Post-1960s, the movement of “conceptual art” has led to a series of trends within the contemporary art. Whether they are in the form of objects, documents, archives, performances, installations, videos, land art or even actions, artistic expressions have continued to evolve in variety and complexity. The artists remain firmly against the traditional artistic styles, attempting to expand the scope of artistic expressions to include notions of philosophy and concept.

Within this trend, we are able to detect the huge turning point regarding the definition of art: it has changed from the portrayal of matters into the expression of ideas. In addition, it has also expanded to include not just tangible objects, which occupy a volume of space, but also actions, performances, projects and site-specific creation programs etc., which take place during a period of time. Nowadays, the tangible object (whether it is two-dimensional or three-dimensional, painting or sculpturing) is no longer the only representation of an artwork. Furthermore, the idea that an artwork must remain the solo effort of an artist is also being doubted and may no longer stand. Therefore, the next time we are viewing contemporary art and pondering about its “eccentric” appearance, we should also realize that we are being given the chance to learn and reflect on its underlying concept.

The exhibition Love at First Sight: Contemporary Art Made in France, Collection FRAC Nord-Pas de Calais, jointly held by the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts and the FRAC Nord-Pas de Calais, is an apt representation of the experimental mindset. It has employed the term “collection” in its title, yet almost none of the works on view has been shipped to Taiwan. In other words, Love at First Sight is first and foremost dedicated to exhibiting the “concept” of the artists. With the help of the Taiwanese locals and resources, the works have been re-created to represent a continuation.