The demarcations for the latitude and longitude coordinate system serve as an important element for defining the world’ s time zones. Yet, such demarcations cannot be seen with the naked eye. Therefore, during the sixteenth century's Age of Discovery, this knowledge was banned. In 1853, the black ship of U.S. Navy commandant, Matthew C. Perry, entered Edo Bay from the Uraga sea, and forced an end to Japan’ s long-time isolationist policy. And, it was through this forbidden knowledge, that Western nations forced the East to open up and modernize.

In the twentieth century, several island-nations located along the Pacific Rim - Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Indonesia (from north to south) - became embroiled in colonial conflicts caused by a discrepancy in knowledge between both sides. It is worthy to note that the central figure in the “black ship incident,” the U.S. fleet’ s Matthew C. Perry, was never considered an invader by the Japanese. He was even partially credited for instigating the Meiji Restoration, for which a monument of Perry was erected near Uraga, Japan. Having all once been occupied by the Japanese, the three island nations of Taiwan, the Philippines, and Indonesia have all since won their sovereignty, and colonial conflict seem to become something of the past. Yet, complex sentiments concerning the past arise from time to time, directly or indirectly affecting aspects of daily life, society, and culture on these three island-nations. This familiar yet alien status has continued even into modern times.

For example, Taiwan is an island nation located south of Japan and north of the Philippines and Indonesia, with the Tropic of Cancer running right through it. It is a perfect place to reexamine these four nations. Looking at their history, how did art help propel them into the twenty-first century? And, how did acquiring new knowledge provide a new independent outlook? These are meaningful questions worthy of exploring.

The Islands of the Day Before exhibition features works by eleven artists from Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia. These artists hail from across many different generations - from those born right after World War II to the late 1980s. Whether they view society from a critical angle or through a common heritage, the above-mentioned artists all attempt to explore their relationships with their countries of origin, or, they seek to embrace long lost traditions and revitalize a staggering modern society. Some use their ingenuity to express various imaginations regarding island sentiments. These efforts help us gain a better understanding of history shaped by a once banned knowledge: the latitude and longitude coordinate system.

Artists: Hsu Pei-Cheng, Peng Hsien-Hsiang, Lin Yi-Chun, Huang Pin-Ling,
Hsi Shih-Pin, Jumaldi Alfi, Agus Suwage, Gabriel Barredo, Jose Legaspi,
Yoshitomo Nara, Daisuke Ohba
Curated by Chang Li-Hao

*image (left)
Forest #2, 2009
acrylic on cotton, 180x220cm
© Daisuke Ohba