列的收藏成為現今了解當時生態與歷史的重要自然歷史繪畫。

殖民時期的自然歷史繪畫是現今理解當時生物的依據與方法。動植物也進入科學系統，依據其特徵分類命名。自然歷史繪畫緊密連結科學與藝術，藝術技法的精進促成科學的發展。這一系列的收藏記述殖民時期科學、藝術、貿易與政治的網絡，也如同當今的物聯網，將異質的事件或個體相互連結。

藝術家透過現代技術開展自然歷史繪畫的敘事，運用拼貼、合成的方式將網路影像、科技產品、繪圖軟體後台與自然歷史繪畫組合，以傳統廣告的形式懸掛展出。

黃宏錡攝影 北師美術館提供

陽光沙灘上的糖棕 Sugar Palms on the Sunny Beach

金屬支架 Metal Bracket、藝術微噴於畫布 C-print on Canvas， 133.5 (H) x 99 (W) x 14.5 (THK) cm，2019

The protagonist in Hsu's Work: Sugar Palms on the Sunny Beach, is a native plant in Southeast Asia. This fruit can make sugar, and its juice can also extract alcohol. This plant is also an important cash crop in the region. In today's consumer society impression, palm trees, ocean, beach, sun and birds create a kind of holiday imagination. Between these palm trees, we can find various birds, such as the "Oriental bay owl", the "Chestnut-breasted Malkoha", the "Woodpecker", the "black-and-red broadbill", the "Rufous-Winged Philentoma" and the "Asian Paradise-flycatcher".

《陽光沙灘上的糖棕》的主角糖棕是是原生於東南亞地區的植物，他的果實可以用來製糖，其汁液也可以用來提煉酒精，是該地區重要的經濟作物。而在現今消費社會的印象中，棕梠樹帶來另一種度假的想像，與海洋、沙灘、陽光、鳥叫緊密連結，而栗鴞、棕胸地鵑、啄木鳥、黑紅闊嘴鳥、鶲鵙與壽帶鳥棲身於棕梠樹之間。

秘境森林中的幼年馬來貘 The Small Malayan Tapir in the Mystery Forest

金屬支架 Metal Bracket、藝術微噴於畫布 C-print on Canvas，133.5 (H) x 99 (W) x 14.5 (THK) cm，2019

Several animals such as The seabird "Tern", "Slow Loris", the "Dark-Handed Gibbon" and the Small "Malayan Tapir" appear in Hsu's Work: The Small Malayan Tapir in the Mystery Forest. The Small Malayan Tapir's body pattern differs from the Adult Malayan Tapir. These tiny white spots and lines scattered on the brown body are a protective colour that helps the Tapir disappear in the forest. After the Malayan Tapir grows into adulthood, his white spots gradually fade away and turn into familiar black-and-white shapes.

燕鷗、懶猴、黑掌長臂猿與幼年馬來貘一同現身於《秘境森林中的幼年馬來貘》中。幼年馬來貘的身體花紋不同於成年馬來貘，白色的斑點與線條錯落在棕色身軀上，成為他們居住在森林中的保護色。馬來貘長至成年之後，身體的白色斑點會逐漸褪去，轉變成我們熟悉的黑白色塊。

成年馬來貘在群山之中 The Adult Malayan Tapir is Surrounded by Mountains

金屬支架 Metal Bracket、藝術微噴於畫布 C-print on Canvas，99 (H) x 133.5 (H) x 14.5 (THK) cm，2019

In The Adult Malayan Tapir is Surrounded by Mountains, a tree-dwelling mammal "Mole", a "Pangolin", the "Grey-Cheeked Flying Squirrel" and the "House Mouse" are surrounded by mountains in the forest. In the centre, a big Malayan Tapir steps out of the TV screen and enters the canvas world.

《成年馬來貘在群山之中》有鼯鼠、穿山甲、飛鼠與家鼠共同身在群山環繞的森林裡。大馬來貘從電視畫面中邁開步伐至森林之中，進入這個懸浮的畫布世界之中。

黑與白－馬來貘 Black and White - Malayan Tapir

黑與白－馬來貘 Black and White - Malayan Tapir

四頻道錄像裝置 four-channel video installation，6'55"，2018

The development in Southeast Asia progressed when the British East India Company chose Singapore as a commercial base and started its modernisation. As commercial development took place in Singapore, Europe also rapidly began to gather data and initiate the study of plants and animals, also the establishment of museums. William Farquhar, the first commandant of the British East India Company in Malacca, hired a Chinese painter to do large-scale mapping and sorting of species in the Malay Peninsula. As a result, a black and white creature, Malayan tapir, was recorded.

Due to the rapid development of biology, the naming and data recording of animals and plants became a competitive field for many naturalists. However, Thomas Stamford Raffles, the commandant of the British East India Company in Penang, and William Farquhar, the commandant in Malacca, stayed engaged in political competition and started scientific disputes. Their recorded collection of animals and plants at the time was shipped from place to place during the colonial era until it returned to Singapore to the National Heritage Board.

