Aki gallery is presenting Kuo, I-Chen’s solo exhibition “Behind the Shadow”. Kuo is the most popular art star in new media area now. In 2011, his solo exhibition “Lightyears” in Taipei Fine Art Museum caught viewers’ great attentions; however, he also has astonishing exhibition experiences all over the world! In 2005, he was the youngest participant of Venice Biennale, and also invited to join the show held by ZMK (Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe), the most important center of art and media in Germany. Besides, a collection list made by Centre Georges Pompidou included Kuo’s works! In recent years, it is not difficult to see his works in France, Australia, Italy, Japan, Germany and Korea. He uses a cold tone and rational language to touch the human soul and depict deeply an anxiety. In his new series held by Aki gallery exhibits four series works this time.

This exhibition “Behind the shadow” connects perfectly four new series “Portrait”, “Snapshadow”, “Shadow of Shadows” and “Shadow of Light” to discuss the idea of absence by using high tech products, copy machine, monitor, bible and photographs. He opens a whole new entrance to let viewers experience different angel of photography. Aki gallery invites all art lovers to step into this amazing world which Kuo, I-Chen creates on 3th of August!

Protrait
Kuo collects high tech products especially the screen from those old and discarded computers, cell phones, and so on. By these LED screens, they reflect the faces of the users which had been gone for long time ago. When we stand in front of those dark screens, our faces appear on them like ghosts, telling the past of the users. Kuo uses this to create a whole new format of contemporary portrait in 20th century.

Snapshadow
“When a bird flies by a monitor, and I observer it from my iphone and press the shooting bottom from the other side of the earth. The bird was real, and I did shoot it without my attendance. Does it mean it is not photography? (Kuo, I-Chen) Kuo questions the existence by the absence of artist! “After pressing the bottom, the shooting moment dies immediately, but if the artist has never been the shooting place, does it mean death doesn’t happen?”

Shadow of Shadows
An ordinary copy machine without independence keeps doing its task what human beings ask. Kuo uses monitor to watch this copy machine and make it show on the TV screen. When the users stand in front of it, manipulating it, pressing the copy bottom, trying to print the image out, they find out their body is not even on the paper! Kuo employs copy machine to transfer an idea that the object is not controlled by manipulator; it is given some sort of ability to being independent.

Shadow of Light
“God said, Let there be light: and there was light”. Kuo uses a convex to let the word “Light”on the bible to burn, and whole bible is burned to the ground. Kuo records this burning process, and reverse it in order to let the bible reborn from the ash. He poetically expresses diverse meanings of light and lead viewers to explore the essence of human beings by the light from religion/spirit and substance/science.

Courtesy of AKI Gallery