Black and White – Malayan Tapir hopes to apply an encyclopedic narrative style to deal with the equality between people and non-humans, as well as man and nature while exploring the changes regarding how modern people view images. The scenes switch from the National Gallery Singapore, the National History Museum, and Singapore Zoo to search engines and multiple windows. The political relationship between the zoo's history in Southeast Asia and the colonial era leads to the drawing of a scientific illustration, biology, civil division, and the local legend of Malayan tapir.


英國東印度公司在東南亞開發之際，選擇新加坡作為商業的據點，開始了當地的現代性建設。商業開發的同時，歐洲也同時快速發展動植物學與博物館的資料搜集與建構。英國東印度公司派任麻六甲的第一任司令威廉・法夸爾（William Farquhar）曾雇用中國畫師，針對馬來西亞的物種做大規模的繪製與整理，因而記錄了一種黑白生物：馬來貘。

在生物學迅速發展的時代，動植物的命名與資料記錄成為眾多生物愛好者相互競爭的範疇。然而，英國東印度公司的檳城司令萊佛士（Thomas Stamford Raffles）與麻六甲司令威廉・法夸爾，從政治的競爭關係延燒到科學的紛爭。他們當時候的動植物紀錄收藏歷經殖民時代的海上移動，輾轉回到新加坡，收藏在新加坡國家文物局。

《黑與白－馬來貘》希望從百科全書式的敘事方式處理一種人與非人，人與自然之間，一種平等非主從的關係，並探討現代人觀看影像的方式變化。畫面在新加坡國家美術館、自然科學博物館、新加坡動物園、搜尋引擎與多重視窗的場景間移動，開展出東南亞地區的動物園歷史與殖民時代的政治關係，繼而牽引出科學繪畫、生物學、城市區域劃分與馬來貘在當地的傳說。

    

    

黑與白－熊貓 Black and White - Giant Panda

黑與白－熊貓 Black and White - Giant Panda

五頻道錄像裝置 five-channel video installation，2018
第一章：走私 Chapter 1: It's a Pug / 9'46"
第二章：好可愛啊！Chapter 2: So Cute! / 12'40"
第三章：共產熊貓 Chapter 3: A Communist Panda / 7'11"
第四章：黑白熊 Chapter 4: A Black and White Bear / 11'44"
第五章：團圓 Chapter 5: Family Reunion / 11'27"

In Black and White – Giant Panda, a panda is used as the entry point and acts as a connection between politics, history, animals, people and non-humans to tell the history of panda diplomacy.

Pandas can only be found in the mountains of Sichuan in China. In other words, all pandas in zoos in other countries are from China. Pandas even became an essential diplomatic tool in the 20th century. China's panda diplomacy goes back thousands of years to as early as 685 AD when Empress Wu Ze-Tian sent a pair of white bears and seventy furs of the white bear (white bear here refers to giant pandas) to the Japanese emperor. Pandas were smuggled or traded from China at the beginning of the 20th century. Panda fever started when they appeared in the United States and Europe. They played an important diplomatic role in World War II and the Cold War, and still do to this day. Pandas also linked the complicated relationship between the United States, Europe, Russia, Japan, Taiwan, and China. 

The lecture performance, commissioned by the Arts Commons Tokyo in March 2018, was performed at the Taiwan Culture Center of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan. As a result of cooperation with the Manzaishis, the panda's lovely image is used as material for comedy performance; meanwhile, the historical and political issues of panda diplomacy are described amusingly. In Black and White – Giant Panda, performance, historical materials, and the screen window viewing experience reflect and complement each other.


《黒與白－熊貓》以熊貓做為切入點，貫穿政治、歷史、動物等人與非人之間的連接，講述一段熊貓外交的歷史。

熊貓只生活在中國四川一帶山區，換而言之，目前全世界動物園裡的熊貓都來自中國，特別是在二十世紀，熊貓成為重要的外交工具。中國的「熊貓外交」已有上千年歷史。早在公元685年，武則天就曾送給日本天皇兩隻「白熊」和70張「白熊」毛皮，此處的「白熊」就是大熊貓。二十世紀開始，貓熊曾經被偷渡或買賣交易離開中國，當他們現身美國或歐洲時，曾經席捲一股熊貓熱。他們分別在二戰、冷戰時期以及今日，扮演著重要的外交角色，也連結美國、歐洲、俄羅斯、日本、台灣與中國之間千絲萬縷的錯綜關係。

2018年3月由東京藝術公社委託製作的Lecture Performance於台北駐日經濟文化代表處台灣文化中心演出。透過與日本「漫才師」合作，以熊貓可愛的形象為喜劇演出的材料，用詼諧的言語描述熊貓外交的歷史與政治問題。《黒與白－熊貓》結合當時的表演影像、歷史材料與螢幕視窗的觀看經驗相互映照與補充，透過漫才師的敘事重新在熊貓的移動與交換拓展出歷史、國際政治的樣貌。